True Orange, September 25, 2000, Part 1

Jerry Scarbrough's True Orange
The Internet Newsletter for the True Texas Longhorn Faithful

Volume 10, No. 24, September 25, 2000

Defense, Special Teams Dominant in 48-0 Rout;
Longhorns 2-1 Heading into Big 12 Action

The Longhorns stampeded past the Houston Cougars, 48-0, Saturday night in
Austin, posting their first home shutout in nine years and getting dominati=
ng
play from the defense and special teams.
The victory got Texas back on the winning track and pulled the Longhorns up
to No. 13 in both major polls. The Longhorns are 2-1 heading into their Big
12 opener Saturday against Oklahoma State.
The Longhorn defense was so dominant that it scored two touchdowns, and
Houston, which has one of the nation's most potent offenses, got inside the
Texas 20-yard line only two times.
The defense blocked a field goal to blunt the first threat and sacked Couga=
r
QB Jason McKinley, forcing a fumble, to kill the second one.
Special teams, a headache a week ago in the loss at Stanford, were
outstanding. Kris Stockton punted for a 45.6-yard average and had three pun=
ts
killed inside the UH 20, including one at the 1-yard line. UT also blocked =
a
field goal and got a special teams touchdown when Quentin Jammer caused a
fumble on a punt and Michael Ungar recovered it in the Houston end zone.
The offense started slowly, making only two first downs and getting only on=
e
net yard in the first quarter, but the great defensive effort provided a
safety net and the offense started moving more efficiently as the game
progressed.
Head coach Mack Brown and offensive coordinator Greg Davis said the offense
has been under so much pressure to play better that they thought the player=
s
were a little too tight to start the game.
McKinley was one of the nation's top passers heading into the game after
three straight 300-yard passing game, but a fierce Texas pass rush limited
him to 173 yards through the air on 14 of 34 passing and sacked him nine
times for minus 59 yards. The Horns also picked him off twice and returned
both for touchdowns.
Here, briefly, is how the game went:
FIRST QUARTER
Texas won the toss and deferred. Houston drove to midfield and punted.
Sophomore Chris Simms' got the start at quarterback for Texas, but his firs=
t
pass bounced off WR Montrell Flowers' hands and was intercepted by Cougar F=
S
Hanik Milligan at the UT 37. The Longhorn defense held, with LB Everick Raw=
ls
getting a sack, and Mike Clark tried a 39-yard field goal, but UT LB Tyrone
Jones blocked it. But the Horns couldn't move and had to punt. Then the
defense took over, putting Texas on top to stay. Redshirt freshman SS Dakar=
ai
Pearson, getting his first start in place of the injured Lee Jackson,
intercepted McKinley's pass down the middle and galloped 42 yards untouched
to put Texas on top, 7-0, with 6:56 left. Moments later, Stockton got a gre=
at
punt that went 63 yards and was killed at the UH 1. The Longhorn defense
forced Houston to punt from the 3 and TB Hodges Mitchell ran the kick back =
16
yards to the 27. Applewhite came in at QB and backup TB Victor Ike got 4
yards, then 6 more to the 17 behind good line blocking. But the Cougars
swarmed Ike for a 1-yard loss on the last play of the quarter. The Cougars
had a big statistical advantage for the quarter, leading 5-2 in first downs
and 61-1 in total offense, but, thanks to the blocked field goal and the
defensive TD, UT led, 7-0.
SECOND QUARTER
Applewhite fumbled the snap, but recovered it for a 3-yard loss. He hit
Mitchell for 8 yards to the 13, and Stockton kicked a 30-yard field goal fo=
r
a 10-0 lead with 13:26 left. Pearson recovered a Cougar fumble a minute lat=
er
at the Cougar 37, and the Longhorns' third TB, Kenny Hayter got five yards =
in
two tough runs, then Applewhite hit freshman WR B. J. Johnson for 17 yards =
to
the UH 14. A sreen pass to freshman WR Sloan Thomas lost 4 to the 18, but
then Applewhite found Johnson again with a quick pass in the flat and he
turned on the speed to the 1-yard line. Ike scored on the next play and
Stockton's kick gave UT a 17-0 lead with 9:34 left. The Longhorn defenders
again forced a quick Houston punt, but Applewhite threw an interception to
give Houston another shot from midfield. Simms came back in at QB on the ne=
xt
series and played the remainder of the quarter. At the half, despite having
three passes intercepted and having gained only 86 yards, the Longhorns wer=
e
in control at 17-0. Houston had only 88 yards offensively.
THIRD QUARTER
With Applewhite back at the controls, Texas opened the second half by drivi=
ng
58 yards to set up a 39-yard Stockton field goal that raised UT's lead to
20-0 with 11:20 left. A 16-yard run by Mitchell and passes of 17 and 11 yar=
ds
from Applewhite to WR Montrell Flowers did most of the damage on the drive.
The Cougars came right back with their only sustained drive of the game,
zipping from their own 22 to the UT 6, but DE Cory Redding sacked McKinley
and he fumbled, with Redding covering the loose ball. That was the Cougars'
last scoring threat. The Longhorns punted quickly, but Jammer's jarring
tackle forced a fumble on the return and Ungar fell on it in the end zone f=
or
another Texas TD and a 27-0 lead with 8:29 left. Neither team threatened
again in the quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Applewhite hit Mitchell for 27 and Flowers for 15 on the Horns' first
possession, then Mitchell ran 12 yards to the Houston 2. Hayter came in and
got the TD to give Texas a 34-0 advange with 9:51 left. On Houston's next
possession, UT LB O. J. McClintock intercepted McKinley's pass and returned
it 23 yards for a score and a 41-0 lead with 9:21 left. Simms came back in
and engineered the Horns' final TD drive, hitting passes of 12 yards to
backup TB Ivan Williams, 16 to Flowers and then the 6-yard scoring pass to
fullback Matt Trissel with 3:11 left. The Horns almost scored again in the
final minute when Simms hit true freshman WR Sloan Thomas for 44 yards to t=
he
Cougar 10, but Williams fumbled on the final play.
SUMMARY
The Texas defense was a picture of consistency Saturday, never allowing
Houston to get anything going offensively.
The Cougars ran 21 plays for 61 yards in the first quarter, 15 plays for 2=
7
yards in the second period, 11 plays for 57 yards in the third quarter and =
23
plays for 53 yards in the fourth quarter.
The Texas offense started slowly, running 12 plays for one net yard in the
first quarter, getting 19 plays for 85 yards in the second period, running =
20
plays for 102 yards in the third quarter and wrapping up with an 18-play,
161-yard final period.
UT-OU Likely 11 a.m. Start
The official announcement won't come until noon today, but it's pretty
certain that the Texas-Oklahoma game will begin at 11 a.m. on Oct 7 in Dall=
as
and will be televised by ABC.

