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	Posturing before the big game 
	 
	Nov. 23, 2000 
	 
	
	[IMAGE]Chip Brown, who covers Texas football for The Dallas Morning News, 
answers your questions about the A?game, recruits and commitments, Chris 
Simms 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 
	 
	
	There is so much information being pumped out this week surrounding the 
Texas-Texas A?game, here is some of what both schools are releasing to the 
media in effort to bolster their team's image: 
	
	 Texas A?is taking bragging rights over the 1990s after a 94-28-2 record for 
the decade. The Aggies won nine or more games eight times and 10 or more 
games five times in the 1990s. 
	
	 They are touting their 94 victories in the 1990s as more than any Texas 
school in any single decade. The former record for wins in a decade was 88 by 
Darrell Royal and Fred Akers' Texas teams in the 1970s. 
	
	 Here's the list being promoted by the Aggies: 1. Texas A&M, 1990s, 94. 2. 
Texas, 1970s, 88. 3. Texas, 1960s, 86. 4. Texas Christian, 1930s, 83. 5. 
Houston, 1970s, 80. 
	
	 Texas fans, on the other hand, can probably take comfort in the only 
statistic that matters concerning the Aggies: UT leads the overall series, 
67-34-5. 
	
	
	
	 
	Longhorn Q & A 
	 Q: What is the latest on the Texas QB situation? 
	 ?? Ted Manges 
	
	 BROWN:  Chris Simms will start Friday. He took nearly all the snaps for the 
first five practices during which UT worked on the A?game plan. Major 
Applewhite's right knee appears to be responding pretty well. He practiced 
Tuesday for the first time since getting injured at Texas Tech. Mack Brown 
said if Applewhite is healthy enough to back up Simms, he would use 
Applewhite on a need-to-win-the-game basis. Those situations would seem to 
include Simms getting hurt or Simms being completely ineffective. Otherwise, 
look for Simms to play most or all of Friday's game. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
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	Kenny Hayter  
	
	Q: Next year, when Hodges Mitchell is gone, will Texas play Kenny Hayter or   
freshman Cedric Benson? Why? 
	?? Cotton Davis 
	
	 BROWN:  I think it's too early to tell. If Benson is as good as advertised, 
I think he'll have a good chance of playing early because Kenny Hayter, Ivan 
Williams and Victor Ike did not overwhelm the coaches this season. But Sneezy 
Beltran will be coming off of a redshirt season, too. And he'll probably have 
a say in how much playing time anyone gets. 
	
	?
	
	
	 Q: Can you give us an update on injuries?  ?? 
	
	 BROWN:  TE Brock Edwards (leg), DT Stevie Lee (foot) and WR Artie Ellis 
(shin) are out. SS Lee Jackson (hamstring) and QB Major Applewhite (knee) are 
questionable. For A&M, LB Jason Glenn (knee), the Aggies leader in sacks, is 
out. WR Robert Ferguson (ankle) and CB Sammy Davis (ankle) both did not 
practice Tuesday for the Aggies and were listed as questionable. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: I sent you a question last week about the intensity and "hate" that the 
Horns didn't have for the OU game and was wondering if Coach Brown: a) thinks 
he made a mistake by having the players take the OU game so lightly with 
comments like "...we don't hate OU..." and "... it's just another game on the 
schedule..." and, b) is that the attitude that will prevail going into the 
A?game, and in future OU games? 
	?? Joe Rushing 
	
