Never Retreat, Never Surrender | A Texas Longhorns Dynasty

[St. Francisco]

WEEK FIVE


.....


IOWA ST. CYCLONES (1-1, 0-0)
VS.
#21 TEXAS LONGHORNS (3-0, 1-0)


CYCLONES NO MATCH FOR UNBEATEN LONGHORNS
TEXAS IS OFF TO A 4-0 (2-0) START IN 2013 WITH ANOTHER DOMIANTING WIN ON SATURDAY

For the third time in four games this season, the #21 Longhorns held their opponent to just seven points while scoring 30+ points in yet another lopsided victory to stay undefeated in 2013, and improve to 2-0 in conference play. Texas' ground game continued to be the main focus on the offense in the team's home opener as Malcolm Brown rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown off 17 carries, and backup runningback Joe Bergeron added 112 yards and a score off 19 carries. True freshman Luke O'Neal also reached the endzone, carrying the ball four times for 28 yards. Through the air, McCoy played well with limited reps, completing 7 of 11 passes for 87 yards. David Ash took over in the fourth quarter, but completed just 2 of his 5 passes for 18 yards and an interception. Defensively, the Longhorns recorded three sacks, true freshman Barry Morrow (CB) had two interceptions, and senior cornerback Carrington Byndom returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to begin the second half. The Cyclones managed just 258 total offensive yards, and didn't add points to the scoreboard until the fourth quarter, when they were already in a 37-0 hole. Next week, Texas will stay at home to host Kansas (1-2, 1-1), who don't look to have improved much from their 3-9 (0-9) record last year.

Iowa State Cyclones at #21 Texas Longhorns
Sep 21, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Iowa State Cyclones (1-2, 0-1)	0	0	0	7	7
#21 Texas Longhorns (4-0, 2-0)	6	10	21	0	37

Team Stats Comparison
	ISU	TEX
Total Offense	258	358
Rushing Yards	134	253
Passing Yards	124	105
First Downs	15	23
Punt Return Yards	20	20
Kick Return Yards	140	107
Total Yards	418	485
Turnovers	3	2
3rd Down Converstion	8-16 (50%)	7-13 (53%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1 (0%)	0-1 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-0-0 (0%)	6-3-1 (66%)
Penalties	11-78	10-80
Posession Time	25:54	34:06

[St. Francisco]

TWO MORE RECRUITS JOIN DEFENSE FOR 2014 IN WEEK SIX
Seven of the team's eleven defensive starters will graduate at the end of this season, making it an area of focus on the recruiting trail. Following Texas' 37-7 win over Iowa State, two more recruits committed on the defensive side of the ball, bringing the team's total to four recruits on the year. Four-star prospect Jason Hill out of Mineral Wells, TX will join the outside linebackers next season, where both starters are set to graduate at the end of 2013. Even with that, Hill will have a difficult time breaking into the starting lineup early in his career with talented freshmen like Brandon Capps and Peter Jinkens already on the roster. But after a redshirt year, he could see playing time in a backup role as he is groomed for a starring role later in his collegiate career. The Longhorns also added three-star prospect Kevin Marshall (DE) out of Perry, OK, who has shown skills far exceeding his initial scouting report. Marshall is a big body with tremendous power who will likely command double teams in the trenches, opening up opportunities for Texas' linebackers in pass rushing situations, and clogging running lanes on his side of the ball. Three of the team's five players at defensive end will graduate over the next seasons, which should give Marshall a good shot at competing for a starting spot early in his career with freshmen Hassan Ridgeway and Torshiro Davis, who are already on the roster.

[St. Francisco]

WEEK SIX


.....


KANSAS JAYHAWKS (1-2, 1-1)
VS.
#19 TEXAS LONGHORNS (4-0, 2-0)


ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST IN AUSTIN
#19 TEXAS' DEFENSE IS PROVING TO BE ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION

In a conference not traditionally known for top-ranked defenses, the Longhorns are making a statement this season by systematically shutting down their opponents, and relying on a punishing ground game to grind out victories. Their latest win came against Kansas, who managed just 226 total offensive yards and ten points in a 24-10 loss. Case McCoy was more active than usual on Saturday, completing 14 of 31 passes for 162 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. His go-to guy was Jaxon Shipley, who had five catches for 68 yards, while senior Mike Davis caught two balls for 42 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Malcolm Brown continued to add to his early-season Heisman candidacy with 184 yards and a touchdown off 24 carries, averaging 7.6 yards per touch. With 768 rushing yards and six TDs on the year, Brown is currently the nation's leading rusher despite losing 83 carries to guys like Bergeron, Gray, and O'Neal. Joe Bergeron received little to no playing time due to an undisclosed illness, allowing freshman Jonathan Gray to handle the backup duties, rushing for 50 yards off ten carries. Texas' stout defense recorded three sacks and forced a turnover, and through the first five games of the season have allowed an average of just 263 total offensive yards per game, ranking them 5th in the nation. But the team will certainly be put to the test next week when they hit the road to face #14 Kansas State (4-1, 1-1), who rank 6th in rush offense and 14th in total defense. The Wildcats rely on senior runningback John Hubert to lead the offense, and will also need a solid game from sophomore Daniel Sims (QB), who landed the starting spot after Tavarius Bender was lost for the season with a hip fracture in the team's week two 40-37 overtime win against Connecticut. Kansas State's only loss of the season came against Oklahoma in week five, where they scored 17 unanswered points in the 4th quarter, but still came up short in a 31-24 loss.

