Double Coverage Volume 5 Issue 10

THE DAILY TEXAN PRESENTS:

Nov. 5, 2010 Vol.5, Issue 10

NO ONE LEFT

Fans, team disappointed with 4-4 record | page 8WHOSE FAULT IS IT?

KSU seniors hope to finish careers undefeated versus

Longhorns | page 3

PARTING SHOT

TO BLAME

11

Friday, November 5, 20102

‘‘There is absolutely nothing that we can see except there are too many guys dropping passes.

— Mack Brown,Texas head coach

EDITOR’S NOTEThe Daily Texan’s Double Coverage is printed the Friday before every Texas football game and twice during OU week.

theLINEUP

Cover: Corey Leamon, above: Derek Stout| Daily Texan Staff

Texas returner Curtis Brown waits to receive a punt in the Baylor game last Saturday. Brown fumbled two punts against the Bears — his recent struggles have been emblematic of the Longhorns’ special teams problems.

BAD CASE OF THE DROPSWhile quarterback Garrett Gilbert has shown improvement the past two games, Texas’ receivers can’t hold on to the ball.

page 3

HUSKER HUBBUBFor the second straight week, Nebraska is at the center of an illegal-hit review and Cornhusker head coach Bo Pelini is unhappy.

6

Without solid producers on punt or kick returns, head coach Mack Brown is turning to untested players at those positions versus KSU.

10 NOT-SO-SPECIAL TEAMS

Double Coverage Editor……………Will Anderson Design Editor…………………….Mustafa SaifuddinPhoto Editor……………………………Derek StoutCopy Editors........Sydney Fitzgerald, Cristina Herrera......................................Reese Rackets, Austin MyersDaily Texan Sports Editor………………Dan HurwitzWriters……...................................Sameer Bhuchar,.....................................................Alexandra Carreno, ...................................................Austin Laymance,......................................................Jordan Godwin, …………………........Laken Litman, Jonathan Parrett

THE DAILY TEXAN PRESENTS:

VOLUME 5, ISSUE 10 • NOVEMBER 5, 2010

REGULARSpage 5 POWER RANKINGS

11 MATCHups

PLAYERStoWATCH15

GAMEStoWATCH7Oklahoma’s blitz-heavy defensive strategy is paying dividends as opposing quarterbacks scramble to stay upright.

12 SOONER OR LATER

HE SAID IT...

Look for The Daily Texan tent

at the corner of MLK & Brazos

Carter Goss P 512.475.6721 E [email protected] US

FOR MORE INFORMATION

visit us at WWW.UTEXAS.EDU/TSM

The Daily Texan • TSTV • KVRX • Texas Travesty • Cactus Yearbook

TEXASSTUDENTMEDIA

A Special Thanks to

Come and enjoy a good ‘ol time!Enjoy free stuff from our sponsors & watch

the game on a big screen tv under the tent!!

Tailgate Days are every homegame!

September 11 Wyoming

September 25

UCLA

October 23 Iowa State

October 30Baylor

November 13 Oklahoma State

November 20 Florida Atlantic

November 25 Texas A&M

S

AN JA

C

DK Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium

Presented by Double Coverage & Jefferson 26

AirstreamCamper Clinic

Domino’s PizzaRBFCU

Spec’sVerizon Wireless

on page 3

2

By Austin LaymanceDaily Texan Staff

The 22 seniors on Kansas State’s roster will take the field at Bill Snyder Stadium in their royal purple get-up for the last time Saturday — the first Big 12 school to host Senior Day this season as the Wildcats’ final three games are all on the road. It’s fitting that Texas, a team that has never beaten K-State’s seniors, is the final home opponent for these Cats.

After all, these players hold a special place in history as the only team in the Big 12 to not lose to Colt McCoy — the Long-horn quarterback who set the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivi-sion record for wins with 45 and had his number retired by Texas recently.

While most programs have the luxury of sending their seniors off in fashion late in the season, Kansas State’s elder statesmen will suit up for the last time in front of their home crowd the

first weekend of November, a rather unusual circumstance. Starting quarterback Carson Coffman, who was the back-up to current NFL play-caller Josh Freeman when the Wildcats beat seventh-ranked Texas 41-21 in Austin in 2007, can’t believe he’s on the brink of the team’s last home stand.

“It has kind of come upon us quickly,” Coffman said. “I did not expect it to be here this fast, but it’s a great opportunity for myself and the rest of the se-niors on this team. It’s our last game in this stadium and we want to go out with a win.”

Knocking out Texas is some-thing Kansas State has hung its hat on. Since the Big 12’s for-mation in 1996, the Wildcats have beaten the Longhorns four times, with Texas getting the better of them twice.

Head coach Bill Snyder is 2-2 against Texas all time, with both

Friday, November 5, 2010 3

Derek Stout | Daily Texan Staff

Texas tight end Greg Smith, right, loses the ball after being hit by Baylor safety Tim Atchison. The Bears’ Antonio Johnson intercepted the bobbled pass, setting up a fourth-quarter touchdown

Dropped passes plague receivers

Wildcat seniors have beaten Texas in both matchups

By Jordan GodwinDaily Texan Staff

In the beginning of the season, quarterback Garrett Gilbert’s wild arm hurt the Longhorns.

