Game Thread Game Two: #1 Ohio State 24, #2 Texas 7 (9/9/06)

[osugrad21]

DDN

Tom Archdeacon: Head game precedes OSU's big game


By Tom Archdeacon
Staff Writer

Friday, September 08, 2006

COLUMBUS ? He's worried about going to Austin and ending up with a "KICK ME" sign on the back of his head.
From the vaunted Texas Longhorns defense?
The one that held North Texas to just seven points and 95 yards while getting four sacks and 10 tackles for a loss last Saturday? The unit that's led by Frank "Nightmare" Okam, the 315-pound defensive tackle who's already making the NFL drool?
Nope.
T.J. Downing feared a fellow Ohio State lineman might abuse him on the eve of the No. 1 Bucks' trumpeted game at No. 2 Texas.
Tonight at the team hotel in Austin ? in what's quickly becoming a weekly tradition ? the Buckeyes' senior guard will turn his head into a cue ball save for that Mohawk pelt of hair that runs down the middle of his head.
Since he messed it up the first time he tried it alone, Downing will have linemate Kirk Barton shave the back of his head.
"He'll probably put KICK ME back there," Downing laughed. "But truthfully, I trust him on the field ? trust him with my life off it ? so I don't think he'd do anything bad to me."
The same can't be said for the Longhorns' defensive front.
"They're a smash-mouth bunch," Downing said. "They're big, tall, physical guys. They try to over-power you, push you into the backfield, collapse the pocket. Guys like that you got to hit, punch, fight. It's going to be a slugfest."
The Longhorns will have their sights set on Bucks' quarterback Troy Smith, who leads OSU much the way Vince Young led Texas past OSU and on to a national title last year.
Downing doesn't hesitate to praise Young, who's now in the NFL: "You saw him become a legendary figure in sports history by what he did in the Horseshoe last year."
That game ? which Texas won 25-22 thanks to Young's late-game TD pass ? sickens Downing:
"I won't watch the replay. I'd throw up watching it."
He knows Saturday's game will be an even tougher challenge:
"Texas fans feel like they were treated badly up here last year, so I think we'll go into a hostile environment. A lot of fans will have had some cocktails by game time and they'll be going nuts."
If he senses nervousness from any of the younger Buckeyes, he'll tell them:
"When you play for a team like Ohio State, there's no reason to be nervous. Walk up to the line thinking, 'I play for the best team in the country. That's the reason I came here. They signed me because I AM one of the best players in the country.'"
As for Downing, he was an All-Ohio lineman at GlenOaks High School in Canton. His dad, Walt Downing, was an All-America center at Michigan and played for the San Francisco 49ers when they beat the Bengals in Super Bowl XVI.
To ready himself for the game, T.J. said he listens to his music in the locker room: "A lot of Metallica, Pantera, a little Mega Death ? stuff that gets my blood flowing and gets me ready to rock."
And then there's that hair.
"I won't use a straight razor," he said. "I strictly go with a clippers set low, set on... ahh.....what do they call that setting?...Agile? Angle? Angus?..."
"Angus!!" He thought about what he'd just said and laughed:
"I guess Angus is not what I want to put on my head down in Texas."



DDN

Pettrey to kick for OSU; receiver Hall hurting


By the Dayton Daily News

Friday, September 08, 2006

COLUMBUS ? Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel announced Thursday that redshirt freshman Aaron Pettrey will handle kickoff and field-goal duties at Texas, although sophomore backup Ryan Pretorius also will make the trip.
Both kickers went 0-for-1 on field goals in the opener against Northern Illinois ? Pettrey missing from 44 yards, Pretorius from 51.
"Aaron will be our kicker, and Ryan has some game-time (experience), too," Tressel said. "We feel like we have two kickers who have been in there."
Tressel also said the team's third receiver, Roy Hall, is doubtful because of an ankle injury.
"Roy probably won't play, but he is traveling," Tressel said. "I'm hoping for a burst of adrenaline that might (help). Plus, he's a senior."


DDN

OSU, Texas build football success with homegrown talent


By Kyle Nagel
Staff Writer

Friday, September 08, 2006

In the moments after he won his first national championship, University of Texas football coach Mack Brown stood on the stage, accepted the trophy and, in his remarks to a national television audience, made a statement that forced plenty of grown men in the Lone Star State to feel like participants.
"First thing he said was: 'Thanks to the high school coaches in Texas,' " said Todd Dodge, coach of Southlake (Texas) Carroll High School, the powerhouse ranked seventh nationally by USA Today. "That made us feel special, like it was really Texas' team. Everyone knew they had a part."
It's such a feeling that makes Saturday's monumental meeting between No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Texas a little more than school against school.
Using their efforts to improve relationships with high school coaches and their savvy in recruiting, Brown and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel have filled their rosters with some of the best talent their states have to offer. Consider that four out of every five players on each team graduated from a high school in that state.
Saturday's matchup is the closest thing possible to an all-star game between two states jockeying for position on the list of best prep football in the country, said prominent high school coaches in Ohio and Texas. Not only that, but their successes have rallied even nonfootball fans around the boys in pads as a sense of state pride.
It's the battle of state capitals, the Midwest versus the South, live from Austin.
"For the first time since Woody Hayes was there," said Kerry Coombs, the Cincinnati Colerain High School coach, "it really feels like it's Ohio against the country."
Tressel and relationships
Here's a Jim Tressel story about building relationships:
In 1995, Cleveland St. Ignatius ? arguably the most powerful program in recent Ohio history ? was looking for a 10th game on its schedule. St. Ignatius coach Chuck Kyle, the dean of Ohio high school coaches whose teams have won nine state titles, talked with Harrisburg (Pa.) High School about a matchup, but neither school wanted to drive to the other.
The Youngstown State coach, Tressel, caught wind of the problem and offered a solution.
"Why don't you just play at our place?" Tressel said to Kyle.
The location satisfied the travel issues for both schools. Tressel, who went 135-57-2, won four national championships and was a four-time Division I-AA coach of the year at Youngstown state, even stayed to watch and ensure everything ran smoothly.
Kyle said many coaches around Ohio have similar stories about Tressel, a northeast Ohio native who grew up watching and playing small-college football while his father, Lee, coached Baldwin-Wallace.
"When Ohio State hired him," Kyle said, "you could've heard plenty of cheers from high school coaches if you were driving up I-71."
Staying at home
Even though each Division I-A school is allowed just 85 scholarships, Ohio State's roster lists 112 players. Of those, 76, or 68 percent, graduated from Ohio high schools.
The number is even more impressive for Texas, where 101 of its 110 players came from Texas high schools.
Although OSU has 36 out-of-state players, that ratio doesn't show on the two-deep. Sixteen of the Buckeyes' 22 starters on offense and defense are from Ohio, including 10 of the 11 offensive starters.
When combined, the Ohio State and Texas depth charts include 36 of 44 starters and 75 of 88 members of the two-deep from their home states.
Put another way, if a player is on the field Saturday, there's about an 84 percent chance he graduated from a high school in that state, probably even rooting for the uniform he's now wearing. It's largely Ohio's boys against Texas' boys.
"Look at last year's game," said Anthony Criss, who coached three of the current UT players at Arlington Bowie High School. "If it comes down to the last minute, you'll see someone make a play to make the entire state proud. These players know that."
Brown and relationships
Here's a Mack Brown story about building relationships:
In the winter of 2003, after receiver Limas Sweed had already signed his national letter of intent with Texas out of Brenham High School, Brown called Brenham coach Glen West to say he would like to visit.
West expected the usual big-school-coach drop-by. Instead, Brown showed up with an assistant a half-hour early and chatted so surprisingly and genuinely in the principal's office that West never got a chance to ask him to sit down. They stood and talked for close to two hours.
Then West asked Brown if he could have an autograph for his wife and daughters, who all were at the local elementary school.
"Let's go see them," Brown said.
Soon ? but after West refused to let Brown ride in his 1989 Toyota Corolla with the mounds of paperwork ("the nastiest thing you ever saw") ? they arrived, and Brown spent another 90 minutes visiting the elementary school.
Brown even whispered to the Brenham superintendent, gesturing to West, "You need to pay him more or you're going to lose him."
West now drives a school-issued Suburban.
"When someone's a fake, you eventually get to know the real person," West said. "But it's been nine years, and he's been the same genuine guy for all nine."
Recruiting the best
Tressel's first full recruiting class signed its letters of intent Feb. 6, 2002. Five of the six players ranked in the Rivals.com Top 100 from Ohio joined the Buckeyes.
Since, Tressel has recruited Ohio at a staggering pace. In the past four seasons, 26 of the 40 players ranked in Ohio's Top 10 have agreed to play for Ohio State, although not all have stayed with the program.
Brown has faced greater competition for players in Texas, but he has fared well. In the past four years, he has signed 16 of the 40 Top 10 players in Texas. He has already received verbal commitments from 13 of the Top 20 in the Class of 2007.
"Tress does a great job of teaching the kids the history of the school and the history of the state," said Ted Ginn Sr., who coached seven current members of the OSU team at Cleveland Glenville High School. "He lets them know that they're playing for Ohio."
Supporters of the Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, which pits some of Ohio's top programs against schools from around the country, hope the event can provide some bragging rights for the better-prep-state debate.
Coombs, whose Colerain team topped Tyler (Texas) Lee, 27-12, on the event's inaugural night last September, visited Lee the spring before the game.
"They put incredible resources in high school football in the state of Texas that football coaches in Ohio are envious of," Coombs said. "But not for one minute do coaches or kids feel like we take a back seat to any other state when it comes to high school football."
Now the players get a chance to prove it in a prime-time, 1 versus 2 gargantuan matchup.
"I've always heard Ohio, Texas, Florida have the best players coming out of high schools to college teams," said Quinn Pitcock, the Ohio State senior defensive end from Piqua High School. "We're proud to represent Ohio."
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7389 or [email protected]
Signing day success
Both Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and Texas coach Mack Brown have made it a priority to recruit the best players in their own states. Here's a look at their numbers, based on state and national rankings from Rivals.com:
Ohio State
2002: 5 of 6 Ohio players in national Top 100
2003: 6 of top 10 in Ohio, 11 of top 20, 13 of top 50
2004: 6 of top 10, 10 of top 20, 11 of top 50
2005: 7 of top 10, 9 of top 20, 11 of top 50
2006: 7 of top 10, 9 of top 20, 10 of top 50
2007: 5 of top 14 players committed
Last four signings: 26 of 40 in top 10, 39 of 80 in top 20
Texas
2002: 7 of 14 Texas players in national Top 100
2003: 4 of top 10 in Texas, 6 of top 20, 18 of top 100
2004: 3 of top 10, 7 of top 20, 20 of top 100
2005: 3 of top 10, 5 of top 20, 11 of top 100
2006: 6 of top 10, 10 of top 20, 21 of top 100
2007: 13 of top 20 players committed
Last four signings: 16 of 40 in top 10, 28 of 80 in top 20
PosPlayerHigh SchoolGrad. Ohio rank*OFFENSE WRRoy HallLyndhurst Brush2002 LTAlex BooneLakewood St. Edward20051 LGTim SchaferUpper Arlington2002 CDoug DatishHowland (Warren)200268 RGT.J. DowningCanton GlenOak2002 RTKirk BartonMassillon Perry200346 TERory NicolBeaver Area (Pa.)2004 WRTed Ginn Jr.Cleve. Glenville20041 QBTroy SmithCleve. Glenville2002 TBAntonio PittmanAkron Buchtel20046 WRAnthony GonzalezCleve. St.Ignatius20037
DEFENSE DEJay RichardsonDublin Scioto2002 DTDavid PattersonWarrensville Heights20035 DTQuinn PitcockPiqua 200272 DEVernon GholstonCass Technical (Detroit)2004 SLBMarcus FreemanWayne2004
3 MLBJames LaurinaitisHamel Wayzata (Minn.)2005 WLBJohn KerrCleve. St.Ignatius2002 CBMalcolm JenkinsPiscataway (N.J.)2005 CBAntonio SmithBeechcroft (Columbus)2002 FSNick PattersonHazelwood Central (St. Louis)2004 SSBrandon MitchellMays (Atlanta)2002
*-Player's ranking among Ohio prep recruts, according to Rivals.com, which started state-by-state rankings with the Class of 2003. For Class of 2002, rank is in national Top 100 Source: Ohio State, as of Sept. 4

