Double Coverage Vol. 5, Issue 4

THE DAILY TEXAN PRESENTS:

Vol.5, Issue 4

Sept. 17, 2010

MOVING PAST THEIR MISTAKES –Blake Gideon and the Texas secondary grow from 2008’s Lubbock mistakes. | page 4

–The Longhorn defense plans to answer Raider fans’ taunts with sacks. | page 8

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Texas defensive tackle Tyrell Higgins watches from the sidelines during a preseason practice.

theLINEUP page

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PATIENT HIGGINS

Tyrell Higgins’ long path to Texas starter took him back home to overcome selfdoubt.

6

QUIETING SKEPTICS Kansas’ upset victory last week takes head coach Turner Gill from scapegoat to hero.

14

SAME PASSHAPPY TECH Usually known for his run-heavy playbooks, new Texas Tech head coach Tommy Tuberville is still throwing.

REGULARS 5  7  11  15 

page

MATCHups GAMEStoWATCH POWER RANKINGS PLAYERStoWATCH

EDITOR’S NOTE

Derek Stout Daily Texan Staff

The Daily Texan’s Double Coverage is printed the Friday before every Texas football game and twice during OU week.

Cover photo: Caleb Bryant Miller Daily Texan Staff

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Higgins returns to Horns humbled after time away

By Jordan Godwin Daily Texan Staff Junior defensive tackle Tyrell Higgins heard his name called, and his eyes immediately filled with tears as his teammates jumped up and celebrated around him.

It was a pinnacle moment of clarity and truth for a player who came to Texas clouded by his own confusion and doubt. When he first arrived in the fall of 2007, overwhelmed by the talent of the Longhorns, he convinced himself he was undersized and not athletic enough for Texas. “He made some poor decisions,� said head coach Mack Brown. “He really and truly got himself in a bind.�

So Higgins walked away from it all and went back home to Schertz, near San Antonio.

“I had to go back and re-find myself,� Higgins said. “I had to go back and find the truth.�

Higgins, once a top recruit who received dozens of scholarships to schools around the country, walked away from his scholarship at Texas to instead take classes at St. Philip’s Community College in spring 2008.

But while he was there, less than two hours from the bright lights at Texas, he never doubted his return. “I knew I was coming back the day I left,� Higgins said.

When Higgins returned in fall 2008, coaches told him he would have to walk on to the team and earn his way back. He started on the practice squad and slowly began to work his way up, but he didn’t play as a redshirt sophomore. He appeared in five games

last season, made three tackles, had a sack and a tackle for loss.

But he didn’t fully blossom until this spring.

In one practice, Higgins batted and then intercepted a pass off quarterback Garrett Gilbert and tried to run it back for a touchdown, but coaches blew the whistle before he scored. The play sent a message to the coaches that he had completely banished the demons of his past. “Since he came back,� Brown said, “he’s done everything right.�

Because of his improved play, Higgins earned a starting spot at defensive tackle. He’s replacing last year’s standout, Lamarr Houston, and represents the new order in the high-profile line of Texas defensive tackles

HIGGINS continues on page 14

Texas’ Tyrell Higgins, in the starting lineup after spending spring 2008 at a community college, jokes with teammates during a preseason practice.

Derek Stout Daily Texan Staff

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preview No. 6 Texas @ Texas Tech 2-0 (0-0 Big 12) last game: 34-7 win vs. Wyoming

2-0 (0-0 Big 12) last game: 52-17 win @ New Mexico

Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock ABC, 7 p.m.

Texas looking for balance with inexperienced QB

By Laken Litman Daily Texan Staff Having a balanced offensive attack has been No. 1 on head coach Mack Brown’s to-do list since the spring.

Heading into this season, the coaches knew it wouldn’t have been fair to assume quarterback Garrett Gilbert could pick up the spread offense left for him by Colt McCoy. Instead, the game plan changed to mold the new starting quarterback, and a running game of sorts was implemented. Now Gilbert spends about 50 percent of his time in the shotgun and about 50 percent under center ‌ at least that’s the goal. “We want to be 50-50 to a T,â€?

Brown said.

Against Wyoming last week, the Longhorns were in the shotgun 58 percent of the time and under center 42 percent, and rushed 29 times and attempted 35 passes. That’s fairly even for just the second game of the season. Some of the runs were made from the gun, like junior running back Fozzy Whittaker’s 39-yard touchdown in the second quarter and Cody Johnson’s rushing touchdown late in the third quarter, which Brown likes to do to

confuse defenses. “We want to be able to run the same plays we’d run from under center out of the gun,�

Brown said.

Brown is patient and says he isn’t going to revert to his old spread offensive ways just yet. “We want to get back to balance,� Brown said. “There’s going to be some days your quarterback is having a tough day or the weather dictates you can’t throw it every time, and we want to win all of our games and I feel that we need to be more balanced than we have been in the past two years to win them all. We had the most accurate quarterback in college football history and two receivers that are playing really well in the NFL, but you won’t always have that luxury.�

After these first two weeks, Texas is ranked 44th nationally in rushing offense with a total of 364 rush yards, but Brown is going to keep chugging along until the run game runs out of steam. “We’re not into numbers, we’re into winning games,� Brown said. “We feel like [being 50-50] is what’s best for us long term and that’s why we’re changing.

