Texas has a Motto. Now they need a theme song, even if it is from The Village People.
It took 37 minutes for Colt McCoy to scramble and score himself to the top of the Heisman pile.
The senior quarterback organized an unqualified Heisman-like performance Saturday, throwing for 286 yards and three touchdowns in limited play. When he left the game with 7:58 remaining in the third quarter, Texas had a 50-7 lead over Texas-El Paso and any serious conversation about the best player in college football had to begin with McCoy's name.
Vondrell McGee showed everyone what is possible.
"He looked like the Vondrell we've seen in practice all year," coach Mack Brown said.
McGee had never run for 100 yards in a game before Saturday, his previous best having been 80 against Rice as a freshman. The Longhorns, meanwhile, had not received a 100-yard performance from anybody in their first three games this season. The last one came from Cody Johnson, who gained 102 against Texas A&M last Nov. 27.
Will Muschamp and Greg Davis discuss the game.
Lots of style points in this game. Defensive style.
Texas did not allow an offensive TD for the second time this season and held the Miners without an offensive touchdown in a game for the first time in six seasons.
The Longhorns intercepted four passes — two by safety Earl Thomas — in one afternoon, two less than they picked off in 13 games last season. "I haven't seen four picks back there in a long time and I've been here for five years,'' said linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy.
For more game coverage, see BDR - UTEP Moratorium.
McCoy silenced the critics on Saturday.
Was he really sick against Texas Tech? Or was that an excuse? And why was No. 2 Texas struh-gah-ling early in games against Tech and Wyoming, of all teams, anyway?
All of those questions were being discussed by various precincts of Longhorn Nation, post-Texas Tech and pre-UT-El Paso, with Colt’s "Heisman stock" inching backward as a result. And being discussed with some seriousness, at least by a few Longhorns I talk to frequently.
Welcome to playing QB at Texas, where beating a pretty good team like Tech comes standard with "yeah, but ... " and a 64-7 victory against UTEP only kind of, sort of, satisfies everybody.
McCoy is healthy and so are his Heisman hopes.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy has a key factor going for him in the chase for the Heisman Trophy: He’s injury-free through four games.
One month into the season and the early list of Heisman contenders reads like an emergency room admissions log.
This is a good problem to have. The Longhorns have too many offensive weapons.
"We've got a lot of new guys in the offense and we're still trying to figure out how to use everybody," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
While the offense has averaged 44.7 points per game, it's started slow and sputtered at times. One of the problems might be that so many players are running on and off the field at running back.
"We've been all over the lot with running backs," Brown said. "Hopefully we can tie it down."
More on the 'Wild Horn' from the Ft. Worth Star Telegram's Jimmy Burch.
Texas coach Mack Brown said the "Wild Horn," which averaged 11.25 yards per snap against Tech, especially is useful in the no-huddle attack because it minimizes the potential for defenses to get faster substitutes on the field without burning a timeout.
"If we substitute, the referee gets over the ball and he stands over the ball until the defense gets a chance to substitute and match [personnel]. If we don’t substitute ... they have to play," Brown said. "That ball is spotted and they’re starting that [play] clock really quickly."
"I like it a lot. They [coaches] like it, too," said Chiles, a Mansfield Summit graduate. "With me being on the field more [as a receiver], the defense can’t really key on me."
"If you look across the country, usually every team that is successful on offense has some type of package to throw [defenses] off," McCoy said. "We’ve practiced it a lot to make sure we’re good at it. I think it’s a little thing in our offense that might be a momentum-changer or give us a little boost every now and then."
The defense has a blue collar work ethic. Just do what it takes.
As a defensive group which has raised its intensity and lowered the boom on quarterbacks, Texas has a clear identity.
But no nickname.
Nothing like the Desert Swarm, which current Longhorns secondary coach Duane Akina helped create at Arizona under head coach Dick Tomey.
"No, we don't," sophomore cornerback Aaron Williams said of a colorful tag. "Just blue-collar. We play blue-collar every time."
The Blue-Collar Boys really doesn't have a ring to it. Kindle has star power and Lamarr Houston, Sam Acho and Roddrick Muckelroy are playing like stars, but otherwise these Horns are a bunch of Lunch-pail Larries. Orange Crush was taken a long time ago. Orange You Glad You're Not an Opposing Quarterback? Too long. Doesn't exactly roll off the lips.
Lamar Houston is a quiet leader.
