Never Retreat, Never Surrender | A Texas Longhorns Dynasty

[St. Francisco]

Just read through all of this, like it a lot. Same as me in the sense that you don't actually play the games (granted in my rt90's i 'watch' the games). W000 championship only 2 years in, think that's a pretty good indication of solid management!

Thanks man, can't wait to get home and post it up!

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME


...


#2 WASHINGTON HUSKIES (11-1, 9-1)
VS.
#1 TEXAS LONGHORNS (13-0, 10-0)

Two touchdown passes to Jaxon Shipley in the first quarter had the Longhorns headed in the right direction to begin the game, and although they didn't score another point in the first half, they still felt confident with a 14-3 lead at halftime. But the Huskies quickly shredded that confidence, taking advantage of two interceptions in the second half as they outscored the last undefeated team in the nation 38-0 in the final two quarters to take home a shocking 41-14 victory, and the school's first national championship in over 30 years.

Washington's 27-point victory over unbeaten Texas sent tremors through the college football world, and it was all thanks to the stellar play of senior quarterback Keith Price (pictured above), who ended his collegiate career in tremendous fashion. Up against the best defense in the nation, Price completed 20 of 31 (64%) passes for 226 yards and a touchdown, and also picked up 48 yards and another score on the ground to lead his team to victory. His go-to man was junior tight end Austin Seferian, who had nine catches for 109 yards to lead the receiving corps. The Huskies also excelled on the ground, where junior runningback Bishop Sankey rushed for 85 yards and two touchdowns off 19 carries for an average of 4.4 yards per touch, and senior runningback Jesse Callier added 26 yards and a score off seven carries. As for the defense, Washington recorded three sacks, two interceptions in the second half that they converted into touchdowns, limited the Longhorns to three successful conversions on eleven 3rd down attempts, and held Texas to a season-low 14 points.

On the other side of the ball, Texas' historic season has ended in bitter disappointment after not only losing on the biggest stage of them all, but being absolutely embarassed. David Ash completed 13 of 24 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two costly interceptions that turned the tide of momentum. Leading the receiving corps was Jaxon Shipley, who had six catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns. As for the ground game, Malcolm Brown rushed for 101 yards off 17 carries, but was not a factor in the second half after the team was forced to try and play catch-up. Defensively, the team recorded four sacks and recovered a fumble, but didn't do much else very well. In six redzone trips, they allowed the Huskies to score 38 points, and allowed their opponents to convert two 4th downs to extend their time on the field. The Longhorns controlled the ball for just 26 minutes, and also had eight penalties called on them which cost them a total of 86 yards.

"It's hard to point out just one thing that lost us the game," said head coach Major Applewhite after the game. "They just played better than us in the second half, pretty much as simple as that. They forced turnovers, they took advantage of every opportunity, they killed our offensive drives, and they forced us to abandon our ground game. It was just a perfect recipe for disaster, and I applaud their players and coaching staff for some amazing halftime adjustments. I think we just got out-coached in those last 30 minutes, so a lot of that blame falls on me."

Now the Longhorns will head into the offseason, where they will say goodbye to a host of talented graduating starters and begin preparing for next year. This loss will sting for quite a while, but the accomplishments of this 2013 team cannot be taken away, and there's still plenty of talent waiting in the wings to try and make another run at being named college football's best team next season.

2014 BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Jan 7, 2014	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#2 Washington Huskies (12-1, 9-1)	0	3	21	17	41
#1 Texas Longhorns (13-1, 10-0)	14	0	0	0	14

Team Stats Comparison
	WASH	TEX
Total Offense	390	327
Rushing Yards	164	161
Passing Yards	226	166
First Downs	25	17
Punt Return Yards	37	27
Kick Return Yards	64	120
Total Yards	491	474
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Converstion	7-14 (50%)	3-11 (27%)
4th Down Conversion	2-2 (100%)	0-0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-5-1 (100%)	3-2-0 (66%)
Penalties	7-35	8-86
Posession Time	33:21	26:13

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		WASH	TEX
6:21	(TEX) TD: Jaxon Shipley, 6 yard pass from David Ash	0	7
0:03	(TEX) TD: Jaxon Shipley, 4 yard pass from David Ash	0	14
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		WASH	TEX
9:42	(WASH) FG: Travis Coons, 34 yard kick	3	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		WASH	TEX
10:46	(WASH) TD: Jesse Callier, 2 yard run	10	14
8:22	(WASH) TD: Keith Price, 6 yard run	17	14
3:21	(WASH) TD: Bishop Sankey, 1 yard run	24	14
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		WASH	TEX
13:06	(WASH) FG: Travis Coons, 38 yard kick	27	14
7:07	(WASH) TD: Kasen Williams, 3 yard pass from Keith Price	34	14
3:29	(WASH) TD: Bishop Sankey, 4 yard run	41	14

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

2013 SEASON STATS

[St. Francisco]