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4

Friday, September 17, 2010

Longhorns bury memories of 2008

By Laken Litman Daily Texan Staff The Longhorns’ last memory of playing in Lubbock is a black hole – literally. After Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree connected on a last-second, game-winning touchdown in 2008, Texas Tech fans, dressed in their blackout attire, swarmed the field like killer bees.

That fateful night, when Texas Tech beat Texas 39-33, ending the Longhorns’ hopes of playing in the Big 12 Championship game and possibly the National Championship game, actually hasn’t haunted the players.

Junior safety Blake Gideon dropped an interception in the dwindling minutes that would have solidified a Texas win that night, and he’s over it. Senior cornerback Curtis Brown and former Longhorn Earl Thomas were marking Crabtree on that final play and let him sneak into the end zone, and they’ve moved on as well.

“I don’t think about not being able to hang on to the ball,” Gideon said. “Years from now when I’m done playing football, I’ll

think about it and be like, ‘Awww man! I messed up,’ but for right now, there are so many other guys counting on me and we all play this game for each other. I owe it to all the guys in the locker room to put that in the past and play this game this week.”

In 2008, Gideon and Thomas were true freshman and Brown was a sophomore. They made rookie mistakes that they’ve since learned from and don’t dwell upon.

“That was a big stepping stone in my college experience in becoming a football player,” Brown said.

“It was a devastating play, but that said, it made me work harder and mature these past years to get to the point I am at today.”

The blame can not be given to any one player. Throughout the whole game, Texas Tech outplayed and outcoached Texas, mentally and physically.

“I remember asking the team after the game, ‘Raise your hand if you played perfect. Raise your hand if you played great.’ And there weren’t any hands raised,” said head coach Mack Brown. “We

said that we don’t ever want to hear [about the last play and the interception] mentioned again because if you’re gonna talk about those, we need to bring out everybody’s mistakes, including mine, throughout the game.”

After that locker room spiel, the game was never spoken of again.

Gideon said that the team didn’t watch tape from that game this week because they already have enough motivation playing an in-state conference team and knowing what kind of crowd is going to be at the game on Saturday. He said that the best part about playing in Lubbock are the fans because they study their opponents and find out random facts about each player that make for excellent trash talk material.

“Those Texas Tech fans, they research you and know stuff about you from high school. It’s actually really funny, the things they yell,” Gideon said. “But it’s all part of it.

That’s what makes it fun. That’s what gets all of us going. That’s college football for you.”

Andrew Rogers | Daily Texan Staff

Texas’ Blake Gideon drops vital interception in 2008 against Texas Tech.

In the Mack Brown era, Texas is 3-6 in Lubbock, but the Longhorns will draw a blank slate on Saturday.

“It’s just another 100-yard foot-

ball field,” Curtis Brown said. “The environment there is crazy and I’m ready for that feeling again – to be on their field and play against their crowd and their team.”

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Friday, September 17, 2010

MATCHups — By Austin Laymance | Daily Texan Staff

RUNNING BACK

Senior Taylor Potts is off to a strong start for another potent Red Raider offense. He set personal records in pass completions (46) and attempts (62) against Texas in 2009. Garret Gilbert looked better in his second start as he showed his scrambling ability while making plays outside the pocket. But Potts had the Longhorns’ number last year when he completed over 74 percent of his throws.

Fozzy Whittaker steps into the starting role, making him the third starter at tailback in as many games. Whittaker’s electric 39-yard scamper into the end zone against Wyoming kickstarted the Texas offense in last week’s first half as he averaged 8.9 yards per carry.

Baron Batch and Eric Stephens split carries in the Tech backfield, but neither has broken off a run for longer than 14 yards.

RECEIVERS

OFFENSIVE LINE

Freshman Mike Davis displayed his big play capability with a 104-yard performance, including a 45-yard touchdown grab in just his second game in a Texas uniform. If Davis can follow up his breakout game with a solid outing in Lubbock, the offense should be more dynamic. Seniors Lyle Leong and Detron Lewis lead the Tech receivers and have combined for 340 yards and six scores.

The big boys up front for the Longhorns are doing an excellent job protecting Gilbert and have yet to allow a sack. The Red Raider offensive line slimmed down in the off-season as the coaching staff wanted quick-footed linemen with Tech switching to a fasterpaced offense. But Texas has been solid in the trenches thus far and it should be the same story this week.

LINEBACKERS

DEFENSIVE LINE Sam Acho anchored another strong performance by the Texas front four and set the tone early with three tackles for loss, a sack and three quarterback hurries. Nose tackle Colby Whitlock is one of the best defensive linemen in the country and has started 38 consecutive games for the Red Raiders. Texas will use its quickness off the snap to disrupt the timing of the Tech offense.

