[IMAGE]  	  [IMAGE]  

	
	
	[IMAGE]
	
	
	The 'goal post' motivation factor 
	 
	Nov. 9, 2000 
	 
	
	[IMAGE]Chip Brown, who covers UT football for The Dallas Morning News, 
answers your questions about injuries, Chris Simms, bowl prospects and more. 
Inside UT Football appears on Thursdays. 
	
	 
	E-mail questions to Chip: chipbrown@dallasnews.com 
	
	
	 
	Listen to Chip Brown talk about the Longhorns on
	DallasNews.com's Colleges site 
	
	
	
	Chip Shot 
	 
	
	After learning that the goal posts had been greased at Texas Tech to keep 
fans from tearing them down if the Red Raiders had beaten Texas, the 
Longhorns got some more goal post bulletin board material from Kansas. 
	
	 Texas coach Mack Brown told his team about a story that appeared in the 
Topeka Capital-Journal on Oct. 23 about how Kansas players hoped they would 
be tearing down the goal posts after beating Texas this Saturday. 
	
	 At the time, KU players quoted in the article had hoped they would be 
playing Texas for their sixth win, making them bowl eligible. As it stands, 
the Jayhawks (4-5, 2-4) need to beat both Texas and Iowa State. 
	
	 Still, that didn't keep Mack Brown from telling his team about the article. 
	
	 "I think that's insulting," said UT CB Quentin Jammer. "They'll only be let 
down when it doesn't happen." 
	
	 "That's disrespectful," said UT CB Rod Babers. "It's the same thing as Tech 
lubing up the goal posts." 
	
	 Recalling that three teams (Baylor, Missouri and Oklahoma State) tore down 
goal posts after beating a 4-7 UT team in 1997, coach Mack Brown called Texas 
"the goal post team." 
	
	 On a related note, Brown is taking all kinds of measures to make his team 
tougher. 
	
	 Texas players wore jackets and head warmers in the cold and rain in Dallas 
against Oklahoma. They will be without such comforts when they travel to 
Kansas this weekend, where temperatures could be in the 40s. 
	
	 "When we played in the mist up in Dallas, the players had coats on and masks 
on," Mack Brown said. "We've taken those away. We don't take jackets to the 
game anymore when it's cold. No masks, nothing. We're going to go with pads 
and helmets and play. We're not going to stand around and let the weather be 
a factor." 
	
	 Brown also wants his team to be up and ready despite playing to a crowd that 
will likely be sparse at KU on Saturday. 
	
	 "There won't be anybody there," Brown said, referring to the fact that KU 
has averaged 33,220 fans at home this season. 
	
	 KU's largest crowd at Memorial Stadium (capacity 50,250) was 48,500 for 
Kansas State on Oct. 7. 
	
	
	
	 
	Longhorn Q & A 
	 Q: Since freshman DT Stevie Lee is out for the year now and he still has 
redshirt eligibility, can he get a medical redshirt for his injury? 
	 ?? Rick Orr 
	
	 BROWN:  Mack Brown said this week that the plan is for Lee (foot) to seek a 
medical redshirt and thus have four years of eligibility after this season. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
	[IMAGE] 
	Shaun Rogers  
	
	Q: I know Shaun Rogers' play has been limited since his ankle sprain against 
Houston. How many snaps has he been getting over the last several games? At 
one point during the Tech game, I thought I saw Adam Doiron and Marcus Tubbs 
on the field at the same time playing tackle. I know these freshmen are 
playing great, but I figured either Shawn or Casey Hampton would always be on 
the field to give the line the benefit of their experience. Please provide a 
rundown of the tackle rotation.  
	?? Dan McCrory 
	