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Ginn adjusts
OSU junior flanker Ted Ginn Jr. seemed unfazed by the suspension of Texas cornerback Tarell Brown, who was arrested early Monday on misdemeanor drug and weapon charges.
Ginn said it was Texas senior Aaron Ross, No. 31, who held him to two catches for nine yards in last year's matchup. This summer when Ginn studied film of the opposing defensive backs he would face this season, he expected Ross, the starter on the left side, to be assigned to him again.
``I did a lot of study on both corners, but more on 31,'' Ginn said on a conference call. ``I really didn't know too much about 5 (Brown).''
Brown, a senior, is considered Texas' top cover corner. Junior Brandon Foster or sophomore Ryan Palmer is expected to take his place in the lineup.
Brown's attorney, Jamie Balagia, told ESPN.com on Wednesday that Brown's drug screening for cocaine and marijuana came up negative and that Brown would make a plea to Texas coach Mack Brown to play Saturday.
No matter who is assigned to him, Ginn is ready for attention after catching TD passes of 5 and 58 yards last week against Northern Illinois.
``A year ago we had 'Tone and a lot of things were implemented for 'Tone. Now things are implemented for me,'' Ginn said, referring to the departed Santonio Holmes. ``This year, guys are going to know me and play hard against me. I've got to be ready for the double, the quick jam.
``I've come a long way learning the position. I've become a complete receiver, catching, blocking, doing everything. I want to make myself known. Let them know I'm on the field.''
Raves for `Beanie'
Tressel called Saturday's debut of freshman tailback Chris ``Beanie'' Wells of Garfield ``excellent.''
Wells rushed 10 times for 50 yards and a TD, with a long gain of 12 yards. One negative: he lost a fumble at the Northern Illinois 2.
``There are some fundamental things he needs to get better at, but he's not alone,'' Tressel said. ``Obviously, we can't have the ball on the ground, and he knows that. I think if he continues to grow the way he has been growing, he's absolutely going to be a big part of who we are.''
Buckeyes . . .
This week's two-deep has John Kerr or freshman Ross Homan from Coldwater listed as the starting weak-side linebacker. Tressel said both would play, but Homan seems to be catching up after missing time in fall camp with a hamstring injury.... Tressel said on his weekly call-in radio show Thursday that redshirt freshman Aaron Pettrey will handle field goals and kickoffs against the Longhorns and that starting flanker Roy Hall (ankle) is doubtful. If Hall sits out for the second straight game, sophomore Brian Robiskie again will take over.... Freshman end Robert Rose of Glenville will join the defensive line rotation, Tressel said.

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

COLLEGE FOOTBALL



Friday, September 08, 2006 Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter
Columbus -- If you see Ohio State players looking like they're getting plugged in on the sideline at Texas on Saturday night, they're not recharging their batteries. They're cooling down.
One of the devices the Buckeyes will use with the temperature for kickoff at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. Texas time) expected to be about 92 degrees, is a new shirt from Nike. A tube goes into an opening at the back of the shirt. The other end hooks into a system that blows 45-degree air into chambers sewn into the front and back of the tight-fitting top worn under the pads.
"It's something we wouldn't normally do, but we figured we'd give it a shot," Ohio State trainer Doug Calland said. "There haven't been a lot of studies on it, but Texas used it last week and their players loved it."
More importantly, the Buckeyes have been guzzling water for days. Typically, they start drinking on Thursday to make sure they're hydrated for a Saturday game. This week, that started on Monday. At morning meetings, players were required to take a 24-ounce bottle of water or Gatorade with them and it had to be empty when the meeting ended an hour later.
"If we had started Thursday, we missed it, it would have been too late," said Eric Lichter, OSU's director of football performance.
Players also were to eat four or five meals a day to ensure they were getting enough food to keep up their sodium and potassium levels. Cold towels to the head will be a big part of game day as well. And head coach Jim Tressel said the coaches have a plan to get 57 players into the game in the first quarter, substituting liberally to keep everyone fresh.
"The last thing is to not have any anxiety about it," Lichter said. "We had conditioning when it was 98 degrees out here, and it was humid. The heat's there. So what. Play."
All Smith:
A year ago, Ohio State was preparing to play Texas with two quarterbacks. Troy Smith and Justin Zwick alternated series in the Buckeyes' 25-22 loss. In the 11 games since, Smith has completed 162 of 251 passes (64.5 percent) for 2,501 yards and 19 touchdowns.
"I think everyone has a little more comfort zone knowing how it's going to be in the huddle," OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman said. "Everyone has a pretty good idea what he's capable of."
"I'm happy we have one quarterback," said receiver Ted Ginn Jr. "That's all we have to worry about. We don't have to worry about two guys having a competition."
With the rematch a day away, this is the last time this can be asked. Did rotating the quarterbacks cost Ohio State that game? Tressel, for one, said he wouldn't go back and change the rotation, he just wishes he'd called some different plays.
"It's not something you want to do, but we always felt we tried to do it as best we could," quarterbacks coach Joe Daniels said. "I don't know that there's a whole lot we could have done differently."
Smith, while admitting it was much easier to settle in while getting the majority of the first-team reps during this preseason, refused to think about the what-ifs.
"People forget the pass in the end zone that was bobbled was a pass Justin threw," Smith said. "We catch that pass, the game is over."
Texas, by the way, could possibly play two quarterbacks, but not in a rotation. Redshirt freshman Colt McCoy won the job in camp and threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, but true freshman Jevan Snead played three series in the opener.
"We will start Colt and let the game dictate who plays," Texas coach Mack Brown said.




CPD


OSU fans to boot Texans from familiar spots



Friday, September 08, 2006 Dennis Manoloff

Plain Dealer Reporter
Bob Guilda is a popular figure in Austin, Texas, these days. As president of The Ohio State University Alumni Association/Austin Chapter, it is understandable.
Countless phone calls and e-mails center not so much on Saturday's OSU-Texas game. What the people want to know from Guilda is: How are the Longhorn faithful bracing for a Buckeye stampede?
An Austin-area resident since 1991, Guilda excitedly tells one and all to come on down and find out, if at all possible.
"It's going to be quite a sight," he said by phone from his office.
How many will congregate and pledge allegiance to Scarlet and Gray, no one knows for certain. Guilda's lieutenant, Bruce Brandel, was quoted in a Texas paper as saying, "We're projecting 35,000 or 40,000 people."
What's also uncertain is how Brandel could have arrived at such a number.
OSU's ticket allotment is 4,000. As of Dec. 31, 2005, a total of 8,329 OSU alumni lived in Texas, according to the school's database.
Guilda said the estimate is derived from several factors, including calls to hotels, Web site hits and, most importantly, word on the street from ticket brokers. Guilda has heard from at least one broker who thinks 20,000 fans with a rooting interest in the Buckeyes will wind up in the stadium at some point during the game.
Imagine just as many outside, and the 40,000 figure comes into focus.
The OSU hierarchy will be fine with a large crowd, as long as it does not carry with it the stench of controversy. Last fall, following the Texas-OSU game in Columbus, Buckeye Nation took heat when some Texas fans complained of being subjected to unruly behavior. It triggered an apology from OSU President Karen Holbrook.
OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith is optimistic heading into round two. Asked whether he anticipated fan problems, Smith said: "Not really."
In his version of preventive maintenance, Texas coach Mack Brown has urged Longhorn fans to cheer hard for their team - but make sure to do so within the framework of good sportsmanship.
One Texas fan is not listening and had a letter published recently in the Columbus Dispatch in which he advised Buckeyes fans to stay in groups; be careful where they go; and, avoid Sixth Street because it will be "dangerous."
What Guilda and other alumni have heard is that Longhorn fans are annoyed about OSU alumni having rented the Erwin Center, home of the Texas basketball teams, for three hours Saturday afternoon. Pro-OSU events also are planned for Stubb's, a local barbecue and music spot.
"It's not our fault we rented the Erwin facility," Guilda said. "We're bringing a lot of business to the area. I don't think Ohio State fans are going to come down here and act like they're taking over. They're just here to have a great time."