Tech linebacker Brian Duncan was named to the preseason watch lists for several defensive awards, including the nation’s top linebacker and defensive player. He is the team leader in sacks (4) and tackles for loss (5) for the Red Raiders. Keenan Robinson and Emmanuel Acho have been solid in both games for Texas but their ability to defend the pass could be the difference on Saturday.

SECONDARY

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Red Raider defensive backs are an opportunistic group that has intercepted five passes in just two games — half of their total last season. Blake Gideon and the Longhorn secondary look to erase the heartbreak of their last visit to Jones AT&T Stadium. They have improved as a unit in the two years since and will have a chip on their shoulders in this game.

Eric Stephens ran wild on kick returns against Texas a season ago and set the single season record for kick-return yards for Texas Tech as a freshman. Stephens nearly returned a kickoff for a score in Tech’s second game. Justin Tucker was perfect on two field goal tries and sent the ball into the end zone for three touchbacks last week for the Longhorns.

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Jayhawks upset silences coach’s critics

By Alexandra Carreno Daily Texan Staff Turner Gill is a nice guy. Some might even say too nice.

So how does a guy that is too nice properly coach a football team? Unconventionally.

The new Kansas head coach is different. He has outlawed cursing during practice. He is focusing on developing young men just as much as developing football players. Gill believes in his players and wants them to believe as well. If there was ever a chance for Kansas football to revamp its personality, it is now.

“When [the players] go to a job interview, I want them to know how to talk and present themselves in a proper way,” Gill said in an interview with Sports Illustrated in early August. “My responsibility is to coach football, but I look at it as teaching discipline. If you are disciplined, you will be disciplined on the field, in the classroom [and] in society. I am preparing young men for life with football and life without it.”

Of course, there will always

be critics. The Jayhawks’ morethan-embarrassing first week loss against North Dakota gave skeptics and cynics alike all the reason to criticize Gill’s easy going attitude. Fans booed his squad, and Bison head coach Craig Bohl accused the Jayhawks of being unimpressive.

True to his personality, Gill responded to questions after the game in the only way he knew how — calmly and rationally.

“One game,” Gill told the press after his team lost 6-3 to North Dakota. “It’s one game. That’s the way I look at it. It’s the first game, too. That [puts] it in a different perspective. It’s the first ballgame. Again, until you play a football game, you don’t know where you’re at.”

Now fastforward to last Saturday. The shocking 28-25 defeat of No. 15 Georgia Tech was exactly what Kansas and Gill needed to win credibility. Kansas catapulted itself from the punch line of everyone’s jokes to a squad that regained everything they had lost in week one and more.

With Gill at the reigns, the Jawhawks’ 11-month losing streak was finally snapped.

“We played like we were ranked in the top 15,” Kansas’, redshirt freshman, quarterback Jordan Webb said afterward. “Not them.”

Constantly criticized in week one for his poor coaching decisions, Gill has silenced doubters after his decision to start redshirt Webb and later playing true freshman running back James Sims, worked to the team’s advantage.

Webb threw for three touchdowns and Sims recorded 101 yards.

“A lot of us said if he’s willing to go to bat for us every day, we’re going to bat for him,” tight end Tim Biere told reporters after the win.

Gill proved his critics wrong.

He showed doubters that being nice and being able to properly coach a football team can go handin-hand.

“Each person has to go and be who they are,” Gill said. “This is who I am.”

Maybe nice guys really do win big in the long run.

New Raiders’ coach keeps pass-happy style

By Austin Laymance Daily Texan Staff Tommy Tuberville built his reputation on his run-oriented offense at Auburn behind some of the nations’s top tailbacks. But now that he’s inherited the high-flying Red Raider offense left behind by Mike Leach, he has stayed true to the Raiders’ aerial attack.

In victories over Southern Methodist and New Mexico, the Raiders threw the ball 53 and 41 times respectively.

But that doesn’t mean Tuberville hasn’t brought along his own imprints and philosophies to the Red Raider offense.

Tuberville and his staff emphasized a fast paced “NASCAR” offense during the off-season. The offensive line features a slimmer and quicker look as the group lost weight over the summer to keep up with the Raiders new up-tempo scheme.

The play calls will now come from the sidelines in Tuberville’s system, a far cry from Leach’s days when the quarterbacks ran the offense.

Tuberville has also shown a commitment to the running game, something that was at times non-

existent in Tech’s games under Leach. The Red Raiders had 36 rushing attempts last week on the road in New Mexico, with two backs getting double-digit carries.

With all the adjustments the Red Raiders have made under Tuberville, the coach said he was pleased with their progress so far.

“You can see our guys getting better and better with more confidence,” Tuberville said. “The light is starting to click on for all these guys.”

But Tuberville’s influence has reached more than just the offensive side of the ball.

The Red Raiders’ defense switched to the same 3-4 scheme used by Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp. Muschamp oversaw the defense under Tuberville for two years at Auburn before coming to Texas.

Tuberville knows his defense still needs time to adjust to the new philosophy. They have been inconsistent in two games, intercepting five passes yet surrendering 380 yards per game.