Kansas Jayhawks at #19 Texas Longhorns
Sep 28, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Kansas Jayhawks (1-3, 1-2)	0	7	0	3	10
#19 Texas Longhorns (5-0, 3-0)	14	0	3	7	24

Team Stats Comparison
	KU	TEX
Total Offense	226	424
Rushing Yards	95	262
Passing Yards	131	162
First Downs	17	26
Punt Return Yards	13	37
Kick Return Yards	67	59
Total Yards	306	520
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Converstion	6-15 (40%)	4-12 (33%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1 (0%)	1-1 (100%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2-1-1 (100%)	7-3-1 (57%)
Penalties	5-39	5-40
Posession Time	25:22	34:38

[St. Francisco]

Just wanted to point out that Iowa State beat Oklahoma 37-34 in overtime to give the Sooners their second loss of the season. Lulz.

[St. Francisco]

TEXAS DOUBLES NUMBER OF COMMITMENTS IN WEEK SIX
Nearly all of the Longhorns' eight remaining recruits were in Austin this past weekend to watch the team dominate Kansas, and a take a tour of the school and the athletic facilities. Out of the seven players that visited, four gave their commitment to the school before leaving the city. First up is four-star prospect Brett Christensen (C) out of Corpus Christi, Texas. Listed as the #1 center in the nation, #22 overall, and the 4th ranked recruit coming out of the state of Texas, Christensen has been a highly-skilled and balanced blocker in high school, excelling in opening up run lanes down the middle, and providing ample protection for his quarterback. With Dominic Espinosa and Garrett Porter both graduating over the next two seasons, Christensen could very likely land a starting spot as a second-year freshman in 2015 after a redshirt year. The team also added four-star prospect Marcus Williams, a quarterback out of Morton Grove, Illinois. Williams is the top prospect available at quarterback as well as the state of Illinois, and is ranked #22 overall. He will have one of the strongest arms on the roster, and has displayed quickness to boot, but his accuracy is an area of improvement he will need to work on early in his career. David Ash and Case McCoy will both be gone by the end of next season, opening the door for the four freshman currently on the roster, as well as Williams, who isn't likely to compete for the starring role until very late in his career, but could grab a crucial backup role as a sophomore or junior. Athlete Darnell Swanson of Abilene, TX joined the team as well, and will likely wind up with the team's receiving corps. Swanson joins of a growing list of blue-chip recruits to commit to Texas as he ranked 27th overall in the nation. The Longhorns are currently deep at the position, but will graduate five of their eight wide receivers over the next two seasons, opening the door for Swanson to see significant playing time relatively early in his collegiate career following a redshirt season. Finally, Texas added Daniel Little (DE) of Lancaster, Texas, the third recruit on the defensive line this season. Much like recent recruit Kevin Marshall, Little will have a shot at a starting spot early in his career as the team will graduate three of their five defensive ends by 2015.

[WrightStuff]

Lots of top seeds falling. Itll be interesting to see the new rankings. Should be top 15 this week, no?

[St. Francisco]

WEEK SEVEN


.....


#15 TEXAS LONGHORNS (5-0, 3-0)
VS.
#14 KANSAS ST. WILDCATS (4-1, 1-1)

Case McCoy has commanded the starting spot for a little over one year at Texas, finally putting to rest a heated race at quarterback. But on Saturday, junior David Ash opened up the floodgates once again, turning in a solid performance in place of an injured Case McCoy to lead the Longhorns to a 31-16 victory.

Case McCoy completed just 3 of 5 passes for 15 yards before leaving the game in the 1st quarter after taking a nasty hit. McCoy was later diagnosed with a concussion, and his status for next week's game remains unknown. In his first significant playing time this season, Ash performed admirably, completing 9 of 16 passes for 198 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. McCoy has been positively average through the first five games this season, completing just 46% of his passes for 631 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions. Many feel that Ash could perform just as well if not better on a weekly basis, and also brings his tremendous speed to the table for an additional factor that defenses must account for on every play. Coaches are keeping quiet about the situation, but it's possible that McCoy could sit longer than usual under the guise of recovering from his concussion while the team re-evaluates Ash. Leading the receiving corps was Jaxon Shipley, who had four catches for 91 yards and a score. Senior Mike Davis (pictured above) only had one catch, but it was a 53-yard one-handed TD reception to break a 10-10 tie in the 3rd quarter. As for the ground game, Malcolm Brown rushed for 70 yards off 15 carries, but it was backup Joe Bergeron who saw the biggest workload, carrying the ball 19 times for 91 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, the Longhorns failed to force any turnovers, but they did record five sacks on their way to limiting Kansas State's offense to 220 yards and just one touchdown in the loss.