Computer Guru Nixes Horns

Jeff Sagarin, the MIT mathermatics graduate who rates football teams for
several major publications, currently has the Longhorns right in the middle
of the Big 12 pack.
Sagarin has Nebraska No. 2 in the country and No. 1 in the Big 12, followed
by Kansas State at 13th and second, Oklahoma at 16th and third, Texas A&M a=
t
21st and fourth and Texas way back at 34th and fifth.

900 Number Updated Daily

I update my 900 number daily with football and football recruiting news. Th=
e
number is 1-900-288-8839. It costs $1.59 a minute. You must be 18 to call.

Coach's Corner

Coach Mack Brown said Sunday afternoon the Longhorns are improving in a lot
of areas, but still need to play better.
"On defense, our secondary has improved a lot," he said. "Our young defensi=
ve
ends are playing a lot better. Last night was one of the few times that we
didn't give up big plays in the passing game. We had a good pass rush, and
the secondary did a good job."
"Offensively, we are starting to run it a little bit better, but we are sti=
ll
not running it like we need to," he said. "I also think we are gaining a lo=
t
of depth."
"Our special teams last night were outstanding," Brown said. "They were as
good as they have been since we got here."
He said TB Hodges Mitchell was chosen as the offensive player of the game,
and FS Quentin Jammer, whose hard tackle on a punt forced a fumble that
resulting in a Texas' touchdown, was the defensive player of the game.
He said three players shared the honors for the special teams. They were LB
Tyrone Jones, who blocked a field goal, Jammer and walk-on Michael Ungar, w=
ho
covered the fumbled punt Jammer caused for his first collegiate touchdown.
Brown said he was pleased the offense did "score four of the five time it g=
ot
in the red zone, with the only failure being the one at the end of the game=
."
He also said some of the Longhorns' young defensive players really came of
age against Houston.
Brown said sophomore DE Cory Redding "played by far his best game," and he
said redshirt freshman DT Marcus Tubbs "had two of our nine sacks. "We're
really excited about his quickness off the ball and his explosiveness. He a=
nd
(redshirt freshman safety) Dakarai Pearson were really pleasant surprises."
Asked about throwing deep in the final minute of the game, Brown said, "It'=
s
really a hard decision when you look at it. My job is to do what's best for
our football team."
He said the two big factors to consider were that sophomore QB Chris Simms
"needed some confidence, and Houston had just gone for a fourth and six at
their 45-yard line."
"We had five freshmen in there at the end of the game and Chris hadn't had =
a
lot of success. I wasn't trying to run up the score, but I have to do what'=
s
best for our team."

