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[IMAGE] =09 [IMAGE] =20
=09 =09 =09[IMAGE] =09 =09Brown vs. Bellotti in San Diego Dec. 7, 2000 =20 =09 =09[IMAGE]Chip Brown, who covers Texas football for The Dallas Morning News= ,=20 answers your questions about the Holiday Bowl, UT's quarterback situation, = =20 probable NFL draft picks, Mack Brown and more. Inside UT Football appears o= n=20 Thursdays.=20 =09 =09 E-mail questions to Chip: chipbrown@dallasnews.com=20 =09 =09 Listen to Chip Brown talk about the Longhorns on =09DallasNews.com's Colleges site=20 =09 =09 Buy all your UT team gear at our E-Fanshop.com=20 =09 =09 =09Chip Shot=20 =09=20 =09 =09One of the most intriguing matchups to watch in this year's Culligan Hol= iday=20 Bowl at San Diego will take place on the sidelines with Texas coach Mack=20 Brown going up against Oregon's Mike Bellotti.=20 =09 =09 You may not know much about Bellotti, but know this about his tenure at= =20 Oregon - in six years, he has a 48-22 record, and those 48 wins are more th= an=20 any other Pac-10 school during that time period. And over the last four=20 seasons, Oregon is 33-13 with four consecutive bowl game appearances. The= =20 Ducks' two losses this season were by a combined total of 14 points (37-34= =20 vs. Wisconsin and 23-13 at Oregon State). =20 =09 =09 Brown certainly is impressed by Bellotti's success at Oregon.=20 =09 =09 "Mike Bellotti is a personal friend," Brown said in a news release from= UT's=20 sports information office. "He took over for Rich Brooks at Oregon a number= =20 of years ago when they were representing the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl for th= e=20 first time in a long time. He has done a great job building on that success= =20 each of his years as head coach. It will be fun to be around him and his te= am=20 throughout the week." =20 =09 =09 Added Holiday Bowl president Jim Philion: "Coach Bellotti has built the= =20 Ducks into one of the premiere football programs in the country. The game= =20 this Dec. 29 against Texas will increase an already exciting rivalry betwee= n=20 the Pac-10 and the Big 12." =20 =09 =09 Longhorn fans can purchase tickets to the Culligan Holiday Bowl by=20 contacting the UT ticket office (512-471-3333/1-800-982-BEVO) or by logging= =20 on to the athletics department Web site (www.TexasSports.com). =20 =09 =09 =09 =09 Longhorn Q & A Q: Longhorn officials will probably not say which bowl = they=20 would prefer to play in, but were any of their options less desirable becau= se=20 of dates, travel, ticket sales or impressing recruits?=20 =09 ?? Todd Davis=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The Longhorn team and coaching staff really wanted to go to the= =20 Holiday Bowl. I know that sounds like, "Well, of course, that's what they= =20 would say." But the coaches were trying to motivate the team before the=20 Kansas game by saying if UT won out, they would go to the Holiday Bowl, a= =20 fun, sunny destination against a top 10 team. Aside from the beach balls an= d=20 surfing, the UT players wanted to go to San Diego because they are paid=20 mileage by the NCAA from their hometowns to get to the bowl game. For=20 instance, Chris Simms was paid $1,500 by the NCAA to get from New Jersey to= =20 the Cotton Bowl last year. So he'll really clean up this year. Not that he= =20 needs it. But you get the picture. It's a way for some of the players to ma= ke=20 a nice little chunk of change because what many of them will do is take the= =20 mileage money from the NCAA and then try to buy a cheaper airline ticket an= d=20 pocket the rest. The players are responsible for getting to San Diego on=20 their own. The team will not charter a flight. (All players have to be=20 checked into the team hotel in San Diego by 10 p.m. on Dec. 22). Mack Brown= =20 wanted to go to the Holiday Bowl from the time it appeared Oklahoma would w= in=20 the Big 12 South because he knew it would give Texas a chance to play a top= =20 10 team. And he wants his team excited and pumped up to play a surging team= .=20 Last year, Texas and its fans couldn't seem to get fired up for an unranked= =20 7-4 Arkansas team in the Cotton Bowl, one year after having played in the= =20 same game. So believe it when UT says the Holiday Bowl is where it wanted t= o=20 be.