CPD



Cash flow fuels top programs



Friday, September 08, 2006 Story by Doug Lesmerises

Plain Dealer Reporter Columbus - The millions of fans watching on ABC won't be able to smell it as the top two college football teams in the country kick off just after 8 p.m. on Saturday. Inside Royal-Memorial Stadium, though, with the bands playing and the fans standing, the scent will be unmistakable. That's not barbecue. That's money. It's not just a matchup of No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the polls when the Ohio State and Texas football teams meet up. It's a showdown of the two largest athletic departments in the country. In the 2005-06 school year, Ohio State's athletic department brought in $101.5 million to become the first $100 million sports school in the country. But Texas isn't far behind. The numbers aren't all in, but Ed Goble, the Texas associate athletics director for business, said Thursday the final revenue will be around $95 million. That makes Saturday nearly a $200 million game. Most of that comes from football. Ohio State football brought in $35.8 million last year. Texas estimates it will bring in between $4 million and $5 million from Saturday's game, as it does for all home games. Ohio State said it averages $4.8 million per home football game, and makes a profit of between $3.4 million and $3.7 million for each game. All that means the Buckeyes, like the Longhorns, are among the handful of schools that don't take money from the university to prop up sports programs.

 

[osugrad21]

Canton Rep

[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Texas wary of Pittman[/FONT]
Friday, September 8, 2006 [FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]

COLUMBUS - It didn't take Mack Brown long to ponder what kind of game he'd like to see Saturday night.
The head coach of the defending national champion Longhorns has a redshirt freshman at quarterback. He'd like to control the football, eat some clock and hope Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith has an off night.
Texas may not be the only team capable of controlling the football when the top-ranked Buckeyes head to Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman has emerged as one of the Big Ten's top backs, though he has not received much attention nationally.
Coupled with the Buckeyes' veteran offensive line, running the football against a Mid-American Conference opponent wasn't all that difficult last week vs. Northern Illinois. A better test will be against a Texas defense that returns seven starters, including five from the front seven.
Personally, I think Antonio Pittman is one of the best backs, if not the best running back in the country, Smith said. But I'm a little biased, and I don't care.
Ohio State finished last season with seven straight wins. In five of those games, Pittman rushed for more than 100 yards.
Yet much of the attention from Ohio State fans is on freshman Chris Beanie Wells. He ran hard and strong in the Buckeyes' opener. In fact, Tressel favored Wells over Pittman in short-yardage situations, and it paid off. Wells, however, lost a fumble inside Northern Illinois 10-yard line.
Well, Beanie is going to be a good player, and I think his debut was excellent, Tressel said. Obviously, we can't have the ball on the ground, and he knows that. If he continues to grow the way he's been growing, he's going to be a big part of who we are.
But Tressel has made it clear, going out of his way to do so, that Pittman is the team's starting running back.
Brown is painfully aware of what Pittman gives Ohio State's offense. He adds a second dimension that takes some of the attention, and pressure, away from Smith.
Pittman didn't score his first rushing touchdown until the eighth game of the season a year ago. He got into the end zone last week. As usual, he ran over the right side of the line where Kirk Barton and T.J. Downing, two Stark County linemen, opened the hole.
That was a great feeling, Pittman said. But what's important to me is winning. It doesn't matter how many yards I get or touchdowns I score. As long as we win.
If Pittman rushes for more than 100 yards, and Smith has the same kind of game he has had the last three games, Ohio State's offense should be in fine shape.
But it was an offense that sputtered on the road, and at night, against Penn State last year. Smith was out of sync. Pittman had just 15 carries and 58 yards.
There was no synergy that night.
After the Penn State loss, a meeting with Smith, Pittman and Tressel seemed to cure the problem.
I feel any time we touch the ball, we should be able to score, Smith said. Without a doubt. There should be no reason why we can't. If we don't score, then it's our own wrongdoing.
The test this week will be tougher. Texas doesn't give up many points; the Longhorns were eighth in the country in scoring defense last season, and Mack Brown's attention isn't all on Smith.
Antonio Pittman is a back who can score on every play, a lot like Jamaal Charles for us, Brown said. Pittman is just a little bigger. Chris Wells ... they're comparing him to Jim Brown, which in my experience is a pretty good comparison for a rookie coming in. He ran over a lot of people from Northern Illinois last week.

BUCKEYES Ohio State's 48-foot long tractor-trailor left Columbus on Thursday for the 19-hour drive to Austin. The truck, painted scarlet and gray, has been provided by former Buckeye Ken Blair III and his father, Ken Blair Jr. ... Mack Brown on the excitement in Austin about Saturdays game: I think it'll be one of the most exciting games in the history of this school and this city. I don't think the fact that we moved to No. 2 will make any difference, because it was that way anyway.... Brown played it close to the vest regarding who will cover Ted Ginn Jr. since starting CB Tarell Brown has been suspended. Ginn said he expects Aaron Ross to cover him, since that is who drew most of the assignments in last year's game. ... This is Ohio State's first regular-season game in the state of Texas since playing SMU in the Cotton Bowl in 1976.

Canton Rep

[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Early but lots on the line in OSU-Texas game[/FONT]
Friday, September 8, 2006 [FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]By JIM VERTUNO AP Sports Writer[/FONT]

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — It’s early September and the national championship won’t be decided until January.
Yet, for No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Texas, their title chances could be on the line Saturday night in a rematch of last year’s classic in Columbus.
One stumble, one fumble, one blocked kick or incredible catch could change the course of the season for both teams. Again.
Just look at last year when these teams battled back and forth before two late scores gave Texas a 25-22 victory. Ohio State still made it to the Fiesta Bowl, but Texas built on the confidence and momentum from that victory, turning it into an undefeated season capped by a Rose Bowl win over Southern California.
“We made one more play than they did to win the game,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “If we had lost that game, we would not have played for the national championship.”
In an age of cupcake nonconference schedules, that’s what makes this game — in Austin this year — so dangerous for both teams. A loss drops them back into the pack and looking for outside help to get back into the title chase.
Like this year, the 2005 version was played in the second week and was the most-anticipated nonconference game of the season.
Last season, Vince Young led the No. 2 Longhorns north to face the fourth-ranked Buckeyes. Both teams were loaded with veteran talent and primed for a championship run. A screaming crowd of more than 100,000 at the Horseshoe knew what was at stake.
“I thought it was unbelievable,” Brown said. “You couldn’t hear at all.”
Against an Ohio State defense that would send more than half its starters to the NFL in a few months, Young was crushed under a pile of Buckeyes on an early run. When he got up, he complimented them on the hard hits.
It was playful trash talk, but likely stunned defenders who thought they had given the quarterback their best shot.
Texas bolted ahead 10-0, then watched quarterback Troy Smith come off the bench to rally the Buckeyes to a 16-13 halftime lead.
That Smith didn’t start — or play more — has bedeviled Buckeyes fans for a year. Even though he was coming off an NCAA suspension, many thought he should have started over Justin Zwick. But coach Jim Tressel kept rotating the two even though Zwick could manage to lead his team only to one field goal.
The Buckeyes came up with three turnovers in Texas territory and managed only a field goal each time. The biggest surprise was All-American linebacker A.J. Hawk, after an interception, getting taken down by Longhorns freshman tailback Jamaal Charles, who gave up 45 pounds to Hawk.
“That might have been the telling play of the game,” Brown said afterward. “If he doesn’t tackle him, he may take it back to score.”
Ohio State’s Ted Ginn Jr. returned the second half kickoff across midfield, but the drive stalled again when a sure TD pass bounced off the chest of Ryan Hamby.
Hamby received hate mail from fans after the game, but that’s how it went for Ohio State that night.
The Buckeyes were still ahead 22-16 when Young found a groove. On Texas’ winning drive, he completed two third-down passes, then hit Limas Sweed in the corner of the end zone with 2:37 to play.
Sweed juggled the ball but held on just as he hit the ground, inbounds by a few inches. The play held up under review and the extra point made it 23-22.
“I keep (seeing) that last play because it was such an unbelievable catch,” said Buckeyes offensive lineman Kirk Barton, who has watched a tape of the game dozens of times. “He had like one foot down in the end zone and you’re like, ’Is his foot really down?’ Then you go back and try to erase it.”
Texas prevented a potential go-ahead field goal with a sack on Zwick that forced him to fumble. The Longhorns capped the night when Smith was tackled in the end zone for a safety for the final points.
When the game was over, the crowd was silenced while the Texas players danced on the field. Their road to the Rose Bowl had just begun.
Ohio State was left looking forward to the rematch — 12 months away then, only days away now.
Recounting the game this week, Brown called it a “classic” and “one of the best in the history of college football.”
Easy for him to say. He won. The Buckeyes still get a sick feeling when they think of opportunity lost on the field.
“The feeling in the locker room after the Texas game and taking your jersey off, I mean, it’s like you got hit by a car,” Barton said. “You’re done.”

 

[osugrad21]

SI

Senators wager on Texas-Ohio State

Posted: Thursday September 7, 2006 10:35PM; Updated: Thursday September 7, 2006 10:35P

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Two U.S. senators are raising the stakes of Saturday's Ohio State-Texas football game with what some might call a "sweet" wager.
If Texas wins, Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, will deliver his wife's homemade, chocolate-covered peanut butter Buckeye candies to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. If Ohio State wins, Hutchison will give DeWine some of Texas' own Blue Bell ice cream.
The loser will present the winner with their home state treat on Capitol Hill sometime next week.
"My kids and grandkids have been anticipating the game for weeks and Buckeye fever is sweeping my office," DeWine said. "I look forward to enjoying Texas' finest ice cream and an Ohio State victory."
Hutchison, a UT graduate, had some tough talk of her own.
"I commend Senator DeWine for his brave wager against a strong Texas football force but can't wait to celebrate another victory on Saturday in a sea of burnt orange," she said. "Hook 'em!"
The Longhorns beat the Buckeyes 25-22 last season in Columbus, Ohio, on their way to the national championship.

 

[osugrad21]

Blade

Buckeyes cool about forecast of Texas heat
Tressel says hydration is key for Ohio State


By MATT MARKEY
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

AUSTIN, Texas ? One statistic missing from the lengthy log that chronicled the 56-7 win last weekend by No. 2 Texas over a grossly undermanned North Texas team was strictly an environmental issue.