INJURY UPDATE: Brown said the rash of injuries at defensive tackle has real=
ly
cut into the team's depth.
All-Big 12 Shaun Rogers suffered a sprained ankle on an illegal chop block
and Brown said he won't have any idea how long Rogers will be out until he
talks to the team doctors Monday.
Freshman Stevie Lee (sore foot) and redshirt freshman Ryan Haywood (sore
shoulder) didn't suit up for the Houston game. Brown said Haywood might hav=
e
a rotary cuff problem, which might require surgery to repair.
Safety Lee Jackson, who missed the Houston game with a strained hamstring, =
is
expected back for Oklahoma State.
Freshman wide receiver Roy Williams also suffered a bruised arm early in th=
e
Houston game, but it did not appear to be an injury that would sideline him
against Oklahoma State.
Junior offensive tackle Mike Williams sustained a bruised collarbone that
sidelined him for the rest of the game, but its severity is not known.

Football Notes . .

Five players scored their first touchdowns as Longhorns. They are redshirt
freshman safety Dakarai Pearson, who had a 42-yard interception return for =
a
score; sophomore linebacker O. J. McClintock, who ran another interception
back 23 yards for a touchdown; redshirt freshman running back Kenny Hayter,
who scored on a 2-yard run; sophomore fullback Matt Trissel, who ran six
yards for the final touchdown, and walk-on Michael Ungar, who recovered a
fumble in the end zone.
* * * *
The official statistics for the game credited Texas with eight sacks, but
coach Mack Brown said Sunday the defensive staff said the team had nine
sacks. Either way, it's great pass rushing. Defensive ends Jermain Anderson
and Cory Redding had three of them. Defensive coordinator Carl Reese has be=
en
saying he needs to get more production from his ends, and he got his wish
Saturday night.
* * * *
The victory gives the Longhorns a 14-7-2 lead in their matchups with the
Cougars. Texas leads 8-4-1 in games played in Austin.
* * * *
The home crowd of 81,592 was the 14th largest in Royal Memorial Stadium
history and was the ninth sellout in the last 11 home games. Nine of the to=
p
16 crowds in school history have come during Brown's tenure as head coach.
* * * *
The Longhorns are 16-0 under Brown when they outrush their opponent. Texas
had 96 net yards rushing Saturday. Houston had 13.
* * * *
The Longhorn defense has denied opponents a first down in 22 of 38
possessions this season.
* * * *
Texas has returned three fumbles for touchdowns in its last nine games afte=
r
going 50 straight games from 1995 to 1999 without one.
* * * *
Texas' last home shutout was 32-0 over TCU on Nov. 16, 1991. The last shuou=
t
was last season's 62-0 victory over Baylor in Waco.

Basketball Star Will Visit

Kala Bowers, 6-2, of Woodward, Okla., a top national recruit in girls
basketball, plans to take her official visit to Texas this weekend.
She is considering Texas, Colorado, Illinois and Kansas State, and says Tex=
as
and Colorado are her big two right now.
T'Nae Thiel, 6-2, of Weatherford, one of the state's top players, plans to
visit UT next month.

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Game Quotes . .

"W blitzed less than usual. He's (Houston QB Jason McKinley) an outstanding
quarterback with a quick release, so our game plan was to play tight covera=
ge
and get a pass rush from our front four. We blitzed some, but not as much a=
s
usual. The kids really played great. This was probably our most consistent
effort for a whole game. Those goose eggs are hard to come by."
=01) UT defensive coordinator Carl Reese
* * * *
"It was 48-0 Horns - that's what we're excited about. The defense played
great. Offensively, we withstood the early surge and moved the ball tetter =
in
the second half. It's hard to be consistent offensively in today's game
because of all the blitzes. I think our guys were so uptight to do well tha=
t
they made some mistakes early in the game."
=01) UT offensive coordinator Greg Davis, reacting to a question about the
offense's slow start
* * * *
"Our young guys like (DT) Marcus Tubbs and (SS) Dakarai Pearson really
stepped up big. We needed that. It was really tough about Shaun (Rogers)
because it was a dirty play."
=01) Longhorn All-American DT Casey Hampton, talking about the chop block t=
hat
injured his fellow DT Rogers and the way redshirt freshmen Tubbs and Pearso=
n
filled in for injured starters
* * * *
"We just stepped it up another notch. The quarterback was under a big rush
and I got a good break on the ball."
=01) Texas redshirt freshman safety Dakarai Pearson, talking about his
interception and runback for the first touchdown
* * * *
"I was real proud of the way responded. We had really worked hard on the=20
punting team this week. My punts don't usually bounce forward. Sometimes th=
at
can be a curse, but this time it worked out right."
=01) UT punter Kris Stockton, who averaged 45.6 yards per kick and had thre=
e
killed inside the 20, including one at the 1-yard line
* * * *
"We've been able to hold the ball longer. Against a very good defensive lin=
e
like Texas has, you have to get rid of it a lot quicker, and sometimes you
have to get rid of it before you really want to."
=01) Houston head coach Dana Dimel, commenting on the fierce Texas' pass ru=
sh
* * * *
"It was great to have a win like that. The defense played great. They gave =
us
the ball in great field position. It takes a lot of pressure off the offens=
e
when the defense plays like that. We have to execute better offensively. We
did better in the second half, but we lacked consistency early in the game =
on
offense.
=01) Longhorn QB Major Applewhite

