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UT hopes for less 'explosive' game
By JIMMY BURCH
Star-Telegram STAFF WRITER
STAR-TELEGRAM/SHARON M. STEINMAN
Ryan Palmer, left, and the Texas defense had a difficult time stopping Ted Ginn Jr. and Ohio State.
HOUSTON -- Texas fans will see less of defensive end Brian Robison in today's game against Rice.
The senior has dropped 10 pounds since a bout with pneumonia limited his playing time in last week's loss to top-ranked Ohio State.
But the slimmed-down Robison, like the rest of his defensive teammates, plans to cast a large shadow at 5 p.m. in Reliant Stadium when No. 8 Texas (1-1) meets Rice (0-2).
"I'm excited to get back out there and show people that we're still the same Texas defense we've always been," said Robison, who cited "uncharacteristic" breakdowns as the primary reason for last week's 24-7 loss to the Buckeyes.
"We made too many mental mistakes...and that's not us. It wasn't physical. It was mental. We just weren't in position to make the plays we needed to make."
That has led to a week of intense workouts in which Gene Chizik, Texas' co-defensive coordinator, said "nobody's position is sacred."
One player expected to regain a starting spot against Rice is cornerback Tarell Brown, who served a one-game suspension against Ohio State after his arrest on drug and weapon charges. The drug charge has been dropped.
The improvements Chizik seeks involve collecting more turnovers and giving up fewer big plays. Texas forced no turnovers against Ohio State.
The Longhorns have yet to intercept a pass this season despite daily drills aimed at enhancing defenders' pass-catching skills during camp.
Against Ohio State, Texas surrendered 11 "explosive" plays, which coaches define as runs of 12 or more yards and passes of 16 or more yards. When Texas defeated Ohio State in 2005, the Buckeyes had only seven explosive plays.
"I think turnovers come in cycles," Chizik said. "We're going to keep preaching it but, right now, we haven't been really good at it. Ultimately, we're not getting the job done on defense and that starts with me."
The upside, said Chizik, is that Texas' mistakes are "absolutely correctable, and they will be corrected."
In some ways, Robison said players might be more relaxed with their 21-game winning streak in the rearview mirror.
"It's kind of a relief to some guys that we don't have that pressure on our backs anymore," Robison said.
"You don't ever want to lose, but we're not too down about it. Against Rice, we just need to go out, make some plays and start another streak."
