|
|
Enron Mail |
[IMAGE] =09 [IMAGE] =20
=09 =09 =09[IMAGE] =09 =09 =09Uniform discussion among UT fans=20 =09=20 =09Nov. 30, 2000=20 =09=20 =09 =09[IMAGE]Chip Brown, who covers UT football for The Dallas Morning News,= =20 answers your questions about the bowl picture, UT's quarterback situation,= =20 Chris Simms, next year's potential stars and more. Inside UT Football appea= rs=20 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=20 =09on DallasNews.com's Colleges site=20 =09 =09 =09 =09Chip Shot=20 =09=20 =09 =09I received several responses to an e-mail from a reader last week regard= ing=20 UT's uniforms and whether the Longhorns should change them. Here are some o= f=20 the responses ...=20 =09 =09 =20 =09 =09One of your recent respondents indicated that UT needed to alter their = =20 uniforms. I just wanted to go on record as thinking they are the classiest= ,=20 coolest uniforms in the country! I admit to being biased, but love the=20 simple, non-busy look of the all-white uniforms. I also have no problem wi= th=20 the color of the burnt orange as the person suggested. The white helmets= =20 with the simple, yet very distinguished longhorn emblem is as pronounced a= s=20 the "star" on the Dallas Cowboys' helmet. While I agree with him about the= =20 black shoes, I think any changes to "individualize" or otherwise change=20 their "look" would be a move in the wrong direction. - Rick Peurifoy=20 =09 =09 I was interested in John Pharr's comments about the UT uniforms. Having= been=20 at UT in the 1960s, I have seen the changes in the uniforms come and go. I= =20 certainly think the best uniforms were in the 1969 season (perhaps influenc= ed=20 by a national championship?). These were burnt orange jerseys (sans=20 individual name on back and "TEXAS" on the front), with the plain white pan= ts=20 and orange stockings. The white uniform still had the orange stockings but= =20 the jersey was white. You may remember that Fred Akers brought the=20 "candy-striped" pants (ala OU) and added the "TEXAS" to the jersey.=20 Personally I like the jersey, but think the return of the orange stockings= =20 would add something to both uniforms, but particularly the road white. One= =20 amusing memory when Darrell Royal was questioned about the plainness of the= =20 uniforms; his response was that these are "work clothes" and not intended t= o=20 be fancy. I agree with you that the helmet is very distinctive and goes bac= k=20 a long way. I recall there was an orange single stripe in addition to the= =20 Longhorn in the early 1960s, but it didn't add much. Keep up the good work.= I=20 always enjoy your newsletter. - Tom Thornell=20 =09 =09 Ignore all that guff about the Longhorns uniforms. I think they are amo= ng=20 the sharpest anywhere. If we change the helmets, then we look like a high= =20 school team. What that guy needs to remember for away games is that we are= =20 orange and white. Period. So what if it doesn't have too much color? I hope= =20 we stay exactly the same. Remember when Tennessee changed their uniforms an= d=20 added orange pants? They looked like a bunch of ice cream men on the field.= -=20 Russell Phillips=20 =09 =09 =09 =09=20 =09Longhorn Q & A=20 =09 Q: Can you give us a look at the bowl picture?=20 =09 ?? Sandy Martin=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Texas accepted an invitation to the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday a= nd=20 will face either Oregon State or Oregon. It will be Oregon State if the=20 Beavers don't get a BCS berth. It will be Oregon if the Beavers do get a BC= S=20 berth. If OU beats Kansas State, look for the Wildcats to go to the Cotton= =20 Bowl. Nebraska would go to the Alamo Bowl; Iowa State would go to the=20 Insight.com Bowl; Texas A=02?would go to the Independence Bowl in Shrevepor= t and=20 play former coach Jackie Sherrill and Mississippi State; and Texas Tech wou= ld=20 go to the galleryfurniture.com Bowl. =20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE]=20 =09Chris Simms =20 =09 =09Q: I'm very happy for Chris Simms, but what should we expect from him no= w? It=20 seems that he would be less inclined to redshirt, although one could argue= =20 that he might like the opportunity to showcase for more than one year. Stil= l,=20 since he finally got the chance to show what he can do without getting yank= ed=20 after five passes, a redshirt seems like a reach. If he doesn't redshirt,= =20 what is=20 =09 =09the best guess for Texas QB in 2001? I know that you get asked this ever= y=20 week, but with the new development following the A=02?game, it seems that w= e are=20 starting fresh in this story.=20 =09?? Kyle Moore=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Simms' big-time performance against A=02?adds all kinds of new = wrinkles=20 to the landscape for 2001. My best guess is Simms will get the start for th= e=20 bowl game and we'll be back in the same situation we were heading into this= =20 season. Major Applewhite's knee injury (this time to his right knee) again= =20 gives UT coaches a reason to go with Simms, not only now but heading into t= he=20 spring and next fall. Mack Brown said on Monday that he wouldn't rule out a= =20 rotation again. But one would have to think after the sluggish start the=20 offense suffered with a rotation this year that the coaches would be=20 reluctant to do that again. Despite breaking nearly every passing record at= =20 Texas, Applewhite didn't look as sharp as he has in the past during his las= t=20 outings before getting injured. Simms would seem to have everything going h= is=20 way. The coaches finally saw what they were hoping to see from Simms earlie= r=20 this season. Now that they've seen it, you would have to think that they wa= nt=20 to start getting more experience for the guy who will lead them the next tw= o=20 years (not stick with a guy who only has one season left). I'm not saying= =20 that's fair. But it seems like it might be the way the UT coaches would=20 think. But we won't know how the QB situation for 2001 will shake out until= =20 next fall, most likely.