It was something better measured by barometers, thermometers and other sophisticated weather instruments than by yards and touchdowns.

In the brutal late summer Texas heat, the misery index was significant, and not just for North Texas. The head count on those fans needing medical attention after facing that oppressive heat surpassed 400. The air temperature for the 11 a.m. kickoff was 87 degrees, it was 97 by halftime, and 100 in the game?s latter stages.

It was hot, hot, hot. And it will be hot again tomorrow evening when the No. 1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes face the Longhorns in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The later start will make the game?s finish more bearable, but the overall environment should be almost as taxing.

The forecast here calls for temperatures in the mid-90s and a steamy early evening with not much wind.

But Ohio State senior quarterback Troy Smith, who will no doubt be the focus of any heat the Texas defense is able to generate, said the Buckeyes are prepared for the elements.

?I know it?s hot down there, and the field will have the whole day to heat up, but I really don?t think it will affect us too much,? Smith said earlier this week. ?We?ve been preparing for this and we have a plan for keeping everybody hydrated throughout the game. You have to be able to deal with the weather no matter where you play or when, whether it?s the heat early in the season or the cold in November, so we?ll be ready for it.?

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel has used the lights at Ohio Stadium to prepare his team for night games, and used piped-in noise in the indoor practice facility to simulate excessively raucous crowds the Buckeyes might face in different venues.
But duplicating the Texas heat is not something even Ohio State can pull off.

?There really isn?t any way to prepare for it, because there?s no way to simulate that kind of heat,? Tressel said. ?We?ve had lots of humidity here, but that?s not the same thing. To me, the keys to dealing with the heat is the fact that really hydration is what it?s all about.?

Tressel said he has called on players on the Ohio State team, trainers, doctors and coaches with the Buckeyes who have played and coached in games where intense heat was a factor. He said that having an excellent foundation in training puts the Buckeyes in the best position to function optimally in the heat.

?Hydration is what handling heat is all about, so we?ve got to do a great job with the hydration,? Tressel said. ?We?ve got to do a great job with making sure we enter the fray as rested and hydrated as we possibly can. And I think the other thing is ? I think we need to take a lesson from Texas in that you have to be committed in that type of heat to substituting.?

Tressel said his staff will be committed to rotating as many players as possible into the game, and not assume that any individual can tough it out. He said the way heat impacts the human system is a reality.

?I just think that that?s something that you?re kidding yourself about, if you think someone?s going to just rise up and handle things like this kind of heat, just because they?re tough,? Tressel said. ?You know, the body is the body. So I think we?ve got to do a good job with our substitutions as well as keeping everyone hydrated.?

Texas coach Mack Brown said most of his players grew up in the state and are acclimated to the conditions they?ll face. ?They?re used to being in this heat, but we?ve also done a lot of work as a staff to fully understand this issue, and determine the best ways to deal with it,? Brown said.

The University of Texas Human Performance Laboratory studied more than two dozen Longhorns football players over the past summer, chronicling their performances in high temperature conditions. Brown also has dictated that his players incorporate hydration into their regular routine year-round.

Ohio State senior defensive tackle David Patterson said the Buckeyes have been on that bandwagon for some time, as well.

?We know the heat is an issue we?ll have to deal with this weekend,? Patterson said, ?but we didn?t just start talking about hydration because we?re playing Texas. It?s just part of your regular training, part of the routine. We worked out in plenty of heat and humidity in Columbus all summer, and every guy knows what he has to do to keep himself in the best condition to play at his best, come game time.?

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Police prepare for OSU invasion

By Nolan Hicks

In preparation for Saturday's football game against Ohio State University, local and state law enforcement agencies are executing plans to boost patrols and increase enforcement.

In addition to the thousands of UT fans attending the game, as many as 40,000 Buckeye fans are expected to arrive in Austin this weekend.

The UT Police Department began planning for the game during the spring semester to prepare for potentially tens of thousands of Buckeye fans, said Lt. Gonzalo Gonzalez, head of UTPD's Special Event Security department.

UTPD's efforts include scheduling extra officers to work this weekend and utilizing resources from the Travis County Sheriff's Office and Austin Independent School District's police force. These extra officers will arrive earlier than normal, helping to establish a police presence before the crowds arrive, Gonzales said. The purpose is to "project force" to deter misbehavior, he said.

These security enhancements are in addition to the creation of a central drop-off point for stadium deliveries. This centralization of deliveries allows UTPD to inspect packages with bomb- sniffing dogs before they enter the stadium, Gonzales said. This is a new security measure for this year, he said.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission also plans to step up enforcement activities beginning Friday, said Lt. Robert Saenz with TABC's Austin Regional Office.

TABC plans to have between 18 and 20 agents out on foot patrolling the tailgating parties, instead of the usual six, Saenz said. The agency also plans to carefully monitor parties on Sixth Street and West Campus before and after the 7 p.m. football game, he said.

During a Thursday afternoon press conference, APD Assistant Chief of Police Charles Ortiz announced the department would increase patrols around Sixth Street, the Drag and West Campus this weekend. APD won't be deviating too much from similar actions it has taken during previous "big games," he said.

The police expect UT fans to exhibit "great sportsmanship," he said, adding that police expect nothing out of the ordinary for this game but are prepared for contingencies.

There are no official estimates on the cost of the increased security, but "we will do whatever it takes to keep people safe regardless of the cost," said Ed Goble, UT associate athletics director for intercollegiate athletics.

"We want people to have fun, but we want them to be safe," Gonzalez said.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

The new X-factor
JASON LLOYD, Morning Journal Writer
09/08/2006

Email to a friendPost a CommentPrinter-friendly

COLUMBUS -- Even after Vince Young led Texas to a national championship last year, Longhorns coach Mack Brown was still convinced Young was coming back for his senior year.


It wasn't until the morning of Young's press conference, when he called Brown and told him there was something he wanted to talk about, did Brown know he was about to lose his star.

''As my good friend (North Carolina basketball coach) Roy Williams told me, as soon as you win it, you have to go back to work,'' Brown said. ''As soon as Vince left, I said, ?I'm back to work.'''

Brown's work took him to redshirt freshman Colt McCoy, the son of a Texas high school football coach and now the new leader of the Longhorns.

McCoy might be inexperienced, but Brown believes he has the maturity to handle the pressures that come with leading the defending national champions. Against North Texas last Saturday, he was 12-of-19 for 178 yards and three touchdowns. One minute into his career as a starter, he hit Buckeye killer Limas Sweed for a 60-yard touchdown.

''Colt was raised by a coach. He's been to every clinic and camp,'' Brown said. ''He's prepared to be the quarterback at Texas his entire life.''

That may be, but Ohio State would still seem to have the decided advantage at quarterback this year, much like Texas had it last year with Young.

Now it's Ohio State with the quarterback who wears No. 10, gives opposing defenses fits and looks like a Heisman Trophy candidate. Young officially entered the running last year following his game at Ohio Stadium and finished second to Reggie Bush. He also led the Longhorns over USC and to a national championship.

Most everyone has spent this week trying to compare Smith and Young, but Smith disregards the comparisons. The only thing he likes about the similarities is the fact Young and Texas won the championship last year.

''I don't know if Troy likes being compared to Vince, but they definitely have like a sixth sense,'' OSU right tackle Kirk Barton said. ''They work hard to make sure that their team doesn't lose. They're both unbelievable. Vince probably put on one of the best performances in college football history in the Rose Bowl, and he did it the previous year in the Rose Bowl (vs. Michigan) and then he did it against us.''

Similarly, Smith has put up two incredible performances against Michigan and a third last year against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl.

''When you see those great performances and they start getting strung together,'' Barton said, ''you really start thinking that maybe they do have a sixth sense.''

Brown is one of the best authorities to speak on the comparisons after having Young around for so many years and then watching Smith on film and in person. He fully expects Smith to follow Young's lucrative path to the NFL.

''I think they're the same guy -- one's taller,'' Brown said. Young is 6-foot-5, while Smith is right around 6 feet.

''They make plays with their feet,'' Brown said. ''Because they run so well, they don't get credit for throwing as well as they do. Vince just made $50 million from the Titans and I expect Troy to be signing a similar contract next year.''

Smith doesn't think he's much different of a quarterback than he was a year ago at this time. The statistics would prove otherwise. Until that point, he had just one 200-yard passing game in his career.

Since then, he's gone over 200 yards in seven of his last eight starts and over 295 in five of his last six.

If Ohio State is able to leave Austin tomorrow night with a win, it will likely be due to Smith and the decided advantage Ohio State has at quarterback this year. Smith has proven time and again he has a knack for making big plays during big games.

''I wouldn't say that I'm much better, but I'm a lot more comfortable,'' Smith said. ''I have a more comfortable feeling, and once you starting getting comfortable in anything and everything you do, you're going to play better.''

This year, Smith might just be the best.

 

[bchorn]

Inside UT Football

Here's some interesting stuff about Tarrell Brown, the lack of big plays in the Texas running game against North Texas, whether Drew Kelson and Sergio Kindle will play, and Colt McCoy/Troy Smith.

I personally think the only way that TS plays as poorly as he predicts will be if Texas can constant pressure with their front four.

? ? ?

Dallas Morning News Texas beat writer Chip Brown answers your Longhorns football questions every Friday in this column exclusively for DallasNews.com. E-mail your questions to Chip, and check out more on the Longhorns in our Texas area.
No. 1 vs. No. 2 even affects the airport

01:54 AM CDT on Friday, September 8, 2006

Look, we all know it's big

You don't need me, Kirk Herbstreit or Brent Musberger to tell you this game Saturday night between No. 1 and No. 2 is big. I'll let the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport tell you how big it is.

Continental, Delta, Frontier and Southwest airlines are adding flights and upsizing aircraft to accommodate the estimated 35,000 fans arriving from Ohio.

Southwest is adding two Austin-Columbus charter flights for the Ohio State band and staff.

Continental is adding five inbound flights from Columbus and Cleveland on Friday. On Sunday, Continental is adding six departures to Columbus and Cleveland, and the aircraft will be upsized from a 155-seat 737-800 to a 757-300 with 216 seats.

Delta is adding one nonstop flight to Cincinnati on Sunday. Frontier is adding two nonstop flights to Columbus on Sunday.

Now, that's big.