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE] Casey Hampton =20 =09 =09Q: How high do you think Casey Hampton will go in the NFL draft? I woul= d=20 think he's a cinch first rounder. Could he go in the top five? ??=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Hampton could go in the first or second round. The second round= =20 might be more likely because there are so many highly touted defensive=20 linemen coming out this year. But Hampton has been really watching his weig= ht=20 and trying to improve his speed. He promised me that scouts at the NFL=20 combine will be surprised when=20 =09 =09they see him work out. Hampton is a great story. The guy just works his = tail=20 off and knows that his height (slightly more than 6-1) will probably play= =20 against him. So he is going to try to blow scouts away in every other area.= =20 But as he told me in a story that The Dallas Morning News and DallasNews.co= m=20 ran before the Texas A=02?game, "The film don't lie. If you can show me whe= re my=20 height has hurt me, it's on you." I would be surprised if Hampton fell to t= he=20 third round.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Let's see now: Rose Bowl ... Cotton Bowl ... Sugar Bowl ... Orange B= owl=20 ... Fiesta Bowl ... Galleryfurniture.com Bowl ... Which one does NOT give= =20 you cold chills just to think about? =20 =09?? R.R. =20 =09 =09 BROWN: At least the galleryfurniture.com Bowl is not called the Poulan= =20 Weedeater Bowl, a name that still haunts the now-Sanford Independence Bowl,= =20 where Texas A=02?will meet up with former coach Jackie Sherrill this year. = We=20 have to hope the furniture bowl, which will be played in the Houston=20 Astrodome, fairs better than the old Bluebonnet Bowl, which went bankrupt a= nd=20 failed to pay Texas and Pittsburgh their purses for the 1987 game (won by U= T,=20 32-27). That was the last bowl game ever played in Houston. =20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Texas' quarterback controversy early this year was an artificial thi= ng =20 manufactured by the ill-fated rotation scheme. Now, however, the quarterba= ck=20 controversy is real. Texas now has two genuine starting quarterbacks. Chri= s=20 Simms is no longer the next boy wonder. He has arrived. Does ANYONE in the= =20 nation have a better quarterback tandem than Texas? How in the world is Ma= ck=20 Brown going to deal with this? If they keep the simplified offensive schem= e=20 next year, do you think the QB rotation could resurface and actually work?= =20 =09?? Rowell Rogers, Denton, Texas=20 =09 =09 BROWN: I said before this season that Mack Brown would earn every penn= y of=20 his salary because of the quarterback situation. And he'll earn every penny= =20 again next year. Unless unforseen circumstances, such as injuries, dictate= =20 otherwise, I think it will be difficult for Chris Simms to redshirt next=20 year. And I think it will be difficult for the coaches not to start Simms= =20 next year. He won the job because of an injury to Major Applewhite, just as= =20 Major won the job because of an injury to Richard Walton. If Simms starts t= he=20 bowl game, and Texas plays well and wins, Simms will have done nothing to= =20 lose the job and would probably go into the spring and fall as the starter.= =20 If Texas flounders under Simms in the bowl game and Applewhite needs to com= e=20 in and relieve him, then we are back to square one, with both guys battling= =20 it out in the spring and fall to see who is the starter. Texas coaches have= =20 said they were more comfortable with Applewhite coming off the bench this= =20 season because of his experience. So we'll see if their stance has changed.= =20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: The 70-yard pump-and-go TD play from Chris Simms to B.J. Johnson is= both=20 a validation of Simms' abilities AND an indictment of the quarterback=20 rotation. Chris Simms made that play happen because he had played every=20 offensive down in the game to that point and knew the tendencies of the=20 defensive player responsible. To my mind, that is a strong argument agains= t=20 any kind of QB rotation scheme. But, on the other hand, how can one NOT wa= nt=20 to play both of these immensely talented quarterbacks as much as possible?