He was inaccurate, overthrew passes and didn’t seem to have any touch on the ball whatsoever. Now that he’s found his groove and has started hitting his targets, he’s still not getting anything in return. The Texas receivers have dropped more than a dozen pass-es over the last two games, nearly half of Gilbert’s incomplete pass-es. The problem has coaches abso-lutely baffled.

“We’ve been over it and over it and over it,” said head coach Mack Brown. “There is absolute-ly nothing that we can see except

there are too many guys dropping passes. James Kirkendoll makes a great catch down the sideline and then drops the other one — it makes no sense.”

So this week in practice, the coaches have decided to take a new approach. Figuring that the dropped passes are a result of a lack of discipline and want-to in practice, the coaches have add-ed a completely new level of ac-countability to catching passes.

“Because our receivers and tight ends are dropping too many balls, from the minute they walk out on the field, we have someone counting every pass that’s thrown to them and everybody who drops one,” Brown said. “From now on, every ball that’s thrown

to a receiver or tight end is be-ing marked down and calculat-ed, and we’re trying to figure our why we’re having five guys drop a ball. If it was one guy dropping five balls, you can fix it easier, but it’s not. So we’re trying to get their attention.”

While the coaches shook their heads in disbelief on Saturday as receivers lost pass after pass, the players were equally discon-tent. Some critics of the team say the dropped passes are a result of carelessness — that this 2010 team just doesn’t have the drive that fans are accustomed to seeing. But ask any Texas player, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

DROPS continues on page 15 SENIORS continues on page 14

4-4 (2-3 Big 12)last game: 30-22 loss vs. Baylor

5-3 (2-3 Big 12)last game: 24-14 loss vs. Oklahoma St.

Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Manhattan, Kan.

ESPN2, 7 p.m.

Texas @ Kansas St.

preview

3

WINE · SPIR ITS · F INER FOODS(512) 280-7400 · specsonline.com

Mon-Sat 10am-9pm

Harpoon 6PK 12oz Bottles (A L L S TY L E S) ............... $6.99Boulevard Seasonal 6PK 12 OZ B OT T L E S ................ $6.99Abita Harvest 6PK 12 OZ B OT T L E S ............................... $6.49Blue Moon 12PK 12 OZ CANS .........................................$11.99Real Ale Fireman’s #4 12 PACK 12OZ BOTTLES .........$12.99Lone Star 1/2 Barrel Keg (KEG OF THE WEEK) .......$79.99

8 AUSTIN AREA LOCATIONS

THAN 6TH STREETAND FASTER SERVICE, TOO

BeerPRICES REFLECT 5% CASH DISCOUNT

4

cactusyearbookORDER YOURS TODAY

TEXASSTUDENTMEDIA

during spring registration under “Optional Fees”

online at www.cactusyearbook.com

at the William Randolph Hearst Building (HSM), 2500 Whitis Ave., Room 3.200

call the Texas Student Media business offi ce at 512.471.5083

FOUR WAYS to order:1

2

3

4



Come and enjoy a good ‘ol time!Enjoy free stuff from our sponsors & watch

the game on a big screen tv under the tent!!

A Special Thanks to

Look for The Daily Texan tentat the corner of MLK & Brazos

Carter GossP 512.475.6721E [email protected] US

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Tailgate Daysare every homegame!

September 11Wyoming

September 25UCLA

October 23Iowa State

October 30Baylor

November 13Oklahoma State

November 20Florida Atlantic

November 25Texas A&M

Presented by

S

AN JA

C

DK Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium

Double Coverage & Jefferson 26

AirstreamCamper Clinic

Domino’s PizzaRBFCU

Spec’sVerizon Wireless

TEXASSTUDENTMEDIA


— By Sameer Bhuchar | Daily Texan StaffBIG 12 POWER RANKINGS

7

8

9

10

11

12

1

2

3

4

5

6

The Bears made history with their win over Texas. Their national stock is rising, as is their position in the Big 12 South. They are the third highest scoring team in the nation.

The Cyclones crack the top half of the Big 12 because they are simply doing one thing — winning. It may not be pretty, and it certainly wasn’t last week against Kansas, but they are one game away from bowl eligibility.

The Cowboys won in a relatively quiet fashion for such a high-scoring team last week, but with conference-leading receiver Justin Blackmon back, the Cowboys are offensively ready to take on Baylor this week.

Landry Jones threw for 453 yards and four touchdowns against Colorado, and Ryan Broyles caught 10 balls for a school-record 208 yards as part of the biggest passing day in Oklahoma history.

The euphoria was short-lived for the Tigers, but their loss to Nebraska doesn’t drop them too far. Unfortunately, their shot at a Big 12 North title is effectively lost, despite an easy schedule ahead, barring any meltdown in Lincoln.

Roy Helu Jr. ran all over that tough Missouri defense for 301 yards, allowing Taylor Martinez to take it easy. This team has more weapons than anyone in the conference and the Cornhuskers are in good position to take the Big 12 North.

Cody Hawkins couldn’t get the win he wanted in his first start since regaining the position. The Buffaloes are just too undermanned and under-skilled to make any sort of late-season splash.

