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Jerry Scarbrough's True Orange
The Newsletter for the True Texas Longhorn Faithful Volume 10, No. 20, August 7, 2000 Strong Defense, Promising Offense, Favorable Schedule Propel Horns to No. 7 in First AP Poll Coach Mack Brown says the Longhorns don't rate a top 10 ranking in the wake of their three-game slide to end 1999, but the Associated Press pre-season pollsters say the Horns are No. 7. Brown and his staff have simply done such and outstanding job of assemblin= g talent and building a solid foundation to be overlooked in the pre-season voting. The Longhorns haven't finished in the AP top 10 since 1983, but there are four big reasons why they should end that 17-year drought this season. First, the talent base is young, but it is outstanding. Brown's first group of recruits will be juniors or redshirt sophomores this year and many of th= em have been playing =01) and playing well =01) since they were true freshmen. Second, the defense was No. 6 in the nation last season, and it will be eve= n stingier this year. Third, the offense will be a lot more consistent throughout this season because there are so many more weapons at its disposal. And last but certainly not least is the schedule. Brown had to play Northern Division powers Nebraska (pre-season No. 1) and Kansas State (pre-season No. 8) in 1998 and 1999. He went 2-2 against them = in the regular season, winning twice against Nebraska and losing two to K-Stat= e. The 2000 Longhorn schedule is no cakewalk. It includes a road game at No. 2= 4 Colorado, the annual Dallas grudge match with No. 19 Oklahoma and some othe= r dangerous dates. But the early line has Texas favored in each of its 11 regular season games= , and that's something no Longhorn teams has had in its favor in at least 30 years. As good as the Horns should be this year, next season should be their year = to really romp and stomp. Why? Because they have only five senior starters and Brown will have four straight awesome recruiting classes ready to roll. But this season can be a very good one, too. In addition to the high nation= al ranking in the pre-season polls, the Longhorns are heavy favorites to win t= he Southern Division of the Big 12 and set up a championship game with Nebrask= a, the Northern Division favorite and pre-season choice to win the national title. My theory is that the defense will be the best one Brown and his outstandin= g defensive coordinator, Carl Reese, have put on the field at Texas. That should give the young offense time to reload before playing the really big guys on the schedule. With the Longhorns first three games against teams that will throw 50 passe= s a game (Louisiana-Lafayette, Stanford and Houston) even Reese's young defensive ends won't be a liability because they are lightning fast pass rushers, even if their run-stopping techniques do leave a little to be desired. Most of the other teams the Horns play during the regular season also are pass-oriented because Oklahoma and Texas Tech are 50-pass teams, Missouri probably will be and Oklahoma State, Colorado and Baylor probably will thro= w 40 or more passes in most games. I also think sophomore TE Bo Scaife and redshirt freshman WR Artie Ellis wi= th a little help from dimunitive sophomore WR Courtnee Garcia, will be able t= o slow down a lot of those blitzes that terrorized the Texas offense at the e= nd of last season by allowing 15 sacks in the final two games against Nebraska and Arkansas. The Longhorns have an embarrassment of riches at quarterback where co-Big 1= 2 Offensive Player of the Year Major Applewhite appears to healthy again afte= r knee surgery, but still might lose his job to immensely talented sophomore Chris Simms. Ditto at running back where senior Hodges Mitchell made the All-Big 12 team last year and is being challenged by big, fast redshirt freshman Ivan Williams, with sophomores Kenny Hayter and Victor Ike also in mix. I can remember many past season when the Longhorns started and sometimes ev= en won with a starting tailback who wasn't as good as any of this group, and neither the Longhorns nor anyone else in this area has ever had two QBs as talented as Applewhite and Simms. If we assume Scaife, Ellis and Garcia can fill the hole left by the graduation of the team's top three receivers long enough for the talented wide receiver recruits to start getting comfortable with the offense, then the only real problem left is the offensive line. I know it had problems in those final 10 quarters of the season, and I've explained in detail in past issues while it wasn't all the linemen's fault, but all of those guys are a year older now and should be a lot better this year. The only spot in the offensive line that really concerns me is right tackle= . The O-line did a good job during the first 11 games last year because UT wa= s No. 2 in the league in total offense until the receivers started getting hurt, thus opening the door to more all-out blitzes. The Longhorns even moved the ball well