“It’s a complex defense,” Tuberville said. “This is not a defense where you just go out, line up and play.”

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Friday, September 17, 2010 Sponsored by:

GAMEStoWATCH — By Jon Parrett | Daily Texan Staff

No. 9 Iowa @ No. 24 Arizona 2-0 (0-0 Big Ten) last game: 35-7 win vs. Iowa St.

2-0 (0-0 Pac-10) last game: 52-6 win vs. Citadel

Clemson @ No. 16 Auburn (2-0, 0-0 ACC) last game: 58-21 win vs. Presbyterian

(2-0, 1-0 SEC) last game: 17-14 win @ Mississippi St.

No. 12 Arkansas @ Georgia (2-0, 0-0 SEC) last game: 31-7 win vs. Louisiana-Monroe

(1-1, 0-1 SEC) last game: 17-6 loss @ South Carolina

Notre Dame @ Michigan St. (1-1) last game: 28-24 loss vs. Michigan

(2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) last game: 30-17 win vs. Florida Atlantic

Arizona Stadium, Tuscon, Ariz.

ESPN, 9:30 p.m.

Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, Ala. ESPN, 6 p.m.

Sanford Stadium, Atlanta, Ga. ESPN, 11 a.m.

Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Mich.

ABC, 7 p.m.

It’s tough to judge how good the Wildcats are this season, as Toledo and The Citadel aren’t the most competitive of opponents. Still, their offense has been clicking, and quarterback Nick Foles will look to carry the momentum against a stout Iowa defense. Look for Foles to hook up early and often with wide receiver Juron Criner, who already has 236 receiving yards on the season.

The majority of Iowa’s touchdowns this season have come within the red zone, so it will be interesting to see if they can open up their offense for big plays against Arizona. Sophomore Adam Robinson has carried the load for the Hawkeyes thus far this season and will look to build off back-to-back 100-yard rushing performances, the Wildcats have allowed a touchdown yet.

Clemson has yet to be tested this season after two blowout wins at home against North Texas and Presbyterian. Quarterback Kyle Parker hasn’t had much of a chance to play yet this year, so it’ll be interesting to see if sitting him during the end of those routes will hurt his timing. The Tigers’ defense will get a boost with linebacker Brandon Maye returning to the lineup after sitting out two weeks because of knee surgery. Defensive tackle Jarvis Jenkins also returns to the starting lineup, after missing last week’s game against Presbyterian with a knee sprain.

Auburn’s freshman running back Mike Dyer may get the start on Saturday for the injured Mario Fannin, but he won’t be the only tailback who sees action against Clemson. Sophomore Onterio McCalebb, the faster of the two, will also get carries, and will be featured more in Auburn’s option offense.

Georgia’s offense struggled to put the ball in the end zone last week against South Carolina and couldn’t seem to stay on the field, going 3-for-11 on third down conversions. Wide receiver Kris Durham has filled in nicely for the suspended A.J. Green, totaling 159 yards on eight receptions through the first two games. Georgia’s defense will need to improve against the run, as they were cut up for 189 yards last week.

It’s no secret that Arkansas’ offense goes through quarterback Ryan Mallett, but the trick has been figuring out is how to stop him. Mallett’s thrown for more than 700 yards and six touchdowns this season, and the Razorbacks already have three players with more than 100 yards receiving on the year. The Hogs will look to not slip up on the road against Georgia with Alabama looming next week.

Notre Dame faces their third Big Ten opponent in a row this week after coming off a heartbreaking home loss at the hands of Michigan. Quarterback Dayne Crist missed most of the first half after injuring his head diving into the end zone, but returned after halftime and is expected to play on Saturday.

Michigan State will need to shore up their defense against Notre Dame as replicating the mediocre performances against Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic won’t keep them in the game. The Spartans will use the running game to control the clock and keep the Notre Dame offense off the field. Running back Edwin Baker already has 300 yards on the season and will get the bulk of the carries on Saturday for a run offense that ranks 11th in the country.

7

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PHYSICAL DEFENSE the best answer to a rowdy crowd Texas expects raucous crowd for team’s return to black hole; plan to put pressure on Tech

By Jordan Godwin Daily Texan Staff

Fans wearing red and black gave fans wearing burnt orange their absolute best West Texas hell.

They spit at them, heckled them, poured beer on them and burned Colt McCoy in effigy in the parking lot, boisterously celebrating their triumph over Texas. Moments earlier, they prematurely rushed the field with seconds of game clock remaining after a heroic touchdown drive upset top-ranked Texas.

The last time the Longhorns left Lubbock, they were branded with their only loss of the 2008 season and a lasting impression of Texas Tech fans. Many of the players from that game have graduated and moved on from Texas, but for those on the roster who will return to Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturday, they anticipate another rowdy crowd.

On Monday, senior defensive end Sam Acho was asked why the fans in Lubbock are so crazy.

“I couldn’t tell you,” Acho said. “It would probably be a good case study.”

