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[IMAGE] =09 [IMAGE] =20
=09 =09 =09[IMAGE] =09 =09 =09The 'goal post' motivation factor=20 =09=20 =09Nov. 9, 2000=20 =09=20 =09 =09[IMAGE]Chip Brown, who covers UT football for The Dallas Morning News,= =20 answers your questions about injuries, Chris Simms, bowl prospects and more= .=20 Inside UT Football appears on Thursdays.=20 =09 =09=20 =09E-mail questions to Chip: chipbrown@dallasnews.com=20 =09 =09 =09=20 =09Listen to Chip Brown talk about the Longhorns on =09DallasNews.com's Colleges site=20 =09 =09 =09 =09Chip Shot=20 =09=20 =09 =09After learning that the goal posts had been greased at Texas Tech to kee= p=20 fans from tearing them down if the Red Raiders had beaten Texas, the=20 Longhorns got some more goal post bulletin board material from Kansas.=20 =09 =09 Texas coach Mack Brown told his team about a story that appeared in the= =20 Topeka Capital-Journal on Oct. 23 about how Kansas players hoped they would= =20 be tearing down the goal posts after beating Texas this Saturday.=20 =09 =09 At the time, KU players quoted in the article had hoped they would be= =20 playing Texas for their sixth win, making them bowl eligible. As it stands,= =20 the Jayhawks (4-5, 2-4) need to beat both Texas and Iowa State.=20 =09 =09 Still, that didn't keep Mack Brown from telling his team about the arti= cle.=20 =09 =09 "I think that's insulting," said UT CB Quentin Jammer. "They'll only be= let=20 down when it doesn't happen."=20 =09 =09 "That's disrespectful," said UT CB Rod Babers. "It's the same thing as = Tech=20 lubing up the goal posts."=20 =09 =09 Recalling that three teams (Baylor, Missouri and Oklahoma State) tore d= own=20 goal posts after beating a 4-7 UT team in 1997, coach Mack Brown called Tex= as=20 "the goal post team."=20 =09 =09 On a related note, Brown is taking all kinds of measures to make his te= am=20 tougher.=20 =09 =09 Texas players wore jackets and head warmers in the cold and rain in Dal= las=20 against Oklahoma. They will be without such comforts when they travel to=20 Kansas this weekend, where temperatures could be in the 40s.=20 =09 =09 "When we played in the mist up in Dallas, the players had coats on and = masks=20 on," Mack Brown said. "We've taken those away. We don't take jackets to the= =20 game anymore when it's cold. No masks, nothing. We're going to go with pads= =20 and helmets and play. We're not going to stand around and let the weather b= e=20 a factor."=20 =09 =09 Brown also wants his team to be up and ready despite playing to a crowd= that=20 will likely be sparse at KU on Saturday.=20 =09 =09 "There won't be anybody there," Brown said, referring to the fact that = KU=20 has averaged 33,220 fans at home this season.=20 =09 =09 KU's largest crowd at Memorial Stadium (capacity 50,250) was 48,500 for= =20 Kansas State on Oct. 7.=20 =09 =09 =09 =09=20 =09Longhorn Q & A=20 =09 Q: Since freshman DT Stevie Lee is out for the year now and he still ha= s=20 redshirt eligibility, can he get a medical redshirt for his injury?=20 =09 ?? Rick Orr=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Mack Brown said this week that the plan is for Lee (foot) to se= ek a=20 medical redshirt and thus have four years of eligibility after this season.= =20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE]=20 =09Shaun Rogers =20 =09 =09Q: I know Shaun Rogers' play has been limited since his ankle sprain aga= inst=20 Houston. How many snaps has he been getting over the last several games? At= =20 one point during the Tech game, I thought I saw Adam Doiron and Marcus Tubb= s=20 on the field at the same time playing tackle. I know these freshmen are=20 playing great, but I figured either Shawn or Casey Hampton would always be = on=20 the field to give the line the benefit of their experience. Please provide = a=20 rundown of the tackle rotation. =20 =09?? Dan McCrory=20 =09 =09 =09 BROWN: Rogers has been getting between 20 and 30 snaps per game. But t= hat=20 high ankle sprain has really taken a toll. He's not the same player he was= =20 before the Houston game. Still, he wants to stay out on the field, even=20 though he is not 100 percent. Tubbs and Doiron were out on the field togeth= er=20 against Tech for several plays - several key plays. Mack Brown said Tubbs a= nd=20 Doiron had the quickness to hold their own against Tech's inexperienced,=20 undersized offensive line. I don't know how often you'll see a tackle tande= m=20 that doesn't include Casey Hampton, but against Tech, the coaches felt they= =20 would have to play four defensive ends and four defensive tackles. That's= =20 because of the number of pass rushers needed to get pressure on the QB.