Like the Colorado Buffaloes, the Jayhawks are without a conference win. Their upcoming schedule features three ranked opponents in a row — it’s going to be a long three weeks.

A quarterback controversy seems to be brewing in Lubbock. With Potts getting benched late against Texas A&M, who knows who will be starting next week against Missouri. One thing is for sure: The controversy can’t help this disappointing team.

It is a good thing the Longhorns are heading out of Austin this week. With their abysmal home record of 1-3, maybe some time far away from the Lone Star State will get them a desperate win.

For the first time this season, the Wildcats’ defense played significantly better than their offense. But they still lost to Oklahoma State. However, they face a battered Texas team on Saturday at home.

All it took to turn the Aggies around was benching their preseason potential Heisman candidate. Jerrod Johnson sat and new quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for 449 yards and four touchdowns to put the Aggies on the upswing.

♲

your copy ofDOUBLE

COVERAGE!

RECYCLE

♲

PwrRank 5

Dealer in TexasAnd a Top 10 Dealer in the USA

#1

amperlinic

(512) 312-1478 I-35 S. Austin Exit 220 • East Frontage Road of I-35 Across from Cabela’s

www.camperclinic.com

Airstream™

Motor Homes

Now Selling

Sales - Service - Parts - Rentals

Choose from one of our 8 locations!

West Campus• Camino Real• Salado• Seton Square• University Quarters• Vanderbilt Condos• Nueces Oaks TownhomesNorth Campus• Castle Arms• 31st Street

Where Students & Service are our priority.

Ts

ts

T hTownhomes

s

512-472-3816

605 West 28th& www.marquisliving.com

We have the location, affordability, and a friendly staff with the best

maintenance service in the campus area!


Saturday, November 6th at the Etter-Harbin Alumni CenterAll proceeds benefi ting Heart House of Austin

Tickets now on sale for $10 in the West Mallfrom 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and include a free t-shirt and drinks to those 21+

Doors open at 9 p.m. followed by a performance by Jonathan Hill and Taylor Kelley at 9:45. The auction will begin at 11 p.m.

Performance by Sama’an the DJ to follow the auction.

PRESENTS 5TH ANNUAL dream date

Thanks to: Eclectic Eyewear, Hot Slice, Jimmy and Barbara Prince - Prince Fireworks, Gallery of Salons, Lorraine’s Essentials, Chili’s, Mama Fu’s, Texas Roadhouse, Blue Elephant, Fitness 360, Myo Massage, Alamo Drafthouse, T BarM Resort, Precision Camera and Video, Carvajal Co., Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Vangi’s Studios, Gallery of Salons, P. Terry’s and Rubby Aesthetics International.

Huskers under review for hit again this week

This week, head coach Bo Pe-lini and his Cornhuskers are at the center of a quarrel that has been gnawing at the team since the early weeks of the season — illegal hits.

“It just seems like I was sick of it three weeks ago. Obviously, no-body wants anybody to get hurt,” Pelini said. “I think they just blew it up so much.”

Pelini’s latest outcry comes in response to Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel submitting a hit by Nebraska safety Courtney Os-borne on the MU quarterback for league review. This is the sec-ond week in a row the Cornhusk-ers have been at the center of this debate that came to the forefront when the NFL announced its heightened penalties against ille-gal hits two weeks ago.

Pinkel said he submitted the vid-eo as a self-educational tool as op-posed to an accusatory complaint. Pelini said that Missouri quarter-back Blaine Gabbert leaned into the helmet-to-helmet hit, and still frames from the game appeared to support Pelini’s accusation.

Nebraska linebacker and spe-cial teams contributor Eric Mar-tin sat out the Missouri game for a prior illegal hit. Word on wheth-er Osborne will be suspended has yet to be released.

“We don’t teach anybody to do that. I think sometimes things hap-pen in the emotion of the game, but I don’t think anybody is out there intentionally trying to hurt anyone,” Pelini said. “It’s a physi-cal sport and things happen fast.”

ISU needs one more win to go bowling this year

Last time the Cyclones faced Nebraska, they put on a record-setting defensive performance. The Cornhuskers gave up eight turnovers to Iowa State, a school record the Blackshirts proba-bly would have preferred not to have broken.

For Nebraska, this Saturday’s matchup in Ames is about re-demption, but for Iowa State, this game is another chance to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. If the Cyclones can pull out at least one win in their next three games, they will be heading to a second straight postseason game for the first time since 2004-2005. The odds are in Iowa State’s favor, with Colorado

still on the schedule.“We can’t control how peo-

ple pick us to finish. We can only control what we do and how we work and the goals we set,” said ISU safety Michael O’Connell. “To be in this position is no surprise. With hard work, you reap what you sow.”

Converted quarterback helping KSU on defense

A former high school quarter-back is one of Kansas State’s lead-ing tacklers.

Cornerback Ty Zimmerman im-pressed Wildcat head coach Bill Snyder so much in practice this offseason that he now starts at a position he never even played un-til reaching college.

Now Zimmerman has started Kansas State’s last seven games and is tackling his way into prominence.

