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tEXas tailgatES talk

The bowls are over, and now the second season begins- recruiting.
Recruiting is it's own entity, with it's own characteristics. For
example, can you think of another instance where grown men
feverishly talk on the Internet about 17-year olds? Well, I mean
one that doesn't include jail time? People will spend several
hundred dollars in the next 4-? weeks on subscriptions to
recruiting sites so they can be the 1st to tell their friends that
Billy Ray Shasta from Cut N Shoot, TX is now considering Texas
and LSU instead of just Miami, or that the Aggies have a
guy who is really 6'3", 250 instead of 6'6", 290, and they padded
his stats. It's extraordinary, if you think about it. Adults with
jobs, spouses, kids and such stressing over where a teenager
they've never met from a town they've never been to is thinking
about going to school next fall. Have you heard of anything more
absurd? Let's move on to the bowl games, because I heard Billy
Ray might actually be 6'2" instead of 6'1" and could commit today,
so I have to get logged in...

47-43

Wow. What else can you say? Wow. That was one for the ages, folks.
Like I said, Washington can't run, right? One more reason to ignore
me. The Horns fall behind early, rally for the lead, get blown out in
the 2nd and 3rd  quarter only to storm back and win at the buzzer.
Unbelievable.  Saint Major played lights out in the 4th, and that is
good, since he did not in the 1st half. 3 interceptions, 1 for a
touchdown. Yikes. Had Simms done that, some of you would have gone
over the wall after him, noose firmly in hand. Glad you held off on
Major, since he rallied the team.   Quick sidenote: Chris Simms was
NOT laughing at Applewhite on the interception for a touchdown. It
is the job of the freshman quarterback to chart every play called
and what the outcome of that play is. This is harder than it looks,
because the charter does not have the benefit of a replay or
commentary to fall back on, only his eyes. Naturally, these frosh
will sometimes get behind, as was the case that Friday in San Diego.
Matt Nordgren was, at times, 4 to 5 plays behind, and begging for
help from Simms and Chance Mock, who repeatedly laughed him off.
The upperclassmen told the true freshman to tough it out, as they
had to do when it was their turn. The problem was since he was behind,
he was writing during the current play, and spent the entire 1st half
asking the other 2 what just happened. When Applewhite was picked off,
Nordgren ran up to Simms and Mock and asked what had happened, AGAIN,
and they BOTH busted up, as did 1 or 2 other players who were standing
close by, and it got caught on tape. THAT IS ALL. No one on the team
was upset, no coaches, nothing. Simms was not bitter, he was not
slouching, he does not have an attitude problem, he was not unprepared.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Anything else you hear is rubbish.
The game was actually 4 games in one, here's what I mean:
The 1st quarter was all defense, with neither team able to score, as
both missed field goals.  The 2nd quarter was highlighted by 4
turnovers, three by the Longhorns.  Applewhite was picked off 2 times
in 3 possessions, one leading to a field goal and the other returned
36 yards for a touchdown by a guy who had been in 4 plays all season.
13- 0, Huskies. Texas answered with a 43-yard bomb from Major to B.J.
Johnson, and Vasher picked off UDub on the next series, and Applewhite
found Roy Williams on a 25-yard pass for another touchdown. 14-13.
Longhorns. The Huskies answered with a 76-yard drive to take the lead
again. 20-14, Huskies.
Applewhite was picked again as time was running
out in the half, and Washington got another field goal out of it, and
went in at half up by 9, with all of the points coming in the 2nd.
23-14, Huskies.  The 3rd quarter was brutal. As I sat in the stands
I really thought that the Horns had quit, to tell you the truth.
Washington rb Willie Hurst was cutting the defense to shreds, and hey!
Somebody cover that tight end! They seemed flat and listless, and I
was wondering if they really were still carrying that CU game around
with them. The Huskies could do no wrong, scoring 2 t.d.'s on long
drives with relative ease, and the Longhorns matched that with field
goals. Texas was down 36-17 at one point before hitting another field
goal at the end of the 3rd. 36-20, Huskies.  The 4th quarter was maybe
the most exciting and thrilling quarter of Texas football that I can
remember. The team seemed to come out of the fog and wake up. The
offense drove 52 yards and cut the lead to 10 on Matt Trissel's 2-yard
touchdown reception (yes, Matt Trissel), but Texas missed the 2-point
conversion. 36-26, Huskies. The defense needed a spark and a stop,
and they got both with Bam Bam. Derrick Johnson made the tackle on
the ensuing kickoff, stopped the running play up the middle for no
gain on 1st down, broke up a pass on 2nd down, and had the tide turning,
momentum shifting play of the game on 3rd down. DJ came clean on a
blitz and didn't exactly sack the quarterback as much as he ran over
him, planting him on his back about 11 yards behind the line of
scrimmage, and will be forever known to me as The Hit. This happened
in the endzone in front of all of the Texas fans, and it ignited the
crowd. Texas took over at their 46, and Roy Williams bailed out
Applewhite on the next play when he went up between 2 defenders and
snagged an ill-advised pass before getting creamed at the 16. It was
the best catch I've seen Roy make this year.  Big Ivan (who, I think,
realized this game that he is 6-3, 245) got his 1st t.d. of the night.
36-33, Huskies. The Hit seemed to rattle Washington on the next series,
and they looked out of sorts on 1st and 2nd down. On 3rd down, Pickett
tried to force a pass into te Jeramy Stevens, but Cory Redding tipped
it, it bounced off of him and Stevens before DJ came up huge AGAIN and
picked it off at the 25 and took it back to the 9. Applewhite hit
Scaife on 3rd and goal from the 5 for the lead with 6:00 to play. 40-36,
Longhorns. Texas held UDub to 3 and out, and tried to run out the
clock, but no dice. Washington took over with 3:20 to play, and promptly
went right through the Horns, and on 3rd and 1 from the Texas 34,
Willie Hurst went off tackle (and untouched) for a touchdown, much to
the horror of Texas fans, leaving 1:49 to play. 43-40, Huskies. I
really made an effort to watch the bench after that score. They didn't
look down. They were all clapping and jumping around, very upbeat.
You got the impression from the bench that it wasn't a matter of "if,"
but "when." Applewhite hit Johnson for 25 yards up to mid-field on a
beautiful timing play that had Major throwing the ball before B.J.
even broke. 3 plays later, same play, other side.  Applewhite connected
with Johnson for 32 yards to the Husky 5. This time B.J. made an over
the shoulder catch, Willie Mays style. Awesome.
Back to the I-Train to close the deal, as Williams carried on the next
two plays, scoring from the 1 with 38 seconds to play. 47-43, Longhorns.
UW took over near mid-field, but the defense held, and the game was
over. Easy enough, huh?
I have never seen anything like that before. I am glad I was there to
see it person.