Some of the Longhorns grinned when asked about the environment in Lubbock, some became jittery, but for most members of the Texas defense, they’re embracing it.

“Lubbock is an awesome place to play,” Gideon said. “That’s how I look at it.”

Gideon and the rest of the defense are prepared to fight fire with fire on Saturday. To send a message to the fans in the stadium, they’ll have to start by abusing the Red Raiders offense. Last week against Wyoming, Gideon delivered several crushing blows to receivers.

He speared a player so hard on one play, officials threw a yellow flag because Gideon used his helmet and was “targeting” the receiver.

“I don’t even know what that means,” Safety Kenny Vaccaro and linebacker Keenan Robinson lead a swarm of Texas players as they tackle Wyoming’s Alvester Alexander.

Lauren Gerson Daily Texan Staff

Gideon said. “Of course, I was trying to hit him so I guess I was targeting. But regardless of the call, other teams see it on the tape and trust me, receivers aren’t going to want to take that hit.”

At times in 2008, the Texas defense was labeled a finesse group in Will Muschamp’s first season as defense coordinator. But two years later, Muschamp has redefined the mantra of the Texas defense, and the Longhorns have quickly earned the reputation of a physical team that plays with a mean streak.

From the start, Muschamp raised players’ eyebrows when he said, “There’s no such thing as cover corners in my defense,” meaning cornerbacks are going to be physical and do more than simply cover their receivers. That wasn’t yet a resonating mindset the last time Texas

was in Lubbock when the Red Raiders threw for 474 yards.

This weekend, the hard-nosed secondary of Gideon and Christian Scott at safety and bruisers Chykie and Curtis Brown at corner looks to get in the heads of the Red Raider’s receivers.

“As a defense, we want to have that edge and be physical,” Gideon said.

When Texas hosted the Red Raiders last season, the quarterback pressure helped slow Texas Tech’s explosive offense. The Longhorns sacked Tech quarterback Taylor Potts three times, and Texas coach Mack Brown expects that to be another major factor.

“You’ve got to be able to put pressure on the quarterback and get some sacks,” Brown said.

“You can’t let Tech stand back there and throw like they did in 2008.”

Whether it includes rattling the receivers or hitting the quarterback, Texas’ defense will have to make a statement early in the game to prevent the Texas Tech offense from taking control. Muschamp tells his players to stay off of the other team’s highlight tape, and that’s the exact opposite of what happened two years ago.

But the veteran players that were there for that game have already warned the younger players what they should expect.

“Whenever Saturdays roll around, especially when we come to town, they take it very seriously,” Gideon said. “They’ll be yelling all kinds of stuff at you – personal stuff.”

But no matter how ugly the crowd gets, the Longhorns defense can either win or lose the game for Texas.

Coordinator Muschamp’s emphasis on ‘ball hawks’ hasn’t paid off yet for Horns

By Will Anderson Daily Texan Staff

Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp walked away from practice on Tuesday with a black sleeveless T-shirt over his white undershirt. The back of the shirt showed a bird with a football clutched in its talons, while the front had two small words printed in burnt orange: “ball hawk.”

Muschamp loves turnovers and he loves handing out the ball hawk shirts whenever his defense makes an interception or recovers a fumble.

“The ball hawks on the team, they get shirts,” said defensive tackle Kheeston Randall. “I’ve got a few … It’s a little friendly competition we all have. We all want to be the best on the team.”

Defensive end Sam Acho has the most shirts so far. Freshman Jackson Jeffcoat got one on Tuesday for making an interception in practice. Randall plans to have the most by season’s end. Muschamp hands them out whenever he can; the only problem is that the Longhorns have forced just two turnovers in games this season, a small number compared to the unit’s FBSleading 37 turnovers in 2009.

“We always want to try to strip balls, catch interceptions, get big hits to force fumbles — it’s just anything we can do to affect the opponent,” Randall said. “It just starts with practice.”

Muschamp is clear with his players: He wants the defense to force at least three turnovers per game. Last week, Texas didn’t force a single one against Wyoming, a team that gave up a fumble and an interception to Southern Utah in week one.

Next up is Texas Tech, which has given up a single fumble in each of its first two games against SMU and New Mexico respectively.

“We’re always talking about turnovers: forcing turnovers, forcing interceptions,” said safety Christian Scott. “We feel like it will be really important for an away game at Lubbock.”

Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff

The problem started in preseason camp Above, Texas’ Sam Acho when the defense had trouble forcing forces Rice quarterback Taylor turnovers against the first-team offense.

McHargue to fumble.

Texas runs through ball-stripping drills Left, Linebacker Keenan each practice, and Muschamp said workRobinson reaches out for ing on turnovers is “a major emphasis McHargue while being held. every day, regardless of how well we do the previous game.”

But so far, that hasn’t translated into game-day results.

“Anybody that’s a ball handler, they have defensive guys trying to rip it out,” said running back Fozzy Whittaker about practice. “They work on creating turnovers all the time … So I’m excited to see what they’re going to do this Saturday.”

