The Horns play the Aggies on Wednesday night. Texas Sports has a preview.
Tristan Thompson has always been focused.
In block lettering and black marker, it was the last word written on the mirror in Tristan Thompson's bathroom at his family's house in Ontario. It was underlined, highlighted and circled.
When Thompson looked in the mirror, he made sure he didn't just see the teenager staring back. He saw the possibility of who he could become.
"It started when I was 12 or 13," Thompson said. "I just wanted to put my goals and other things up there. It was things like, 'Be the No. 1 player in the country,' 'Get a college scholarship' and 'When people are sleeping, I need to be working harder and better.'
Kirk Bohls is happy.
After so much went so horribly wrong for so long in the last four months, Mack Brown finally got something else right.
On Monday, he hired a proven assistant who is immensely popular with the Longhorn faithful, a former All-America player who once ran down Bo Jackson from behind and busted his Heisman wing. And perhaps most importantly, a coach who wanted to be at Texas and got here by taking less of a title than he was qualified for.
Brown brought Jerry Gray home.
About time.
I do believe Texas has just been bi--- slapped by some writer in Auburn AL.
The Auburn coach's latest feat? He's proved he can join and beat Mack Brown.
Six years after opening the Auburn-to-Texas pipeline, Chizik has shut it down. He managed to retain offensive line coach Jeff Grimes, who had the opportunity to join the Texas staff but turned it down to remain on the Plain.
Texas has long been considered one of the best places to work in college football, and Brown has earned a reputation as one of the better bosses. Chizik raves about him.
It's not easy to say no to Brown. Alabama's Bo Davis couldn't. After coaching the Tide's defensive line for the past four years, he's going to do the same job for the Longhorns.
Haven't we had enough pain this past season? Spencer Hall picks some fun at Texas in his Alphabetical. Our football fail was enough to warrant two letters.
H is for Hell. Texas suffered immensely this season, and for that they receive no pity, but let us at least recognize the majesty of Mack Brown's streak of ten win seasons not only coming to an end, but doing a flaming end-over directly into an ammo dump. They lost to Kansas State in one of the most unwatchable beatings this year, a game where K-State just embraced being a glorified high school offense and threw exactly four passes in beating a punchless Longhorn squad. Some do small fails, and some do medium fail, but Texas only does Texas-sized fail. We applaud the consistency all around.
J is for J.R. Ewing. Mack Brown will cut you so fast, son. The Tuberville protocol describes the process of gradually having your ineffective assistants whittled off your staff by public pressure until you eventually resign or are fired. Mack Brown ain't having any of that slow death by paper cut, son, since beneath that smiling good ole boy exterior is a savage competitor willing to part with old friends in a heartbeat if it affects his bottom line. Texas went through a defensive purge in 2008, demoting some while hiring Will Muschamp to run the Longhorn defense, and this year did th same to his offense AND his strength program. Thought untouchable for his loyalty to Brown, Greg Davis received the slip that is pink from Mack along with other offensive coaches and longtime strength coach/sideline mustache model Jeff Madden.
The point being: there's good ole boys, and then there are the JRs of the world who are happy to backslap and grin, but who might do just that while knocking you into a tree shredder for their own benefit. Mack Brown does not trifle, son, especially when you begin to mess with his five million dollar a year paycheck. <----seriously, that's what he makes. You are in the wrong business.
Our new DB coach has his own foundation.
It is a Longhorn world. The rest just simply revolve in our orbit.
And we put undue pressure on recruits to make a commitment.
Stoops is not a fan of kids taking visits after they've committed. He won't pressure them to make a decision like some other schools (cough, texass, cough), but once they've decided on OU he does not appreciate them going on official visits to other schools.
The following article is just about as stupid as this movie.
Mack Brown leads the New Evil Empire.
Since the departures of Will Muschamp, Greg Davis, Duane Akina, Bobby Kennedy, Mac McWhorter, Mike Tolleson and George Wynn, the University of Texas has scoured the nation looking for the best available assistant coaches to help get the Longhorns back on track.
In essence, UT spent a lot of money to lure free agents to Austin to work for one of the most profitable "franchises" in college football today. To put things simply: Texas football acted like the New York Yankees.
The Land of Thieves will have their own Fab Four.
They'll never gain the worldwide recognition of John, Paul, George and Ringo, but Justin, Travis, Brandon and Ryan already have caused a nationwide stir that will only grow larger as the 2011 season draws nearer.
