Part 1 of 3 Parts

Jerry Scarbrough's True Orange
The Newsletter and E-Mail/Fax Service for the True Texas Longhorn Faithful

Volume 11, No. 20, August 13, 2001

 Horns Happy About No. 5 Pre-Season Ranking,
But Coaches, Players Say They Have to Earn It

Coach Mack Brown and the Longhorn players are happy about their No. 5 ranking
in The Associated Press' pre-season poll because they say it shows respect
for the program.
But they also say it means nothing unless they prove they deserve it.
"We can embrace the pre-season predictions because they show respect for the
University of Texas," Brown said Saturday, following the first full-team
practice, "but, starting today, I've got to do a better job of putting it
behind us."
"It's really a beauty contest," he said. " It's a farce that sells papers and
hypes the season, but it means absolutely nothing."
"What's important is today's practice and tonight's practice, and what's
important tomorrow will be tomorrow's practice. We've got to take care of our
business on the field every day."
History certainly supports Brown's feeling. The Longhorns haven't finished in
the top 10 since 1983, but they've been there in the pre-season several times.
And, while it is painful to recall, Oklahoma was  ranked No. 19 in the
pre-season poll a year ago, well below Nebraska, Kansas State and Texas, and
we all know the Sooners went 13-0, beat all three of those teams handily and
won the national title.
This pre-season poll had Florida No. 1, Miami No. 2, OU No. 3, Nebraska No. 4
and Texas No. 5.
Brown said it was nice to have three big 12 teams in the top 12 because it
"shows respect for our conference," but he also said, "it will be very
difficult for us to have three teams in the top five when the season ends."
That's definitely true because Oklahoma plays Nebraska and Texas, and whoever
wins the South title will have to play Nebraska or whoever whip the Huskers
in the Big 12's Northern Division.
The good news for the Longhorns is that Oklahoma is the only pre-season team
in the top 25 on the regular season schedule.
That is countered by a double dose of bad news.
First, the AP writers and the Big 12 coaches ranked the Sooners over the
Longhorns, and they are pretty familiar with both teams.
Second, if the Longhorns beat the Sooners, they will have two killer
post-season games, one against a powerful and probably undefeated team from
the Northern Division and, if they win that one, a Rose Bowl date against
someone like Florida or Miami for the national title.
But the Horns' best chance to get there is to take it one step at a time, and
the coaches and players are saying that's what they are going to do.
"It's one thing for people to pick us, but it's up to us to do it on the
field," said senior LB De'Andre Lewis. "We control our destiny and we have to
work hard and take care of business day-to-day and game-to-game."
"If we work hard every day and show up ready to play hard every game, the
other stuff will take care of itself."
Junior QB Chris Simms echoed those sentiments, saying, "This team is more
experienced now. We know we have to do it on the field and the stuff in the
papers and in the polls won't mean anything unless we do it on the field."
For those of you who want to know how the Longhorns are rated in everyone's
pre-season articles, I haven't seen all of them, but I have seen the major
ones and Texas is ranked No. 1 by the Sporting News, No. 3 by Lindy's and
ESPN, No. 4 by Sports Illustrated, No. 5 by the AP, No. 6 by USA Today/ESPN
(the coaches' poll) and Street & Smith, No. 8 by Football Diges and No. 15 by
Athlon.
And, like Mack Brown, I'll tell you it means absolutely nothing. Last year is
proof of that.
Some people also say Texas' schedule will keep the Horns out of the national
title game, even if they win all their games, because it doesn't include
enough tough teams.
That talk means nothing, too. Any team that wins a Big 12 division title,
then wins the league championship game and is undefeated, will be in the Rose
Bowl on Jan. 3.
Now that we've covered the what-if's, let's look at what is happening with
the Longhorns as they begin preparations to live up to those lofty pre-season
rankings.
The highly ranked freshman class had four workouts last week before the first
full team workouts started Saturday.
The freshmen weren't in full pads, but it was clear from watching the limited
contact that was allowed that DT Kaelen Jakes of Valencia, Cal., DE Eric Hall
of Clarksville, Tenn., LB Derrick Johnson of Waco, RB Cedric Benson of
Midland Lee, and several of the great group of offensive line recruits are as
big and fast and talented as advertised.
Players can't really dominate until they don full pads, which will happen
Wednesday, but Benson, while working with the freshmen Tuesday and Wednesday,
and then with the full team Saturday and Sunday, simply explodes after taking
a handoff.
High school coaches and players who faced him always said he had great speed
and power and moves, but they said the one thing that set him apart from
other great backs was the way he accelerated into the hole.
He hasn't lost any of that acceleration, and, even without getting an
opportunity to work in pads, he was running with the third team in practice
Saturday and Sunday, behind junior Victor Ike and sophomore Brett Robin.
Ike worked very hard during the off season and is sporting more muscles than
ever before. He doesn't seem to have lost any of his great speed.
Let's look at the team on a position-by-position basis, based on the limited
practices so far:

OFFENSE

Quarterback
Simms is clearly  No. 1. There is no quarterback controversy like there was
last season when Simms lacked experience and Major Applewhite wasn't fully
recovered from knee surgery. Applewhite underwent surgery on his other knee
last season and the severe knee injuries have eroded some of his once lethal
talents. He is No. 2 Redshirt freshman Chance Mock is big and fast and has a
strong arm and the coaches will make sure he plays this season. Freshman Matt
Nordgren is very big, has good speed and a strong arm, and he will redshirt
unless disaster strikes. The Sporting News not only picked UT to win the
national crown, it picked Simms to win the Heisman Trophy. He threw more
interceptions than touchdowns last season and he has to get better at looking
off receivers or he'll have more interception problems this season. In the
three practices he had Saturday and Sunday, he still seemed to home in on his
intended receiver very early. His progress in that problem area, in my
opinion, will determine whether Texas can compete for conference and national
honors.

Running Back
Ike's main asset is blinding speed, and the coaches want him to show more
consistent power. Robin's main asset is his steadiness. He runs every play
perfectly and gives great effort. Will Ike's speed and Robin's dependability
hold off Benson? I doubt it. We won't know for sure until the team starts
some serious contact, but, unless he gets hurt, Benson will play a lot in the
Sept. 1 opener against New Mexico State and I think he will be either be
starting or splitting time with the starter before mid-season. Junior Kenny
Hayter and sophomore Ivan Williams also are in contention, but Brown said
Sunday they both need to cut down on fumbling to have a chance to play.

Fullback
Junior Matt Trissel is the returning starter, but redshirt freshman Will
Matthews is bigger and faster and will push him for the top job. Junior Chad
Stevens is a good blocker and receiver and also will play, particularly on
passing downs.

Wide Receiver
Sophomores Roy Williams and B. J. Johnson starred last season as true
freshmen and will be even better this year if they stay healthy. Sophomore
Sloan Thomas also looked very good as a true freshman. Junior walk-on Kyle
Shanahan suffered a cut in his leg jumping over a fence, but should be back
in time for the first game. He is an outstanding receiver. Senior Montrell
Flowers also will play a lot. Redshirt freshman Tony Jeffery also will get
some playing time. All of them are dangerous. This position is loaded.

Tight End
Sophomore Bo Scaife has remarkable speed and receiving skills for a tight end
and he appears to be completely recovered from knee surgery. Sophomore Brock
Edwards is much bigger and also has very good speed. He started some games as
a true freshman last year. Senior Mike Jones is the best blocker of the group
and is sure handed, but he lacks the speed of Scaife and Edwards.

Left Tackle
Junior Robbie Doane held the job throughout the spring, but is getting a big
challenge from JC transfer Alfio Randall.

Left Guard
Junior Derrick Dockery and sophomore Tillman Holloway both started at times
last year and both are very talented. The Horns usually don't substitute much
in the offensive line, but coach Brown says both Dockery and Holloway will
play a lot.

Center
Senior Matt Anderson is the returning started and clear No. 1 center. Junior
Beau Baker is working at center and guard, and redshirt freshman Jason Glenn
is a talented newcomer who will push for playing time.