LONGHORNS Q&A

Q: Did Mack Brown do the right thing suspending Tarell Brown and Tyrell Gatewood for Saturday's game after they were arrested with former Texas linebacker Aaron Harris on Monday? Their attorney says their drug tests were negative.

Carlton, Fort Worth

BROWN: Sorry, Carlton, I was momentarily distracted by the news that Paris Hilton has been busted for DUI. (Frankly, I'm shocked it took this long.) While we're on the subject of driving erratically, yes, Mack Brown did the right thing. When the entire college football universe is watching your team this week, don't give pundits any reason to take shots at you for going soft on your program's mission statement: character and family atmosphere. Let's say Tarell Brown did have a negative drug test, as his attorney says. And let's say Tarell Brown was holding Gatewood's gun so that he'd remember to take it inside the apartment he shares with Gatewood and then fell asleep. He's still out with a guy who's smoking marijuana (Harris, who admitted that to authorities, according to the arrest affidavit). And he's still out at about 3 a.m. on Monday, when the team has to practice only hours later for arguably the biggest home game ever. Mack Brown absolutely did the right thing.

? ? ?

Q: How will the absence of Tarell Brown and Tyrell Gatewood affect Saturday's game? Is Texas dead in the water when it comes to Troy Smith hooking up with Ted Ginn Jr.?

Frank, Dallas

BROWN: Texas will not win or lose Saturday because Tarell Brown isn't playing. Texas will win or lose based on how Colt McCoy handles the big stage and based on the pressure Gene Chizik's defense can get up front on Troy Smith. If Troy Smith has time to operate, Texas is in trouble. If he doesn't, Texas will win the game.

? ? ?

Q: I admire the coach for suspending these players. They should remain suspended until all the charges are finished. Too often players feel they are above the law and can do anything they want.

Betty Sanchez

BROWN: Mack Brown has not said how long the suspension will be. When I asked him that question on Tuesday, he said, "I'm just trying to get through Saturday," and refused to elaborate. So we know the suspension is at least one game. We'll find out after the game Saturday if Brown wants to extend it.

? ? ?

Q: I remember a heart-wrenching story The Dallas Morning News printed a couple years ago about Tarell Brown's mother being murdered in the driveway while Tarell was asleep in his house.

Stefanie, Dallas

BROWN: Thank you for remembering Stefanie. I wrote that story two seasons ago. Tarell Brown's mother was shot and killed in the driveway of their house in Mesquite when Brown was 9 and asleep inside the house. He said his first memory of that day was a police officer coming to the door and saying, "God has a plan for everything." Brown may be guilty of nothing more than hanging around the wrong people. Or he may have more to answer for. But he is one of the more remarkable stories of overcoming adversity. He worked through the anger that came with his mother's murder, which remains unsolved, and went on to become an academic all-district performer at North Mesquite. He did sound like a different person before this season. In the past, he was kind of shy and subdued. This season, he was more brash, saying he wanted to have a season that would put him among the best corners in Texas history. He may have just missed his chance.

? ? ?

Q: From what I've read in the news, it seems as if the Texas players had a much larger sense of urgency going into last year's Ohio State game than this year (i.e. Vince Young leading summer workouts for the express goal of beating OSU). In contrast, it seems that the OSU players are raring for revenge. Do you think the players might be getting a little complacent, especially considering that they have beaten the Buckeyes and that Texas has home-field advantage this time around?

Joey Nguyen

BROWN: I think it was possible for Texas to be complacent until Tarell Brown and Tyrell Gatewood were suspended. That was a call to arms for that defense. And the Texas defense is going to be the unit that decides this game, just like it did last year when it had to defend a short field four times. (Ohio State started four possessions at or inside the Texas 38 and ended up with four field goals.)

? ? ?

Q: What's the deal with the Texas running game? North Texas held us below 4 yards per carry in the first quarter, and the Longhorns didn't seem to have any long runs. Is this a concern?

Martin, Dallas

BROWN: It's a big concern. I said over and over again how Vince Young bolstered Texas' running game with the zone read. Unless Texas starts to unveil the zone read with McCoy, teams are going to load up with seven and eight defenders to stop the run and force McCoy to throw. North Texas loaded up to stop the run and did so early. Texas made only 47 yards on 13 carries in the first quarter. That's 3.6 yards per carry. Don't be surprised if Texas comes out throwing Saturday night to help set up the run. Ohio State's weakness is its back seven. All of the Buckeyes' experience is up front on the defensive line.

? ? ?

Q: Please tell me that Jamaal Charles is going to get way more carries than Selvin Young this week. Otherwise, Texas is playing with one hand behind its back.

Nathan, Houston

BROWN: Don't plan on it, Nathan. Even though Charles averaged 5.5 yards per carry on 14 attempts and Young averaged 3.7 ypc on 12 attempts, Mack Brown says Young isn't going away. "Selvin's a really good player and team leader," Brown said. "So we do need him to have a big role on our team." Offensive coordinator Greg Davis said he thought the backs "were looking for big plays" against North Texas instead of just hitting the holes. Ohio State gave up 324 yards to Northern Illinois, including 171 yards rushing and 115 yards receiving to running back Garrett Wolfe.

? ? ?

Q: Now that Texas will be missing two contributors on defense, will there be a chance that we will see Sergio Kindle and Drew Kelson this weekend? Who do you think will take Tarell Brown's place on defense? Will that person be prepared against Troy Smith in your opinion?

Landon, Indiana

BROWN: Expect to see Drew Kelson back at weak side linebacker. I doubt you'll see Kindle considering all the time he's missed. (Kindle did dress for last week's game and didn't appear to be limping, so I could be wrong.) Look for Brandon Foster to get the first crack at replacing Brown. I think Foster will be ready. He can cover. He's just not very big (5-9, 185). Brown may be more physical (6-0, 200), but Foster can tackle. Gene Chizik and Duane Akina both said there will be no dropoff.

? ? ?

Q: I attended the North Texas game and was very disappointed with the new Godzillatron. The actual screen we watch is not much bigger than the old one. Now we just have a bunch of ads. Is this the way it is going to be or are they going to use the majority of the screen for the game and replays, etc.? For $8 million, we got robbed.

Damon

BROWN: Apparently, there is a part being ordered that will arrive some time in October that will allow the entire screen to be used for the game and replays in high definition. The part better arrive by Oct. 14 because that's the only home game that month (against Baylor). Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas Tech are all on the road that month.

? ? ?

Q: How will Colt McCoy handle the big stage of the Ohio State game?

Ted, Tuscola, Texas

BROWN: Glad to see there is Internet service in Tuscola. Call me crazy, but I think McCoy will handle the stage just fine. I think he's in a comfort zone and way ahead of his years in terms of reading defense. If he was facing last year's Ohio State defense, I'd say McCoy was in real trouble, and I'd pick Ohio State. I picked Ohio State before the season because I thought Texas would be juggling QBs. Then, McCoy stepped forward and took control. I see McCoy throwing for about 190 yards and two touchdowns with one interception. Jamaal Charles runs for 100 yards. The defense gets after Troy Smith, who throws for 120 yards and runs for 67 but throws a costly interception. Longhorns win it, 24-14, as the Buckeyes miss three field goal attempts.

E-mail [email protected]

 

[osugrad21]

Dispatch

Deep in the heart of ?
The grooming of quarterback COLT MCCOY for his role against Ohio State has its roots in a small town in Texas
Friday, September 08, 2006
By Todd Jones THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

TUSCOLA, Texas ? Big news hit here last weekend when three inches of rainfall ended a threemonth drought, turning the brown, rolling landscape green again, and testing the new sewers of this docile hamlet.
The town?s first sewer system, completed in May, had been a topic of much debate among the 716 residents. Many elderly here were against the project, fearful of a population explosion, as if this dusty old town dating from the late 1800s might suddenly become a big city like Abilene 20 miles to the north.
Why, there are already 400-plus people living five miles away in Buffalo Gap. Next thing you know, little Tuscola ? where Texas starting quarterback Colt McCoy played his high school ball ? might need a second traffic light to go with the one blinking on Graham Street, the main drag on an 80-second drive across the town?s width.
Folks don?t care much for change in this part of north central Texas, where the Christian radio stations blare, and the newspapers in small towns along Rt. 83 publish poems about America and stories about the local high school football team written by the coach, thanking everyone for the donation of towels.
So it was startling last week when Mayor Russell Bartlett, 71, found himself swamped at his other job, proprietor of the Fry Bartlett Funeral Home, just around the corner from the beige, cinder-block, one-story city building.
"We had four funerals in five days," he said. "That?s very busy for us."
Of course, word spread, especially down at the two convenient stores where the known coffee drinkers huddle and yap. Secrets burn quickly where the white water tower with "Tuscola" in red letters rises above a town with no police department (can?t afford one), no alcohol and no locked doors.
"You can sit on your front porch at night and hear everything going on," said Vincent Lavallee, the assistant principal at Jim Ned High School and the football team?s defensive coordinator.
Most of what is going on, even more than talk of rain and sewers, is the excited chatter about what will take place Saturday night 203 miles southeast at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.
Hometown hero McCoy, the angelic-faced Texas freshman who thrilled Tuscola on Friday nights, who made the National Honor Society three times, who mowed lawns here for spending money, will play on national TV against the No. 1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
"My chest just wells with pride when I talk about him," Lavallee said. "I can now wear my Jim Ned stuff and people will say, ?Do you know Colt McCoy?? and I can say, ?Yes, I do.? "
Ties that bind

