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Subject: Inside UT Football: October 12, 2000



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	It's do-or-die for Longhorns 
	
	Oct. 12, 2000 
	
	[IMAGE]Chip Brown, who covers Texas football for The Dallas Morning News, 
answers your questions about rebounding from the Oklahoma loss, Major 
Applewhite as the sole starter, promotions for Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson 
and more. Inside Texas Football appears each Thursday. 
	
	E-mail questions to Chip: chipbrown@dallasnews.com 
	
	Listen to Chip Brown talk about the Longhorns on
	DallasNews.com's Colleges site 
	
	
	
	Chip Shot 
	
	
	This week, Texas faces the man whom UT officials considered a finalist for 
the Longhorns' coaching job awarded to Mack Brown. The Longhorns travel to 
Boulder, Colo., and meet Gary Barnett's Buffaloes. 
	
	No team has ever beaten Texas seven straight times. But that's exactly what 
the Buffaloes will be trying to do this week. Colorado has won six straight 
against UT dating to 1989. Texas last beat Colorado in the 1975 Bluebonnet 
Bowl, and hasn't won in Boulder since 1941. 
	
	Two of the last three UT-CU games have been decided on the final drives. The 
Buffs won on a final-play field goal in Austin in 1994, and the Longhorns' 
Hail Mary pass fell incomplete in a 28-24 loss in Boulder in 1996. 
	
	Here are some comments from Barnett in his weekly news conference: 
	
	On the play of his team in its first victory of the season over Texas A&M: 
"The play of our offensive line was the most dominant we've had. I felt like 
the line and all the kids really cut it loose for the first time this season. 
We were a much more focused team." 
	
	On Texas: "Texas is the most talented team we'll face this year, maybe in a 
couple years. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, and they 
have depth. You've got to think after their loss (to Oklahoma), they will 
come in here really inspired. It should be a good matchup. The obvious 
challenge for us is to hold up defensively against their passing game." 
	
	On Mack Brown: "What I've been most impressed with Mack is his ability to get 
players. He's forced the hand of a lot of players and gotten commitments 
early. They have been able to hand-pick the players they want out of Texas. 
When you can get Roy Williams, B.J. Johnson and Sloan Thomas in the same 
class, something is going on. Something good. We recruited all of those 
players. The hype around Simms had something to do with it, too. Receivers 
want to play with a good quarterback." 
	
	
	Longhorn Q & A 
	Q:What's the deal with the QB rotation this week? And were there any other 
promotions to the starting lineup? 
	?? Marge Ringer 
	
	BROWN: Major Applewhite was named the starter for the Colorado game on 
Tuesday by coach Mack Brown. Brown said Chris Simms would only be used on a 
"need-to-win" basis, meaning that for the first time this season, there is no 
plan to play both QBs this week. The coaches are hoping that by turning the 
offense over to Applewhite exclusively, there will be a spark. UT offensive 
coordinator Greg Davis said, however, that Texas could go back to the QB 
rotation after this week. The coaches will wait and see. As far as other 
promotions, B.J. Johnson will start at flanker ahead of Brandon Healy and Roy 
Williams will start at split end ahead of Montrell Flowers. The coaches made 
these promotions, in part, to help encourage Williams and Johnson to take 
more of a vocal leadership role. And coaches said freshman tight end Brock 
Edwards might see more playing time, and running back Kenny Hayter will see 
more carries than the two he had against OU last week. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
	[IMAGE]
	Kenny Hayter 
	
	Q:I'm having trouble understanding why the Longhorns will not put in a bigger 
running back during first and second down to increase their chances at a 
third-and-short situation. I believe Hodges Mitchell is more of a third-down 
back who is better suited for throwing to out of the backfield than he is a 
guy who can pound the ball straight ahead and pick up four to six yards on 
first and second down. Watching the game last week and previous games as 
well, I've noticed too many times that Texas has put itself in third and 
long  situations due to not
	
	picking up anything on the first two downs. Kenny Hayter, in my opinion, is a 
more physical back who doesn't go down as easy. They should put him in there 
on first and second down to pick up some positive yardage, and bring in 
Hodges to run draw plays and block on third down since he has good hands and 
is a reliable blocker.  
	?? Eric Barker, Plano, Texas 
	
	BROWN: Texas got behind so early against Oklahoma that the running game 
became a moot point. Mack Brown said he should have run the ball more in the 
second half to grind out the clock and keep the score closer. But he said he 
was foolish enough to think his team could come back, so UT tried to throw 
and score quickly. Hayter took most of the first-team snaps in practice this 
week, so look for him to get more of a chance against Colorado. 
	?
	
