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ESPN article on texas---hope for us

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Are the Longhorns really underdogs this season?

July 23, 2008 7:51 PM


Posted by ESPN.com's Tim Griffin

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Texas coach Mack Brown claims his team is in unfamiliar recent territory.


Many preseason polls have the Longhorns out of the national top 10 for the first time in the new millennium. The Longhorns were picked behind Oklahoma in every poll tracked by the website Stassen.com and have been picked in some polls to finish behind the Sooners and Texas Tech in the South Division.

Brown relishes the challenge of leading his team this season, despite the diminished expectations in Texas' rare role as an underdog.

"It sounds like some people don't think we're going to win the conference and aren't going to be a top 10 team," Brown said.

The Longhorns have a difficult schedule that will feature nine 2007 bowl teams, including road games against Colorado, Tech and Kansas and the Oklahoma game in Dallas.

Some of the questions about the team are understandable. The Longhorns are coming off a 10-3 season including a 5-3 conference record that was the worst compiled by Brown since arriving at Texas. New defensive coordinator Will Muschamp must rebuild a unit that ranked 70th in pass efficiency defense and 109th in average passing yards allowed.

A leaky secondary and replacements for top playmakers like wide receiver Limas Sweed and running back Jamaal Charles also are counted as the major questions for the Longhorns.

"If you look at the schedule, it looks like a very, very difficult test for us," Brown said. "But I think there's a little buzz within our team and our coaches about the fact that some don't think we're ready for that."

Those doubts have fueled defensive end Brian Orakpo during his summer workouts as he prepares to prove the doubters wrong.

"It gives me a lot of motivation – not only me but a lot of other guys," Orakpo said. "We're inspired by that. To be the underdogs that most people are thinking we are kind of excites us. We thrive off of it."



Texas Longhorns, Mack Brown, Brian Orakpo, Will Muschamp
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

I think they're weak pass defense will be what we need to capitalize on.  The article gives us hope, which we all have anyway, but "Them Texas boys are big".  We, on the other hand are really not.  I predict a high scoring game, maybe I'm crazy though.  Either way, just about one month left!

FAU - We got Bowls!
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

ESPN article on texas---hope for us

duder said

I think they're weak pass defense will be what we need to capitalize on.  The article gives us hope, which we all have anyway, but "Them Texas boys are big".  We, on the other hand are really not.  I predict a high scoring game, maybe I'm crazy though.  Either way, just about one month left!

I agree. If Texas wasn't so bad against the pass last year, I wouldn't really have any hope for us in August.

Since they were… I do. Still, I'm sure they spent the off-season working on it. As Rusty said, hopefully we'll catch them before they can get into a good rhythm.
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

Didn't Arky State keep it pretty close with them last year? Your team may have a good chance with the upset
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

Tebow said

Didn't Arky State keep it pretty close with them last year? Your team may have a good chance with the upset
yea it was only 24-17 i think we have a shot because we match up good with them they weak pass defence and i like our aggressive Coners vs. McCoy who can be sloppy at times.
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

yah but mccoy will probally fall into his own this year…..and i believe that Rusty led the belt in interceptions last year……given we threw the ball more, i am sure longhorn fans are talking about him in the same light.

I would rather have texas be in the top 10 that way they arent going out to try to "prove" something
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

Rusty definitely didn't lead the belt in interceptions!

PASSING AVG/GAME  Team Cl  G Att Cmp Int  Pct.  Yds TD Avg/G

1. Smith, R…….      FAU  SO 13 479 281  9  58.7 3688 32 283.7
2. Haugabook,Omar. TROY SR 12 475 291  15  61.3 2975 18 247.9
3. Vizza,Giovanni.      NT  FR 10 383 223  20  58.2 2388 17 238.8
4. Leonard, Corey.    ASU  SO 11 349 182  15  52.1 2235 16 203.2
5. Lancaster, K…      ULM  JR 12 294 174  10  59.2 1866 13 155.5
6. Desormeaux, Mic    ULL  JR 11 242 133  10  55.0 1405 10 127.7
7. Younger, Wayne.  FIU  FR 11 265 121  17  45.7 1357  9 123.4
8. Dasher, Dwight.    MT  FR 10 159  89  3  56.0 1148  9 114.8
9. McCall, Paul…      FIU  SO 11  63  35  1  55.6  413  5  37.5
10.Morel, Connor..    ULL  SR 12  65  36  2  55.4  438  1  36.5

He threw the most attempts but still had only 9 interceptions.  He attempted almost twice as many times as Desormeaux and still had one less interception.

Now Colt McCoy
YEAR CMP ATT YDS CMP% YPA LNG TD INT SACK RAT
2006 217 318 2570 68.2         8.08 72 29 7 14       161.82
2007 276 424 3303 65.1         7.79 62 22 18 24       139.16

Looks like the 2007 O-Line just didnt protect him and he made alot more bad decisions

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

To give some clarity to the Ark State game last season, Texas was up 21-3 about a quarter into the fourth quarter.  I imagine by this time they had replaced some of their starters on defense.  I say defense because the box score stats show Colt McCoy being the lone QB for the game, which IMO is very odd.

Oklahoma State was able to put 35 up on Texas towards the end of the season.  Oklahoma State also was up 21-0 :30 into the second quarter, somehow they gave that game away.  Oklahoma State also managed to thump us early and often.  We definitely progress quite a bit last season as the year went on.

Getting them early while working the rust off is crucial.  Having a QB and receivers that have been in the same system for several years now is also big.  Even though Texas' secondary is porous and somewhat weak, we have to use a balanced attack to win this game.  Concentrate solely on the passing game and they will make adjustments to take that away.  Use the passing game early to open up lanes for the backs would be my strategy and when going to the air, get the mismatch of experienced receiver vs first year CB or S.

I believe that this is a winnable game for us, even though there may be some long odds to it.
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

I ran the 2007 owls v. the 2007 longhorns on whatifsports.com with the exception that I removed charles from the RB position. Although this doesn't represent perfectly what we are up against I think the outcomes are pretty close to what people are expecting this year.

Average Score: FAU 27 Texas 41

FAU Wins 20% of the time, best win was 51-38 but most of them were 3 points or less.  Our worst loss was 62-20.

20% ain't bad against a national power though, and the 2 TD "spread" isn't really that much considering our ability to score quickly in the air.  If we win though it looks like it will be a close one…Heart Attack Owls all the way!

Florida Atlantic University Owls
2007 Sun Belt Football Champions 2007 New Orleans Bowl Champions 2008 Motor City Bowl Champions 2011 Sun Belt Basketball Champions No Bowls without Owls
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Re: ESPN article on texas---hope for us

SeminOWL2006 said

I ran the 2007 owls v. the 2007 longhorns on whatifsports.com with the exception that I removed charles from the RB position. Although this doesn't represent perfectly what we are up against I think the outcomes are pretty close to what people are expecting this year.

Average Score: FAU 27 Texas 41

FAU Wins 20% of the time, best win was 51-38 but most of them were 3 points or less.  Our worst loss was 62-20.

20% ain't bad against a national power though, and the 2 TD "spread" isn't really that much considering our ability to score quickly in the air.  If we win though it looks like it will be a close one…Heart Attack Owls all the way!

I did it for FAU vs FIU
at FIU

First score was 53 to 24

wow… eerily close. But then another run was 38-33.

Michigan State blew us out by 40 points the first game then lost by 29 points to us in the second game.

This is a strange system. You'd think each run would be roughly the same. At least the point margin should be similar and the same winners come out when the talent level is so different.
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