Mack Brown has a stomach ache.
“It hurts your stomach,” Brown said. “Scares you to death to watch it.”
It defies explanation.
Two Mondays ago, the Longhorns struggled to explain how in the name of Cade McNown they could lose by three touchdowns at home to the unranked UCLA Bruins the same UCLA juggernaut, by the way, that posted a 35-7 loss to Cal on Saturday.
The Horns have issues to resolve.
The Longhorns spent their off week identifying their problems, which were either compounded or magnified by defeats in their past two games.
The issues that coach Mack Brown underlined Monday include all phases of the game. Whether Texas — unranked in both major polls for the first time since 1999 — has corrected them won't be known until the Longhorns visit No. 5 Nebraska's revenge-minded Cornhuskers on Saturday.
It won't be easy.
Pummeling the Cornhuskers would help. The defense needs some exercises to build up their self-esteem.
The Texas defense has taken some shots to the ego in its past two outings, which is no small reason why the Longhorns lost both games.
Will Muschamp's crew has a chance to redeem itself Saturday by putting the clamps on Nebraska's zone read offense and explosive freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez.
Taylor Martinez brings a new set of problems for the defense.
The Longhorns have seen UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince, and they know Taylor Martinez is no Kevin Prince.
Nebraska's freshman quarterback is better. Much better.
On the surface, that doesn't bode well for Texas' defense as it prepares for the zone-read wizardry of Martinez, a huge reason for the Cornhuskers' No. 5 national ranking.
That game in December was tough for Nebraska.
Tight end Mike McNeill knows what emotions overwhelmed him. "Angry. Upset. Sad. In some ways, we felt like we were wronged," he said.
The shellshocked team then piled on a plane for its ride home. As Kyler Reed put it, they were "still in disbelief."
But somewhere, the bitterness dissipated. In its place crept motivation.
The same guy that called us cheaters last December...Pelini is asking Cornhuskers to respect Texas fans.
"One other thing I wanted to say is I know our fans are going to be great this Saturday, and it's going to be loud — especially with all the hype everybody is giving this football game — I just trust that our fans are going to treat Texas with tremendous respect."
Pelini added that UT players and coaches and their program deserve the respect, "because I think they've earned that over a long period of time."
Because, it's not like we cheat or anything.
How sweet. Nebraska just loves Garrett Gilbert.
"I think he’s an outstanding player," said coach Bo Pelini. "He’s got a tremendous, big arm. … I think this guy will be a really good player for a lot of years to come for Texas."
Both Pelini brothers dropped hints that they’re studying Gilbert’s running ability, although the Longhorns haven’t called rushing plays for the sophomore quarterback.
"It’s something we have to prepare for," Carl Pelini said. "He can obviously run the football."
Thank goodness that Mack Brown and Ryan Roberson did not have to leave town.
The trademark police are on patrol again.
Mike Sherman is sticking by Jerrod Johnson.
Johnson, the Big 12's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, threw eight interceptions last year. He has thrown nine in the last three games. The Aggies have lost their last two games following a 3-0 start, and among the misfires in an erratic offense, Johnson hardly has looked his solid 2009 self.
Still, the late Tammy Wynette would be proud of how steadfastly Sherman has stood by his man, since Johnson took every snap in the losses. On Monday, in the wake of Johnson's 15-of-40 showing against the then-No. 11 Razorbacks in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, the coach answered why.
Just think positive! That will take care of everything.
The Aggies are still in the running for the big prize.
Mizzou is a three point underdog this week.
This is the season that Oklahoma and OU LIte hoped for last year.
Demarco Murray is having a great year.
Bob does not appreciate all the name calling.
Those are actually some of the nicer things the critics have offered up when asked their opinions of Oklahoma being undefeated (5-0) and ranked as the nation's sixth-best team.
Bad news and possibly more bad news for Kansas State.