	
	Q:What recruits were on the sideline for the OU game?  
	?? Lance Kyles 
	
	BROWN: None. Texas was the visiting team. Only the home team is allowed to 
bring recruits to UT-OU game. So UT will be allowed to bring recruits to next 
year's OU game. 
	?
	
	
	Q:Why did Kenny Hayter get only two carries? Why didn't our defense get 
pressure on Josh Heupel? Why do we run so many 5-yard patterns on offense? 
Give us the answers, Chip. What are the coaches' comments on these  topics? 
	?? Cody Anderson, Houston 
	
	BROWN: I think I've pretty much answered the Hayter question. The running 
game became somewhat irrelevant in the OU game pretty quickly because UT was 
forced to pass to try to get back in it. But Hodges Mitchell did get a lot of 
time, mostly because he ran for 204 yards in last year's OU game and because 
he is the bigger receiving threat. Look for Hayter to get more carries this 
week. It's hard to believe that Shaun Rogers makes that big of a difference, 
but Casey Hampton said UT would have gotten more pressure on Heupel if Rogers 
was in there. Rogers is expected to play this week. The 5-yard patterns, 
according to offensive coordinator Greg Davis, are the routes that the 
defense is giving Texas. The coaches want the receivers to become more like 
running backs after the catch and use their speed and moves to break for big 
yards. 
	?
	
	
	Q:I began following Longhorn football when I arrived at UT in  1995, and no 
one was more shocked than me when the alumni and DeLoss Dodds  turned on John 
Mackovic so viciously after the loss to UCLA in 1997. Not only was I appalled 
at the time, but I was even more horrified to learn that  this was par for 
the course for UT football coaches. Mack Brown seems to have been truly 
embraced by the community over the last two years, but I'm  worried we are 
about to see a repeat of history. What do you think? 
	?? Lisa Davis, Austin 
	
	BROWN: I was surprised at the venom being spit this week in and around 
Austin. People were talking about hiring John Mackovic as offensive 
coordinator or bringing in Spike Dykes to talk to UT about how to respond 
after being blown out. All of this is crazy. Now, I will grant you that this 
game with Colorado is do-or-die as far as the Big 12 title. If UT loses it, 
the Horns will pretty much need the rest of the Big 12 South to fall apart in 
order to get into the league title game. But if UT wins, the Horns are really 
in the driver's seat for the Big 12 South title. I say that because the 
chances of OU winning two of three against No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Kansas State 
and at Texas A?are slim. The chances are good the Sooners will emerge with at 
least two losses in those games. Texas can get right back in the race with a 
win Saturday. If the Longhorns do win and UT looks good with Major Applewhite 
at QB, then everyone will say "I told you so, Mack" regarding the QB rotation 
having slowed down UT's offense all season. But the critical fans will also 
embrace Mack and move on. If Texas loses, I think people will be upset, but 
they will also need to get behind Mack Brown and start building support for 
the rest of this season and next season. Mack Brown isn't going anywhere. 
He'll be around Texas for a good while. 
	> ?
	
	
	
	
	[IMAGE]
	Casey Hampton 
	
	Q:I know I have no right to criticize coaching because I don't have any idea  
what I would do in their situation. Having said that, I now must say that  
after a while, one begins to wonder about the coaching. You've said  numerous 
times that the coaches shouldn't be blamed for the Longhorns'  inconsistency, 
and most of the time I agree with you. However, this pattern  UT seems to 
follow amazes me. Every few games, everything just blows up and  we are 
embarrassed. How can a team with such obviously great talent manage  to screw 
up horribly in random 
	
	games? My only thought is that it has to be  the coaching. It's not like the 
players aren't good enough. Kenny Hayter  proves in the OSU game to be the 
solution to the running game's problem.  Why replace him the next weekend in 
a much bigger game with the truly  hard-working, but honestly inefficient 
Hodges Mitchell? Why run the ball  over and over when it obviously doesn't 
work? Or it could work, if the  right players were in... These things baffle 
me. Do you think the coaching  is one of the problems? What can be done to 
fix the inconsistencies that  are actually becoming consistent and developing 
a pattern of embarrassing  losses? Last year there was N.C. State, and then 
the last three awful  games. This year, it's  mediocre Stanford, and the good 
but not THAT good  OU. Will it ever stop? Thanks, I enjoy your newsletter. 
	?? David Rowe, Austin 
	