Right Guard
Senior Antwan Kirk-Hughes is one of the top offensive linemen around when his
shoulder is healthy, and Brown says it appears to be sound and ready for the
season. The loser of the Dockery-Holloway battle at left guard probably will
be the backup at both guard slots.

Right Tackle
Senior Mike Williams is the returning starter and one of the top tackles in
the country. He will be backed by talented redshirt freshman Lionel Garr.

DEFENSE

Left End
Junior Cory Redding led the team in sacks last season with 6.5 and is bigger
and stronger this year. Junior O. J. McClintock was his backup, but he
suffered severe cuts to his right hand and arm in a household accident and
the coaches are trying linebackers Reed Boyd and Marcus Wilkins at end until
he recovers. Brown said McClintock probably will miss the first three or four
games.

Left Tackle
Sophomores Adam Doiron and redshirt freshman Stevie Lee are battling for the
starting job. Both have talent and both played well last year as true
freshmen. Lee got a medical hardship because he broke a bone in his foot in
the second game, so he is again a freshman.

Right Tackle
Sophomore Marcus Tubbs played well last year standing in for injured senior
star Shaun Rogers, and he has been looking great in the early one-on-one
drills. Maurice Gordon, an end last year, was a great pass rusher in the
spring after moving inside and looks like he is ready to be a prime-time
player, particularly against passing teams.

Right End
Sophomore Kalen Thornton started the final nine games last year as a true
freshman and looks like he is ready to emerge as one of the top ends in the
Big 12. He was a freshman All-American last year. Senior Jermian Anderson is
his backup and is a good pass rusher.

Strongside Linebacker
Senior Lee Jackson, a former starting strong safety, is the starter and is a
sure tackler with the speed to blitz or cover tight ends or backs on pass
plays. He is backed by former starter Tyrone Jones, another senior.

Middle Linebacker
Senior De'Andre Lewis is a big, fast linebacker who has been a starter since
his redshirt freshman year. He is backed by redshirt freshman Austin
Sendlein, a tough run stopper.

Weakside Linebacker
Senior Everick Rawls has started since his sophomore year. He is a good run
stopper withe speed to blitz and help on pass coverage. With Boyd and Wilkins
helping at end, speedy true freshman Derrick Johnson will have an opportunity
to earn playing time.

Left Cornerback
Senior Quentin Jammer is rated by the pro scouts as the nation's top
cornerback prospect. He is big and fast, and, true to his name, is very good
at jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage. Senior Ervis Hill is a fine
backup.

Right Cornerback
Junior Roderick Babers started last year and is a strong cover corner with
excellent speed. Sophomore Nathan Vasher, who also is contending for a
starting safety job, is his backup.

Strong Safety
Vasher and fellow sophomore Dakarai Pearson are battle for the starting job.
Both are very talented.

Free Safety
Again, it is Vasher competing with senior Ahmad Brooks for the starting job.
Both are former cornerbacks with good speed and coverage skills.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Punter
Junior college transfer Brian Bradford is running ahead of redshirt freshman
Justin Smith. Both kick for good distance and get good hang time, but Bradfor
has been more consistent.

Placekicker
Two freshmen walk-ons - David Pino of Wichita Falls Rider and Dusty Mangum of
Mesquite - have both been impressive in the first week of drills. Both have
been accurate consistently up to 40 yards and both have had some success at
longer distances. Pino had scholarship offers from Nebraska and Tennessee and
actually committed to the Cornhuskers at one point before deciding to walk on
at Texas. If one of the walk-on freshmen can solidify this position, it will
really help the team's chances in close games.

SUMMARY
The Longhorn receiving corps, including the tight ends, is unequalled in the
country in terms of quality and quantity. The defensive backfield is very
good and will be one of the nation's best. At quarterback and in the
defensive line, the Longhorns are very talented. The offensive line is a
strong pass-blocking unit and is working on getting better at run blocking.
The linebackers, as a group, are solid. The question marks are at running
back and place kicker, and talented freshmen could answer both those needs.
This should be Mack Brown's best team at Texas.

900 Number Updated Daily

I update my 900 number every day with football and football recruiting news.
The number is 1-900-288-8839. It costs $1.59 a minute. You must be 18 or
older to call.