"When he talks, the defense listens because they know Lamarr has been here for four years and he knows exactly what it takes to stir a defense up," senior end Sergio Kindle said. "Every time he says something, it would probably be the same thing I would say. If I say it, I don’t think it would be as powerful as his words just because of my tone, because the louder I scream, the higher my voice gets."
OU could learn a thing or two.
"Compliance isn't just a mandatory task," Dodds says. "It weaves integrity through everything we do."
The Daily Texan is putting together an All-Decade Team. So far, they have looked at linebackers and special teams.
Barking Carnival has the good, the bad and the ugly from the UTEP game.
Aggie defensive coordinator Joe Kines is a simple guy.
"There ain't much better than a shower and a hot cup of coffee," the 64-year-old grandfather says, in that familiar voice that sounds like he's gargling gravel.
"And I've had both today, so I'm ready to go."
It's the simple things that have always made Kines happy: His wife Rubye's cooking, his grandkids calling to say hello, and the sight of a linebacker firing through the "B" gap to knock the stew out of a running back four yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Aggies win again. A&M beat UAB 56-19.
With three games against winnable opponents in College Station, A&M handled them all – unlike last season. Showing off a talented freshman class and improved quarterback play by their second-year starter, the Aggies compiled the most yards of offense in their first three games in school history. The 1,723 yards exceeded the former record of 1,644, set in 1990.
The team has been struggling with penalties through the first two games, but UAB was a turning point.
After being penalized 30 times in the first two games, Aggies were flagged only three times for 25 yards against UAB. Going into the fourth quarter, they’d been penalized just once for 5 yards. They minded their Ps and Qs.
Ryan Tannehill is still out there as a receiver.
Sure seems like Mike Sherman still goes to him when he needs a big play - especially with Christine Michael and Jeff Fuller out with injuries.
On A&M's first scoring drive, Johnson found Tannehill for a 27-yard gain on third-and-5.
Tannehill entered the game with 8 catches this season for 100 yards and 1 TD. His longest was a 17-yard catch.
They actually received one vote in the USA Today football poll.
Please don't embarrass yourselves or the conference. The Aggies' game with Arkansas will be televised on ESPN2.
We still do not want to go there. Texas A&M was cited as one of the safest college campuses in the country by The Daily Beast.
Oklahoma State
The highlights.
The Cowboys devour Grambling 56-6. And they won without key players.
OSU is nicked up, and among the injured are three players who many categorized as preseason All-Americans — wide receiver Dez Bryant (hamstring), cornerback/kick returner Perrish Cox (shoulder) and running back Kendall Hunter (ankle).
None of the aforementioned played against the Tigers, nor did starting defensive end Jermiah Price.
There were new faces. Or rather, new problems for the Horns on Halloween.
Meet Jeremy Smith, who gave the Cowboys their first 100-yard rusher in six games.
Meet wide receiver Dameron Fooks, who hauled in two touchdown passes and led OSU in receptions (4), yards (81) and touchdowns (2).
Meet wideout Tracy Moore, who looked a little like Brandon Pettigrew in that orange No. 87 jersey, grabbing his first career touchdown catch on a 28-yard connection with....
Brandon Weeden, who may have seized a leg up on the 2010 quarterback job with a sharp two quarters of play.
The Cowboy win was complete offensive domination.
For the first time this season, the Oklahoma State offense did exactly what it was expected to do.
OSU’s offense was explosive on the ground and equally deadly through the air early in the game, scoring on four of its first five possessions, including three first-quarter touchdowns. The Cowboys had 68 rushing yards and 64 passing yards in the first 15 minutes.
The only reason you play Grambling is to see the band.
Oklahoma
The suspense is killing everyone. Will Sam Bradford play against Miami?
Will OU have to play on dirt against Miami?
"The grounds crew at Land Shark Stadium does a tremendous job, but hopefully a game as important as (OU vs. Miami) doesn’t have to be played on dirt," said Mike Berardino, who covers the Dolphins for the Sun-Sentinel after spending more than a decade covering the Marlins. "It’s very hard to hold your footing in the dirt, but if the Marlins are eliminated as late as Thursday, they might have enough time. Every minute will count."
Last Thursday, several of Georgia Tech’s players left their loss to Miami with bloodied arms and legs, thanks to a week of sun drying out the infield dirt and making it harder than usual. And even though the field is renowned for its ability to drain quickly, too much rain can slow the speed more than it would on a grass field. The Dolphins played both of their preseason games in heavy rain, prompting players to shake their heads when they watched tape of the game the following day.