= =20 Can we get a rule change to allow two footballs on the field at once (ha= =20 ha)? ??=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The only argument I could make in favor of the quarterback rota= tion=20 next year is that Simms should have more confidence and thus should flouris= h=20 whenever he is on the field. But his comments all season have directly and= =20 indirectly indicated that he hated the rotation and that his confidence=20 didn't come around until he was taking all the snaps. So I don't know if th= e=20 coaches are willing to put him through that again and risk losing his=20 confidence.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE] Mack Brown =20 =09 =09Q: What is your opinion of Mack Brown as a gameday coach? I noticed earl= ier=20 in the season that you picked Texas Tech for the upset over the Longhorns,= =20 which seemed to be an indictment on Mack Brown's ability to fire up the tea= m,=20 assuming that Texas has more talented players. I think that he has proven= =20 that he can win big games, but he has also had some surprising slipups. Bro= wn=20 is unquestionably a great recruiter, but do you question his leadership=20 ability on gameday? =20 =09 ?? Andrew Wootton=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Up until the Texas Tech game, Mack Brown was saying things like= "We=20 could lose any game we play. I just don't know which team is going to show= =20 up. We could go 6-5 or 9-2." Those kinds of=20 =09 =09comments factored into my thinking when picking Texas Tech to beat the= =20 Longhorns. Brown is as adept at public relations and communication as any= =20 coach I've been around. So when he was saying things like that, it made you= =20 wonder if this team was ever going to develop an identity. Clearly, this ye= ar=20 was a tough year in terms of leadership on the field on offense. The defens= e=20 was fine with Casey Hampton leading the charge. But the offense really=20 struggled to find an identity. Part of that was the quarterback rotation.= =20 Part of it was having young receivers, and part of it was having a bunch of= =20 guys with low-key personalities (i.e. Hodges Mitchell, Leonard Davis, Antwa= n=20 Kirk-Hughes, Derrick Dockery, Mike Williams etc.). Mack Brown even said it= =20 was the quietest bunch of offensive players he'd been around. Once Mack Bro= wn=20 and Co. decided to simplify the offense and designate Major Applewhite as t= he=20 starter, Brown was making a plea to the offense for leadership as much as= =20 anything else.=20 =09 =09I think Mack Brown is a great coach. Let me say that again. He is a grea= t=20 coach. I think this year was a test of his finding and developing leadershi= p=20 on the field. The more he rotated the QBs, the less chance the offense had = to=20 develop an identity because the young receivers were clearly struggling wit= h=20 learning their responsibilities in four-wide as well as trying to adjust to= =20 having two QBs coming in and out of the huddle. The offensive linemen, earl= y=20 on, also struggled with gap schemes and just hitting the guy in front of hi= m.=20 I'm sure the coaches thought the offense would come together more quickly= =20 than it did. Mack Brown has already gone back and said that he wished he=20 played Simms more in the Stanford game - an outing in which Applewhite real= ly=20 struggled until the fourth quarter. Against Oklahoma, the Sooners executed= =20 flawlessly early and Texas got hit with a punch it couldn't get up from. It= =20 was the first inexcusable loss of the Mack Brown era and ended his honeymoo= n=20 in Austin, according to many.=20 =09 =09But Mack Brown is smart enough and charming enough to have the fans eati= ng=20 out of his hand any time he wants. All he has to do is tune out the negativ= e=20 comments he hears reported in the media or on the Internet and simply say,= =20 "We are doing the best we can. We learn. We make mistakes. We're going to= =20 keep trying harder." Those are comments no negative fan can argue with.=20 Instead, Brown became upset with the negative voices and let it taint=20 everything about this season. Each press conference was filled with a comme= nt=20 about how the media and fans had beat up this year's team. It was=20 contentious. Mack Brown uses Joe Paterno as his role model often times.