in the two losses in those first 11 games, but the problem at right tackle was exposed in one of those losses when Kansas State forced six Texas turnovers by applying fearsome pressure around the Horns' right side on virtually every pass play. When Simms, a left-hander, is in the game, the right tackle will have to protect his blind side. Either Mike Williams or Cory Quye, who both started at times last year, mus= t step up this season, or the coaches might do what they have done to fix problems in other areas =01) move someone from another position. Fullback t= o linebacker De'Andre Lewis and linebacker to fullback Matt Trissel are two prime examples of moves that are paying dividends. The prime candidate for a move could be guard Derrick Dockery, who coach Brown called "the best freshman offensive lineman I've ever coached" last year. With his quick feet, he would be an outside speed rusher's worst nightmare. That could open the door at guard to redshirt freshman Tillman Holloway, wh= o is the grandson of Longhorn legendary lineman Bud McFadin. Holloway is talented and, like his grandfather was nearly 50 years ago, is a fierce competitor. The offensive line could use another player whose competitive juices run at a fever pitch. One big problem for blitzers, even if the problems at right tackle persist, will be Scaife. Nebraska and Arkansas were so good at delaying the Longhorn receivers at the line of scrimmage that they often brought eight and sometimes even nine pass rushers. If anyone ever brings nine this season, the other two defenders will try to chuck the two wide receivers, and Scaife probably will score a touchdown if Applewhite or Simms has a split second to toss him a short pass because the= re are few defenders who can run him down. If they bring eight guys, Ellis is 6-4 and Scaife is 6-3, and both are fast= er than Kwame Cavil, the team's ace receiver last season. Cavil was a great receiver, but, at 6-2, he was the only tall target among the key receiving corps last season. Tall receivers are able to take advantage of short cornerbacks in all-out blitz situations. Remember that third-and-long pass the tall Arkansas receiver caught over the short Texas cornerback after the Horns' two obviou= s safeties didn't count? That was the difference in that game. So, my contention is that blitzing is not going to work as well against UT = as it did late last season. The Big 12 had five teams in the AP's pre-season top 25, headed by No. 1 Nebraska. Texas followed at No. 7, one step ahead of No. 8 Kansas State. Oklahoma was rated at No. 19 and Colorado came in at No. 24. After facing lots of ranked teams in his first two years at Texas, Brown wi= ll face only two top 25 teams during the regular season this year. Other than the big games against the Sooners and Buffaloes, the most dangerous games for Texas during the regular season probably will be Texas Tech in Lubbock, Stanford in Palo Alto and Texas A&M in Austin. Freshmen Report Sunday The freshmen report to campus next Sunday, August 13. The freshmen will practice Monday through Wednesday, August 14-16, at Frank Denius Fields (corner of 26th and Red River). The veterans will report on August 16. UT's first full-team practice is slated for Friday, August 18, at Whitaker Field (51st and Guadalupe). The team will continue to practice at Whitaker Field until school starts, at which time the practices will return to Deniu= s. All preseason practices are open to the public. Coach Mack Brown has not released a full practice schedule, but, in the past, his morning practices started around 8:30 and his evening practices began around 5 p.m. Brown's Observations Coach Mack Brown was upbeat about the Longhorns prospects at the Big 12 med= ia meetings in Kansas City last week, but he also said the team has to get better in every area. Here are some of the highlights of his comments: On last season "We did not start like we wanted to last year and we did not finish well, b= ut we had a real good football team during the interim, from game two through game eleven." On overall needs "We need to continue to work to develop depth on our team. The Big 12 is a physical league and it gets hot in Austin, so we have to be at least two de= ep at every position. We played 14 games last season and we got tired. We have to develop more depth, so we can play more people and not wear down during the season." On the offense "We need to continue to work to run the ball better and we have to be more patient in games when we're playing against great defenses. We don't have t= o score every time, but we do have to make some plays and take care of the ba= ll better. We don't want to put our defense in bad situations." On the defense "We've got a really good defense, but we feel like we gave up too many big plays at the end of the season. We've got to work on getting better at cutting down on the big plays and we need to get a better pass rush out of our front four so we don't have to blitz all the time." On special teams "We told your team it's not