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Talk to UsBy Art Dlugach
Two words sum up the Longhorn football preseason: "What about?"
What about Garrett Gilbert? What about the sometimes-maligned running game? What about the loss of Jordan Shipley? What about the exit of talented defensive guys, and what about the status of the ones left behind?
These may be legitimate questions, but some of the preseason rankings have already offered flattering answers. Texas is picked fourth in the Coaches Poll and by Sports Illustrated, fifth by Associated Press, sixth by Texas Football Magazine, and eighth by Athlon Sports. Excuse me, I see a coach nearby.
"Garrett’s been a tremendous leader," Mack Brown said. Offensive coordinator "Greg Davis has done a great job with Major Applewhite, Chris Simms, Vince Young, and Colt McCoy, and we feel Garrett will end up being as successful as that group."
High praise, fast company. I wonder how many guys have thrown only two touchdown passes in a season, and both came in the National Championship game? Or, how many guys can say their first two TD aerials occurred in that contest? Gilbert raises his throwing arm twice.
It seemed like McCoy was the quarterback forever, but he’s wearing Burnt Orange and Brown now. (Well, maybe it’s not so burnt.) Gilbert comes off two state titles at Lake Travis High and the near Miracle on Grass in the Rose Bowl.
See how They Run "We will go back and work harder to get the ball downhill from the tailback spot," Brown declared. For several years, the coach has indicated he wanted more production out of his running backs, but it didn’t matter so much because McCoy was a superb runner. That’s not Gilbert’s strength. Tre Newton rushed for close to five yards a carry in 2009. He gained an almost-acceptable 552 yards. Fozzy Whittaker didn’t do as well, but those two are currently battling for the number one job among the running backs. Cody Johnson, who it seems has been at UT so long the first question he heard in USA Current Events’ class was, "Can the U.S. stay out of World War I?" And Johnson’s just a junior. He’s the designated short-yardage guy, but maybe not so fast. There’s been some buzz he could challenge for the every-down job. Just can’t settle anything around here. It’s Better to Give… Yes, but Malcolm Williams and Marquise Goodwin will be receiving. Williams caught 39 passes in ’09, while Goodwin collected 30, and John "I used to be a quarterback" Chiles was between the pair with 34 receptions. I know it’s more than Goodwin, but Marquise is called a world class track athlete who won the NCAA long jump this past spring. The negative: Jordan Shipley put 116 catches in the suitcase that traveled to Cincinnati. My guesses: Gilbert and the passing game will be just fine. Bold prediction, right? Newton may be better than just good, and don’t forget an offensive line which features Kyle Hix and Michael Huey. Huey is 6’5" and loses a tall-man contest to Hix by close to three inches. I’d love to coach the football-players-only off-season basketball team. The Defendants How can you lose such names as Kindle, Thomas, Houston, and Muckelroy to the NFL and still have so much promise on defense? Answers: Recruiting is permitted annually at Texas, and, somehow, excellent players replace the departed. Sports Illustrated put defensive end or tackle, Sam Acho, and cornerbacks Chykie Brown and no-relation Curtis Brown on the cover of its college football preview issue and then, on page 68, called Aaron Williams "the best playmaker in a loaded Texas secondary." (I’m aware it was a regional cover, but I wouldn’t bring that up at the next Longhorn barbecue. Notre Dame, Nebraska, Florida, and Oklahoma were among the few that didn’t make the Final Four of regional covers.) Kheeston Randall is a 6-5, 295-pound defensive tackle, and defensive end Alex Okafor is close to 6-5, 260. Blake Gideon is an outstanding safety who had interceptions in both the Big 12 title game and National Championship game. The ‘Horns also will introduce freshman Jackson Jeffcoat on the defensive line. He’s another 6-5 guy, 238 pounds, and his dad Jim played the position for the Cowboys for a decade. In summation
There’s new and old on the Forty Acres, and they should blend well to add to this sensational era, which began with Brown’s arrival in 1998—128-27 record, 12 bowls, eight wins, and a National Championship. People will look back some day and talk about the good old days—that is, if they ever end.
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