Approximately 20 people approached McCoy for small talk and autographs at an Austin steakhouse where his family dined immediately after he threw for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the Longhorns? season-opening 56-7 win over North Texas.
"Things change when you play quarterback here," said McCoy, a redshirt last season.
McCoy, who turned 20 three days ago, isn?t different from when he left Tuscola for the university last year, other than putting on 15 pounds in recent months to get up to 205 on his 6-foot-3 frame, ending Texas coach Mack Brown?s jokes about his "toothpick arms."
Coaches and teammates marvel at McCoy?s calm demeanor, his confidence, his business-like approach to listening and asking questions. He?s an information sponge trying to replace iconic quarterback Vince Young, who left Texas early for the NFL after leading the Longhorns to 20 consecutive wins, including last season?s national championship.
Learning about playing quarterback, and its importance in football-mad Texas, began not long after McCoy was born three miles across the border in New Mexico. His daddy put a shoebox full of Texas soil under his newborn son?s hospital crib.
"Just so he was born over Texas soil," Brad McCoy said.
By the time he was in the sixth grade, McCoy was breaking down game films of the high school teams coached by his father. That year, he and his wife, Debra, seeking a small town?s disciplined atmosphere, moved their three sons across Texas to Tuscola. Here, Brad took over as football coach at Jim Ned High School, with its 330 students coming from a school district of approximately 400 square miles.
For six years before Colt headed to college, the McCoy family of five lived seven miles from the school in a four-bedroom ranch house on 10 acres, with a donkey, goats and a goldfish pond.
"There, he was able to keep his focus on what he wanted," said Brad McCoy, now in his second season as coach at Graham High School near Abilene. "There weren?t a lot of outside influences, and it helped him stay grounded. He knew what he wanted to do from a young age."
The summer before beginning junior high, young Colt ? "the name just had a ring to it," his father said ? decided to test his self-discipline by breaking his daily habit of drinking six Dr Peppers. He hasn?t had a carbonated soda since. Now, he drinks only Gatorade, water and a half-gallon of milk a day.
"He knows where he?s going," said Billie Pearce, 74, in her 26 th year as Tuscola?s city secretary.
McCoy became a born-again Christian during his sophomore year at Jim Ned. His grandfather baptized him, and then, as usual, invited Colt onto his 1,000-acre ranch in Brownwood, Texas, for summer work. The high school?s star athlete bailed hay, fed chickens, fixed fences and picked cotton.
Such a work ethic made McCoy popular at Jim Ned High, where he served as a school office aid, a student council leader and darn near everyone?s friend. He participated in the Don?t Mess With Texas trash pickup program. He was voted class favorite in 2004, Mr. Jim Ned High School and the school?s most outstanding male athlete.
"He truly is a terrific, levelheaded, humble person, just a very nice guy who everybody likes," said Donna McClure, the secretary, registrar and attendance clerk at Jim Ned.
Those traits are what locals mention about McCoy even before recounting how he threw for 116 touchdowns, set the Texas 2A record with 9,344 passing yards, went 34-2 as the Indians? starter and led his junior team ? the "dream team," they call it here ? to the 2A state final as a junior in 2003.
"It seems to me he already has the confidence of that team down there in Austin," Mayor Bartlett said.
A source of pride

Billie Pearce, whose greatgreat-grandfather deeded the land for Tuscola, looked out the city hall window, across Graham Street where D?s Caf? closed a few weeks ago, just as the town?s only grocery story did awhile back.
"The last big news to come out of Tuscola?" she said.
She paused, putting her jewelry-laden hand to her chin.
"Oh me, I can?t think," she said.
There was 2002 when 17 inches of rain fell in three hours, the Jim Ned creek flooded the town and Lucy Simpson had to be rescued from the top of her pickup. A year later, a tornado blew past and, by the grace of God, didn?t touch down.
And this year the new sewer system was finished.
Now, there?s Colt McCoy starting at quarterback for the Texas Longhorns as a freshman, taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes, hoping to rekindle those magical moments from high school when he rallied the Jim Ned Valley together.
"We?re ate up with football," said Randall Lovelady, a Tuscola native who owns his own welding shop. "It was just amazing how crowded that stadium would get. People from other small towns would come out to see what he was all about."
On Saturday, the 716 residents in Tuscola will turn on their TVs and watch Texas and Ohio State from the edges of their seats.
"To watch him on television, I?m still in awe of it," Lavallee said.
The kind folks here know what clean-living, outdoorsloving Colt McCoy?s all about.
Perhaps the nation will find out, too.


Dispatch

Who’s ready for the spotlight?
It takes more than talent for Buckeyes; players must thrive at showtime
Friday, September 08, 2006
Tim May
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Malcolm Jenkins remembers the moment of clarity last season when he learned two things about himself as a college football player: 1) He wasn’t in high school anymore; 2) He belonged where he was, in the frenzied midst of the first-ever meeting between Ohio State and Texas.
"I came down on a kickoff, I got hit, and five minutes later I was on the sideline and I started coughing up blood," Jenkins said. "It was like ‘Wow! If this is what college football is like, then it’s crazy. But I’m still walking.’ "
And Jenkins didn’t head for the exit and the first bus back home to Piscataway, N.J. He got back into the action as soon as possible.
"I had to go out there and play, and the thought was, ‘I can do it,’ " Jenkins said. "It gave me a confidence boost. I just had to keep my eyes open, though."
He and top-ranked Ohio State get another shot at No. 2 Texas on Saturday night in Austin. The game will be played in front of likely the largest Texas home crowd in history, and ABC officials think it has a chance to draw the largest TV audience ever for a regular-season college game.
It’s an atmosphere that millions of young football players dream of being a part, but of which only a few likely can handle.
"We look for those kinds of guys when we go recruiting," OSU cornerbacks coach Tim Beckman said, adding that prospects need more going for them than mere ability.
"Are they mature enough to handle the whole thing — the media, the classroom, the fan base, all of that stuff?" Beckman said.
When they arrive, he lays it out for them, that even as freshmen there is no kindergarten.
" ‘You’ve come to Ohio State, so you’re going to be involved in the big show, there is no question about it,’ " Beckman said. " ‘Now is that going to be your freshman year, your sophomore year, your junior year? That’s up to you.’
"When we’re out recruiting young men, like Kurt Coleman last year, we told him, ‘You’re going to have an opportunity because we’re going to lose these guys in the secondary, and you better be able to step up when you come in.’ "
Coleman has done so, and is now in the two-deep roster at cornerback. Nick Patterson, too, has emerged. He is listed as a starter at safety after sitting out his freshman year in 2004 and playing sparingly last season as seniors held sway. His first experience as a full-time player came last week against Northern Illinois.
"You’re almost speechless when you’re out there, and still it’s hard to really take it all in because you’re so focused on the game," Patterson said. "But before the game when we’re running out, or when we’re doing the hive (the postwarm-up player cluster at midfield), you really realize how big this is. What you realize more than anything is it’s much bigger than yourself."
Patterson said he knows he belongs in the middle of it.
"I think it is very important that you do have that thought process in your head, that you do belong on the field with the rest of the guys, or else you wouldn’t be put out there," Patterson said.
Identifying that type of player, "I think that’s the trick of it all," co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell said. "More than anything, you’re looking for a competitor."
Jenkins proved himself worthy last year in the loss to Texas. Beckman said it was obvious Jenkins had the makeup that merited more playing time, and he went on to start three games.
While playing for a national power in front of all those people, Jenkins said he went through a lot of feelings out on the field, but scared wasn’t one of them, and it won’t be Saturday night in Austin.
"You can’t think of it as scary, because most of the time when you’re afraid you get beat," Jenkins said. "I try to have fun when I’m out there. I’m enthusiastic and come out every play trying to play my hardest. When you have confidence, the game is just fun."


Dispatch

Sweed rises to the occasion for Longhorns
Receiver’s big catch helped Texas beat Ohio State last year
Friday, September 08, 2006
Bob Baptist
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

RALPH LAUER FORT WORTH STAR - TELEGRAM Limas Sweed had a career-high 111 yards receiving and two touchdowns in Texas’ 56-7 victory over North Texas.
Limas Sweed was just a kid who wanted to wear the same number in college as he had in high school. Nothing unusual.
The catch in his case was, the player who had worn it before him at Texas was Roy Williams, the most prolific receiver in Longhorns history.
"I asked him, out of respect, ‘Could I wear your jersey number?’ " Sweed said, "and he said, ‘Yeah, man, but there’s going to be a lot of pressure. If you can hold up to it, then go ahead.
"You know what you’re getting into when you take it. I just took it and put it on my shoulders and said, ‘I can do it. I’ll take the load.’ "
Sweed might never break Williams’ numerous school records. Years from now, though, when Texas fans remember No. 4, they might think first of Limas Sweed because of one catch that will trump all 241 Williams made: the 24-yard touchdown pass from Vince Young with 2:37 left to upend Ohio State last September and keep the Longhorns headed toward their destiny as national champions.
"It will be one that will be remembered when they talk of Limas Sweed and his career here," Texas coach Mack Brown said this week as the Longhorns prepared for the Saturday night rematch against the Buckeyes.
The play is called "9-99-Leak-Go." The four receivers on the field, three wideouts and a tight end, run streak patterns straight down the field, forcing the safeties to choose which to shade.
"Usually in that formation, the ball tends to go to the tight end," Sweed said this week. "But I had beaten my guy (cornerback Ashton Youboty) and the safety (Nate Salley) was playing it slow (from the inside). Vince saw he had a shot and he took it, and I just made the best of the opportunity. Vince made a great read, a great pass. I just happened to be the guy on the end receiving (of it)."
He’s being modest.
"I just threw the ball (to Sweed’s outside shoulder) so he could make a great play," Young said after the game, "and he made a great play."
With Sweed streaking down the left sideline and the ball spiraling behind him and to his outside, he had to adjust to it and twist his body into position to make the catch. He fell backward into the end zone as he caught, bobbled and then secured the ball.
Salley arrived a split-second too late.
The touchdown tied the score. The extra point gave Texas a one-point lead. A safety on Ohio State with 19 seconds left accounted for the final score of 25-22.
"To do something like that and know that I helped the team keep the dream alive, that was one of my greatest goals," Sweed said. "One, it was a great confidence builder, but two, it was also a great feeling to know I helped the University of Texas keep the dream alive."
It was the first touchdown of Sweed’s college career. He finished his sophomore season with five and caught 36 passes in all, including a career-high eight in the Rose Bowl victory over Southern California that brought the Longhorns their first national championship in 36 years.
Last week, he had a careerhigh 111 yards receiving and two touchdowns on five catches as Texas opened its 2006 season by routing North Texas.
With Young in the NFL, Sweed is one of the leaders of the offense, no longer just someone who looks like Roy Williams, at 6 feet 5 and 219 pounds, but someone expected to play like him, too.
Brown said Sweed, a tight end and free safety in high school, might have improved more than any player he has coached. Sweed knows he has room to improve. He is his own worst critic.
Or maybe that’s Williams, now a rising NFL star with the Detroit Lions. Old No. 4 called new No. 4 the day after the catch last year to congratulate him. Sort of.
"Roy said, ‘Great catch, but if that had been me, I would have caught it the first time and not bobbled it,’ " Sweed said.