Coaches don’t know why the numbers are down. Head coach Mack Brown saw the same problem in 2008, when Texas had the defensive talent but only finished with 16 forced You’ve got to get turnovers. That’s a key turnovers. part of the game. We know how to do it.

“We’ve done It’s just a matter of putting some togeththe same drills.

Everything’s er back-to-back and having some guys exactly the get some hands on some balls.” same. So I just — Will Muschamp think it’s on the guys to knock a Defensive coordinator ball loose, strip a ball and I don’t think you can be more conscious of it than we are,” Brown said. “We need some turnovers, and we need them on the other end so we can have some short fields offensively.”

There’s no reason to panic just yet — at this point last year Texas had forced only four turnovers. But the possibility certainly has coaches worried.

“It’s always a concern. You’ve got to get turnovers. That’s a key part of the game,” Muschamp said. “We know how to do it. It’s just a matter of putting some together back-to-back and having some guys get some hands on some balls and doing a better job of finishing plays on the back end.”

‘‘

10

Friday, September 17, 2010

Next issue: Sept. 24

UCLA

BIG 12 North notebook — By Sameer Bhuchar | Daily Texan Staff

Up-and-down Jayhawks get behind running game

PRESENTS

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The Jayhawks are the North’s enigma. They lost their first game to North Dakota State of the Missouri Valley Conference, then turned around and pulled out the 28-25 upset against then-No. 15 Georgia Tech. Their victory was especially surprising because it was redshirt freshman quarterback Jordan Webb’s first start and he threw for three touchdowns.

But Webb is cautious about giving his well-rounded performance too much weight for the future. He is simply focusing on the next task ahead. “You take every football season one game at a time,� Webbsaid. “But it’s definitely a huge win.�

Kansas revamped their running game with freshman running back and Irving native James Sims, who logged 17 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown against the Yellow Jackets.

Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt probably thinks that if Kansas plays as angry as they did against them, then the Jayhawks may have turned their season around. “They came out mad,� Nesbitt said. “You could tell that they came out mad from losing their last game and they came out hungry.�

Who knows if Kansas’ new swagger is here to stay. However, the Kansas athletic department has been chronicling the Jayhawk football team in a “Hard Knocks�like online television show titled “The Gridiron,� which can be watched on YouTube. The drama it presents makes you think that they’re still angry.

Pelini still finding errors despite impressive wins The Cornhuskers cannot please head coach Bo Pelini.

Pelini was mad at the defense ,despite winning 49-10 against Western Kentucky in week one.

Then Nebraska handily beat Idaho 38-17 and the offense got an earful “They got a good you-knowwhat chewing,� Pelini said after the game.

He may have been mad, but no one can deny that Nebraska has finally found a quarterback to get the job done, if not through the air, then on the ground. Taylor Martinez threw for 106 yards and

ran for 157 yards and two touchdowns last week.

Pelini’s anger probably stems from the four turnovers that his offense committed. But despite that, their relentless defense stepped in to bail the offense out.

There is no doubting the raw talent on this Nebraska team, and they are the obvious front runners of the conference. They will continue to terrorize opponents throughout the season, making the buildup to their marquee match-up against Texas on Oct. 16 that much more exciting.

Buffaloes keep confidence after embarrassing loss

If Nebraska is the clear frontrunner then the Colorado is the clear opposite.

Last week against California, the Buffaloes were down 14-0 in the first quarter and 31-0 by half time. In the end, they managed to muster a measly seven points in the third quarter. Colorado only managed 73 yards on the ground to California’s 159 yards.

Despite this, Colorado’s senior receiver Scotty McKnight still believes in his squad. “We have confidence and we know that we can be a very, very good football team,� McKnight said.

Head coach Dan Hawkins also believes his team is ready to turn things around. He said after their Tuesday practice that the team had made “a step in the right direction.�

H o w e v e r, C o l o r a d o i s plagued with injuries at nickelback, where they lost their second starter in two weeks, making winning next week against Hawaii that much harder, yet that much more important. “I think a little bit of that is gaining support back from fans,�

McKnight said of their upcoming game against Hawaii. “I think people are kind of down generally [about] the team.�

STANDINGS BIG12 NORTH Kansas St. Missouri Nebraska Colorado Iowa St. Kansas

CONF. OVERALL 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

2-0 2-0 2-0 1-1 1-1 1-1

11

Friday, September 17, 2010 Sponsored by:

BIG 12 POWER RANKINGS — By Sameer Bhuchar | Daily Texan Staff

1

The offense may still be finding its rhythm, but the No. 6 Longhorns defense has not missed a beat. Opponents have little chance of racking up meaningful yards against Texas with Sam Acho seemingly always in the offensive backfield.

2

After almost dropping their week one game against unranked Utah State, many thought the No. 7 Sooners had gone soft. That quickly changed after Landry Jones torched the Florida State defense for 380 yards and four touchdowns.

3

Who cares if they can’t pass the ball? If Taylor Martinez and the rest of the No. 8 Cornhuskers run for as many yards as they did against Idaho (360 yards) in every game, Nebraska will sweep the porous Big 12 North defenses with ease.