=20 Against a running team, you probably would see Hampton as part of the DT=20 tandem in the game.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Can you update us on the injuries?=20 =09?? Lars Mechlenberg=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Major Applewhite is out for Kansas with a sprained posterior=20 cruciate ligament in his right knee. He is questionable for Texas A=02?on N= ov.=20 24. WR Artie Ellis (shin) is out for Saturday. CB Ervis Hill (shoulder) is= =20 out for the season and may need surgery. DT Ryan Haywood (shoulder) is out= =20 for the season and has already undergone surgery. SS Lee Jackson (quadricep= s)=20 is questionable, and LB O.J. McClintock (knee) is probable. Coaches would= =20 like to get McClintock back on the field this week on special teams.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: I noticed you mentioned in one of your articles that Texas was still= =20 trying to put together its first complete game of the season. I couldn't=20 agree more. I don't recall a season where we really haven't played a good= =20 game yet this late in the season, especially given the talent we are puttin= g=20 on the field. I'm also concerned about the number of penalties we are=20 committing. I've read that Mack thinks these reflect enthusiasm and emotion= ,=20 but I watch too many teams play with as much or more emotion and remain=20 disciplined. Do you think we have a coaching problem or is it just youth?= =20 =09?? Ken Hines, Wichita Falls=20 =09 =09 BROWN: OG Antwan Kirk-Hughes told me this week that the team thought i= t=20 would go out to Stanford and win easily. In other words, the team took the= =20 Cardinal lightly. Thus, when the Cardinal played the Longhorns tough (and= =20 ultimately won), Texas got tight and struggled. I think this season has bee= n=20 one with little to get up for. The teams on UT's schedule were - for the mo= st=20 part - awful. Texas knew going into the season that it was going to be at= =20 least a 10-point favorite in every game except for Oklahoma and Texas A&M.= =20 The Longhorns have beaten only one team with a winning record - Texas Tech.= =20 My point is, once Texas suffered the shock of losing to Stanford, it lost= =20 some of its sense of urgency. Its dream of a national title - realistic or= =20 unrealistic - was over. By the time Texas played Oklahoma, the Longhorns ha= d=20 played only a couple halves of complete football - the second half against= =20 Louisiana-Lafayette and the second half against Oklahoma State. That wasn't= =20 nearly enough to build the kind of confidence needed to face the Sooners. F= or=20 whatever reason (some will argue it was the QB rotation), the offensive=20 coaches weren't able to instill an identity or swagger into their players.= =20 Whether this is because of a lack of leadership on offense or because the= =20 team couldn't get up for the Houstons and Baylors of the world, only the=20 coaches and players really know. But, in my opinion, Texas has not yet put = a=20 complete game together - nine games into the season. And it's because of th= e=20 offense. The defense has been solid with the exception of Oklahoma. The=20 offense has been slow starting, erratic and even predictable. To UT's credi= t,=20 the offense is about to set a single-season passing yardage record by=20 averaging 289.4 yards passing per game. If Texas wins its next two games an= d=20 wins its bowl game, the Longhorns would be 10-2 and that would be an=20 improvement over last year and hard to argue with. So, perhaps Texas can ta= ke=20 the fire it showed in the first quarter against Tech and put its first=20 complete game together this week. A three-game winning streak to end the=20 season would be a great launch pad into next season, when UT will again hav= e=20 a chance for greatness against a schedule of tackling dummies.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: I am thinking that palm trees and balmy sunsets may be in the Longho= rns'=20 immediate holiday plans: either the Orange Bowl, if all goes perfectly, or= =20 more likely the Culligan Holiday Bowl in San Diego. Do you think Mack Brown= =20 would relish a game against Rick Neuheisel? Texas vs. Washington would make= =20 for great TV, and a wonderful trip for the 'Horns and their many fans.=20 =09?? James K. Sterrett=20 =09 =09 BROWN: This is a better question for next week because we'll know the= =20 outcome of the Texas A&M-Oklahoma game. If Oklahoma and Nebraska both win o= ut=20 and meet in the Big 12 title game, a narrow Nebraska win would probably lan= d=20 both in a BCS bowl game. A narrow Oklahoma win might still land them both i= n=20 the BCS. But a lopsided win by either Oklahoma or Nebraska would probably= =20 mean the winner going to a BCS bowl game and the loser going to the Cotton.