Spring Practice/Outlook

Mack Brown has announced spring practice will begin February 26, with
the annual Orange and White game set for March 30. No time has been
set on the game, and these dates are subject to change. The Texas Exes
will have an open house the day of the Spring Game (more than likely),
just like regular game days in the fall. I will be sending another email
the week before that and give you all of the details about the game
(start time, what time we open here, etc...) and a preview of what to
expect and look for. I will also break down the recruiting class,
depth chart, schedule and prognosis for the fall. Here's the Cliff's
Notes version for now:
The outlook for 2002 is pretty good, if you ask me. Do not underestimate
what Winning that game in San Diego will do for the confidence and
psyche of this team. They got over a hump this year (the 10-win hump),
and look for that to do wonders for them. Confidence is everything in
sports. It took Nebraska's Tom Osborne 30 years to win a title, then
he wins 2 in a row, and NU won another in '97 and played for it in
'01. Same thing with Bobby Bowden,  26 + years at FSU with nothing,
and then since the Seminoles won it in '93,  he has won it once more
and played for it 3 more times. Texas hasn't won anything yet, but
they are on the right track. A better comparison would be Virginia Tech.
The Hokies were invisible before 1995, and then they beat Texas in the
Sugar Bowl, and have not looked back. They are a perrenial top 5 team,
and they EXPECT to win every game. Texas is there now.
Texas must replace 8 starters (3 offense, 5 defense), but that sounds
tougher than it is, in my opinion. 3 offensive linemen are gone, but
there is a pool of 17 to choose from. Derrick Dockery and Tillman Holloway
split time at starting guard this year, so both are considered
returning starters.1 will slide to the other side to replace Kirk-Hughes.
Beau Baker got significant time at center before his injury, and can
hardly be considered inexperienced if he wins the job left by Anderson.
The linebackers all graduate, but the leading tackler on the team is
Derrick Johnson, who will start wherever he wants in the linebacking
corps. The soph will be all Big XII next year. Reid Boyd played in
every game at lb last year, and will got the nod at one spot  as well.
Lee Jackson will return from turf toe to fight for the 3rd spot, and
he started for 2 years at ss before his injury. Dakari Pearson will
take the safety spot left by Ahmad Brooks. Dak started at the same
position in 2000. So what you're looking at is filling a void left at
tackle and corner- not easy, but not as uphill as you 1st thought,
right? The biggest challenge next year is the schedule. The Horns go
to UNC, K-State, Nebraska and Tech. A Crouch-less Nebraska, a crippled
K-State, and no freaks on the dl at Carolina (Peppers and Simms).
Again, not easy, but the hill isn't as step as it looks.