It's no secret that Stoops' 12th Oklahoma team has its skeptics. It's hard not to know it when people are calling you names behind your shoulder pads that include: "stupid, fraud, sloppy, lucky, suspect, sketchy and definitely overrated."
The Wildcat defense just wants redemption.
Even with the TV off, Blake Slaughter could hear the sound.
"I turned off ESPN," Slaughter said. "I'm not watching it this week. I'm sure they're bashing us. I'm sure there's a lot of talk going on. You just can't let that stuff get to you."
This was the life of a Kansas State linebacker after the Wildcats launched the Taylor Martinez For Heisman campaign on national TV. The Nebraska quarterback shredded K-State for 241 rushing yards last week, part of a 587-yard onslaught by the Huskers in a 48-13 rout.
In Lawrence, the Jayhawks are just looking forward to basketball season.
The Bears are looking forward to the Buffs.
"It is just like we talked about; it’s not a sprint it’s a marathon," said Briles about where his team stands right now. "We still have a job to do, and that is what we will do. Our job is to prepare, plan, and produce. We have to go to Colorado, we have to play hard, and we have got to win."
Justin Blackmon = Michael Crabtree. And the theme continues.
Words of wisdom from Barron Batch.
Every week I challenge myself with something to get better at. These things can be football related or simply life related. For example, last week I challenged myself to successfully keep my road rage in check. I’ll be honest, I failed miserably. Look people, it’s OK to turn right on red, and some streets have merging lanes so you don’t have to stop and yield, you can just go. To the girl that was texting and driving and almost took me out, shame on you! Go watch the movie "Seven Pounds" starring Will Smith. If Will Smith crashes his car because he’s texting and driving, you surely will. Don’t text and drive. It’s not safe!
I apologize for my rant, but it was necessary. What was I talking about? Oh yeah. Guess what my focus and goal was this week? For those of you that guessed to beat Baylor, you are wrong. For those of you that guessed to play a really good game, you are wrong as well. This past week my challenge to myself was this: Quit making comparisons.
Why don't colleges hire a kicking coach? Bob has your answer.
NewsOK's Berry Tramel has plans to supplement his income.
Being a dynasty just ain't all it's cracked up to be.
Three of the most dominant teams of the past decade -- Texas, USC and Florida -- all are in danger Saturday of losing their third consecutive game. Remember last week, when Alabama appeared invincible? The Crimson Tide had its 19-game winning streak -- and its 29-game regular-season winning streak -- snapped this past Saturday 35-21 at South Carolina. That's the largest margin a No. 1 team has lost by in 10 years.
The shelf life of a dynasty used to be about the same as a good cabernet -- somewhere between 10 and 15 years. When the previous decade began, Nebraska, Florida State and Florida all had won at least nine games for at least 11 consecutive years. The Huskers' streak began in 1969 and lasted until 2001.
Those AP Poll voters are a disgrace.
It was just fate. Alabama QB Greg McElroy had to lose sometime.
I want this job.
During its thorough review of BCS Bowl tax forms and public records, Playoff PAC found many examples of BCS Bowl doling-out "unreasonable" to top executives, including the following:
The Fiesta Bowl gave two Bowl executives $240,000 in unsecured interest-free loans, reportedly to pay for their personal memberships in a private golf club.
The Fiesta Bowl may be mixing politics and football.
Athletes are stepping up to aid in research on brain injuries.
The athlete registry is the work of the university's Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy, a collaborative venture between BU Medical School and the Sports Legacy Institute that's addressing what it calls the "concussion crisis" in sports. The group has been at the forefront of research into head trauma in sports and received a $1 million gift from the NFL, which it has pushed for better treatment of concussions.
In addition to the athlete volunteers, the families of 40 deceased players have donated brain and spinal column tissue of their loved ones to the center. The material has been studied to see if repetitive head injuries possibly led to a degenerative disease known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
You know you want to know. What was Oregon thinking when they chose those uniforms?
And finally...
2002 was a good year.
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