= =20 If A=02?loses to Oklahoma and UT beats Kansas, the winner of the UT-A=02?ga= me would=20 probably be playing for the Holiday Bowl with the loser going to the Alamo= =20 Bowl. The Holiday Bowl opponent would appear to be either Oregon State or= =20 Washington. The Alamo Bowl opponent would appear to be either Michigan or= =20 Ohio State. I think any of those opponents would probably catch the attenti= on=20 of Texas, except for maybe Oregon State, which is really good.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE]=20 =09Carl Reese =20 =09 =09Q: Missouri head coach Larry Smith is probably on his way out of Columbi= a=20 after this season. Carl Reese is a perfect candidate for that position with= =20 all of his Missouri ties. Do you see coach Reese taking off for Columbia? = =20 =09 ?? Michael Sampson=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Reese has indicated to Mack Brown that he has no interest in=20 becoming a head coach. He is getting close to 60, and I think he would like= =20 to focus all of his efforts on building a national title contender in Austi= n.=20 Don't look for Reese to go anywhere.=20 =09 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: What is the status of Austin Sendlein? I never heard if he redshirte= d and=20 I have not heard of him playing.=20 =09?? David W. Rhodes=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The Stanford player participation chart showed LB Sendlein play= ing.=20 But he has not played and will be redshirted this season. He is among a=20 handful of players redshirting who the veterans have said look really good = in=20 practice. The other redshirts drawing raves are QB Chance Mock, RB Sneezy= =20 Beltran, FB Will Matthews, WR Tony Jeffery and OL Lionel Garr.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Is it me or do we get some really sorry calls from the officials? I= t's=20 always been my opinion that referees' calls were just part of the game and= =20 if you're not good enough to overcome some bad calls, well, you're just no= t=20 good enough. That said, however, we seem to have some of the worst calls= =20 going against us in the last few years and in almost every game. Are the= =20 officials held to any standard by the Big 12 or an officiating group? If= =20 it's not the officials, we have got to do something about all these=20 penalties. =20 =09 ?? P.M., Midland=20 =09 =09 BROWN: I, too, hate talking about penalties. But while Mack Brown can'= t=20 talk about the penalties being called because he'll be fined by the Big 12,= =20 he can complain to the officials on the field. And he can send a videotape = of=20 calls that he thinks are questionable to the league office. And let's just= =20 say Brown has sent plenty of videotapes to the league office this season.= =20 Brown is calling for instant replay in the college game. He said the NFL's= =20 instant replay has shown how many calls are missed in a football game. He= =20 hopes that schools will bite the bullet and vote in favor of this even thou= gh=20 it would be a sizable expense to most schools and would slow the game down.= =20 Brown can't discuss the penalties that have been called on Texas this seaso= n,=20 but if he could, his face would be red, and he wouldn't be able to stop=20 talking.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE]=20 =09Kenny Hayter =20 =09 =09Q: Is there anything physically wrong with Kenny Hayter that is limiting= his=20 playing time? Or is this just the coaching staff's decision? I will be one = of=20 the many to admit that Hodges Mitchell and the offensive line have looked a= =20 lot better over the past four games. If Hayter had better per-carry numbers= =20 than Mitchell with an underperforming offensive line, it would seem to me= =20 that Hayter would also do well now that they are blocking better. I would= =20 like to point out that I do not advocate benching Mitchell by any means, bu= t=20 after this week's game and all of the talk I have heard about him being=20 durable or not, I think that a more balanced backfield would help out in th= is=20 situation. =20 =09?? Jason Patton=20 =09 =09 =09 BROWN: The coaches have stuck with Mitchell because he is a senior lea= der=20 on an offense that doesn't have many leaders and because he is such a=20 versatile threat as a running back and receiver. Mitchell has suddenly=20 climbed within 235 yards of a 1,000-yard rushing season (765 yards) and has= =20 337 yards receiving (he'll surpass last year's 343 yards receiving). Mitche= ll=20 has a 4.7-yard per carry average, the best on the team among RBs except for= =20 Brett Robin, who has just five carries for 27 yards (5.4 yards per carry).