4

The Aggies, while posting huge offensive numbers, have remained stagnant in the rankings because they’ve only played weak teams. They’ll continue their anti-gauntlet schedule Saturday with the Sun Belt’s Florida International.

5

The Tigers can attribute jumping two spots higher in the rankings to their defense. Missouri has already snagged six interceptions through its first two games.

6

Quarterback Taylor Potts continues to terrorize defensive backs with his accurate arm, but the true test of his abilities will come on Saturday when he faces a tough Texas secondary.

7

Oklahoma State is averaging 53 points per game, the fourth highest in the nation. But they are also giving up 27.5 points a game, the 84th best in the nation.

8

The Jayhawks make the biggest jump of the week from dead last to eighth place. Turner Gill’s squad rebounded from an embarrassing week one loss to stun No. 15 Georgia Tech behind a solid outing from freshman quarterback Jordan Webb.

9

Star quarterback Robert Griffin led the team in passing and rushing yards last week against Buffalo and will have to duplicate that against No. 4 TCU on Saturday.

10

Senior running back Daniel Thomas had another big game last Saturday, rushing for 137 yards. The Wildcats still need to establish a consistent passing game to take the pressure off Thomas.

11

Iowa State came down from the high of a week one victory, getting handled by No. 9 Iowa. Things won’t get easier for the Cyclones as their schedule will continue to work against them.

12

The Buffaloes got a rude welcome from future Pac-10 pals California, losing 52-7. Colorado ranks near the bottom in almost every meaningful team statistic. That miserable performance has got fans asking, “Is it 2011 yet?”

12

Friday, September 17, 2010

Get in-depth coverage before every Texas game from:

BIG 12 South notebook — By Alexandra Carreno | Daily Texan Staff

OU’s Jones bounces back with near-record outing

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Rebounding from an uninspiring season opener, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones finally silenced critics last weekend with an impressive outing against Florida State. In a reversal from the first week, the sophomore quarterback threw for 380 yards, completing 30 of 40 passes and earning him a Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week award.

“You draw confidence from these games,” Jones told USA Today. “But you also have to keep a level head, not thinking that we’re just God’s gift to football as an offense. I came out this week with a lot of confidence, prepared really good and it showed here out on the field.”

Jones’ noteworthy 321-yard first half came just short of surpassing the 350-yard record currently held by former quarterback Sam Bradford.

The Sooners’ win last Saturday pushed their winning streak to 32 games, the nation’s longest active home winning streak.

“We still have to come out and practice the way we practiced this week,” Jones said. “If we do that … we should be able to do this every week.”

Bears working toward potential upset over TCU It has been 14 years since Baylor and TCU belonged to the same conference. While the Southwest Conference no longer exists, the intrastate rivalry has never been stronger, especially in a season when the Bears and Horned Frogs both enter the game undefeated.

“We’re not looking at it as a chance to make a statement or get attention, we’re just looking at it to fight hard to get another win,” third-year head coach Art Briles told CBSSports.com. “That’s what we’re trying to fight to get this year, to get Ws.” But the potential for an upset will always linger and no other time would be more opportune for the Bears than tomorrow.

Baylor arrives in Fort Worth as a team who has yet to give up a defensive touchdown this season. In their two most recent outings, the Bears rolled over unranked opponents.

The Bears face their first true test of the season tomorrow, and while the road to improvement is in their sight, they must get past the Horned Frogs.

“We understand TCU has an outstanding program and been a very successful team over the past decade, but we’re going up there to try and improve this team.”

OSU’s Weeden prepared to fight through injury

Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden knows a thing or two about being under pressure. A former baseball pitcher, he forwent his second-round pick by the New York Yankees, to continue with football.

But Weeden has at times let himself succumb to the pressure.

In his second career start last Saturday against Troy, Weeden fumbled twice and threw two interceptions.

“I feel like I let the team down at times. I put us in some bad situations, and I feel bad about it,” Weeden told the press Monday.

Questions about the condition of the quarterback’s thumb, especially after he displayed evident pain last Saturday, are surrounding Weeden, but in a press conference Monday the quarterback assured all that it was only a minor sprain which would not keep him from playing his best against Tulsa tomorrow.

Weeden will feel the pressure tomorrow to show critics that he is in fact healthy enough to play, but will he allow himself to crumble under it?

“It could be sticking way out here and I’m playing,” Weeden said. “I only have so many chances to play college football.

I have 10 games left this year and 12 or 13 next year. I’m going to fight through it, no matter how bad it hurts.”

STANDINGS BIG12 SOUTH Baylor Oklahoma Oklahoma St. Texas Texas A&M Texas Tech

CONF. OVERALL 0-0 0-0 0-0

2-0 2-0 2-0

0-0 0-0 0-0

2-0 2-0 2-0

14

Friday, September 17, 2010

HIGGINS: Emotions pour

Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson runs around Notre Dame defenders with his best Heisman pose.

as star earns scholarship From page 3 that played in the NFL. From Roy Miller to Derek Lokey to Houston, Higgins (6-3, 285) has high expectations alongside Kheeston Randall.