This foursome, of course, includes Oklahoma State All-America receiver Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma All-Big 12 linebacker Travis Lewis, OSU All-Big 12 quarterback Brandon Weeden and OU All-America receiver Ryan Broyles.
And just like those four lads from Liverpool, these four boys of Bedlam soon will have fans shrieking with delight and dancing in the aisles of Memorial Stadium and Boone Pickens Stadium.
The anticipation is palpable. Kansas TE Jimmay Mundine is going to be a stud.
The story goes like this: Last fall, while Mundine, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound tight end from Denison, Texas, was adding bulk to his then-226-pound frame, he often was asked to put pressure on KU’s first-string defense in practices by being the best tight end he could be. Mundine took the challenge seriously and, before long, was giving KU’s entire secondary fits.
“That kid right there, he’s gonna be a stud,” former KU defensive back Chris Harris said of Mundine. “If he’s not making an impact next year, that’d be a big surprise. He’s a guy that we (had) trouble with every day.”
Crimson & Cream Machine has their own man crush going as we speak.
Bo Pelini has visions of the future and it is a spread. Or something like that.
Out of the mouths of babes comes the identity of the Nebraska offense.
It appears to be a spread or spread option. That’s according to Birmingham, Ala., running back Ameer Abdullah, who told the Birmingham News that Bo Pelini shared his vision of the future of Nebraska’s offense; a spread option to take advantage of Taylor Martinez’s speed. The article also implied a move away from power football and toward Oregon’s offense.
This is starting to make sense. NU already secured a commitment from Texas scatback Aaron Green, while big back Dontrayevous Robinson just left for Montana State. Abdullah, who hasn’t committed, would give Nebraska more speed in the backfield.
At least your football team was good for something?
"I definitely feel we have something to prove every game," said Marcus, who finished with 25 points off 10-of-14 shooting while his brother had 19 points off 9-of-10 shooting. KU as a team finished at 62.5 percent to Baylor’s 48.8 mark.
It was speculated the Jayhawks also might have been upset in a pre-game video which showed highlights from Baylor’s 55-7 football victory over KU last fall.
Now that Jim Leavitt has that pesky lawsuit out of the way, maybe he'll end up in Manhattan?
No one wants to leave Stillwater.
The consistent return of OSU’s marquee players is a sign that they enjoy playing in Stillwater.
Gundy said Pettigrew, Okung, Blackmon and Weeden "would have moved on" if they weren’t having a great experience at OSU. "It’s a tribute to the coaching staff, the academic staff and (conditioning coach) Rob Glass."
Recruiting talent is important to a program. Retaining talent is vital, too.
Is Mike Gundy looking in his own program for his next OC?
With a talented passer like Weeden at the helm, Gundy would like to keep continuity within the offense.
An internal hire like Doug Meachem, Gunter Brewer or Joe Wickline, each of whom Gundy feels has the ability to be an offense coordinator, would be Gundy’s best bet for continuity and an offense which resembles Dana Holgorsen’s.
Bob Stoops is well compensated.
With the Sooners’ win in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl, OU football coach Bob Stoops earned more than $4.5 million this year — making him the third-highest paid football coach in the NCAA.
According to his contract, Stoops earned $110,000 in performance bonuses for participating in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl and another $82,500 for finishing in the top 10 of the final BCS rankings, along with an automatic $200,000 raise on Jan. 1. His total compensation package for the year was $4,767,500.
The Land Thieves have plans for April 16.
Will Mike Sherman be in the college ranks forever?
The Houston Texans announced they will not raise ticket prices for next season, after hiking them four straight seasons. The real news is they are going to continue to charge for admission in the first place.
Word is that if Bob McNair wasn't so loyal to underachieving coach Gary Kubiak, No. 1 on the Texans owner's list of replacements was Texas A&M's Mike Sherman. Will sure be interesting if McNair sells more than a dozen season tickets after the, uh, excitement of last season.
Tommy Tuberville got a contract extension and the Raiders set their spring football schedule.
Golf Week previews Poke Brandon Weedon's career on the back nine.
Who knew there were so may typophiles in Kansas?
The change from the Circus-style to Trajan began in 2005. Kansas had hired a design company to help come up with a new look for the athletic department after the university decided it wanted to unify the graphic identity of the school. Part of this rebranding meant eliminating the Circus-style font in favor of Trajan font.