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Seems like with the receivers and the talent at TE returning, UT cou= ld=20 have three receivers every down and teams would have their hands full. Do y= ou=20 think B.J. Johnson and Sloan Thomas will see more playing time from now on?= =20 Did they just blossom during the A=02?game? Otherwise, why haven't they see= n the=20 field more?=20 =09?? A.B.=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Texas will probably be a multiple offense again next season, bu= t you=20 could certainly argue that UT should use more three-receiver sets next year= =20 with one tight end because of the overwhelming talent the Longhorns will ha= ve=20 back at those positions. There is sentiment on the UT coaching staff that t= he=20 fullback position was pretty average this season. So the coaches will take = a=20 strong look at Will Matthews this spring at FB. At 6-3 and 235, he has the= =20 size. He is also quick with good hands. If Matthews doesn't add significant= =20 oomph to the FB position, it could be argued that UT should try to use more= =20 one-back sets and get its WR talent on the field. But we'll see. UT coaches= =20 did a nice job of adjusting this season to a two-back, two-receiver set aft= er=20 they realized they were overwhelming their young receivers (with too many= =20 formations and too many quarterbacks). Now that the receivers can probably= =20 handle more of the playbook, look for UT to be as multiple and complex an= =20 offense as possible next season. B.J. Johnson finished the year as the team= 's=20 second-leading receiver, so he saw the field plenty. Sloan Thomas was the o= ne=20 who had it tough because he had to learn all of the wide receiver positions= =20 and be ready to fill in at any of them. So he was slowed by the learning=20 process and then had to fight for playing time with Montrell Flowers and=20 Brandon Healy. Healy is a senior, so he'll be gone next year. Flowers shoul= d=20 be worried about his playing time with Thomas lurking.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Who are some of the players to watch heading into the spring who are= =20 either redshirting or transferred?=20 =09?? Bart Fields=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Chris Simms on Monday said that the two receivers who run the= =20 sharpest routes in practice are redshirt freshman Tony Jeffery and transfer= =20 Kyle Shanahan (the son of Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan). Simms said= =20 both will really help the team a lot next year. Jeffery is 6-2 and trying t= o=20 bulk up from 170 pounds. Shanahan is 6-3 and trying to bulk up from 170=20 pounds. But both have shown great hands in practice. The first two names th= at=20 jumped off of Mack Brown's lips when asked about players to watch in bowl= =20 practice and spring practice were redshirt freshman LBs Austin Sendlein and= =20 Rashad Thomas. With Texas losing four linebackers after next season (De'And= re=20 Lewis, Everick Rawls, Marcus Wilkins and Tyrone Jones), Brown said some new= =20 faces will have to play a bunch in 2001 to be ready to become starters at= =20 linebacker in two years.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: I'm a little concerned about our running backs. Next year's crop loo= ks=20 mighty inexperienced. We never seemed to be able to run up the middle=20 consistently this year. Who would you figure has the best shot at being an= =20 inside bruiser? What role will our fullbacks play? =20 =09?? Russell Phillips=20 =09 =09 BROWN: It's the biggest question mark on an offense that should be=20 absolutely loaded next season. I know the line loses tackles Leonard Davis= =20 and Cory Quye, but Robbie Doane and Mike Williams should be able to take ov= er=20 at tackle nicely. Mack Brown also said that redshirt freshman OT Lionel Gar= r=20 has lost about 30 pounds (from 360 to 330) and looks good. So with a line= =20 that should continue to improve, the Longhorns just need a back who can run= =20 behind it. Brown said he challenged all the backs to step it up as Hodges= =20 Mitchell gets ready to finish his eligibility. Coaches want Victor Ike, Ken= ny=20 Hayter and Ivan Williams to toughen up and grow up. Coaches have told those= =20 three that Sneezy Beltran and possibly Cedric Benson will get a shot next= =20 year because those three all had a shot this year and failed to produce=20 consistently.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE]=20 =09Sloan Thomas =20 =09 =09Q: With Sloan Thomas emerging like he has, is there enough room at wideo= ut=20 for Artie Ellis next season?=20 =09 ?? Frank Seles=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Don't be surprised to see Artie Ellis at tight end next season.= At=20 6-3 and more than 200 pounds, he is a bit undersized but could add the=20 weight. His speed would give Texas the sure-handed, deep-threat tight end= =20 they are trying to establish with Bo Scaife. It may be a longshot, but don'= t=20 be surprised.