“Ty has played consistently well throughout the season,” Sny-der said of Zimmerman, who re-corded a career-high 12 tackles last week in the Wildcats’ 24-14 loss to Oklahoma State. “Ty is a young guy that there’s still some things that he’s trying to run around pulling his pants up to figure out because he’s a young pup.”

The “young pup” is playing more like a big dog with a bite. The 6-foot-1-inch, 203-pound freshman ranks fifth on the team with 43 tackles, including 22 solo, an atypically high statistic for a cornerback.

Zimmerman may be an out-standing individual player, but he credits the work of his sec-ondary coach and teammates that keep him on the fast track to improving.

“I have a great coach in coach [Keith] Burns and great team-mates with those older guys — Tysyn and E-Man,” he said, re-ferring to fellow defensive backs Tysyn Hartman and Emmanu-el Lamur. “They’re just helping week in and week out.”

— By Sameer Bhuchar | Daily Texan Staff

BIG 12notebook

North

BIG 12 NORTH CONF. OVERALL

1. Nebraska 3-1 7-1

1. Missouri 3-1 7-1

3. Iowa St. 3-2 5-4

4. Kansas St. 2-3 5-3

5. Colorado 0-4 3-5

6. Kansas 0-4 2-6

STANDINGS


— By Jon Parrett | Daily Texan StaffGAMEStoWATCH

Sponsored by:

9-0 (5-0 MWC)Last game: 48-6 win

@ UNLV

8-0 (5-0 MWC)Last game: 28-23 win @ Air Force

Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah2:30 p.m., CBS

No. 3 TCU @ No. 5 Utah7-1 (4-1 SEC)

Last game: 41-10 win @ Tennessee

7-1 (4-1 SEC)Last game: 24-17 loss @ Auburn

Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.1:30 p.m., CBS

6-2 (3-2 SEC)Last game: 49-14 win

vs. Vanderbilt

6-2 (4-2 SEC)Last game: 38-24 win vs. Tennessee

Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, S.C.6 p.m., ESPN

7-1 (4-1 Pac-10)Last game: 29-21 win

@ UCLA

7-1 (4-1 Pac-10)Last game: 41-0 win @ Washington

Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.7 p.m., ABC

The Utes have been waiting all year to avenge the 55-28 trouncing the Horned Frogs handed them last season in Ft. Worth. The game pits Utah’s third-ranked scoring offense in the country — 45 points per game — against TCU’s No. 1 scoring defense, which allows 8.7 points per game. TCU has yet to be test-ed this season, with an average winning margin of 32 points, but the Horned Frogs haven’t won in Salt Lake City in their past three tries.

Saturday’s game will be the first Moun-tain West Conference matchup of top 10 teams ever and carries BCS implications for both sides. Aside from fourth-ranked Boise State, the winner of this contest is the team with the best shot at busting the BCS conferences’ monopoloy of the na-tional championship game.

The Tide are still in the hunt for the national championship after slipping in October but face perhaps the toughest stretch of games in the country, begin-ning with Saturday’s trip to Baton Rouge before facing Mississippi State and Au-burn. Alabama running back Mark In-gram has struggled as of late, failing to eclipse 100 yards on the ground in four straight games.

LSU continues to play the two-quar-terback system, splitting time between Jarrett Lee and Jordan Jefferson. It will be interesting to see how LSU coach Les Miles uses Jefferson in the passing game against the Tide’s second-ranked scoring defense — Jefferson has only thrown for more than 100 yards twice this season. The Tigers lost last week in Auburn but are still undefeated at home this year.

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallet got back on track last week against Vander-bilt, throwing for over 400 yards and three touchdowns for the second time this season. The Razorbacks shouldn’t have much trouble scoring on the Game-cocks, who give up 259.8 passing yards per game, but will need to focus their attention defensively on running back Marcus Lattimore. The freshman sensa-tion totaled over 200 yards of offense for the second straight game last week, af-ter sitting out a game with a sprained ankle.

South Carolina has only one confer-ence game left after this one and can cap-ture the SEC East by winning out but ex-pect Steve Spurriers’ Gamecocks to be focused on the task at hand in this pivot-al conference battle.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck bare-ly broke a sweat in last week’s romp over Washington and could improve his Heisman candidacy by having a good game against Arizona’s seventh-ranked scoring defense. The Cardinal is off to its best start since 1970, when the team went 8-1, and has a chance to play in its first Rose Bowl since 2000.

Matt Scott stepped in for the injured Nick Foles at quarterback last week and led the Wildcats to a close win over UCLA, throw-ing for 319 yards and a touchdown. Wildcats head coach Mike Stoops said Foles was back to 100 percent after practicing Monday and will get the start against Stanford. Luck is getting more Heisman hype, but it was Foles who was leading the Pac-10 in passing at the time of his injury. Arizona is second in the Pac-10, but high-powered Oregon remains on the schedule.

No. 6 Alabama @ No. 10 LSU No. 18 Arkansas @ No. 19 S. Carolina No. 15 Arizona @ No. 13 Stanford

7 Games2watch

{

Coach Brown,

We love you, man. We really do and always will. When we were little pre-Mack kids, it was kind of embarrassing to be a Texas fan. Our moms stopped wear-ing burnt orange and our dads seriously considered swaying us toward another college.