News and Notes:
* 11-2. I just like saying it. #5. It like that, too. The Horns finish
in the top for the 1st time since 1983. It's the 1st time since '82
they've done it by winning their way in
(1983, lost the bowl game to drop to 11-1).
* Texas set several school bowl game records:
Most points- 47 (42, Maryland, '78 Sun Bowl)
Total offense- 592 yds (513, Tennessee, '69 Cotton Bowl)
Most passing yards- 473 (368, Pitt, '87 Bluebonnet Bowl)
* The 19-point deficit is the greatest comeback in Texas football
history, beating the previous mark of 17 (OU, 1999).
* Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson set a Texas bowl record by being
the 1st Texas receiving duo to have a 100-yard reception day in
the same game. Roy had 11 catches for 134 yards, and B.J. had 6
for 157, each had a touchdown.
* Washington running back Willie Hurst had 608 yards rushing for
the season. He had 137 yards on 16 carries in the Holiday Bowl,
that's 8.6 yards per carry. Those are Play Station stats.
* Husky te Jeramy Stevens had 9 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
I think they all came on the same drive.
* The Longhorns only had 1 penalty in the game.

Around the Conference:
The Big XII went 3-5 in bowl games, here's how they went:

Rose Bowl- Miami 37      Nebraska 14
Yep. Pretty much like I thought. I said Miami would have won the NFC
East by Thanksgiving. In hindsight, I gave to much credit to the rest
of the NFC East.

Fiesta Bowl- Oregon 38      Colorado 16
Colorado's running game vs. Mike Belotti's brain. The brain wins, hand
down.  Goes to show you can beat anybody when they turn the ball over,
right Buffs?

Cotton Bowl- OU 10       Arkansas 3.
Don't make me watch this sort of thing again, Fox. I've seen shuffleboard
at retirement homes more exciting than this. New Land Thief Offensive
Coordinator Chuck Long said he was going to "open things up." Belated
Christmas presents don't count, Chuck...

Alamo Bowl- Iowa 19       Texas Tech 16
What? Where's all the offense, Mike? 16 points. There were a total of
7 field goals in the game. Fantastic. Leach is pushing Red Raider qb
Kliff Kingsbury for the Heisman in 2002. I don't anybody ever won it
as a holder, did they?

Insight.com Bowl- Syracuse 26       Kansas St. 3
I told you to look for the tell tale sign for the Wildcats- blowout
win or close loss.  Well, secret option C, blowout loss. They quit
this year, and if they don't regroup quick, '02 will not be pretty.

Independence Bowl- Alabama 14      Iowa St. 13
This went as I thought. I am a big proponent of the Cylcones.
They missed a field goal that would have won it at the end. If
they find a New running back, they could be trouble in 2002.

GalleryFurniture.com Bowl- A&M 28     TCU 9
Yeah. The Aggies found a secondary bad enough to torch, and a team
with an offense worse than their own. It was close until the 3rd,
when the Ags pulled away. Dozens cheered them on.

More News:
* Coach Bob flirted with Florida to get himself a huge raise, Mack
Brown also got a raise, but the 40 Acres can afford it. OU Athletic
Director Joe Castiglione said the Sooners could not go over 2.5 mil
per year, because their department already runs in the red. Well,
they went over, WAY over. Coach Bob got point guard money when OU
came up with 20 mil over 6 years. Now the Sooners have to slash
budgets campus wide and jack up their ticket prices. Why didn't you
ask for a pony, too, Coach Bob? I'm sure basketball coach Kelvin
Sampson will be more than accommodating when his contract is up
next season and he gets nothing. 3.2 a year? Mike Martz, coach of
the soon to be Super Bowl Champion St. Louis Rams, wants a hefty
raise to bring his salary up to 3 million per. Management said NO
WAY. I guess OU knows something St. Louis doesn't.
* Roy Williams of OU went pro. Good. Go terrorize NFL teams and leave
us alone.

That's it. It's been fun this season. I will sign off until March,
when you'll get the preview for the Spring Game, depth chart and
season to come. I will talk to you all in a few weeks.

Hook'em
Trey McLean
Texas Exes