	BROWN: I think the OU game was, to some degree, an aberration. Oklahoma got 
it going and kept punching Texas in the face, and UT never got a punch in to 
slow the Sooners down. Josh Heupel looked like Joe Montana, and the avalanche 
was on. The biggest problem for Texas right now is no leadership on offense. 
Giving the offensive reins to Major Applewhite this week is a great move, I 
believe. It could give the Longhorns confidence, if it's not too late and the 
offensive psyche hasn't been beaten down too much. The offensive line has no 
vocal, emotional leaders. Antwan Kirk-Hughes is developing into that guy. But 
none of the other guys are fiery, vocal guys. And Applewhite has been an 
ineffective leader to this point because he has been so worried about whether 
he is going to play well enough to stay in a game with this QB rotation. 
Coaches can only do so much when it comes to leadership on the field. You 
can't make a guy do more pushups and make him into a leader. That stuff is 
inherent in players. Either you have it or you don't. On defense, Casey 
Hampton and Shaun Rogers are the heart and soul. On special teams Beau Trahan 
needs to take command. On offense, it's clearly Applewhite who will have to 
step up. Maybe the end of the QB rotation will help him do that. 
	?
	
	
	Q:Is it obvious to just fans or everyone that the Texas coaches fail to have 
the team prepared each week and fail to provide the opponent with a new  
wrinkle or two each week? The opposing team always seems to know what is 
coming while Texas is always caught by surprise early on. On offense, the 
play-calling is extremely predictable and increasingly  uncreative. On 
defense, the opponents used what worked in previous weeks against Texas and 
the defense never seems to have made an adjustment. The defense uses the same 
blitzes without mixing things up enough. Both coach Reese and coach Davis 
seem extremely stubborn and refuse to try something new for fear of a mistake 
or setback. Well, we have suffered both, so why not give the players some 
excitement and give the opposing team some uncomfortable feeling while on the 
sideline after seeing something totally new? It seemed to work against OSU 
with a little different blocking scheme. Good job but do it every week, 
especially against the tougher opponents. Do you see these problems and 
tendencies also? 
	?? Todd Purl 
	
	BROWN: In talking to Greg Davis on Tuesday, he said he is re-evaluating his 
play calling and has questioned himself about the creativity of it. Texas has 
done well in the shotgun, four-wide, one-minute offense. But Davis said just 
using that set goes against their philosophy of trying to be balanced 50-50 
with the run and the pass. At some point, and maybe this week, if that line 
can't open any holes for the backs, it will be time to give up hopes of being 
balanced and throw the ball out of four wides and use the pass to set up the 
run. We'll see if things improve this week. There is no question that the 
coaches are rethinking EVERYTHING right now. Davis also said he has gotten 
after the offense for all the penalties that have been killing early drives. 
	?
	
	
	Q:I am a Longhorn fan who tries to be realistic. Win alot, lose some -- be 
realistic. One thing that is very disturbing to me now, above winning and 
losing, is the following: After the last four big games, some Longhorn has 
said "the other team just wanted it more" After Oklahoma, it was Hodges 
Mitchell who said it. I remember reading the same comments after Arkansas and 
Nebraska. Why do you think our players are not as hungry as our opponents? Or 
is it the players will not give it up for Mack Brown as the Sooners might  
for Bob Stoops, the Hogs do for their coach, etc.  
	?? Mike Engelman 
	
	BROWN: This is an interesting question and one that I think is very telling. 
When Texas was the underdog or was still surging from the depths of 4-7 under 
the new attitude brought in by Mack Brown, the Longhorns got up for teams 
like Nebraska (1998 and 1999) and Texas A?(1998) and won. But now that Texas 
is the favorite in every game, the Longhorns are struggling. Even though 
Brown built North Carolina into a national power by the end of his tenure 
there, the Tar Heels were never expected to win a national title. But with 
everything Brown has done to stir up interest and belief in Texas (recruiting 
star players, beating Nebraska twice, re-establishing tradition), he will be 
expected to contend for a national title here in the very near future. So he 
has to find ways to get his team on edge for games such as OU, even when the 
Sooners have every reason to beat the Longhorns. The past five losses have 
all come against teams who appeared to have more reasons to beat UT than UT 
had to beat them - Texas A?(revenge and the bonfire tragedy), Nebraska (had 
been beaten by UT three straight times), Arkansas (finally back in the Cotton 
Bowl, looking to beat its old rival), Stanford (coming off 69-17 loss to UT 
in 1999) and Oklahoma (loser of three straight to UT). If Texas has any hope 
of fending off teams looking to make a name for themselves with a win over 
Texas, Brown will have to find ways to equalize the incentive factor and make 
his team more hungry. Again, some of that will have to come from leadership 
among players. Some of it will be Mack Brown reinventing himself or 
constantly arousing the senses of his players in different ways. 
	?
	