But you changed all that.You returned Texas to greatness, and

watching you hold that crystal football above the crowd in 2006 seriously made the decision for a lot of us — Texas was where it was at. We came here because we believed in you, and for the past two years, you delivered. In both 2008 and 2009, you were one � uke play away from winning back-to-back national championships.

We won just as much as you did throughout those good times. While other kids’ colleges sucked at football, we were bragging about ours. When they were mis-erable and depressed because their team lost, we beer showered ourselves in front

of them. They were great times.But what has happened this season has

changed everything. Freshmen are won-dering what kind of curse they brought to campus. Seniors are considering � fth years because this is no way to go out. Sophomores and juniors are optimistic, but something’s got to change.

We applauded the last-minute touch-down against UCLA that made it 27-12. The next week, we screamed our lungs out in Dallas against OU and nothing happened. The last two weeks, most of us showed up, only to be crushed again and again by an e� ortless performance.

So from here on out, don’t blame us if your team loses. There are three more games at home — a daunting Oklahoma State, an expected blowout of Florida Atlantic and a potentially lifelong heart-breaker if A&M wins.

We’ll see you there ... maybe.

Sincerely,Concerned Students

98

Dear Texas fans, We’ve had a rough season. It’s amazing that

we were playing in the national champion-ship just nine months ago and now we’re 4-4. We’ve got some problems, but we’re gonna get ‘em � xed.

I know you don’t like to lose. I don’t like to lose, either. The players and coaches don’t like to lose, either. But we’ve got four more games and can still � nish the season strong.

I was really proud that you stayed until the end of the Iowa State and Baylor games even though we didn’t play up to Texas standards. I know you were disappointed after those losses. I was disappointed, too.

We’ve had nine consecutive 10-win seasons here at Texas and even though we won’t get our 10th in a row this year, our team needs you.

I thought you stayed and fought at Iowa State and Baylor, and I thought that really helped our kids. You gave them the will to come back and � ght when they were down.

Now I know it’s hard sometimes to wake up in the morning and get ready for games. I know beer doesn’t taste that great at 8 a.m. But we need you to come ready to play just like our kids do. Just like our coaches do. You are as much a part of this team as we are.

I was proud you all stayed for the whole game last weekend. You helped our team � ght. I know it’s hard to do when we’re not playing very well. It’s unusual. I ask you to do that for the next four weeks for these kids. They are trying. The coaches are try-ing. I appreciated you hanging in there and helping us as much as you could. It means a lot to our football program here at the University of Texas.

So don’t worry, we’ll get our problems � xed and we’ll get back on the winning track in no time.

Hook ‘Em,

Mack Brown

WHAT MACK BROWN IS THINKING

LOOK AWAY, TEXAS IS ONTexas faces Kansas State Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. But watching the

Longhorns has been depressing of late and there might be better things

on television in case you’re home. Below we provide a list plus our guess

at what students will be doing with all their free time.

“Dumb and Dumber” on TBS at 7 — Yes, yes, yes. Follow two lovable idiots travel cross-country in the shaggin’ wagon and recite profound musings like, “We got no food, no jobs… our PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!” and “I desperately want to make love to a school boy.”

No. 14 Missouri at Texas Tech on ABC at 7 — Both teams have overhyped o� enses and medio-cre defenses, so this game could be close.

“Cops” on Fox at 7 — If your roommate ever walks in and asks why you’re all sweaty, you have to say, “I was watching Cops.” We were born of this classic show and grew up watching exactly what would happen if we even so much as thought about drinking beer.

Derek Stout | Daily Texan Sta�

Andrew Torrey | Daily Texan Sta�

Andrew TorreyDaily Texan Sta�

* The letters and � gures below are purely the work of The Daily Texan sta� and are simply meant to re� ect the attitude of the team and the fans during these trying times.

“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” on Bravo at 7 — Not sure how this will translate when censored, but do yourself a favor and only watch the � rst hour of the movie. When you get to the part where Steve Carell starts dating the woman, walk away. The dancing scene at the end will scar you for life.

“X-Men 3” on Telemundo at 6 — En esta secuencia los heroes mutantes deben tomar una difícil decisión: mantenar sus super-poderes o tomar una droga que los puede convertir en seres nor-males. What better way to practice your Spanish?

“Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” on Disney Channel at 7 — Freshmen, you know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.

“Little Miss Sunshine” on E! at 7 — This movie is so money, it will be used as currency in the future. A highly dysfunctional fam-ily comes together on a bizarre road trip that leaves one cured, one dead, one talkative and one booming with con� dence.

“Strange Sex” on TLC at 7 — In this episode, “Cougars and Cubs,” absorb a pro� le of a 73-year-old former model as she dates a 33-year-old father of two. If you enjoy that, the next episode is on people with balloon fetishes.

“The Wedding Planner” on Oxygen at 7 — Wait, nevermind, I thought that said “Wedding Singer” or “Wedding Crashers.” Always try to avoid anything with Jennifer Lopez or our 1992 Fall Intramurals Golf Champion, Matthew McConaughey.

“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” on Comedy Central at 6 — But I will warn you, “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” follows it at 8, so once those stoners � nally get their sliders and the credits roll, turn that dial.