	
	 BROWN:  Rogers has been getting between 20 and 30 snaps per game. But that 
high ankle sprain has really taken a toll. He's not the same player he was 
before the Houston game. Still, he wants to stay out on the field, even 
though he is not 100 percent. Tubbs and Doiron were out on the field together 
against Tech for several plays - several key plays. Mack Brown said Tubbs and 
Doiron had the quickness to hold their own against Tech's inexperienced, 
undersized offensive line. I don't know how often you'll see a tackle tandem 
that doesn't include Casey Hampton, but against Tech, the coaches felt they 
would have to play four defensive ends and four defensive tackles. That's 
because of the number of pass rushers needed to get pressure on the QB. 
Against a running team, you probably would see Hampton as part of the DT 
tandem in the game. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Can you update us on the injuries? 
	?? Lars Mechlenberg 
	
	 BROWN:  Major Applewhite is out for Kansas with a sprained posterior 
cruciate ligament in his right knee. He is questionable for Texas A?on Nov. 
24. WR Artie Ellis (shin) is out for Saturday. CB Ervis Hill (shoulder) is 
out for the season and may need surgery. DT Ryan Haywood (shoulder) is out 
for the season and has already undergone surgery. SS Lee Jackson (quadriceps) 
is questionable, and LB O.J. McClintock (knee) is probable. Coaches would 
like to get McClintock back on the field this week on special teams. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: I noticed you mentioned in one of your articles that Texas was still 
trying to put together its first complete game of the season. I couldn't 
agree more. I don't recall a season where we really haven't played a good 
game yet this late in the season, especially given the talent we are putting 
on the field. I'm also concerned about the number of penalties we are 
committing. I've read that Mack thinks these reflect enthusiasm and emotion, 
but I watch too many teams play with as much or more emotion and remain 
disciplined. Do you think we have a coaching problem or is it just youth? 
	?? Ken Hines, Wichita Falls 
	
	 BROWN:  OG Antwan Kirk-Hughes told me this week that the team thought it 
would go out to Stanford and win easily. In other words, the team took the 
Cardinal lightly. Thus, when the Cardinal played the Longhorns tough (and 
ultimately won), Texas got tight and struggled. I think this season has been 
one with little to get up for. The teams on UT's schedule were - for the most 
part - awful. Texas knew going into the season that it was going to be at 
least a 10-point favorite in every game except for Oklahoma and Texas A&M. 
The Longhorns have beaten only one team with a winning record - Texas Tech. 
My point is, once Texas suffered the shock of losing to Stanford, it lost 
some of its sense of urgency. Its dream of a national title - realistic or 
unrealistic - was over. By the time Texas played Oklahoma, the Longhorns had 
played only a couple halves of complete football - the second half against 
Louisiana-Lafayette and the second half against Oklahoma State. That wasn't 
nearly enough to build the kind of confidence needed to face the Sooners. For 
whatever reason (some will argue it was the QB rotation), the offensive 
coaches weren't able to instill an identity or swagger into their players. 
Whether this is because of a lack of leadership on offense or because the 
team couldn't get up for the Houstons and Baylors of the world, only the 
coaches and players really know. But, in my opinion, Texas has not yet put a 
complete game together - nine games into the season. And it's because of the 
offense. The defense has been solid with the exception of Oklahoma. The 
offense has been slow starting, erratic and even predictable. To UT's credit, 
the offense is about to set a single-season passing yardage record by 
averaging 289.4 yards passing per game. If Texas wins its next two games and 
wins its bowl game, the Longhorns would be 10-2 and that would be an 
improvement over last year and hard to argue with. So, perhaps Texas can take 
the fire it showed in the first quarter against Tech and put its first 
complete game together this week. A three-game winning streak to end the 
season would be a great launch pad into next season, when UT will again have 
a chance for greatness against a schedule of tackling dummies. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: I am thinking that palm trees and balmy sunsets may be in the Longhorns' 
immediate holiday plans: either the Orange Bowl, if all goes perfectly, or 
more likely the Culligan Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Do you think Mack Brown 
would relish a game against Rick Neuheisel? Texas vs. Washington would make 
for great TV, and a wonderful trip for the 'Horns and their many fans. 
	?? James K. Sterrett 
	