	
	
	
	
	
	[IMAGE]
	Greg Davis 
	
	Q:It was quite obvious from watching the game Saturday that we were 
thoroughly outplayed in all phases of the game. Even more disappointing is 
the fact that we were thoroughly outcoached, too. I am convinced that are 
offensive schemes will continue to be inconsistent, at best, against the 
better defenses in the country. To support my argument, I reviewed the last 
seven games (including this one) we have played against "good" defenses 
(K-State, Nebraska twice, A&M, Arkansas, OSU, OU). The results are terrible. 
We have averaged 216 passing yards per game (would rank
	
	 54th in the country in 2000) and 52 rushing yards per game (112th in the 
country in 2000). Our total offense of 268 yards per game would rank 99th in 
the country in 2000. Although this review could be construed as overly 
conservative, it still makes my point that our offense is well below average 
when facing better defenses. I feel like Greg Davis is getting too much 
credit for our offensive output against bad defenses, resulting in a failure 
to see the inherent weaknesses in our scheme. I would like your comments on 
this prevailing problem and I would also like to know where Kenny Hayter was 
on Saturday!  Thanks, 
	?? Lane 
	
	BROWN: I tend to think that Davis does need to mix things up a little bit 
more. Perhaps by having one QB running the offense, things will settle down, 
and some more offensive flow will result. I think the answers may begin 
there. Perhaps if Applewhite can get things moving without fear of being 
yanked, the confidence will spread everywhere, including the booth where 
plays are being called. Without question, when a team is struggling, the 
tendency is to simplify. Well, UT can't afford to simplify its offense 
anymore. 
	?
	
	
	Q:Why did the coaching staff remove, or go away from, the quick-strike, no- 
huddle offense that was used in the first game? The team seemed to come  
alive when they began using that offense, along with the appearance of Major  
Applewhite. I believe if this offense would have been used against Stanford,  
the team would have been unbeaten going into OU. The quick-strike offense  
did not make another appearance until a dire situation in the OU game. Then  
when the Horns used it, they moved the ball down the field and scored. Why 
not  use this more and keep the defense guessing? Unlike most coaches, I 
believe  with this style of offense, the pass will set up the run, and we all 
would  love to see a consistent running game. 
	?? Brian Gannon 
	
	BROWN: I will quote Greg Davis when I asked him the same question: "The 
one-minute offense creates a tempo. It forces the game to go up-tempo because 
it's a situation where everything is done at the line. The argument against 
using it as a standard offense is that it goes against our overall philosophy 
of being balanced, 50-50, with the run and the pass." 
	?
	
	Q:The OU game was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish with no 
redeeming features  whatsoever which sets the program back at least a year, 
if not more. So tell us something good, Chip ... PLEASE!  
	?? Rowell Rogers, Denton 
	
	BROWN: Again, if Texas wins this week, the Longhorns are back in the driver's 
seat for the Big 12 South, in my opinion. I would be surprised if Texas 
doesn't bounce back with its best effort of the season. If there is a clear 
hangover, and Texas loses, it will be time to take the bad with the good. For 
every 1998 storybook season, there is a season where everything doesn't fall 
into place as expected. But let's see what happens this week. The effects of 
the OU game won't set the program back a year unless the Longhorns let it. If 
UT bounces back this week and wins, the Longhorns have a pretty good schedule 
to get to the A?game with only one league loss. Let's see what happens. 
	?
	
	
	Q:You stated that every QB would benefit from a redshirt year unless they 
were Michael Vick. Michael Vick redshirted at Virginia Tech and benefited 
greatly from it. It was even his idea. They made a pretty big deal about it 
last year. 
	?? Brad Livingston 
	
	BROWN: I stand corrected. But even in my error, I proved my point. I said all 
freshmen benefit from a redshirt year, and Chris Simms probably would have, 
too. I should have stated that Vick is the perfect example. Thank you for 
setting the record straight. 
	?
	
	
	Q:It seems as though Major Applewhite has a better connection with the 
receivers than Chris Simms does. Do you think this is legit or is it merely 
coincidence since Simms has been starting and the receivers are cold, but 
Applewhite comes into the heat of the game when everyone has started to run 
on all cylinders? Also, why is the coaching staff giving Simms every chance 
to win the starting position when it is obvious to fans, coaches, and 
opponents that Applewhite is the leader and the one to watch out for? Surely 
if Simms lives up to his pedigree as everyone hopes, he wouldn't have his 
feelings hurt if he lost the starting job to someone superior to him. 
	?? Brandon May 
	
	BROWN: Simms said this week that if the coaches went solely with Applewhite, 
he could live with it as long as it was best for the team. He said he has 
been pressing and that interceptions have become a regular negative in his 
play. He said the grade he would give himself this season would be terrible. 
But he says, in his heart, he believes he will show everyone the promise that 
has been expected of him since leaving high school as the nation's top QB 
prospect. 
	?
	