HARP

ING

ON TH

E GOO

D OL

’ DAY

S OF R

OOM

MAT

ES

COLT

MCC

OY A

ND JO

RDAN

SHIP

LEY –

22%

{

{

{{{{{{

{

{

{

AN OPEN LETTER TO MACK BROWN

{

Coach Brown,

We love you, man. We really do and always will. When we were little pre-Mack kids, it was kind of embarrassing to be a Texas fan. Our moms stopped wear-ing burnt orange and our dads seriously considered swaying us toward another college.

But you changed all that.You returned Texas to greatness, and

watching you hold that crystal football above the crowd in 2006 seriously made the decision for a lot of us — Texas was where it was at. We came here because we believed in you, and for the past two years, you delivered. In both 2008 and 2009, you were one � uke play away from winning back-to-back national championships.

We won just as much as you did throughout those good times. While other kids’ colleges sucked at football, we were bragging about ours. When they were mis-erable and depressed because their team lost, we beer showered ourselves in front

of them. They were great times.But what has happened this season has

changed everything. Freshmen are won-dering what kind of curse they brought to campus. Seniors are considering � fth years because this is no way to go out. Sophomores and juniors are optimistic, but something’s got to change.

We applauded the last-minute touch-down against UCLA that made it 27-12. The next week, we screamed our lungs out in Dallas against OU and nothing happened. The last two weeks, most of us showed up, only to be crushed again and again by an e� ortless performance.

So from here on out, don’t blame us if your team loses. There are three more games at home — a daunting Oklahoma State, an expected blowout of Florida Atlantic and a potentially lifelong heart-breaker if A&M wins.

We’ll see you there ... maybe.

Sincerely,Concerned Students

98

Dear Texas fans, We’ve had a rough season. It’s amazing that

we were playing in the national champion-ship just nine months ago and now we’re 4-4. We’ve got some problems, but we’re gonna get ‘em � xed.

I know you don’t like to lose. I don’t like to lose, either. The players and coaches don’t like to lose, either. But we’ve got four more games and can still � nish the season strong.

I was really proud that you stayed until the end of the Iowa State and Baylor games even though we didn’t play up to Texas standards. I know you were disappointed after those losses. I was disappointed, too.

We’ve had nine consecutive 10-win seasons here at Texas and even though we won’t get our 10th in a row this year, our team needs you.

I thought you stayed and fought at Iowa State and Baylor, and I thought that really helped our kids. You gave them the will to come back and � ght when they were down.

Now I know it’s hard sometimes to wake up in the morning and get ready for games. I know beer doesn’t taste that great at 8 a.m. But we need you to come ready to play just like our kids do. Just like our coaches do. You are as much a part of this team as we are.

I was proud you all stayed for the whole game last weekend. You helped our team � ght. I know it’s hard to do when we’re not playing very well. It’s unusual. I ask you to do that for the next four weeks for these kids. They are trying. The coaches are try-ing. I appreciated you hanging in there and helping us as much as you could. It means a lot to our football program here at the University of Texas.

So don’t worry, we’ll get our problems � xed and we’ll get back on the winning track in no time.

Hook ‘Em,

Mack Brown

WHAT MACK BROWN IS THINKING

LOOK AWAY, TEXAS IS ONTexas faces Kansas State Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2. But watching the

Longhorns has been depressing of late and there might be better things

on television in case you’re home. Below we provide a list plus our guess

at what students will be doing with all their free time.

“Dumb and Dumber” on TBS at 7 — Yes, yes, yes. Follow two lovable idiots travel cross-country in the shaggin’ wagon and recite profound musings like, “We got no food, no jobs… our PETS’ HEADS ARE FALLING OFF!” and “I desperately want to make love to a school boy.”

No. 14 Missouri at Texas Tech on ABC at 7 — Both teams have overhyped o� enses and medio-cre defenses, so this game could be close.

“Cops” on Fox at 7 — If your roommate ever walks in and asks why you’re all sweaty, you have to say, “I was watching Cops.” We were born of this classic show and grew up watching exactly what would happen if we even so much as thought about drinking beer.

Derek Stout | Daily Texan Sta�

Andrew Torrey | Daily Texan Sta�

Andrew TorreyDaily Texan Sta�

* The letters and � gures below are purely the work of The Daily Texan sta� and are simply meant to re� ect the attitude of the team and the fans during these trying times.

“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” on Bravo at 7 — Not sure how this will translate when censored, but do yourself a favor and only watch the � rst hour of the movie. When you get to the part where Steve Carell starts dating the woman, walk away. The dancing scene at the end will scar you for life.

“X-Men 3” on Telemundo at 6 — En esta secuencia los heroes mutantes deben tomar una difícil decisión: mantenar sus super-poderes o tomar una droga que los puede convertir en seres nor-males. What better way to practice your Spanish?

“Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam” on Disney Channel at 7 — Freshmen, you know what I’m talkin’ ‘bout.

“Little Miss Sunshine” on E! at 7 — This movie is so money, it will be used as currency in the future. A highly dysfunctional fam-ily comes together on a bizarre road trip that leaves one cured, one dead, one talkative and one booming with con� dence.