What does Miami's loss to Virginia Tech mean?
Just love touchy-feely stories about Sooners? You are in luck. Gerald McCoy is just one big bundle of fun.
A good quote from Mike Leach on scheduling D-1AA opponents:
Texas Tech coach Mike Leach puts into perspective the relevance of such a contest: "It is reckless and haphazard not to take those games seriously. If you don't think it is a big game, try losing one of them and see how big of a game it is."
ESPN's Tim Griffin hands out weekly helmet stickers.
The North
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert spearheaded drives on four-straight possessions to lead the Tigers for a win over Nevada 31-21.
Gabbert finished by passing for a career-best 414 yards and three touchdowns as he made it look easy against a gasping Nevada secondary.
Some thought that Gabbert would crumble under the pressure of his first true road contest. Nevada racheted up the pressure by stacking the line to contain Missouri's running game, daring Gabbert to beat them with his arm.
He did just that, taking advantage of Danario Alexander running through the Nevada secondary for a career-best nine catches for 170 yards.
Gabbert and receiver Danario Alexander are turning into a lethal combo.
The sophomore quarterback passed for 414 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring tosses of 74 and 31 yards to Danario Alexander, while scrambling for his life much of Friday night to help undefeated Missouri beat Nevada 31-21.
The Tiger running game is still struggling, but it can produce.
Derrick Washington called it a "three-headed monster," after Missouri’s win against Bowling Green. Washington was referring to Missouri’s rushing attack, referring to himself, De’Vion Moore and Kendial Lawrence. Unfortunately for Washington, his "three-headed monster" has been only two-headed.
After the loss to Virginia Tech, Bo Pelini went all Tim Tebow in the press conference after the game.
"We're going to come out on Saturday, and I promise you you're going to see a group of guys playing with passion. You're not going to see anybody crying about what happened last week. Our guys are going to come out, and they are going to play their tails off. That's what's going to happen. I vow that's what's going to happen on Saturday."
Pelini didn't use Tebow tears or a red face. He said it sternly, while looking at every last reporter in that conference room. He had the look of a guy that knew his ego took a blow after falling to the Hokies.
This week there was much better outcome for the Cornhuskers against Louisiana-Lafayette. They won 55-0.
"It's huge,'' Hickman said. "You feel like a burden's lifted off you. I've been around where if we felt if we didn't score on every drive, we might not win the game. That's really not kind of the way it's supposed to work.
"Now with this defense, with what the staff's got them doing, we can sputter on a drive and be like, ‘All right, we'll be right back out here after a three-and-out.' It's a great feeling to have as an offensive guy.''
Nebraska quarterback Zac Lee bounced back from a bad performance against Virginia Tech.
It was light years from his 11 of 30 and two-interception showing against Virginia Tech. His 238 yards on 15 of 18 passes tell part of the story. The way he handled himself in getting from one Saturday to the next tells another part.
"The thing about Zac is that he's got so much resiliency," Brown said. "He has a tendency to not let things get to him."
Congratulations to Wildcat Brandon Banks. He ran two kickoffs for touchdowns as Kansas State beat Tennessee Tech 49-7.
Kansas State recorded a season-high three sacks in the game.
But Bill Snyder, ever the critic, came away none too pleased with the effort. The 18th-year K-State coach still thinks there's room for improvement from his front four, and with Big 12 play set to kick off next week against Iowa State, he'd like to see it come soon.
"I'm still concerned about it, tremendously concerned about it," said Snyder, when asked about the team's pass rush. "We got some sacks schematically, not because of our front four."
(ESPN highlights of the Kansas game.)
The Jayhawks take out Southern Miss 35-28. Todd Reesing threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns.
Reesing was sacked five times and threw an ill-advised interception in the third quarter. Opurum fumbled in the fourth quarter. The defense spent most of the game in disarray before clamping down in the fourth quarter.
Ugly? Sure, at times. But the Jayhawks got the win, which says a lot after what they went through this week.
"We were focused before any of that other stuff happened. It’s over, it’s done," said Reesing, who passed Texas quarterback Vince Young for seventh on the Big 12’s all-time list with 9,359 total yards. "I don’t think we need to talk about it anymore."
The Jayhawk defense was a big part of the win.
Surprise, surprise, the defense came up huge.
Southern Miss gained only 32 yards in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Austin Davis, who had ripped the Jayhawks' secondary for 24 completions in 29 attempts, was 4 of 13 in the final 15 minutes.