Dispatch

OHIO STATE NOTEBOOK
Tressel picks Pettrey to handle kicks
Friday, September 08, 2006
Tim May and Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

KIICHIRO SATO ASSOCIATED PRESS Freshman Aaron Pettrey will be the first option on field goals and kickoffs against Texas, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said.
Ohio State is taking two kickers to Texas for the game Saturday night, but coach Jim Tressel yesterday indicated the difference from last week is Aaron Pettrey is now the solid No. 1 and Ryan Pretorius is the if-needed reliever.
They both missed field goal attempts in the opening win over Northern Illinois, though they weren’t chip shots — Pettrey’s was from 44 yards and Pretorius’s from 50. But Tressel seemed confident that Pettrey, a 20-year-old redshirt freshman from Raceland, Ky., is ready for the pressures of a game such as the one coming Saturday night.
"Aaron will be our kicker," Tressel said. "Ryan got some game time, too, so you feel like you’ve got two guys who have been in there."
But against Texas, Pettrey will handle both kickoffs and placement kicks, Tressel said.
Not in the mood

Asked to clarify what happened with his USA Today poll ballot on Tuesday, Tressel was clipped in his response.
Associate director of football operations Stan Jefferson said a miscommunication resulted in him turning in Ohio State as the No. 1 team instead of Texas as No. 1, as Tressel said he had voted.
"I thought it was clarified. I thought Stan made a statement," Tressel said. "I was in the original meeting for our preseason poll and we said Texas No. 1. I happened to miss the next meeting, and unbeknownst to me, they weren’t. End of story."
Plenty will play

The Buckeyes will carry 70 players to Austin and not just because that’s the quota.
"In our staff meeting (on Thursday mornings) we always talk about how we’re going to substitute, and our goal is to have 57 players in the game by the end of the first quarter," Tressel said. "That’s because there are so many guys that need opportunities, that we think deserve opportunities.
"And we talked about rotation with eight defensive linemen on through special teams guys who do certain things. When you only take 70, you had better use most of them."
Among those not going are the following freshmen who Tressel said were likely to be redshirted: offensive linemen Connor Smith and Bryant Browning, defensive tackle Dexter Larimore and linebacker Tyler Moeller.
Ouch , that hurts

Speaking of the rotation, co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell was asked whether coaches would stop the frequent shuffling if a player began to stand out and get a hot hand.
"I would imagine," Fickell said, pausing. "But we haven’t seen a whole lot of hot hands just yet."
Missing from action

Receiver Roy Hall will make the trip but is not expected to play, barring rapid improvement of his high ankle sprain, Tressel said.
"We’re hoping that in the next 48 hours we learn he’ll have a chance to help us, but that probably won’t be known until game time," he said.
That means sophomore Brian Robiskie again will be the No. 3 receiver and redshirt freshman Brian Hartline the No. 4. That’s significant, Tressel said, because the Buckeyes are in threereceiver sets about 50 percent of the time or more, and in four-receiver sets 20 percent or more.

Dispatch

Buckeyes will be ready if Texas brings the heat
Friday, September 08, 2006
Ken Gordon
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

On every desk at every meeting Ohio State players have had this week, a water bottle has stood at attention, like a sentinel guarding against dehydration Saturday in Texas.
And not a drop can leave the room.
"They’ve been talking about hydration," fullback Stan White Jr. said. "We have to down a whole bottle in every one of our meetings."
Austin, Texas, is coming off an August in which there was record heat. According to the Austin American-Statesman, the average high was 100.7, with 24 days of 100-plus temperatures.
The thermometer hit 97 last week at Texas’ opener against North Texas, an 11 a.m. start local time. The Longhorns’ band wore shorts, golf shirts and ball caps. More than 400 people were treated at cooling tents and EMS stations.
The Saturday forecast calls for a high of 97. Based on recent weather patterns, the 7 p.m. local game-time temperature likely will be about 92, falling to 87 by game’s end.
So the Buckeyes are focused on not wilting deep in the heat of Texas.
The effort started long before this week. It was a theme during summer conditioning sessions and informal team drills, many of which were held in 95-degree heat and humidity.
"(Director of football performance) Eric Lichter would say, ‘OK, it’s 22-21 (at Texas), what are you going to do right now?’ " safety Brandon Mitchell said. "We’d be on the line running and he’d be like, ‘It’s the third quarter and somebody needs to make a big play, don’t give up now.’ "
White said, "That was kind of the mantra all summer was, ‘It’s going to be this hot in Texas.’ "
The Longhorns are hoping it’s a factor.
"I definitely feel like it can be, if you’re not used to playing in the heat," defensive end Tim Crowder said. "It’s like us, when we’re not used to playing in the cold weather, it definitely takes a toll because we’re out there freezing … and our bodies are hard to wake up because you’re just not used to it. I think it definitely takes a toll on you after a while."
Of the 48 position players listed on OSU’s depth chart, only two are from the deep South: linebacker Larry Grant and safety Anderson Russell, both Georgia natives.
Ohio State has played in plenty of outdoor games in the South, but most have been bowl games in January. The last early season game in the deep South or Southwest was at Arizona on Sept. 9, 2000, a 27-17 Buckeyes victory. The time before that was Sept. 26, 1987, when No. 7 Ohio State tied No. 4 Louisiana State 13-13.
It all sounds a bit alarmist to Texas coach Mack Brown.
"Ohio State’s got great depth, they have outstanding players that’ll be in shape because (coach Jim Tressel) has been around so long and has won so many games," Brown said. "I really don’t think the weather will be an advantage."
But Tressel isn’t leaving that to chance. His plan is to substitute freely Saturday, and keep those water bottles handy.
"You’re kidding yourself if you think someone’s going to just rise up and handle things just because they’re tough," Tressel said. "Well, you know, the body is the body. So we’ve got to do a great job with making sure we enter the fray as rested and hydrated as we possibly can."
Dispatch reporters Bob Bap tist and Todd Jones contributed to this report .

[email protected]

 

[osugrad21]

Link

[SIZE=+2]Football: Inexperienced linebackers concern Ohio State

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Web Posted: 09/07/2006 11:12 PM CDT

[/SIZE] [SIZE=-1]Mark Wangrin
Express-News Staff Writer[/SIZE] COLUMBUS, Ohio ? Every so often, the phone will ring in the office of Ohio State linebackers coach Luke Fickell. On the other end will be a familiar voice, one that belongs to one of the trio of players who last year formed what many called the best linebacking corps in the nation. They'll ask how their replacements are doing. And they'll wish them good luck.
This week, they'll need it.
Marcus Freeman, James Laurinaitis and John Kerr are the Buckeyes' starting linebackers now, and they're easily the most scrutinized unit on a defense that must replace nine starters. A year ago, the Buckeyes could count on A.J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter and Anthony Schlegel containing offenses.
Now they're hoping Freeman, Laurinaitas and Kerr get their assignments right.
"We've got to do what our kids can handle," said Fickell, who is also the Buckeyes' co-defensive coordinator. "The most important thing is they understand what we're trying to do. You don't really know what they can do. You think you have an idea, but you have to get in a game to get it done."
Last week, the Buckeyes linebackers got it done ? some of the time. Ohio State cruised to a 35-12 victory, but Northern Illinois halfback Garret Wolfe ran for 171 yards and caught five passes for 114 more. Though he did most of his damage on swing passes, he was able to gash the Buckeyes' defense between the tackles.
"We definitely want to get better in the rush game," Kerr said. "We've been working on it this week. We have to get better. If we don't, we have a problem."
A year ago, Hawk won the Lombardi Award, Carpenter was a second-team All-Big Ten pick and Schlegel was solid in the middle. Heading into this season, their replacements have a total of 23 career tackles as Buckeyes. The most experienced is Kerr, who started as a freshman at Indiana but played a total of 31 minutes last year, most of them on special teams.
"They don't want to hear about (Hawk, Carpenter and Schlegel)," Fickell said of the replacements.
Kerr, however, sounded more sanguine.
"It's really not that tough, to be honest with you," he said. "Its a blessing to have been behind those guys, to see how they did things last year, to be able to watch their film from last year against Texas. We watch them move and react against things."
Against things, but not to things.
"They never got too upset at anything, too emotional about anything," Kerr said. "They were pretty even keel. When guys can't get to you mentally, it's pretty hard to beat you. That's what I learned from them."
Though the Ohio State linebackers won't have to contend with Vince Young getting in their heads, they'll have their hands full with a deeper and more balanced offense ? not to mention a sellout crowd and a night game.
"We have to let it go, not be so robotic," Kerr said. "All the tools we need at linebacker are there, we just need to calm down a little."
Fickell said he expects to substitute freely, with backups Ross Homan, Larry Grant and Curtis Terry seeing significant time. Asked if he'll then stick with the "hot hand," Fickell smiled.
"I imagine, but we haven't seen a lot of hot hands so far."

 

[bchorn]

SI

Senators wager on Texas-Ohio State

Posted: Thursday September 7, 2006 10:35PM; Updated: Thursday September 7, 2006 10:35P

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Two U.S. senators are raising the stakes of Saturday's Ohio State-Texas football game with what some might call a "sweet" wager.
If Texas wins, Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, will deliver his wife's homemade, chocolate-covered peanut butter Buckeye candies to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. If Ohio State wins, Hutchison will give DeWine some of Texas' own Blue Bell ice cream.
The loser will present the winner with their home state treat on Capitol Hill sometime next week.
"My kids and grandkids have been anticipating the game for weeks and Buckeye fever is sweeping my office," DeWine said. "I look forward to enjoying Texas' finest ice cream and an Ohio State victory."
Hutchison, a UT graduate, had some tough talk of her own.
"I commend Senator DeWine for his brave wager against a strong Texas football force but can't wait to celebrate another victory on Saturday in a sea of burnt orange," she said. "Hook 'em!"
The Longhorns beat the Buckeyes 25-22 last season in Columbus, Ohio, on their way to the national championship.