= =20 The coaches will stick with Mitchell from here on in because the offense=20 finally showed against Tech that it can gain rushing yards in the first hal= f=20 of a game. Now, granted, it was against an undersized defensive line that= =20 emphasized its quickness over bulk. But Mack Brown seems to think his team = is=20 finally getting tougher and beginning to control the offensive line of=20 scrimmage. Kansas has a salty defensive line, led by NG Nate Dwyer (6-3,=20 300). So, we'll see if the Longhorns' offensive line can continue to push= =20 people around.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: How does Major Applewhite's injury problems effect Chris Simms' poss= ible=20 redshirt status for next year?=20 =09?? Monte Boothe=20 =09 =09 BROWN: It's too early to tell. Mack Brown said he had a conversation w= ith=20 Simms about redshirting next season but that the earliest it could seriousl= y=20 be considered is after spring practice, if not next fall.=20 =09? =09 =09 Q: It seems that many Horn fans are still in shock from the 63-14 debac= le in=20 the Cotton Bowl and are wondering if OU is suddenly that far ahead of Texas= =20 in the development of their respective programs. Are they? Or was this just= a=20 total meltdown by a young UT team? Can we expect better results next year a= nd=20 if so, why?=20 =09?? Mark, Lewisville=20 =09 =09 BROWN: I think the OU coaches deserve a lot of credit for getting thei= r=20 players to pull together and show the kind of effort they have on both side= s=20 of the ball. That kind of coaching job is what it's all about. But I don't= =20 think you can underestimate the influence that Josh Heupel has had on that= =20 team. He makes every part of that offense effective. Tremendous credit goes= =20 to the defensive coaches for getting their players to put the brakes on tea= ms=20 like Texas, Kansas State and Nebraska. This has been a phenomenal coaching= =20 job. And no disrespect to OU, but next year, without Heupel, I think they= =20 will drop off slightly (maybe 8-3). Maybe not. But it seems likely.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: I thought Mack Brown's philosophy on redshirts is that he will take = them=20 off ANY player at ANY point in the season if we need that player to help us= =20 win. Does having Beau Trahan as the backup QB for Kansas give us a better= =20 chance of winning the game (if Simms goes down) than Chance Mock? From what= =20 Mack says, Mock is not even a consideration (since Courtnee Garcia is the= =20 emergency QB).=20 =09?? Glen Shillinglaw, Austin=20 =09 =09 BROWN: I think Brown is banking on the fact that Simms survives the Ka= nsas=20 game and Major comes back to start or at least back up Simms in an emergenc= y=20 situation against Texas A&M. On Tuesday, Mack Brown announced that Hunter= =20 McWilliams, and not WR Courtnee Garcia, would be the team's third=20 quarterback. McWilliams, the son of former UT coach David McWilliams, runs= =20 the scout team QB position in practice and has more experience handing off= =20 this season than Garcia, who was an option QB at Lufkin. Brown said he woul= d=20 take the redshirt off of Mock if he absolutely had to, meaning if both Simm= s=20 and Applewhite went down with season-ending injuries. But he said to do so= =20 right now would be premature because Simms is OK, and there's a chance that= =20 Applewhite will be back for A&M.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Is there any chance for Texas to take the Big 12 South? Hopefully A= =02?beats=20 OU this weekend, this can't hurt. =20 =09 =09 BROWN: Oklahoma would have to lose two of its last three games at Texa= s=20 A&M, home against Texas Tech or at Oklahoma State. Texas would then have to= =20 beat Kansas and Texas A=02?to win the Big 12 South. Texas A=02?can win the = Big 12=20 South title by beating Oklahoma and Texas.=20 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 If you received this newsletter from a friend and would like to subscri= be,=20 sign up at: Newsletter Registration=20 =09 =09To find or change your password, modify your account, or unsubscribe fro= m=20 this newsletter, go to: Newsletter Registration =20 =09 =09Questions? Comments? Suggestions? =20 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 © Copyright 2000 The Dallas Morning News=20 =09=09[IMAGE]=09 =09=09=09 =09=09=09 [IMAGE] =09=09=09 [IMAGE] =09=09=09 [IMAGE] =09=09=09
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