Texas-Houston Statistics

Scoring Summary
Texas 7 10 10 21 =01) 48
Houston 0 0 0 0 =01) 0
UT - Pearson 42 interception return (Stockton kick) 6:56 1Q
UT - Stockton 30 FG 13:26 2Q (14 yds, 6 plays)
UT - Ike 1 run (Stockton kick) 9:34 2Q (37 yds, 6 plays)
UT - Stockton 39 FG 11:20 3Q (58 yds, 10 plays)
UT - Ungar 1 fumble recovery (Stockton kick) 8:29 3Q
UT - Hayter 2 run (Stockton kick) 10:20 4Q (56 yds, 6 plays)
UT - McClintock 23 interception return (Stockton kick) 10:20 4Q
UT - Trissel 6 pass from Simms (Stockton kick) 3:11 4Q (45 yds, 6 plays)
Official Attendance: 81,592
Team Statistics
Texas Houston
First Downs 19 13
Rushing 6 2
Passing 13 7
Penalty 0 4
Rushing Attempts, Net Yards 32-96 32-13
Net Yards Passing 253 185
Passes Comp., Att., Int. 22-37-3 17-38-2
Total Plays, Offense 69-349 70-198
Avg. Gain per Play 5.1 2.8
Fumbles Lost 1 of 3 3 of 3
Penalties, Yards 7-75 6-64
Punts, Avg. 5-45.6 9-36.6
Time of Possession 25:12 34:48
Third-Down Conversions 5 of 14 4 of 17
Fourth-Down Conversions 0 of 1 0 of 1
Sacks by Team, Yds Lost 8-59 2-18

Individual Statistics

Texas
Rushing - Mitchell 13-60; I. Williams 3-16; Hayter, 5-14, 1 TD; Ike 6-8, 1
TD; Applewhite 2-3; Simms 3-minus 5.
Passing - Applewhite 13-21, 140 yds, 0 TDs, 1 Int.; Simms 9-16, 113 yds, 1
TD, 2 Int.
Receiving - Flowers 4-59; Mitchell 3-47; S. Thomas 2-41; B. J. Johnson 5-40=
;
Healy 3-34; I. Williams 1-12; Edwards 1-11; Trissel 1-6, 1 TD; M. Jones 1-2=
;
Robin 1-1.

Houston
Rushing - Reynolds 13-31; Terrell 2-22; Teague 3-5; Hill 4-3; McKinley
10-minus 48.
Passing - McKinley 14-34, 173 yds, 0 TDs, 2 Int.; Teague 3-4, 12 yds, 0 TD,=
0
Int.
Receiving - Bell 5-86; Baldwin 1-21; Reynolds 2-20; Cucci 2-16; K. Williams
2-15; Hopkins 2-9; Broadus 1-9; Ross 1-7; Terrell 1-2.
Tackles by Texas Players, Unasst., Asst., Total
McClintock 6-2-8; Boyd 5-2-7; Redding 4-1-5; Hampton 1-4-5; Rawls 3-1-4;
Jammer 3-1-4; Tubbs 3-1-4; Rogers 3-1-4; J. Anderson 2-1-3; Brooks 2-1-3;
Pearson 2-1-3; G. Brown 2-1-3; D. lewis 1-2-3; Babers 1-1-2; Hightower 1-1-=
2;
Gordon 1-1-2; Trahan 0-2-2; Geiggar 1-0-1; Thornton 1-0-1; Ike 1-0-1; M.
Jones 1-0-1; Flowers 1-0-1;T. Jones 0-1-1; J. Walker 0-1-1.
Tackles for Losses: D. Lewis 1-minus 5; Rawls 1-minus 1; Hampton 1-minus 1;
Redding 1-minus 1; Tubbs 1-minus 1.
Sacks: Tubbs 2-minus 15; Anderson 2-minus 14; Redding and Hampton shared
1-minus 12; Rogers 1-minus 7; Rawls 1-minus 6; Boyd and Reed shared 1-minus=
5.

Key Statistics

Houston started four drives in Texas territory. A field goal was blocked on
one, a punt on fourth-and-3 ended another and UH was pushed back across
midfield with losses totaling 35 yards on the other two. That, folks, is
defensive dominance.