And while the change in fonts was clearly traumatic for those living in Kansas, most people nationally probably never even noticed the font switch and can still hardly tell the difference between the two. Just don’t tell that to Kansas fans.
Basketball
We don't miss him at all.
The Wildcats miss point guard Denis Clemente.
Clemente was unique. Not only was he the most consistent leader on last year’s team that won a record 29 games and advanced to the Elite Eight, but he was also one of the fastest players in college basketball and an excellent ball handler.
Coaches turned to him for three-pointers, transition baskets and an extra voice in practice. Teammates looked to him for assists and guidance. He had a way of bringing the best out of everyone around him.
"Denis elevated those other guys," K-State coach Frank Martin said.
The Jayhawks are undefeated.
Big 12 Hoops has the Week 9 power rankings.
Just how easy is it to avoid the wrath of the NCAA? Play the game to see if you can make the decisions to successfully navigate all the regulations.
When they said no more celebration, they meant it.
Justin Blackmon probably doesn't know he has become must-see viewing for the NCAA rules committee. The Oklahoma State receiver's goal line-straddling touchdown against Arizona on Dec. 29 in the Alamo Bowl wasn't penalized, but it's been flagged for review by the committee at its meeting next month.
"That will be shown in February," said Dave Parry, college football's national officiating coordinator. "I've already told them to pull that play. Next year, with the rule as it's written as we speak, that would not be a touchdown."
Coaches and players may say they know about the radical rule change beginning this year that will take points off the board for unsportsmanlike conduct, but they really don't. Not until it actually happens. Not until it affects a game. Not until a win turns into a loss because a touchdown is discounted because of a "taunting gesture." The change, to be implemented this fall, will negate touchdowns by any player judged as excessively celebrating on his way to the end zone. Parry said the penalty will apply to any offensive player, not just the ball carrier, and defensive players -- for example, when someone returns an interception for a TD.
All that is wrong in the basketball world can be attributed to Sonny Vaccaro.
High school summer basketball has become just as important to the sport as a hoop and backboard. And one man started it all: Sonny Vaccaro. The former Nike, Adidas and Reebok employee once said, "What I’m doing is morally wrong, but it’s not in my power to stop it," in regards to hosting high school all-star showcases in the summer. Many point to the structure of summer basketball tournaments as examples of what is wrong with college athletics and amateur sports in general. It’s amazing all of it started with just one man and one plan to make high school basketball in Pennsylvania just as popular as football.
Tennessee is just full of douchey coaches.
Andy Staples puts out the Class of 2011 All-Name Team.
That honor belongs to God's Power Offor, the owner of the finest name to hit college athletics since a young Destiny Frankenstein left Broken Arrow, Okla., in 2002 to seek glory on the softball field at Kansas. Offor, a Nigerian immigrant who played defensive end for American High near Miami, plans to sign with Wake Forest next month. He may need to redshirt to add bulk to his 220-pound frame, but Offor already is a star among the name-obsessed.
The other co-captain for the class of 2011 is Wonderful Terrific Monds, an uncommitted defensive end from Fort Pierce, Fla. Monds comes from a line of athletes named Wonderful Terrific Monds, but it's tough to deduct originality points for a name so -- for lack of superior adjectives -- wonderful and terrific.
The only question I have is why?
For any Jets fans out there...Rex Ryan is from Oklahoma.
Former Longhorn QB Todd Dodge has a new job.
For four decades, Dodge has studied the position tirelessly. He understands what it takes to play the position mentally and physically. He's been there.
He receives another chance as the University of Pittsburgh's new quarterbacks coach for its new head coach Todd Graham.
Within three months of his dismissal at North Texas, the former Carroll boss is back in the college game where he belongs. Dodge arrived in Pittsburgh on Sunday and will spend very little time recruiting and a lot of time reviewing all of the quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs on the roster and those who are expected to sign on Feb. 2.
There has been a lot of talk about Chinese mothers. Can they produce superior athletes? (Be careful, you might get this.)
Good luck in 2011, Gene. We hope you enjoyed the ride of Tuberville recruits.
Cam Newton's father has a few ideas for repairing his church. How about a book on Newton's incredible long and storied career in Auburn? (The whole year. What's that? 45 pages?)
How about owning some of Cam Newton's sweat?
A few more than 6,000 people showed up to congratulate the Horned Frogs on their Rose Bowl victory.
And finally...
Mack Brown should invite Bart Scott to talk to the Longhorns.
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