against the rules to return punts or kickoffs. We've got to do a better job in those areas, and we're working on it. Our n= et punting needs to be better and we need to do a better job in punt-blocking situations." On the pressure to win at Texas "I got more pressure at North Carolina in my last year being 8-0 and then losing to Florida State than I got after the three losses as the end of las= t year. We lost those three games at the end and didn't look very good in som= e of them and I didn't do a good job in some of them, but I've gotten more support from the university and our fans than anywhere else I've ever coached. The fans want us to win every game, and I want expectations to be high. If you're at Texas, you want to win the national championship and you need to have a goal to win the national championship and you need to have a dream to win the national championship." On the No. 7 ranking in the pre-season AP poll "Expectations are high, but that's a good thing. The only reason we're rank= ed that high is because we're Texas. We're not as good as the expectations and the ranking right now, but we hope to grow into it." It's a Great Time to Subscribe To The Fax/E-Mail Service I'll Have Reports Almost Daily During Pre-Season Practices ! Get Instant Information for Pennies a Day ! Save As An E-Mail Subscriber ! The True Orange Fax/E-Mail Service is the way to keep up with Longhorn football and Longhorn recruiting =01) instantly. Follow Mack Brown and the Longhorns with frequent fax updates. There are at least 99 timely faxes a year, primarily about football and football recruiting. To subscribe, sen= d your check to True Orange, Box 26530, Austin, Texas 78755, and copy or clip the coupon below and fill in the blanks. If you want it mailed, or by E-Mai= l, just include the right numbers. o I'm enclosing $99 for the 99-fax package for the next year o I'm enclosing $130 (a $14 saving) to renew my subscription to True Orange and to subscribe to the 99 faxes. o I'm enclosing $79 for the 99-fax package for the next year by E-Mail (a $= 20 saving) o Here's $110 to renew my subscription to True Orange and to subscribe to the 99 faxes by E-Mail (a $31 saving) o Here's $99 to subscribe to True Orange by E-Mail and to subscribe to the 99 faxes by E-Mail (a $42 saving) Name Fax No. (or E-Mail or mailing address) 900 Number Updated Often I update my 900 number frequently with football and football recruiting scoops, and I'll update daily when practice starts. The number is 1-900-288-8839. It costs $1.59 a minute. You must be 18 to call. 12 Early Commitments Have Texas Among Nation's Elite The early recruiting blitz coach Mack Brown and his staff have worked to ne= ar perfection in reeling in three nationally ranked recruiting classes in succession is paying off again. Texas is up to 12 early commitments now, and appears headed for another top= 5 national class after getting CB Cedric Griffin, 6-1, 180, 4.42, of San Antonio Holmes and OL Terrance Young, 6-6, 340, 5.5, of Longview, both in July. The Longhorn coaches can't comment on their recruits until they sign in February, but Griffin, the top prospect in San Antonio, said the UT coaches told him they wanted him "because they said I had the size, speed and athletic ability they were looking for in their cornerbacks." He had 41 tackles last season, broke up 14 passes and had three interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. Holmes' coach, David Sanchez, said Griffin "is the best cover corner in the district. We went 13-2 last year and reached the state Class 5A semi-finals= , and his ability to take the other team's best receiver out of the game was = a big reason." Griffin, who has run a 10.5 100 meters, said he had offers from Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arkansas before he got a scholarship offer from Texa= s on an unofficial visit on July 18, and he said he didn't waste any time taking the UT offer. "I knew all along that Texas is where I wanted to go," he said. "I really like Texas' style of play and I was really impressed with the way the Texas coaches stress academics as well as athletics. Young also had plenty of offers =01) Miami, UCLA, Notre Dame, Arkansas, Tex= as A&M, LSU and Mississippi State =01) before he drove to Austin on July 29 wi= th his parents, met with Brown and assistant coaches Darryl Drake and Tim Nune= z and committed. Drake recruits East Texas and Nunez is the offensive line coach. Like Griffin, he said the Longhorn offer was the one he was waiting on. "I really like Texas," he said. "They have great coaches and great kids, and they are going to do some grea= t things in the next few years. I want to be a part of that." Young, who already is a full qualifier with fine grades and and a 980 SAT a= nd 21 ACT score, said the Texas coaches told him they like the way he gets a quick jump on the defensive linemen and then maintains his blocks. For those of you who are concerned about that 5.5 time in the 40, don't wor= ry about it. Young has a very quick start for a big