University of Texas Sports
- Bevo Beat prediction contest winners -
The Fiesta is finis, and so is another season of our Bevo Beat prediction contests.
We’ve done this for three seasons now, and I can recall only two or three guesses that nailed the exact score of a Longhorn game.
Add “Sweet Susan” to the list. She hit the final score — Texas 24, Ohio State 21 — right on the head. Well done.
Your humble contest administrator even got close this time — which is an even more rare occurrence. My prediction of a 27-23 Longhorn victory is about as good as I’ve done in this little game.
Others who came close included:
— Wayne at Texas 24, Ohio State 17.
— Larrywp at Texas 28, Ohio State 24.
— bevo69 at Texas 27, Ohio State 17.
— jimmy53 at Texas 27, Ohio State 17.
— Bevo at Texas 27, Ohio State 17.
And, of course, the real winners were these guys …
- Atchley to miss game tonight -
Longhorn starting forward Connor Atchley will miss the game tonight at Arkansas.
Atchley suffered a split tongue on Friday against Appalachian State. He received more than 20 stitches.
- Postgame live chat -
Statesman sports editor John Bridges hosts the Academy Sports & Outdoors live chat after Texas’ thrilling Fiesta Bowl victory.
- Fiesta final: Texas wins a thriller 24-21 -
Colt McCoy hooked up with senior Quan Cosby for a 26-yard touchdown with 16 seconds to go to give Texas a come-from-behind victory in the Fiesta Bowl.
McCoy and Cosby accomplished the dramatic on an 11-play, 78-yard drive to answer Ohio State’s touchdown that gave the 10th-ranked Buckeyes a 21-17 lead with 2:05 to play.
After one Longhorn senior came up big, another one sealed the deal. Defensive end Brian Orakpo sacked Ohio State Todd Boeckman with five seconds to go, and when Boeckman’s last pass fell incomplete, the Longhorn celebration began.
The win was Texas’ fifth straight bowl win. It also allowed the Longhorns to go 3-0 in games involving the Bowl Championship Series.
Now the Longhorns will wait to see what happens when Florida faces Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game Thursday. Texas will still be holding out some hope for a split national title or at least a host of first-place votes.
They’ll get one of them from their coach.
“I wasn’t sure before but on Friday I’ll vote Texas No. 1 because I believe this is the best team in the country,” said Texas coach Mack Brown.
More likely, the Longhorns will probably end up at No. 2 in the polls.
Their 12-1 record is the second best in school history, counting total wins. The 2005 national champions were 13-0.
“I don’t think there’s anyone in the country that can beat us at this point,” McCoy said afterward.
- 3rd quarter: Texas 17, Ohio State 6 -
The Longhorns took the second half kickoff and marched 80 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The Longhorns took their sweet time getting to the end zone, running 15 plays on the drive. Two of them were fourth-down conversions, including Rashad Bobino’s two-yard run on a fake punt play. The touchdown came when Colt McCoy, one play after being the recipient of roughing-the-quarterback hit and call, sprinted and spun for a 14-yard run. The drive gave the Longhorns their first lead, at 10-6.
Texas followed that up with another long touchdown drive, going 85 yards on 85 plays. The touchdown came on a McCoy scramble and pass to Quan Cosby for a seven-yard score.
- Halftime: Ohio State 6, Texas 3 -
The Longhorns went no-huddle and briefly got hot, mounting a 57-yard drive that ended with a 27-yard Hunter Lawrence field goal to tie the game at 3. The drive featured a 20-yard reception by Quan Cosby on a crossing route on third-and-10. But after Cosby reached the nine yard line, the Longhorns started going backward, first with a sack and then with a loss on a running play.
In what was quickly becoming a field-goal battle, the Buckeyes booted another — a 29-yarder by Ryan Pretorius — to take a 6-3 lead. Once again, Chris “Beanie” Wells did the damage for Ohio State, rumbling for 21 yards on a screen pass and then rushing for 24. Midway through the second quarter, he already had 91 yards on 10 carries, plus that long reception.
And then Texas probably wishes it would’ve gone for a field goal as the half ended. Instead, they drove 76 yards and came away with nothing. With nine seconds left in the half at at OSUY’s 15, Texas decided to run one more play. Colt McCoy was under heavy pressure when he tried to loft a soft pass over the middle to Jordan Shipley. But Ohio State’s Anderson Russell stepped in front and intercepted just outside his own goal line. The half ended with the Buckeyes holding a 6-3 lead.
- 1st quarter: Ohio State 3, Texas 0 -
Ohio State opened with a surprise at quarterback, starting senior Todd Boeckman. He threw two passes on the Buckeyes’ first drive, with freshman Terrell Pryor taking over for the other plays. That drive fizzled with two Ohio State penalties, and the Buckeyes ended up punting. The Horns did worse on their first drive, failing to gain a first down. And so this heavyweight battle began.
Ohio State got on the board first when Aaron Pettrey nailed a 51-yard field goal. The kick was set up by Chris “Beanie” Wells’ 22-yard run to the Texas 28. Sergio Kindle’s sack for Texas pushed the Buckeyes back, but not out of Pettrey’s range.
Pettrey got another opportunity from 51 yards but missed this one badly to the left. Again, a Wells run, this one 26 yards, got the Buckeyes in range.
Texas, employing a quick-strike no-huddle offense, was driving as the first quarter ended.