=20 Paterno hates the media, rarely gives out interviews, etc. So if Mack Brown= =20 is following in Paterno's footsteps on that issue, it would be a shame.=20 Paterno doesn't have one-quillionth the public relations savvy of Mack Brow= n.=20 =09 =09Brown got tough questions during his radio call-in show this season. Som= e=20 weeks he hid his contempt for them better than others. But a guy like Brown= =20 is good enough and smart enough that he should just let this stuff roll off= =20 of his back, use that self-deprecating laugh of his and then take his=20 frustration out in the meeting and film rooms while finding ways to turn hi= s=20 team into a juggernaut. Mack Brown should know his team's personality going= =20 into next year because so many players will be back. And he'll have this ye= ar=20 as a blueprint of how not to do things, in many instances. And he's where h= e=20 wants to be - at a major college football power and always being in the=20 position of favorite. At North Carolina, as well as he recruited and coache= d,=20 Florida State was always going to be the bully in the neighborhood. At Texa= s,=20 he had beaten Nebraska the first two times he played them and showed that= =20 Texas was going to be the new bully in the Big 12. Now, Oklahoma has come= =20 charging past the Longhorns and Bob Stoops has done everything without=20 excuses. If you notice, Stoops didn't gripe about having to play the Big 12= =20 title game and possibly ruin his team's national title chances. He didn't= =20 gripe about the cold weather that everyone said would do in the Sooners in= =20 Kansas City. He has a tough attitude, and his team has adopted his attitude= .=20 Brown has a tough attitude, too. And against Oregon in the Holiday Bowl and= =20 all of next season will be the truest test of Brown's coaching and dealing= =20 with expectations. Brown said, fairly and accurately, that Texas couldn't b= e=20 expected to win the national title this year because the Longhorns hadn't= =20 finished a season in the top 10 since 1983. "How do you jump to No. 1 witho= ut=20 having first been in the top 10?" Brown said before the season. Does this= =20 kind of talk trickle into the ears of players? I don't know. Most of the=20 Longhorns before the season (Applewhite and Hampton included) felt like Tex= as=20 could win the national title. That's one of the biggest reasons Hampton cam= e=20 back to Texas this season. When UT lost to Stanford, Brown emerged from an= =20 emotionally blasted locker room and said, "I didn't think this was a nation= al=20 title team." He went on to say the team was too young. Are these excuses fo= r=20 his team? If Texas beats Oregon in the Holiday Bowl, the Longhorns will hav= e=20 their top 10 finish and will once again be ranked in the top 10 heading int= o=20 next season.=20 =09 =09On defense, the big question mark will be at defensive tackle because Ca= sey=20 Hampton and Shaun Rogers will be moving on. But Marcus Tubbs, Adam Doiron a= nd=20 Stevie Lee provide an ample foundation to rebuild at the position. Cory=20 Redding and Kalen Thornton should only get better, and there is a wealth of= =20 talent in the seven guys behind them. On offense, the big question mark is = at=20 running back, where Hodges Mitchell is moving on. He's a guy some Texas fan= s=20 still think is worthless. But let me tell you, he isn't. He's got guts and= =20 gave everything he had. It may take some time to see another back who can= =20 catch and run the way he does. UT will have several backs to pick from,=20 including freshman-to-be Cedric Benson. The rest of the team is proven and= =20 will pick up Bo Scaife at tight end.