=20 =09 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: While watching the A&M-UT game, I noticed that UT received the ball = at=20 the opening kickoff and the second-half kickoff. And UT got the wind at its= =20 back in the 4th quarter. How did this happen, and if A=02?won the toss, why= =20 would the Aggies choose to defer, give UT the ball at both kickoffs, and go= =20 into the wind in the 2nd and 4th quarters?=20 =09?? Ryan M., Austin=20 =09 =09 BROWN: Texas A=02?won the toss at the beginning of the game and chose = the wind=20 at its back, giving Texas the ball into the wind in the first quarter. The= =20 Longhorns then got the choice of the ball or the wind in the third quarter= =20 and took the ball into the wind.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Is there any chance that Mack Brown will ever hire a special team co= ach.=20 UT lost at least two games last year due to problems on special teams. This= =20 year the Longhorns would have been 10-1 and possibly on their way to a BCS= =20 game had it not been for a blocked punt that was run back for a touchdown= =20 against Stanford. With money apparently not being a factor, I really do not= =20 understand why Brown doesn't break down and hire some specialized help. =20 =09 ?? Don Stevenson, Huntington, Texas=20 =09 =09 BROWN: I think Mack Brown is sticking with his current plan, which is = to=20 divide all the special teams duties among his assistant coaches.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09 =09[IMAGE]=20 =09De'Andre Lewis making the tackle =20 =09 =09Q: Coaches always talk about senior leadership and how important it is f= or a=20 winning team. We've had some great players in the past like Robert Brewer a= nd=20 James Brown whose on-field performances may have been surpassed by their=20 off-field contributions. I think we're losing a lot of leadership this year= =20 when Casey Hampton and Hodges Mitchell leave. Of the returning players, who= =20 does it look like will step up as team leaders next year?=20 =09?? Keith Heugatter=20 =09 =09 =09 BROWN: On defense, Mack Brown said he'll look for Cory Redding and De'= Andre=20 Lewis to take over as leaders after losing Casey Hampton, Shaun Rogers and= =20 Greg Brown. On offense, UT will look to its quarterback, its young receiver= s=20 and linemen such as Antwan Kirk-Hughes of Waxahachie for leadership.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: What seniors will be missed the most heading into next season?=20 =09?? Steve Beauchamp=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The obvious ones are Casey Hampton, Shaun Rogers, Greg Brown, H= odges=20 Mitchell and Leonard Davis. But the one that may be missed the most is Kris= =20 Stockton. He kicked several game-winning field goals two years ago and has= =20 done nothing but continue to break records since. He has been an afterthoug= ht=20 because he has been so automatic on field goals. He has also done an=20 excellent job of punting this season. Matt McFadden, a redshirt freshman,= =20 will handle the kicking duties next year. And at punter, redshirt freshman= =20 Justin Smith will compete with a junior college transfer who has committed = to=20 the Longhorns for next year. That will be a huge question mark for Texas to= =20 answer next season.=20 =09? =09 =09 Q: Who do you pick in the Kansas State-OU game? Seems like OU is missin= g its=20 October magic. I'd have to take OU in a close one, 28-24. Heupel isn't grea= t,=20 but he has that winning magic that would be great for a conservative offens= e=20 in the pros.=20 =09?? Andrew Bowen=20 =09 =09 BROWN: I, too, think Oklahoma will pick it up just in time to continue= its=20 Shock the World season. Heupel has to lead his team to victory and produce= =20 some impressive numbers if he has any hope of winning the Heisman. The vote= s=20 are almost due and Chris Weinke is gaining momentum.=20 =09? =09 =09 =09 Q: Can you give us an update on the men's and women's basketball teams?= =20 =09?? Lucius Thornton=20 =09 =09 BROWN: The men's team has gotten off to a nice start with solid victor= ies=20 over Navy, California and Indiana - any of which could help the Longhorns= =20 down the road at tournament time. The Longhorns suffered a blowout loss to= =20 Duke in the semifinals of the Preseason NIT, but coach Rick Barnes was able= =20 to prove a point to his team about being intimidated. As of Tuesday night's= =20 game with UT-San Antonio, Barnes had three freshmen in the starting lineup = -=20 point guard Royal Ivey, small forward Brandon Mouton and center James Thoma= s.=20 Duncanville's Brian Boddicker has gotten increased minutes at forward. Chri= s=20 Owens has been a shot-blocking force, and transfer Maurice Evans is the=20 team's leading scorer, and is starting to hit a better percentage from the= =20 floor. The men's team doesn't have another test until Dec. 9, when the team= =20 plays at South Florida. Other games worth watching or getting tickets for= =20 include home games against Illinois (Dec. 23) and Utah (Dec. 30). The women= 's=20 team has also gotten off to a nice start, with its only early-season loss= =20 coming against Purdue. The women's team is relying on several newcomers,=20 including freshman forwards Stacy Stephens and Annissa Hastings. The team i= s=20 also relying heavily on sophomore Tai Dillard. So both teams are young with= a=20 lot of upside.=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
|