As a vote of confidence and to reward Higgins’ long journey back to the field, the coaches announced a week before the season started that Higgins would get his scholarship back.

It was an emotional announcement he didn’t see coming, and he couldn’t help crying in front of his celebrating teammates.

But despite his monumental comeback, he’s not taking advantage of anything that comes his way — he remembers where that got him three years ago. “It just humbles me even more,� Higgins said. “I have to take all of this with a grain of salt and play to my potential.�

Sam Wolson Associated Press

Robinson racks up yards, awards QB’s last-minute win puts him into nation’s Heisman conversation

By Jon Parrett Daily Texan Staff Last season, Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson watched from the sideline as fellow freshman Tate Forcier led the Wolverines to a last-minute win over Notre Dame. Last week, it was Robinson’s turn.

Robinson threw for 244 yards and a touchdown and ran for 258 yards and two more scores in Michigan’s thrilling 28-24 victory over the Irish in South Bend.

Robinson capped off his impressive performance with a 12-play, 72-yard drive that ended with him running in the game-winning touchdown from two yards out with 27 seconds left on the clock.

“Denard is special, we know that,� Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez said during a press conference Monday. “He’s shown the country that.�

Robinson became only the ninth quarterback in NCAA history to both throw and run for 200 yards in a single game. He set school records for total offense and rushing yards in a single game by a quarterback in the season opener against Connecticut, then broke both records against Notre Dame. He’s nabbed back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and Walter Camp Player of the Week honors.

One honor Robinson could see at season’s end is the Heisman Trophy. He jumped on nearly everybody’s watch list after last week’s game. But Robinson has managed to stay humble so far, and says he isn’t listening

to all the hype. He doesn’t even have cable TV. “Denard is probably the best person that can have all this,�

Michigan center David Molk said. “He actually doesn’t like it. He’s not going to get taken [in].�

Heisman hype is great, but the real focus is on winning games, and Robinson may be doing too much for Michigan’s offense. He accounted for 502 of Michigan’s 532 yards last week and has carried the ball at least 28 times in each of Michigan’s games, an astoundingly high number for a quarterback. “That’s a lot of carries for a quarterback, and that’s a lot more than we anticipated, but we’re going to do whatever we’ve got to do to win the game,� Rodriguez said. “If we’ve got to run Denard 28 times, 30 times to win, he can handle it.�

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Please join us for our 75th Anniversary Reunion.

Friday, July 1 – Sunday, July 3, 2011 For more info go to: www.hardinhouse.com or Facebook us!

512.472.6717

PLAYERStoWATCH

— By Austin Laymance | Daily Texan Staff

Eric Stephens, RB/KR The sophomore tailback from Mansfield was named a Big 12 Player of the Week for his performance on special teams after recording 175 kick-return yards in the Raider’s 52-17 win over New Mexico last week. Stephens returned a first quarter kick for 97 yards to set up a Tech score. He had a school-record 182 return-yards against Texas last season.

Stephens is a known threat in the return game, but he has also made strides on the offensive side of the ball in his second season with the Red Raiders. He set career highs last week with 46 yards rushing, including a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and 43 yards receiving. Stephens also scored from three yards out in Tech’s first game against SMU and is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with two. The Texas special teamers must stay in their lanes on kickoffs this week, or Stephens just might return one to the house.

Jim Thompson | The Associated Press

Lyle Leong, WR

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Leong and Potts, high school teammates in Abilene, have connected for five touchdowns in the Raiders’ first two games. Leong started the season with a bang, hauling in 11 catches for 142 yards and career-high three scores in the season opener against Southern Methodist at home.

Last week in New Mexico, Leong stayed hot, catching five balls for 75 yards and two touchdowns. The senior leads Tech in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Leong and Potts hooked up for a pair of scores last year against Texas with Leong grabbing six catches for 80 yards.

He has quickly become Potts’ favorite target and will be looking to find the endzone against Texas and extend his scoring streak to five games. Leong has stepped up so far this season to lead the Tech receiving corps, so expect the Longhorns to focus on limiting his touches come game day.

Taylor Potts, QB

Caleb Bryant Miller | Daily Texan Staff

Potts leads yet another prolific Red Raider offense into Saturday’s game in Lubbock. The senior from Abilene has already amassed 652 passing yards and seven touchdown passes in just two games for Texas Tech this season. Potts was effective last year against the Longhorns, throwing for 420 yards and three touchdowns while completing a career-high 46 passes.

He has looked solid in the pocket again this season for a Raider offense that seemed to find its identity under new head coach Tommy Tuberville last week against New Mexico. Standing tall at 6-foot-5-inches, Potts has the size needed to see over the line and pick out the open receiver in Tech’s pass-heavy offense, No. 11 in the nation in passing yards.

Potts has yet to throw an interception in 87 pass attempts this season. Potts was the backup the last time Texas came to Lubbock and will be looking forward to facing the Horns on his home turf for the first time.