	 BROWN:  Mack Brown and his staff are not an in-your-face group of coaches. 
Players say that they are treated with respect. Make no mistake, they know 
their jobs are on the line every day in practice. They know if they don't 
perform in practice, they will be replaced. But SS Greg Brown said that Mack 
Brown has never given a "hell hath no fury" locker room talk, before, during 
or after a game. Greg Brown said that Mack simply states what's on the line 
for each game and expects the players to find their own way to motivate 
themselves. Mack has said that as well. He said he asks players what works 
for them best: whether it be the tough-love approach or the straightforward 
approach. He has said constant yelling wears off. So he doesn't play head 
games with his team. According to coaches and players from his time as OU 
offensive coordinator back in 1984, Mack used to be a much more in-your-face 
kind of coach, yelling at players to get them going. Coach Barry Switzer had 
to tone him down. Brown said he has learned that you can't be negative with 
players, that you have to treat them with respect. I don't know that you will 
hear him talk about hating other teams. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Looking at the haul of recruits Texas already has commitments from, is 
there an area of need not being addressed? It appears that this is quite a 
haul of offensive linemen, so it looks like a lot of redshirts in the making. 
If he signs, what will Quan Cosby be asked to do? Doesn't he have a twin 
brother - and is that a factor on where he signs? When all is said and done, 
where do you think this class will rank come signing day in February and 
which of the potential signees, not orally committed, will most determine 
where that rank ends up? Also, with Sneezy Beltran coming off a redshirt year 
and from what I am reading, an impressive one at that, what do you see in the 
future for Cedric Benson? What about the returning RBs such as Ivan Williams, 
Kenny Hayter, et al? Is the abundance of talent at RB a good thing or too 
much of a good thing? And one last thing: Is anyone looking to transfer after 
the season? 
	?? Roy Cassas 
	
	 BROWN:  Quarterbacks and linemen (on both sides of the ball) control the 
game, so you can never have enough of those positions. UT is filling its 
needs nicely with the commitments that it has. The player that can probably 
make the biggest difference is Tommie Harris of Killeen Ellison, perhaps the 
best defensive tackle in the country. UT's class is shaping up as a top 10 
nationally, again. If Harris comes, it will climb. But as is the case with 
all of this recruiting hype, it's just that - hype. Who knows if Cedric 
Benson will play next year? He has to come down here in the heat of August 
and prove to the coaches that he's better than Kenny Hayter, Ivan Williams, 
Victor Ike and Sneezy Beltran. I would say Benson's chances are good if some 
of those guys don't toughen up and let loose. But time will tell. As far as 
guys looking to transfer, there aren't any rumblings yet. Stay tuned. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
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	UT's road uniforms  
	
	Q: I can say this because I am a graduate of the University of Texas: I think 
the Longhorn football team has the UGLIEST uniform in all of college 
football. When the Horns play on the road, they have too much white and not 
enough color. They wear the ugliest black football shoes and those long solid 
white socks are atrocious. It looks like each player can dress anyway he 
desires, there is no uniformity in the look. Some players don't even wear 
socks at all. It seems  
	
	the coaches let each player express their own individuality, and I think they 
play like a bunch of individuals instead of as a team. Coach McWilliams let 
this trend start and it has continued through the current regime with poor 
results. The orange home jerseys are not the right color orange, and they 
look cheap. I wish Coach Brown would adopt a true burnt orange color. I wish 
he would change the helmets to the same burnt orange color with a white 
traditional Longhorn logo on each side and a white facemask. Shirttails 
should be tucked in and each player should be dressed the same. Few 
indicators of individuality should be allowed. The Longhorns look ragtag and 
slow on the field. If they would improve their image, their play might 
improve as well.  
	 ?? John Robert Pharr, Waco, Texas 
	
	 BROWN:  That seemed to be more of a comment than a question. But everyone is 
entitled to their own opinion. I don't know about the burnt orange helmets. 
That might be a little too much of a good thing. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Do you think that the loss to OU will hurt our recruiting class? I know 
that we tend to compete for the same players and that they had their recruits 
at the Cotton Bowl (since they were the home team).  
	?? T. Franks, Austin  
	