=20 =09 =09I don't see any excuses for this team next year. National championship t= alk=20 will be all over this team like sunshine in Bermuda. Here's hoping that Mac= k=20 Brown doesn't let the nitpickers bog him down. And I include myself in that= =20 group of nitpickers because reporters are paid to point out all of the fact= s=20 - positive or negative. Here's to hoping Mack Brown will spend less time=20 getting reports fed to him about negative Internet postings and any possibl= e=20 negative angles in a newspaper story. Here's to hoping that he'll take on= =20 critical questions with the ease and charm he shows publicly on a daily=20 basis. Places like Texas, Alabama and Ohio State have fans who are seemingl= y=20 never satisfied. Until Brown wins a national championship, UT fans will=20 second-guess and doubt and wonder why something else wasn't tried. That cou= ld=20 continue even if he wins a national title. But that's sports. It's worse no= w=20 because there is more coverage of sports than ever before with the Internet= =20 and all-day talk radio. Mack Brown lives under a microscope. Fans think the= y=20 are as smart as coaches because they manage a fantasy football team. Brown= =20 just has to shrug off the naysayers and focus on the reasons he loves=20 coaching.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Among UT's current commitments, who do you see as the freshmen most= =20 likely to see significant playing time next year? ??=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The more I see and hear about Midland Lee running back Cedric= =20 Benson, the more I think he has the best chance to have an impact next year= .=20 He appears to have the kind of vision that makes running backs special.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Only two teams had a strength of schedule rating above 3.0 in the BC= S=20 rankings and all the top five teams had a sub 0.6 rating. Given that UT has= a=20 decent chance in the national championship race next year, what - if anythi= ng=20 - can UT do to help raise its strength of schedule rating? Seems like the= =20 Longhorns could go undefeated and still be on the outside looking in. =20 =09 ?? Andrew Bowen=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Well, gauging by how some of the BCS polls had Florida State hi= gher=20 than Oklahoma, I think it's fair to say that strength of schedule is a=20 concern for Texas next year. I think Texas has to win all its games next=20 season to make sure that it is not in the position of Miami, which beat=20 Florida State but is not in the national championship picture. If Texas goe= s=20 10-1 next season, the Longhorns could very well not be in control of their= =20 own destiny. With their schedule, as crazy and inflated-expectation-riddled= =20 as this sounds, the Longhorns would probably need to win all the games to= =20 ensure getting a shot at the national championship next season.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE] Leonard Davis =20 =09 =09Q: Who will be drafted off this team? Any first rounders? Will the draft= =20 distract the seniors from the bowl game? Will any juniors declare early? Is= =20 the NFL looking at any underclassmen on the team? =20 =09 ?? Lance, Grand Prairie =20 =09 =09 BROWN: The obvious draft picks are OT Leonard Davis, DT Casey Hampton = and=20 DT Shaun Rogers. SS Greg Brown may also get a look from an NFL team after t= he=20 year he has had. I think Davis is a first-round pick for sure. Hampton and= =20 Rogers shouldn't fall past the second round, =09 =09although they could simply because there are a number of top defensive= =20 lineman in next year's NFL draft. NFL scouts are intrigued by junior Quenti= n=20 Jammer because of his size and physical play at cornerback. NFL scouts like= =20 junior De'Andre Lewis' speed and size at linebacker. But UT officials seem= =20 confident that no underclassmen will jump from this year's team. =20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Please discuss the coaching staff's approach to bowl games. Did we= =20 approach the Mississippi State Cotton Bowl with a different philosophy or= =20 attitude than the Arkansas Cotton Bowl? What is our attitude about Oregon a= nd=20 the Holiday Bowl? =20 =09?? Keith Heugatter=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The Cotton Bowl after the 1998 season was the final chapter to = a=20 storybook season. That team was riding the euphoria of Ricky Williams'=20 Heisman Trophy and felt like it was on top of the world. The team that face= d=20 Arkansas in last January's Cotton Bowl had lost two straight and then found= =20 itself back in Dallas, feeling a little unsure about itself against an=20 Arkansas team looking for its first bowl victory since 1985. This season,= =20 Texas is riding a six-game winning streak, finally got the breakout game it= =20 