	
	Q:What role is Courtnee Garcia playing this year on the football team? Is 
Miguel McKay on the football team? 
	?? Poorun Patel, Lufkin 
	
	BROWN: Courtnee Garcia fell way behind after pulling a hamstring in the 
pre-season. He hasn't been able to capture sizable playing time as yet. And 
he lost his punt return duties to Hodges Mitchell and has even fallen behind 
Nathan Vasher as a backup in that role. So Garcia needs to try to convince 
the coaches in practice that he deserves some playing time and then make the 
most of it. Otherwise, there may not be enough snaps at split end (Garcia's 
position) behind Roy Williams and Montrell Flowers. Miguel McKay is on the 
team and got playing time at defensive tackle against OU.  
	?
	
	
	Q:Since all of the big programs are operating under the same recruiting 
restraints, I don't think its unreasonable to expect more out of the recruits 
that Texas has. UT has had as good of a haul of recruits over the last 3-4 
years as any program in the country. Using the logic that has been offered up 
by some UT followers, we should be patient and wait until next year or the 
next. At that point, we will be waiting for the inexperienced defensive 
tackles to mature ... or some other aspect of the team. I don't know where 
the actual difference between the dominant programs and UT is, but I would 
guess that it has something to do with getting "senior" performance from 
underclassmen. Whether that is a product of the recruiting or motivation, I 
don't know. What do you think? 
	?? Kevin P. McCarthy 
	
	BROWN: I think it's fair to expect a lot from this team next year with the 
schedule UT has. And once Texas shows that it can crack the top 10 without 
losing before the end of October, and if Mack Brown can keep getting star 
high school recruits, the Longhorns will be expected to be in the top 10 from 
then on. So starting next year, I think it's fair to put Texas in the top 10 
and expect them to stay there all season. The UT Towers freshmen receiving 
corps will have a year of experience. Leonard Davis will be gone from the 
O-line, but Robbie Doane should be a suitable replacement, and UT will have 
all its running backs back except for Hodges Mitchell. The defense will lose 
two first-round NFL draft picks (Casey Hampton and Shaun Rogers), but Marcus 
Tubbs and Stevie Lee should be suitable replacements. The senior leadership 
in other areas will have to make up for the loss of this year's key seniors. 
	?
	
	
	Q:The addition of Roy Williams has helped Major Applewhite open up the 
offense because he is a big-play receiver. As a supporter of the Garland 
Owls, I got to witness B.J. Johnson in a big-game situation in last year's 
semi-final game. He was an awesome player last year until that semi-final 
game. Will he be as big of a threat as Roy Williams?  
	?? Tyrance "Duke" Barnett, Garland, Texas 
	
	BROWN: I think both of these guys will be outstanding. And more importantly, 
their leadership will be needed on this offense beginning Saturday. As Mack 
Brown says, freshmen are only freshmen until mid-season. Then they have to be 
and play like upperclassmen. But Williams and Johnson will both be 
outstanding, in my opinion. 
	?
	
	
	Q:Mack Brown should be HEAVILY criticized for his poor handling of the QB 
situation. Major Applewhite has never done anything but show he is one of the 
most confident, proven leaders from the QB position in the nation. In my 
opinion, not even his injury or the fact that Chris Simms got a lot of reps 
in the spring warranted even a thought of him having to share time. You can 
say what you want, and Brown would obviously talk around this, but we would 
not have lost the Stanford game if Applewhite had started and played the 
entire game. Both QBs, and the offense as a whole, have not played up to the 
level they're capable of playing because of the inconsistency at QB. A QB 
controversy creates doubt and a lack of confidence for everyone involved. The 
coaches, media and fans have fallen in love with an unproven commodity, all 
the while shucking aside an individual who did everything possible to prove 
he should be the starter. Mack Brown's job is to be above that, and it's time 
for him to take the heat. The media and fans are touching on this, but I 
think it's time to tell it like it is with his illogical, failed and unfair 
experiment. 
	?? Jason Stone 
	
	BROWN: Amen, Jason. You have spoken, and the rotation has come to an end. At 
least for this week. 
	?
	
	
	Q:Is there a start time for the Missouri game on Oct. 21? 
	?? 
	
	BROWN: Not yet. ABC has opted to use its 6-day window to determine which 
games it will televise that weekend. Right now, it's possible that the game 
could be at 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m. or 1 p.m. It definitely will not be at 11 a.m. 
Stay tuned. 
	
	
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