offensive lineman and is adept at picking off speed rushers from the outside of his offensive tackle spot. How fast an offensive lineman gets started is a lot more important than his 40 time, and Young gets started in a hurry. Longview coach Pat Collins, who coached an NCAA Division II national title team at Northeast Louisiana before getting back into the high school coachi= ng ranks, said, "The Longhorns got a great football player and a great young m= an with an outstanding family." Collins said Young "Is one of the best high school prospects I have seen or coached. he has worked really hard this summer and has excellent mobility a= nd agility." Seven of the Longhorns' 12 commitments are offensive linemen. Texas has signed only three offensive linemen in each of Brown's three previous recruiting classes and he said heading into this recruiting season that the offensive line was the No. 1 priority. Since this is the best group of offensive linemen since I started doing thi= s back in 1990, he couldn't have picked a better year to clean up on the big guys. Here's a list of the Horns' early commitments: Offensive Line (7) Jonathan Scott, 6-7, 290, 4.9, Dallas Carter, a national top 100 player. Abe Robinson, 6-6, 270, 4.9, Jersey Village, another national top 100 playe= r. Alfio Randall, 6-6, 300, 5.1, Blinn JC, was a national top 100 player two years ago. Mike Garcia, 6-5, 280, 5.2, Galena Park, broke the Aggies' hearts by changi= ng his early commitment to Texas. Will Allen, 6-5, 300, 5.2, Cypress Falls, is another highly recruited star. Roman Reeves, 6-6, 295, 5.2, another of the state's top eight offensive linemen. Terrance Young, 6-6, 340, 5.5, Longview. Linebacker (1) Yamil LeBron, 6-2, 240, 4.7, Killeen Ellison, was the middle backer the Longhorns targeted early. Defensive Back (4) Cedric Griffin, 6-1, 180, 4.42, San Antonio Holmes, one of the state's top two cornerbacks. Kendal Briles, 5-10, 175, 4.5, Wolfforth Frenship, a great option QB who wi= ll play safety at Texas. Braden Johnson, 6-2, 200, 4.5, Euless Trinity, a fine athlete who will play QB this season. Brian Carter, 5-11, 180, 4.5, The Woodlands, a two-way star at WR and CB. * * * * RECRUITING NOTES: Matt Nordgren, the Dallas Bishop Lynch star who is easily the state's top QB prospect, is still a big Texas fan, but he isn't through looking around. He and his parents took an unofficial visit to Texas A&M Saturday, and he and his father will fly to Colorado this weekend for anoth= er unofficial visit. Nordgren said he liked A&M and had a good time, "but Texa= s is still No. 1. I really like the Longhorns." I'm pretty sure he'll commit = to Texas later this month. . . While things are still looking bright for the state's best QB, it's no quite that rosy for the top RB, Cedric Benson of Midland Lee. He has been a Texas fan and has talked about committing early = to the Longhorns, but now he says he doesn't want to commit this summer and wants to wait take some official visits to other top programs before making his choice. . . The Longhorn signees made good showings in the Texas High School All-Star Game in Houston last week. QB Chance Mock of The Woodlands led the North to a 17-13 victory by throwing two touchdown passes and was named the MVP, an honor his father, Mike, won back in 1974 as a star QB fro= m Longview. The Mocks are the first father-son duo in Texas history to win MV= P awards in the North-South game. Matt McFadden of Coppell kicked off deep, booted a field goal and even punted, something he didn't do in high school. Tony Jeffery of Klein Forest, playing WR, and Nathan Vasher of Texarkana, playing WR and CB, showed superb athletic ability for the North. C Tre Bate= s of Fort Bend Austin and T Lionel Garr of Diboll did a good job of blocking, and DT Sonny Davis of Austin Lanier, another UT signee who is headed to junior college, looked great. If you watched the game, you know why Davis w= as so heralded. Packing about 30 excess pounds on his normal 6-1, 310-pound frame, he still was the quickest big man on either team. Let's hope he gets his JC degree, sheds those excess pounds to get even quicker and returns to Texas in two years. RB Sneezy Beltran of Abilene was more tentative than he had been in his games at Abilene, but I have seen enough tape of his exploi= ts to know he is the real deal. . . So far, six members of the first team on Dave Campbell's Texas Football magazine's Super Team have committed to colleges. Running back David Underwood of Madisonville committed to Michiga= n and the other five =01) Briles, Robinson, Scott, Young and Griffin =01) com= mited to UT. . . The nation's top FB, James Buchanan, 6-2, 240, 4.7, of Sarasota, Fla., Cardinal Mooney, ranks UT in his top three with Florida State and Miami, and one of the top DEs in the nation, Shaun Cody, 6-5, 255, 4.6, of Los Altos High in Hacienda Heights, Cal., who had 29 sacks last season, say= s he will visit Texas. . . Look for the Horns to sign between 22 and 25 recruits.
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