- Beautiful day in Glendale -
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The dark clouds and rain have been swept out of the Phoenix area.
But it doesn’t matter because we’re indoors in the beautiful University of Phoenix stadium.
Neither the Longhorns not the Buckeyes have come onto the field for warmups.
We’ll keep you posted.
- Atchley in stitches -
Longhorn senior Connor Atchley needed somewhere between 20-30 stitches to repair a split tongue that he suffered against Appalachian State Friday night, a team official said.
Coach Rick Barnes said Sunday he did not know if Atchley would be able to play Tuesday at Arkansas.
Atchley left the game after getting fouled while attempting a reverse layup with 15:25 left in the game.
Barnes said Atchley missed practice Saturday and would not practice Sunday.
The 6-foot-10 Atchley averages 6.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 22 minutes a game.
Jai Lucas, the point guard who will transfer from Florida to Texas for the spring semester, views himself as a facilitator who should fit in well next season with a freshman class that includes three wing players who are big time scorers. The other recruits are Jordan Hamilton of Los Angeles, Avery Bradley of Tacoma, Wash., and Shawn Williams of Duncanville.
“I can run the offense,” Lucas said. “I know how to control a game.”
Lucas, a sophomore, hopes the NCAA rules him eligible for the start of next season, but mid-December is more likely. Players who transfer are supposed to sit out for two semesters at their new schools. Lucas hopes the NCAA counts the fall semester he spent attending school at Florida after leaving the team. He played in one exhibition game.
Lucas, an adept shooter, said he was uncomfortable at Florida when coach Billy Donovan elected to move him to the wing this season.
Not that he minds shooting. If opponents leave him open, Lucas said, “my eyes will light up.”
- Official burial of the UT Q package -
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Don’t look for the Longhorns to throw out a new Q package wrinkle for Monday’s Fiesta Bowl.
Ohio State has indicated the Buckeyes may use their own version of it, but it’s doubtful the Longhorns will.
Texas coach Mack Brown said Sunday that second-teamer John Chiles has been a full-time quarterback in bowl workouts. Earlier in the year, Chiles had lined up at receiver and running back.
“John is fully committed to being a quarterback, has really worked hard and is getting better every day,” Brown said. “He will not be playing other positions and will focus solely on being a quarterback. He’s getting good reps in practice and putting in extra time afterwards. He’s really improved since midseason.
“Trying to deal with playing two or three different positions in the first half of the year set him back a little. Now he’s passing the ball with much more accuracy, and we’re really excited about his future as a quarterback.”
Chiles, who is finishing his sophomore season, is trying not to be the odd-man out. He is backing up Colt McCoy, the Heisman runnerup who is coming back next season. The Longhorns also are in line for Garrett Gilbert, who is ranked as the nation’s top quarterback prospect. Gilbert has committed to Texas and will sign with the Longhorns in February.
- Tressel buys the Vince comparison -
Count Ohio State coach Jim Tressel among those who compare his freshman quarterback, Terrelle Pryor, to Texas ex Vince Young.
Tressel said he and everyone else who recruited Pryor couldn’t get Vince out of their minds when they saw Pryor in high school.
Tressel acknowledges that the young Pryor is a long way from what Young did in his final year at Texas. But he thinks Pryor could get there.
“We hope he becomes as good as Vince Young — like by Monday,” he said.
- 'The Drive for Five' -
Mack Brown loves mottos and motivational slogans. Here’s the latest one:
THE DRIVE FOR FIVE
That relates to deal with the five bowl victories that Texas’ fifth-year seniors will be trying to secure on Monday night — a pair of Rose Bowls, the Alamo, the Holiday and now the Fiesta. (Nevermind that they didn’t play in one of those.)
- Motivation is the key, Mack says -
Mack Brown says one factor is more important than all others in determining who wins a bowl game: “The biggest thing to me is who wants to be there.”
Brown cited teams such as Texas Tech that might have been disappointed in their bowl draw.
And he acknowledged that his Longhorns could have been in danger of falling into that trap, too. “It’s a concern, and we’ve addressed it,” Brown said.
He said that ever since the night of the BCS announcement a month ago, the Texas players haven’t dwelled on it.
“Since that day, I haven’t heard it mentioned,” Brown said, “except when I’m on a radio show or talk to you all. I really think the players have moved forward.”
- Horns get first look at Fiesta Bowl site -
Because the Arizona Cardinals hosted (and won) a wild-card playoff game on Saturday, the two Fiesta Bowl teams haven’t been able to practice at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Today, the Longhorns will get their first look at the site (the Buckeyes have played there previously).
The team won’t get to actually practice on the turf, however. It’s in the process of being repainted and repaired after the NFL game. Stadium staffers began work immediately after the Cardinals game and have just two days to complete what’s usually a four-day process.
So, Texas will get a one-hour glimpse at the stadium. They’ll take some snapshots of each other and official bowl team picture.
- Filling the bowl with food -
During the month before the Fiesta Bowl, representatives from Ohio State called the Longhorns and invited them to take part in a Buckeye bowl tradition — delivering food to a food pantry in the days before the big game.
And so today, Longhorn coaches’ wives delivered food here in Phoenix.
“The bowls are so great to coaches and families,” Brown said. “It was a great gesture for Ohio State to do that each year. We’re pleased to be involved, and it’s something that we’ll do from now on.”
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