The Golden Eagles averaged 7.72 yards per play during the first three quarters and managed to play right with the Jayhawks offensively. But they averaged 1.52 yards per play in the last quarter, when it mattered most.
The Cyclones beat Army 31-10. They are now 3-1 for the season.
Alexander Robinson rushed for 127 yards and scored three touchdowns to help Iowa State beat Army 31-10 for its second straight win.
Austen Arnaud added 175 yards passing and two touchdowns for the Cyclones (3-1), who have surpassed their two-wins total from 2008.
The South
Eat Em Up? When the University of Houston was in the Southwest Conference everyone referred to them as Cougar High. This is one of the reasons.
UH beat Tech 29-28. Are they now a legitimate contender for a BCS buster this year?
Houston coach Kevin Sumlin downplayed the Bowl Championship Series possibilities.
"All we can do is play the people on our schedule," he said. "We're not going worry about that."
Don't let the low numbers fool you. There was serious offensive production during the game. (Thayer Evans was wrong about the scoreboard operator. But then he has been wrong about a lot of stuff.)
The two teams combined for 61 first downs, 1,065 total yards and 774 yards of passing.
It probably doesn't help your game when a former assistant and a former quarterback are coaching the other team.
Dana Holgorsen and Kliff Kingsbury, now offensive assistant coaches at the University of Houston, still use a great deal of what they learned under Leach. And today, they’ll try to beat their good friend and mentor at his own game.
Bad, bad news for the Bears. Robert Griffin is out for the season.
Baylor sophomore quarterback Robert Griffin is out for the season after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
The injury occurred at the end of the first drive in the first quarter in Baylor’s 68-13 win over Northwestern State Saturday night at Floyd Casey Stadium.
Baylor beat Northwestern State 68-13. Five different Bears scored their first touchdown.
Two defensive players also scored their first touchdowns for the Bears.
Senior defensive lineman Jason Lamb returned an interception for a 25-yard touchdown, while true freshman defensive back Chance Casey returned an interception for a 66-yard touchdown.
Additionally, a lot of players who don’t normally see action, got into the game.
"The best part of it was that a lot of guys who are always working out and never get to play, got a chance to play tonight," Baylor coach Art Briles said. "Our other guys were rooting hard for them. That’s the most rewarding part."
Baylor inside linebacker Joe Pawelek is as good as it gets.
"He's an unbelievable human being to begin with and an outstanding football player," Briles said. "I think he's as good as anybody in America as an inside linebacker."
NFL draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. also sees the value of Pawelek. Kiper rates Pawelek as the fifth-best senior inside linebacker prospect in the nation.
Baylor strongside linebacker Antonio Jones has an up-close look at how valuable Pawelek is.
"Joe is always in the right spot," Jones said of his ability to anticipate. "Sometimes Joe knows what they're doing before they even do it. His football IQ is pretty high. He can make plays."
Sports Illustrated has their own college football playoff bracket.
Quinn Grovey, Duncan, Okla. native, left his home state to play for Arkansas. He still gets flack.
Leaving the state of Oklahoma to play football wasn’t easy for Quinn Grovey.
He jokes that former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer could recruit a shark to live on dry land.
And to this day, the folks in Grovey’s hometown of Duncan, Okla., still let him hear about it when he goes home.
"But it’s the best decision I ever made," said Grovey, one of the most exciting quarterbacks in Arkansas history. "There’s nothing like Hog football. If I had to do it all over again, I’d choose Arkansas 10 out of 10 times."
Barry Tramel, NewsOK, has a plan to save college football.
Tech's Taylor Potts and University of Houston's Case Keenum are both from Abilene. The hometown paper talks to the families of both quarterbacks.
Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle, believes the Houston Cougars are on the national map.
This victory won’t put the Coogs on the national map. A victory over Oklahoma State had already done that. This one simply will verify that they belong there.
Two good teams went at one another for almost four hours Saturday night at Robertson Stadium, rolled up 1,063 yards of total offense, and at the end, the Coogs were about one play better than Texas Tech, winning 29-28.
So why would you keep a sick quarterback in a game that is well within your control?
Instead of yapping with Lane Kiffin (when he had no need to do so), maybe Urban Meyer should have focused a little bit more on the well-being of his sick quarterback. Florida led 34-7 in the third quarter, and Tebow was still playing?
ABC News has the most lopsided rivalries.
And finally...
Jayhawks have way too much time on their hands..
It gets worse.