As for the Wildcats, injuries to their key offensive stars spelled disaster in the team's second loss of the season. Sophomore Daniel Sims, filling in for injured starter Tavarius Bender, completed 5 of 11 passes for 80 yards, and rushed for 34 yards and the team's only touchdown before leaving the game with a bruised throwing shoulder, an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for three weeks. The starting spot then fell to 3rd string QB Tim Walker, a true freshman who completed just 2 of 13 passes for 15 yards in the loss. Groundwise, DeMarcus Robinson rushed for 87 yards off 19 carries to lead the offense after starting runningback John Hubert left the game on the team's first offensive play of the day with a sprained ankle. Kansas State's defense forced three turnovers, but failed to put up a decent pass rush, and simply could not keep Texas' run-oriented offense from putting up 423 yards and four touchdowns.

Halfway through the 2013 regular season, the Longhorns have yet to feel the bitter sting of defeat...but all bets are off next week when they head to Dallas to take on Oklahoma in the annual Red River Rivalry, one of college football's most storied battles. Stay tuned for our full game preview.

#15 Texas Longhorns at #14 Kansas State Wildcats
Oct 5, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#15 Texas Longhorns (6-0, 4-0)	3	7	14	7	31
#14 Kansas State Wildcats (4-2, 1-2)	0	10	0	6	16

Team Stats Comparison
	TEX	KSU
Total Offense	423	220
Rushing Yards	210	125
Passing Yards	213	95
First Downs	25	12
Punt Return Yards	44	0
Kick Return Yards	67	98
Total Yards	534	318
Turnovers	3	0
3rd Down Converstion	8-15 (53%)	4-15 (26%)
4th Down Conversion	1-1 (100%)	0-2 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	0-0 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-2-1 (75%)	2-1-1 (100%)
Penalties	6-39	9-65
Posession Time	34:21	25:39

[St. Francisco]

Lots of top seeds falling. Itll be interesting to see the new rankings. Should be top 15 this week, no?

Been a pretty crazy year, that's for sure. I'll be posting the new top 25 poll after our week eight game against Oklahoma.

[black24mamba]

What sliders and settings are you using?

[St. Francisco]

What sliders and settings are you using?

I actually sim all games, it's much more enjoyable for me that way. I like the challenge of trying to win a national title just as a team manager.

[black24mamba]

That's cool so you make up all write ups?

[St. Francisco]

That's cool so you make up all write ups?

Yeah, what I do is look over the game recap, then I have a separate save file that I keep where I can go back and actually enter the game to get an in-game screenshot.

[St. Francisco]

LONGHORNS ADD THREE MORE TO BRING TOTAL TO 11 RECRUITS
We're only midway through the 2013 regular season, and Texas has already filled 11 of their 12 roster holes for next season. The latest round of recruits committed following the team's win over Kansas State, and are highlighted by five-star prospect Ronnie Moss, the highest-rated prospect to join the team so far. Listed as the 18th overall prospect, and #3 coming out of Texas, Moss is an extremely versatile player who could fill a number of holes. Coaches feel as though Moss could transition to several different positions, including fullback, linebacker, and anywhere on the offensive or defensive line, making it difficult to predict where he may wind up. It's likely that decision will be made by any juniors that leave early in the spring, opening a spot for the talented Moss. Also joining the team is four-star prospect Robert Royal (CB) out of Clifton, New Jersey, the 6th ranked recruit coming out of that state. In high school, Royal has displayed a good amount of speed as well as tremendous skill in both man and zone coverage, but his tackling leaves something to be desired. Four of the team's six cornerbacks on the roster are in their freshman years, so Royal may have some difficulty seeing any significant playing time early in his career. After a redshirt season, Royal could have a chance at competing for the nickelback slot on the depth chart. Finally, the team welcomes four-star prospect Andrew Chapman (G) of Tucson, Arizona, the 2nd ranked recruit coming out of the state. Chapman fits right into the playing style of the Longhorns, exhibiting his best skills in run blocking. Chapman is the third o-line prospect to commit to the team, and will surely play a vital role on the offensive line in the coming years.

[St. Francisco]

QB ASH NAMED STARTER VS. OKLAHOMA
It's not clear if Case McCoy is still feeling the effects of his concussion from last week, or if the team would simply like to re-evaluate their quarterback situation a little more. Regardless, junior QB David Ash has been named the starter for next week's game against arch-rival Oklahoma after he completed 9 of 16 passes for 198 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in last week's 31-16 road win over Kansas State.


TOP-RANKED PROSPECT ROWE COMMITS TO GEORGIA
The #1 overall prospect available in 2013 according to nearly every major scouting group has officially made his decision, committing to play for Georgia. Will Rowe is an athlete out of Yeadon, Pennsylvania, measuring in at 6'4" and 206 lbs.. In other recruiting news, Texas currently had the 3rd ranked recruiting class in the nation after their latest round of commitments. But the biggest winners so far have been LSU, with six commitments from five-star prospects.

[WrightStuff]

I think its cool that you sim the games. With all these ranked wins, you should be staring the top 10 right in the face.