The Young and the restless. The Vince Young soap opera continues. He reportedly told those around him on Monday before he went missing that he doesn't want to play football any more. It's all just too negative for him. With concerns over his mental state, his mother spoke with the media to make his case. Be nice to her baby boy. Cedric Golden isn't buying it all, calling for Young to grow up. Golden agrees with reports about Young having thin skin and not being able to admit mistakes. It's a tough profession that Vince is in. The bottom line is that he needs to step up or get out. Quitting shouldn't be a response to failure. Time to man up. Sure, he's in a fishbowl that magnifies his failures, but deal with it. Happens when you make millions of dollars from your profession. Rediscover the love and joy in playing the game. Wasn't that a big part of what led you to the top of the college football universe, Vincent?

What to do when Ike gets you down. With news that the Longhorns won't play on Saturday, Scipio Tex has you covered as you adjust your Saturday viewing schedule accordingly. In fact, he does it definitively. Can't ask for anything more than that. The two games I don't want to miss are KU at USF and, obviously, the USC-OSU tilt. Couple other games for which to note the outcomes:  FAU at Michigan St. and Nevada at Missouri. Couple barometer games for perspective on the games those teams played against Texas and Texas Tech. Sad that Michigan and Notre Dame is so irrelevant. Well, maybe not sad, but I'm sure NBC isn't happy.

Cha-ching, with a Burnt Orange ring. For the third straight year, Texas is the leading brand name in collegiate merchandising sales. Vince Young's gift to Texas just keeps on giving, to the tune of $8.2 million in the last year, up from the previous year. Michigan and Florida finished in second and third, respectively. It's been interesting for me to notice how much burnt orange merchandise I see at sporting events on television. Places like Boston and Tampa, even when the game has no connection to UT sports at all. Rep for your U all 'round the country! Nothing warms the soul like seeing some burnt orange when you're far from Austin. 'Cept championships, that is.

Muscle-bound, slowed down. The assault on Mad Dog and his strength and conditioning program continues:

Jared Norton, Rashad Bobino and Brian Orakpo are great examples of all that's wrong with our S&C program. They've actually lost quickness and change of direction the longer they've been in the program. Care to see a contrast? Watch the Acho brothers, who can't lift shit yet, but are operators in space and have great quickness. Remember skinny ass Derrick Johnson? Do I need to show you the ‘91 Cotton Bowl? Football is not a fucking pie eating contest. I can't wait for Sam to bench 500 and lose 3/10ths off of his shuttle time in our quest to improve him. Orakpo will actually be a better pass rusher as the season progresses and he's not able to lift and begins to lose weight. In fact, I guarantee it. When people marvel that he can bench 515, my first thought is "Why does he bench 500+?" Those returns diminish very quickly after 425. They come at a cost in other areas. Go watch Orakpo film as a freshman - that kid had a first step. This Orakpo is a pure power rusher right now. If we want to play Muschamp defense, we need Muschamp players. And those players are greyhounds, not bulldogs.

Somewhat lost in the shuffle of all the talk about putting more speed on the field to combat spread offenses is exactly that. Sure, being able to play nickel and having a bevy of fast secondary players is part of it, but players along the defensive line need to be faster as well. Especially with more teams running big splits in their o-line. I agree with Scipio Tex here, that means less emphasis on weight lifting and closer attention paid to pure speed. I think it also means kids don't have to redshirt when they get to school just because they aren't strong enough. Speed is more important. Where's the benefit to turning fast defensive ends into stronger players with average speed?

Boom until the bell sounds. Will Muschamp's defense has a problem giving up yards. "What problem?" replies Muschamp. He's only worried about giving up points, as he should. And the only two touchdowns given up by the Longhorns came right before halftime. Muschamp isn't having it, no doubt using the same colorful language that he is famous for and supposedly trying to give up. The secondary gains experience as the game goes on, but the Longhorns haven't given up any second-half points, testament to Muschamp's ability to make adjustments. And for those adjustments to work. Take note, Gene Chizik.

Muck? Yeah, he doesn't suck. Far from it, in fact. A linebacker making 14 tackles for the Longhorns? Ridiculous, huh? That'll warm the heart of Longhorns fans. Muck's teammates in the secondary, as well.  "You don't know how happy that makes me," says Ryan Palmer. You don't know how happy that makes me, Ryan. UTEP makes three of five games that Muckelroy has 10 or more tackles. As the Statesman notes (yay for good stats!), since Derrick Johnson left, linebackers only have 10 games of 10 or more tackles. Collectively. As in, besides recent performances by Muck, when added together, the total tackles by the linebackers have only reached double digits seven times. Since 2004. Pathetic.