I learned at this year's national championship celebration an interesting little known fact about Senator Hutchinson....she was a UT cheerleader in 1963 when UT won it's first national championship.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

Buckeyes boast pair of stars

By Cody Hale

Media Credit: AP
Ohio State's Ted Ginn Jr. makes a catch during a football game against Northern Illinois Saturday in Columbus, Ohio.

Has Ohio State become this year's USC Trojans?

Think about it for a second The Buckeyes have that one game-changing player in Ginn, who can shift the momentum of any game with one kick return or Hail Mary. Texas head coach Mack Brown said of Ginn: "He's the same guy (as Reggie Bush), and he scares you to death because you have to know where he is on the field at all times."

And then there's Smith, a proven quarterback that has the legs to match his arm strength. It's been said that Smith is this year's Vince Young, but until he administers a few comebacks and racks up close to 500 yards in a bowl game, the debate on that issue is closed.

All the talk heading into this weekend's game against Ohio State and Texas has been about the Buckeyes' offense versus the Longhorns' defense. If either team wants to win this game, these are the areas each team will have to concentrate on.

But if the Buckeyes want to win the national championship, they better start looking at how they're going to reconstruct a defense that lost nine starters from last season to the NFL draft. A defense that, for all but Texas and Penn State, put fear into every opponent they played.

Not so much anymore.

The only reason Ohio State is still the team to beat is because of their explosive offense, namely Ginn and Smith. And it's not that the Buckeyes' defense this year has never seen any game action before.

Strongside linebacker James Laurinaitis played for an injured Bobby Carpenter last season for two games while defensive end Lawrence Wilson played in 10 games last season. But playing in a few games and appearing some in others doesn't necessarily mean they have experience.

And to make things worse for the Buckeyes is there strenuous schedule. It may not be the toughest in the nation, but going on the road to face Texas and Iowa, and playing at home against Penn State and Michigan are not easy tasks.

The Buckeyes' biggest game of the season is Saturday against Texas, but in two weeks they face the Nittany Lions, the only other team besides the Longhorns that beat them last season.

And if the Buckeyes' defense does falter down the stretch, maybe Ohio State should insert Ginn into the equation. Heck, he's good at everything else he's tried playing on that team.

 

[osugrad21]

Link

McCoy is already a legend

By JENNIFER FLOYD ENGEL

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

SPECIAL TO THE STAR-TELEGRAM/TOMMY METTHE
Colt McCoy broke the Class 2A passing record at Jim Ned, but he also excelled at basketball and tennis.
More photos

TUSCOLA -- First things first, Colt McCoy is not from tiny Tuscola (pop. 714).
The Longhorns' redshirt freshman quarterback is from somewhere tinier.
Tuscola is simply where his Class 2A high school, Jim Ned, is located. Six rights, two lefts and approximately 8 miles are needed to reach the tiny unincorporated area near Abilene State Park where McCoy grew up.
In between, and all around, are Lawn (pop. 353) and Buffalo Gap (pop. 463) and a bunch of tiny towns that do not even warrant dots on a map. What connects them, besides Highway 83, are the Jim Ned Indians.
"It's just a laid-back country town, small town. Nobody has to lock their doors when they leave their house. It's just a farm town, and everybody is laid back," McCoy said. "And everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows exactly what you are doing."
Everybody knows Colt McCoy, his story, his stories.
They know them all so well that they almost tell them better than he does. They tell them because he is theirs, proof that greatness can come even from the tiniest of towns in Texas.
He is both one of them and a legend among them.
And to listen to the people of Tuscola, Buffalo Gap, Lawn and beyond, the guy who is starting Saturday's game against No. 1 Ohio State is as good as advertised, as humble as a preacher and destined for greatness in Austin.
A good guy
It was Friday night. The first Friday night of the football season for Jim Ned, which meant almost everybody in Tuscola and beyond had relocated to the visiting bleachers in Merkel.
Cheerleaders, parents, teachers, students and band members were gathered, including junior tuba man Kevin Morris.
He demurred, at first, when asked what, if anything, he remembered about McCoy.
"I didn't really know him. I was a freshman when he was a senior," Morris said. "But he was a good guy. He is a good guy. He was always one to put the team first."
"Good guy" is one of those amorphous terms that tend to leave people asking, "What does that mean?" Morris did not struggle for an example for long.
"I remember hearing that UT wanted him to go to Austin right after football season of his senior year, and he told them no because his best friend, Cam [Holson], had helped him in football," Morris said. "So he wanted to stay and help Cam get a scholarship in basketball."
Holson verified the story later that evening while watching his younger brother play. He had driven in from Abilene Christian University where, you guessed it, he has a basketball scholarship, thanks in part to Colt playing on that team that went to the state championship.
"I think a lot of people were surprised, but I was not," Holson said. "That is who Colt is."
Fish story
Colt and Cam. Cam and Colt. Growing up as coaches' sons, in Tuscola and beyond, Holson and McCoy were inseparable.
"Me and Colt love to fish, and any time I go to his house in Graham or he comes here, we always find a fishing hole," Holson said. "We have a fishing hole that only me and him know about, and we go there and talk."
What was being talked about this summer was if Colt was nervous about starting for the defending national champion. Colt had a few qualms. Holson has none.
"He'll be fine," Holson said. "I talked to him the other day and told him, 'Once you get on that field and get between those lines, it is nothing but football, and all of that stuff around you -- all the hype, all the people -- it's nothing once you step out there.' He's a great football player and he knows how to win, and he's going to do what it takes to win. And he will win at Texas."
The cover boy
Brad McCoy does not subscribe to Sports Illustrated.
But when he arrived at Graham High School, where he coaches now, on Wednesday morning, he had an urgent message. Get to the library.
"So I came to the library and was handed a copy of SI," McCoy said.
There, on Page 3, was a picture of his son, Colt, smiling big with his Longhorn eye-black strips. Underneath it was "Colt Comfort" and "Longhorns fans felt good about the future after redshirt freshman QB Colt McCoy accounted for four touchdowns last Saturday."
So he turned to Page 78 and there was a huge picture of Colt, scrambling away from trouble. A page later were phrases such as "the play of McCoy confirms that the Longhorns are still of championship caliber" and "it's football that is in McCoy's blood" and that little story about him swimming almost 300 yards to save a man's life this summer.
All of this seems a little crazy and a lot overwhelming at times to Brad. Some days he looks at his son and sees that little boy that went to every single one of his games.
"It blows my mind to sit up at night and watch Doug Flutie and Lou Holtz, greats I have looked up to, and they are talking about my boy," McCoy said. "That was the amazing thing. Before he came out of the tunnel without his helmet, he hadn't been nervous at all. And it hit me, he is fixing to start a game for the national champs. Look at where he is."
Film screening
From a very early age, Colt McCoy had flashed special potential.
He always loved to watch film. He'd come home and watch with his dad and talk about what he'd do in certain situations, if he were playing.
"Colt was always trying to dice it and analyze it." Brad McCoy said.
He has told this story many times before, yet Brad McCoy believes it explains everything about his son that is hard to explain.
"He was about 7 and, you have to remember he was always on the sideline, being a ballboy and all, and this was a playoff game," Brad McCoy said. "It was the heat of the battle. I do not remember the game, but he tugs on my headset and I look down and it's Colt. He says, 'Dad, Dad, run the screen. It is going to be open.' And he was right. The screen was open all night."
The write way
Kay Whitton's classroom at Jim Ned has approximately 1,000 smiley faces, a bunch of motivational slogans and a picture of her, Colt McCoy and Longhorns coach Mack Brown.
Brown had visited Jim Ned shortly after McCoy signed, and Whitton remembers the coach and McCoy signing autographs for kids. Whitton also remembers how McCoy changed after signing with Texas.
Not at all.
"By his senior year, and even by his junior year, he had verbally committed to Texas, but he had to do his applications for admission to UT and part of that was writing an essay," Whitton said. "Well, by then, he had already signed. He obviously was getting in and accepted. And so we were talking about his essay and he said, 'Miss Whitton, I could probably just write my name on this paper and turn it in and not care.'
"And I said, 'I know.'
"And he said, 'You and I both know I am not going to do that.'
"And he wrote a full two-page essay. He didn't shortcut the corners on that, and he never does."
Other talents
Kevin Tutt moved back to Buffalo Gap from Austin recently to raise his family. Of course, he had followed McCoy's career at Jim Ned.
He remembered pinpoint passes. He remembered thinking how much better Colt was than just about everybody else his age. He remembered how good the Indians team was Colt's junior year when he broke the Class 2A passing record.
Mostly, though, he remembered a kid who excelled at almost everything.
"I bet you didn't know that he leads the choir at church," Tutt said. "Seriously, he's a really good singer and was good at tennis and probably could have received a basketball scholarship."
To the rescue
"Who is this Colt McCoy guy you are talking about?" Mike Smith asked with a straight face as he sat, with his wife, among Jim Ned fans on that first Friday night.
His daughter plays French horn in the Indian band.
"I'm just kidding," Smith finally said. "You did hear how he saved that man's life this summer, didn't you?"
Everybody has heard the story of how McCoy and his dad swam almost 300 yards across a lake near Graham to help save a man's life, and everybody tells it.
"He heard a woman screaming," Morris said.
"He swam across a lake to go help," Tuscola resident Tony Cary continued. "In the dark."
"I heard he carried the man to the ambulance," Jim Ned principal Paul Lippe said.
What is funny is McCoy prefaces this story by saying, "I was just doing something that, if anybody else would have been in the same position, they would have done."
He says this does not make him a legend.
He is right, kind of, because in Tuscola and beyond, he is already a legend.

 

[BuckeyeRob]

Shit man, I've been jittery the past few days everytime I read or watch anything related to our Buckeyes! I'm going to be a wreck in Austin! Saturday can't come sooner, and it doesn't help that every sports news outlet is hyping this up like crazy!

Not me! I had those feelings last year. I feel very good about this game. I think the OSU defense will probabaly allow a fair amout of yards but not a lot of points.

Troy Smith is going to have an absolutely monster game. The Texas defense has every bit as much youth in the secondary as we do. Smith and the OSU reciever are going to make plays and score points.

I think it will be a tight game through the better part of 3 quarters and a big play either in special teams or an INT run back with an offensive score seals the deal.

OSU 30
Texas 16