	 BROWN:  This is a better question for next week because we'll know the 
outcome of the Texas A&M-Oklahoma game. If Oklahoma and Nebraska both win out 
and meet in the Big 12 title game, a narrow Nebraska win would probably land 
both in a BCS bowl game. A narrow Oklahoma win might still land them both in 
the BCS. But a lopsided win by either Oklahoma or Nebraska would probably 
mean the winner going to a BCS bowl game and the loser going to the Cotton. 
If A?loses to Oklahoma and UT beats Kansas, the winner of the UT-A?game would 
probably be playing for the Holiday Bowl with the loser going to the Alamo 
Bowl. The Holiday Bowl opponent would appear to be either Oregon State or 
Washington. The Alamo Bowl opponent would appear to be either Michigan or 
Ohio State. I think any of those opponents would probably catch the attention 
of Texas, except for maybe Oregon State, which is really good. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
	[IMAGE] 
	Carl Reese  
	
	Q: Missouri head coach Larry Smith is probably on his way out of Columbia 
after this season. Carl Reese is a perfect candidate for that position with 
all of his Missouri ties. Do you see coach Reese taking off for Columbia?  
	 ?? Michael Sampson 
	
	 BROWN:  Reese has indicated to Mack Brown that he has no interest in 
becoming a head coach. He is getting close to 60, and I think he would like 
to focus all of his efforts on building a national title contender in Austin. 
Don't look for Reese to go anywhere. 
	
	?
	
	
	 Q: What is the status of Austin Sendlein? I never heard if he redshirted and 
I have not heard of him playing. 
	?? David W. Rhodes 
	
	 BROWN:  The Stanford player participation chart showed LB Sendlein playing. 
But he has not played and will be redshirted this season. He is among a 
handful of players redshirting who the veterans have said look really good in 
practice. The other redshirts drawing raves are QB Chance Mock, RB Sneezy 
Beltran, FB Will Matthews, WR Tony Jeffery and OL Lionel Garr. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Is it me or do we get some really sorry calls  from the officials? It's 
always been my opinion that referees' calls were  just part of the game and 
if you're not good enough to overcome some bad  calls, well, you're just not 
good enough. That said, however, we seem to  have some of the worst calls 
going against us in the last few years and in  almost every game. Are the 
officials held to any standard by the Big 12 or  an officiating group? If 
it's not the officials, we have got to do something  about all these 
penalties.  
	 ?? P.M., Midland 
	
	 BROWN:  I, too, hate talking about penalties. But while Mack Brown can't 
talk about the penalties being called because he'll be fined by the Big 12, 
he can complain to the officials on the field. And he can send a videotape of 
calls that he thinks are questionable to the league office. And let's just 
say Brown has sent plenty of videotapes to the league office this season. 
Brown is calling for instant replay in the college game. He said the NFL's 
instant replay has shown how many calls are missed in a football game. He 
hopes that schools will bite the bullet and vote in favor of this even though 
it would be a sizable expense to most schools and would slow the game down. 
Brown can't discuss the penalties that have been called on Texas this season, 
but if he could, his face would be red, and he wouldn't be able to stop 
talking. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
	[IMAGE] 
	Kenny Hayter  
	
	Q: Is there anything physically wrong with Kenny Hayter that is limiting his 
playing time? Or is this just the coaching staff's decision? I will be one of 
the many to admit that Hodges Mitchell and the offensive line have looked a 
lot better over the past four games. If Hayter had better per-carry numbers 
than Mitchell with an underperforming offensive line, it would seem to me 
that Hayter would also do well now that they are blocking better. I would 
like to point out that I do not advocate benching Mitchell by any means, but 
after this week's game and all of the talk I have heard about him being 
durable or not, I think that a more balanced backfield would help out in this 
situation.  
	?? Jason Patton 
	