“Strange Sex” on TLC at 7 — In this episode, “Cougars and Cubs,” absorb a pro� le of a 73-year-old former model as she dates a 33-year-old father of two. If you enjoy that, the next episode is on people with balloon fetishes.

“The Wedding Planner” on Oxygen at 7 — Wait, nevermind, I thought that said “Wedding Singer” or “Wedding Crashers.” Always try to avoid anything with Jennifer Lopez or our 1992 Fall Intramurals Golf Champion, Matthew McConaughey.

“Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” on Comedy Central at 6 — But I will warn you, “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay” follows it at 8, so once those stoners � nally get their sliders and the credits roll, turn that dial.

HARP

ING

ON TH

E GOO

D OL

’ DAY

S OF R

OOM

MAT

ES

COLT

MCC

OY A

ND JO

RDAN

SHIP

LEY –

22%

{

{

{{{{{{

{

{

{

AN OPEN LETTER TO MACK BROWN


We are looking for you and your stories! Please join us for our 75th Anniversary Reunion.

Friday, July 1 – Sunday, July 3, 2011For more info go to:

www.hardinhouse.com or Facebook us!512.472.6717

Where have all the Hardin House

girls gone?

TAILGATE WATCH PARTY!!!LIVE ON THE BIG SCREENS

TX vs. KANSAS STATESATURDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH @ 7PM

FOR OVER 30 YEARS TRUDY’S IS STILL

THE BEST PLACE TO GET PROPERLY PREPARED FOR THE GAME!

FOOD AND DRINK SPECIALS ALL DAY!

At All 3 Locations

VOTED “BEST MARGARITAS & HAPPY HOUR IN AUSTIN”

GoHorns!!

!

Andrew Torrey | Daily Texan Staff

Cornerback Curtis Brown sits on the sidelines during last week’s lost to Baylor. Brown muffed two punts against the Bears and has three fumbled punts on the year.

By Laken LitmanDaily Texan Staff

During preseason, Mack Brown said that his kickoff and punt return units would be “the best he’s ever had at Texas.” He said the same thing about almost every other position, too.

Last year, Texas relied on Jor-dan Shipley to return all punts. He was ranked in the top 20 best returners as he averaged over 13 yards per return and scored two touchdowns.

In years prior, Quan Cosby, Nathan Vasher and Aaron Ross handled the job and Brown nev-er had to worry about altering his return game plan.

“They have always been natu-ral catchers,” Brown said. “So it has not been an issue for us.”

Brown thought punt return-ing would be an easy transition for cornerbacks Aaron Williams and Curtis Brown to make this season. And at first it was, espe-cially for Brown, who ranks No. 15 in the nation in punt return-ing, averaging over 14 yards per catch.

Overall though, it’s been tough, as the two have combined for five muffed punts this season.

“It’s just another area that we have not done as well this year as we have in the past,” Mack Brown said.

For the first time this season, Brown will try out some new players to field punts. He plans to give defensive backs Ken-

ny Vaccaro and true freshman Adrian Phillips a shot against Kansas State.

Brown acknowledged that it’s a gamble entrusting punt-return duties to two newcomers, espe-cially since the wind tends to swirl at Kansas State’s Bill Sny-der Family Football Stadium. But something had to be done since Curtis Brown has botched three punts and Williams two on the year.

“It’s a place where the ball swirls, so it’s hard to put a new young guy out there,” the coach said. “That’s a tough scenario to put them in.”

Neither Vaccaro nor Phillips has experience returning punts, but both are versatile players and proved to have good hands this week in practice.

“Kenny was a great receiver in high school,” Brown said. “In fact, when we took him, we did not know whether he would be a receiver or a safety. Adri-an was actually a receiver and a quarterback in high school, so he has played everywhere. I don’t think they’ll be nervous about the opportunity [to return punts this weekend].”

Brown feels that one of the reasons Williams and Curtis Brown have been so sketchy in their fielding is because of what he said to them after the UCLA game.

“I jumped the group for let-ting the ball bounce too much in

the UCLA game,” Mack Brown said. “I was all over them about catching it. They are trying so hard, and they are probably pressed in trying to catch balls they shouldn’t.”

One of the two balls Curtis Brown dropped against Baylor last weekend was a 68-yarder that was headed out-of-bounds. He tried to catch it inside the 20-yard-line and ended up fumbling.

“I really think because I got on them so much after UCLA, that was part of the problem,” the coach said.

As far as kickoff returns, last year tailback D.J. Monroe ranked second in the country, as he av-eraged over 33 yards per return and scored two touchdowns. This year, neither Monroe nor fel-low returnee Marquise Goodwin is ranked on the top 100 most-productive kickoff returners.

Kansas State running back Wil-liam Powell leads the country in kickoff returns this year, averag-ing 33.2 yards per return. He’s fielded 20 kicks and has scored one touchdown.

The coaches need more pro-duction from this unit and the punt return squad, so Brown has added a new player to the mix as safety Christian Scott will get some kickoff reps this weekend.

“If it’s not working, you have to look at changing it and getting more combinations, and we’re looking at that,” Brown said.