was looking for from Chris Simms and really wants to win its bowl game to= =20 finish in the top 10 for the first time in 17 years. I would be surprised -= =20 very surprised - if Texas comes out flat and doesn't make a good showing in= =20 the Holiday Bowl. Even though they don't know much about Oregon, the=20 Longhorns know the Ducks are ranked higher than they are. That's all they= =20 need to know. If the players can avoid the trouble they ran into before las= t=20 year's Cotton Bowl (suspensions to two team leaders, Aaron Humphrey and Kwa= me=20 Cavil, as well as J.J. Kelly and Jamal Joyner), I think Texas will be stron= g=20 and focused.=20 =09? =09 =09 Q: Is Leonard Davis up for any major awards this season?=20 =09?? Clark Routier=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Longhorn OT Leonard Davis is one of three finalists for the Out= land=20 Trophy. The award will be presented live on Thursday night (8-10 p.m.=20 Central) on the ESPN College Football Awards Show at Disney World. Davis ha= s=20 been tabbed a first-team All-American by The Football Writers Association,= =20 Walter Camp Football Foundation and Sporting News.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Can you give us an update on the men's basketball team?=20 =09?? Shirley Lively=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The men's team is starting to come together and could get a hug= e=20 boost in the next couple of weeks if senior Darren Kelly can regain his=20 eligibility. The semester ends Dec. 19, but coach Rick Barnes isn't sure wh= en=20 he'll find out if Kelly has made his grades and regained his academic=20 standing for next semester. One thing is for sure: Barnes believes the 5-1= =20 Longhorns will only get better with Kelly in the lineup. He said Kelly=20 dominates in practice with his dribble penetration and quickness. He said= =20 Kelly would help players like junior transfer Maurice Evans. Evans, by the= =20 way, has continued to look more comfortable in the Longhorns' offense. He w= as=20 named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week, the league offi= ce=20 announced Tuesday. The junior transfer earned the award by averaging 22=20 points per game while hitting 17-of-28 (.607) field goals, including 7-of-1= 3=20 three-pointers, during Texas' two victories over UT-San Antonio (70-51) and= =20 Southwest Texas State (90-60) last week. The honor is chosen by a panel of= =20 media observers who cover Big 12 men's basketball. Evans had a season-high = 23=20 points on 8-of-14 shooting (4-of-9 threes) vs. UT-San Antonio, before posti= ng=20 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (3-of-6 threes) against Southwest Texas. The= =20 lone Longhorn to reach double-figure scoring in each of UT's first six=20 contests, he leads the team in scoring (17.3 ppg) and ranks third in=20 rebounding (5.8 rpg) and blocks (five). Texas returns to action when it=20 travels to Tampa, Fla., to face South Florida on Saturday, Dec. 9. Tip-off = is=20 scheduled for 6 p.m. (Central) at the Sun Dome. The game will be televised= =20 nationally by ESPN2.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Can you give us an update on the women's basketball team?=20 =09?? Dana Gooden=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The UT women are 8-1 and off to their best start since the 1989= -90=20 season. They moved into the top 25 (No. 25) this week and then backed it up= =20 by traveling to Illinois and pounding the Fighting Illini, 70-54. The Illin= i=20 were ranked No. 24 last week. UT extends its win streak to six games, marki= ng=20 the first time since 1996-97 that the Horns have had a six-game win streak.= =20 The leaders of this year's team are JoRuth Woods of Cedar Hill, Tai Dillard= =20 of San Antonio, freshman Stacy Stephens of Winnsboro, sophomore Lindsey Rya= n=20 of Austin Westlake and Tracy Cook of Cedar Hill. UT is also getting help at= =20 point guard from junior college transfer Kenya Larkin of Duncanville.=20 Freshman forward Annissa Hastings will also be one to watch. UT plays Orego= n=20 at home on Saturday and then won't have another test until Tennessee comes = to=20 town on Dec. 22.=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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