	
	 BROWN:  The coaches have stuck with Mitchell because he is a senior leader 
on an offense that doesn't have many leaders and because he is such a 
versatile threat as a running back and receiver. Mitchell has suddenly 
climbed within 235 yards of a 1,000-yard rushing season (765 yards) and has 
337 yards receiving (he'll surpass last year's 343 yards receiving). Mitchell 
has a 4.7-yard per carry average, the best on the team among RBs except for 
Brett Robin, who has just five carries for 27 yards (5.4 yards per carry). 
The coaches will stick with Mitchell from here on in because the offense 
finally showed against Tech that it can gain rushing yards in the first half 
of a game. Now, granted, it was against an undersized defensive line that 
emphasized its quickness over bulk. But Mack Brown seems to think his team is 
finally getting tougher and beginning to control the offensive line of 
scrimmage. Kansas has a salty defensive line, led by NG Nate Dwyer (6-3, 
300). So, we'll see if the Longhorns' offensive line can continue to push 
people around. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: How does Major Applewhite's injury problems effect Chris Simms' possible 
redshirt status for next year? 
	?? Monte Boothe 
	
	 BROWN:  It's too early to tell. Mack Brown said he had a conversation with 
Simms about redshirting next season but that the earliest it could seriously 
be considered is after spring practice, if not next fall. 
	?
	
	 Q: It seems that many Horn fans are still in shock from the 63-14 debacle in 
the Cotton Bowl and are wondering if OU is suddenly that far ahead of Texas 
in the development of their respective programs. Are they? Or was this just a 
total meltdown by a young UT team? Can we expect better results next year and 
if so, why? 
	?? Mark, Lewisville 
	
	 BROWN:  I think the OU coaches deserve a lot of credit for getting their 
players to pull together and show the kind of effort they have on both sides 
of the ball. That kind of coaching job is what it's all about. But I don't 
think you can underestimate the influence that Josh Heupel has had on that 
team. He makes every part of that offense effective. Tremendous credit goes 
to the defensive coaches for getting their players to put the brakes on teams 
like Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska. This has been a phenomenal coaching 
job. And no disrespect to OU, but next year, without Heupel, I think they 
will drop off slightly (maybe 8-3). Maybe not. But it seems likely. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: I thought Mack Brown's philosophy on redshirts is that he will take them 
off ANY player at ANY point in the season if we need that player to help us 
win. Does having Beau Trahan as the backup QB for Kansas give us a better 
chance of winning the game (if Simms goes down) than Chance Mock? From what 
Mack says, Mock is not even a consideration (since Courtnee Garcia is the 
emergency QB). 
	?? Glen Shillinglaw, Austin 
	
	 BROWN:  I think Brown is banking on the fact that Simms survives the Kansas 
game and Major comes back to start or at least back up Simms in an emergency 
situation against Texas A&M. On Tuesday, Mack Brown announced that Hunter 
McWilliams, and not WR Courtnee Garcia, would be the team's third 
quarterback. McWilliams, the son of former UT coach David McWilliams, runs 
the scout team QB position in practice and has more experience handing off 
this season than Garcia, who was an option QB at Lufkin. Brown said he would 
take the redshirt off of Mock if he absolutely had to, meaning if both Simms 
and Applewhite went down with season-ending injuries. But he said to do so 
right now would be premature because Simms is OK, and there's a chance that 
Applewhite will be back for A&M. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Is there any chance for Texas to take the Big 12 South? Hopefully A?beats 
OU this weekend, this can't hurt.  
	
	 BROWN:  Oklahoma would have to lose two of its last three games at Texas 
A&M, home against Texas Tech or at Oklahoma State. Texas would then have to 
beat Kansas and Texas A?to win the Big 12 South. Texas A?can win the Big 12 
South title by beating Oklahoma and Texas. 
	
	
	
	
	 If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to subscribe, 
sign up at:   Newsletter Registration 
	
	To find or change your password, modify your account, or unsubscribe from 
this newsletter, go to:   Newsletter Registration  
	
	Questions?    Comments?  Suggestions?  
	
	
	
	
	
	   (c) Copyright 2000 The Dallas Morning News 
		[IMAGE]	
			
			  [IMAGE]
			  [IMAGE]
			  [IMAGE]