LONGHORNS LOSE FOUR OFFENSIVE STARTERS TO NFL DRAFT
A team as talented as Texas must deal with early exits on a yearly basis, but they were dealt a bigger blow than usual in 2014 by losing five of their star players, including four on the offensive side of the ball. Jaxon Shipley, the team's leading receiver for the past two seasons, has declared for the NFL draft, departing alongside senior Mike Davis, which will change the top two positions on the depth chart at wide receiver next season. At runningback, Malcolm Brown has left after rushing for over 1,900 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2013, opening the door for Joe Bergeron to take the lion's share of the snaps next season with Jonathan Grey finally seeing a significant amount of playing time. The Longhorns also lost two o-line starters in Josh Cochran and Dominic Espinosa, which leaves offensive guard Sedrick Flowers as the only returning starter in the trenches for next year. Finally, junior cornerback Quandre Diggs has declared for the NFL draft instead of sticking around to take over the #1 spot vacated by graduating senior Carrington Byndom, leaving the team without their top two corners in 2014.

[St. Francisco]

FIVE MORE ADDED TO ROSTER IN SPRING RECRUITING RUSH
Five underclassmen declared for the draft, leaving a handful of open spots on the roster with only a few weeks left before National Signing Day. But the Longhorns were quick to act, adding five players in the spring to round out the 2014 roster. Perhaps the most exciting addition was four-star prospect Anthony McDonald (TE), who won't see starting time early in his career, but could prove to be a valuable offensive asset a few years down the road. McDonald has excelled in both blocking and receiving in high school, and will almost certainly redshirt in his first year with the team while sophomore Raishaun Blanco and junior M.J. McFarland take the majority of the playing time at the position. Also joining the squad was three-star prospect Ken Fogle, an athlete out of Mississippi who likely translates best to runningback with his tremendous speed. It's a crowded position, but Joe Bergeron and Daje Johnson will both graduate in the next two years, and Jonathan Grey could depart early, which may give Fogle a chance at the starting spot as early as 2016. The team also added Andre Freeman (HB), Jonathan Connor (G), and Chad Anderson (FS), none of whom are expected to see any significant playing time early in their career, but provide needed depth to their respective positions.

[St. Francisco]

SAN DIEGO STATE JOINS PAC-16
The San Diego St. Aztecs have joined the PAC-16 South for the 2014 season, replacing Fresno State in the conference. The Aztecs have excelled in the Mountain West over the last two seasons, putting up a combined record of 18-8 (13-3) with a 1-1 bowl record and a conference championship last year. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have struggled mightily in the PAC-16, going 7-17 (5-13) over the last two years. Fresno State will take San Diego State's place in the Mountain West.


ARKANSAS STATE JOINS BIG EAST
The Arkansas St. Red Wolves have joined the Big East South for the 2014 season, replacing Memphis in the conference. The Red Wolves have excelled in the Sun Belt over the last two seasons, putting up a combined record of 21-5 (11-3) with two bowls wins and an undefeated conference record that led to a Sun Belt title in 2012. The Red Wolves have also finished ranked in the top 25 in each of the last two seasons, and debut at #21 in the preseason polls this year. Meanwhile, the Tigers have struggled mightily in the Big East, going 3-21 (2-16) over the last two years. Memphis will take Arkansas State's place in the Sun Belt.

[black24mamba]

Enjoying this immensely. As a fan of OU, it's nice to see you lose in the NC but at least you made it unlike OU.

[St. Francisco]

Enjoying this immensely. As a fan of OU, it's nice to see you lose in the NC but at least you made it unlike OU.

Don't forget that I'm 2-0 against Oklahoma in this dynasty. :D

[St. Francisco]

[St. Francisco]

2014 TEAM DEPTH CHART

[St. Francisco]

My brief roster analysis:

OFFENSE
I'm excited about our offense this season, even though we lost key offensive starters Malcolm Brown and Jaxon Shipley as well as four of our five starting offensive linemen. I'm hopeful that we can become more of a balanced offense with senior David Ash at the helm. We'll still be a run-first team, but I want to get that passing game involved more. On the ground, I feel obligated to start the senior Bergeron, but Gray has tremendous speed, and if he shows me more in the first few weeks, I won't have a problem making a change. The interior of our line is stronger than the tackles, so runs up the middle will be a focus this season.


DEFENSE
Our front seven is a fierce bunch, led by five seniors with tremendous talent. Of course the main man is middle linebacker Steve Edmond, but I don't just like our starters, I love our depth. Guys like Hassan Ridgeway, Brandon Capps, and Aaron Benson can step in without us missing a beat. Three sophomores at the top of the depth chart at cornerback, and they're average so that's a little worrisome. The good news is that talented seniors Josh Turner and Sheroid Evans provide insurance behind them at safety. Got a pair of solid young kickers for special teams, and the speedy Daje Johnson as my returner.

[St. Francisco]

2014 PRESEASON PREVIEW

[St. Francisco]

FYI: I have entered in some sliders and will be using coach mode for my season-opener against Texas A&M. Game went pretty good, but I do need to adjust the sliders a little bit, so it will be a work in progress as the season progresses.