	 BROWN:  It appears that Oklahoma is making some serious inroads on UT 
recruiting territory, at least for the 10 or so recruits the Longhorns still 
hope to get orally committed. Namely, Tommie Harris, the defensive tackle out 
of Killeen Ellison. Texas needs to take care of business on Friday to keep 
the Sooners from stepping up their pitch for some of the noncommitted kids UT 
is hoping to sign. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: The lack of respect Texas is getting leading up to the A?game is 
disturbing. I understand that the Horns were crushed against OU and also had 
an early-season loss against Stanford on the road, but even with the stats 
from those two losses, the Horns have one of the nation's top 5 defensive 
units, plus we are playing at home and are riding the confidence of five 
consecutive wins. 
	 ?? Derrick Jackson, Coppell, Texas 
	
	 BROWN:  Well, Texas is a 5-1/2 point favorite, so I don't know where the 
lack of respect comes from. But I think people are lukewarm about UT because 
the Longhorns haven't had a chance to show how much they've improved against 
a quality opponent - until now. The Longhorns need to go out and grind the 
Aggies into the ground to get the nation's attention. And I think they will. 
I'm predicting Texas 31, A?21. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
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	Quentin Jammer  
	
	Q: What are the key matchups in Friday's game? 
	?? Lucas Harrington 
	
	 BROWN:  In think the best matchups will be MLB De'Andre Lewis against A&M's 
corps of running backs, namely Ja'Mar Toombs. Also keep an eye on Quentin 
Jammer against A?WR Robert Ferguson. Lewis basically said this week that if 
you hit Toombs in the mouth, he'll fold. So that immediately inspires some 
interest in that matchup. Jammer also had a lot to say about Ferguson, 
stating that if  
	
	Ferguson's ankle wasn't 100 percent, it might not even be a close matchup. 
"If he's 50 percent or 75 percent, that won't cut it," Jammer said. Jammer 
did say that he thought a healthy Ferguson was better than Kansas State WR 
Quincy Morgan. Jammer and Ferguson are both big, roughly 6-1 and 205 pounds. 
Should be fun to watch. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Is Texas A?a legitimate passing team after all these years of trying to 
air out the ball and not being able to? 
	?? Stephen Torrence 
	
	 BROWN:  I think so. It seems hard to believe. After Branndon Stewart and all 
the hype about building a big-time passing offense the past several years, 
it's finally hit College Station. The Aggies run four-wide, even five-wide. 
They have trick plays, and Robert Ferguson, Bethel Johnson and Chris Taylor 
are big-time receivers. And 25-year-old QB Mark Farris is the gritty leader 
and 60 percent passer they have been looking for. I think it will be a decent 
test for Texas, owner of the nation's No. 1-ranked pass efficiency defense. 
	?
	
	 Q: Why does Texas keep throwing that out pattern and allowing Chris Simms to 
be intercepted for touchdowns? 
	?? Margie Phillips 
	
	 BROWN:  I'll let Mack Brown answer that one: "It's not the same pass or we 
would throw it out of the playbook. We're not that dumb." That was his 
comment Tuesday night on his radio show. 
	?
	
	
	 Q: Do you think Chris Simms is ready for the pressure of the Texas A?game? 
	?? Deginald Franks 
	
	 BROWN:  I think so. Simms seemed to grow in confidence after the Kansas 
game. Getting the chance to pull the Longhorns out of a 14-0 hole after 
throwing a pick for a TD really seemed to give him a positive jolt. Normally, 
he would have been pulled at that point for Major Applewhite - at least he 
would have been pulled early in the season (a la Louisiana-Lafayette). So 
getting the chance to play an entire game seemed to help. I believe Simms 
will be fine on Friday. He must feel good about his deep ball to Roy Williams 
after the success they had at Kansas. I would expect to see a lot more of 
that, creating room for Hodges Mitchell to run against a depleted A?front 
seven.  
	?
	
	
	 Q: I heard that this is only the ninth time that Texas and Texas A?are both 
ranked coming into this game. That doesn't seem right. 
	?? Brock Marshal 
	
	 BROWN:  It doesn't seem right, but it is. Of the 107 times these two teams 
have met (including this year), both have been ranked only nine times. Those 
years are 2000, 1999, 1995, 1985, 1977, 1975, 1974, 1943 and 1941. 
	
	
	
	
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