For web exclusive stories, videos, photo galleries and more, go to

dailytexanonline.com

NOTHING SPECIAL ABOUT THIS TEAM’S RETURNERS

Friday, November 5, 2010 11matchups 11

Freshman Mike Davis will get the start this week for Texas after he was one of the few Longhorn wide outs who made plays con-sistently against Baylor. The receiving corps must cut down on their drops and mental mistakes for Texas to turn the corner offen-sively Saturday. Kansas State’s Aubrey Quar-les is the team’s leading receiver after missing the entire 2009 season with a leg injury.

Kansas State’s Carson Coffman can put points on the board with his arm or his legs and has accounted for 15 touchdowns in 2010, with seven of those coming on the ground. Texas’ Garrett Gilbert has received little help from his offensive cast and has gone without a touchdown pass in half of the Longhorns’ games this season — he must finish drives Saturday to turn things around.

MATCHups— By Austin Laymance | Daily Texan Staff

Bre

akd

ow

nA

dvan

tage

Bre

akd

ow

nA

dvan

tage

Daniel Thomas, the Wildcats’ top-notch run-ner, has outrushed the four Texas tailbacks by 86 yards alone and has scored three more touchdowns than the combined efforts of those backs. Cody Johnson was stuffed twice inside the 6-yard line last week against Bay-lor late in a critical red-zone possession, and the Longhorns must find a way to punch it in when they near the goal line.

The line has taken a step back in the Long-horns’ past two games and things look even worse without starter Michael Huey, who went down with a right knee injury against Baylor and will miss the rest of the season. The Wildcats’ interior linemen are veteran players who have cleared holes for Thomas all year and are responsible for the second-ranked rushing offense in the Big 12.

The Longhorn secondary still ranks at the top of the conference statistically but this group needs to force more turnovers and eliminate the big-yardage plays for Texas to win on the road Saturday. The Wildcats sec-ondary has not been challenged much this season because of their poor run defense but have intercepted more passes than the Longhorns and will need to force Gilbert to make quick decisions.

Texas is still searching for the right combina-tion in the middle but the Longhorns’ edge rushers are a nightmare for opposing quar-terbacks each week. The Wildcats have been outmuscled up front this year and are dead last in the nation against the run. Sam Acho must beat the Wildcat’s tackles and get to Coffman while Kheeston Randall must eat blocks to slow down Kansas State’s read-op-tion consistently.

The Longhorns’ linebackers have been fighting nagging injuries in recent weeks and will have another tough test against a physical running team in Kansas State. Keenan Robinson needs to react quick-ly and find the ball in the Wildcat’s zone-read attack for Texas to slow down the na-tion’s 25th-ranked rushing offense. Alex Hrebec is a sure tackler for the Wildcats with active hands in pass defense.

Wildcat return man William Powell has three kickoff returns of over 50 yards, including a 100-yard return for a touchdown against Baylor — tying a school record — and leads the country in kickoff-return average. Cur-tis Brown continued the Longhorns woes on punt returns with two fumbled punts last week and Texas must eliminate the miscues on special teams that have killed momentum and given the offense poor field position.

Sponsored by:

QUARTERBACK RUNNING BACK RECEIVERS OFFENSIVE LINE

DEFENSIVE LINE LINEBACKERS SECONDARY SPECIAL TEAMS


Oklahoma bets on blitz working against Big 12

The blitz has become the Oklahoma defense’s best friend and opponents’ worst enemy.

In Oklahoma’s demolition of Colorado last Saturday, the Sooners blitzed the Buffs 20 times, or an average of one blitz every three plays for the first three quarters.

“Obviously you have two less guys in coverage and you put some guys on an island,” said Sooner defensive coordi-nator Brent Venables. “It’s a high-risk, high-reward deal. Our guys responded well.”

Most of their 20 blitzes fea-tured a linebacker or two last Saturday, while the secondary also contributed with multiple pass breakups.

The blitz was extremely ef-fective against the Buffs, as their quarterback was forced to throw the ball away on numer-ous occasions. But if the Soon-ers’ defense looks to keep using the blitz, it is crucial for defen-sive backs to continue winning their one-on-one matchups.

“We were in some stress-ful situations in man coverage a few different times, and our guys made some really nice plays on the ball,” Venables said. “Every game is different. Every opponent is different. It depends on what they’re giv-ing you.”

Oklahoma finishes with three of four games on the road, but the Sooners and their elite-level defense are in good position to win the Big 12 South.

Tuberville turns practice into competition for QBs

Texas Tech’s starting quarter-back position is up for grabs. But instead of just appointing a new starter, head coach Tom-my Tuberville has decided to choose based on performance. Tuberville decided to make the week’s practices a competition of sorts.

“They’ll get pretty much the same reps [in practice],” Tuber-ville said. “We’ll put more of a factor on whoever does the best. Play this like a game.”

Taylor Potts and Steven Shef-field are both in the running for Saturday’s starting job at Missouri.

Potts, a senior, made the start last Saturday against Texas A&M. The national leader in comple-tions per game, Potts struggled in the Red Raiders’ loss.

Sheffield, also a senior, was put in during the fourth quar-ter of the game. According to Tuberville, Sheffield “gave us energy, and we’re looking for a little bit more of that now.”

Until Tuberville makes his decision, which is expected to be today, Potts plans on prepar-ing for Saturday’s game as if he were starting.

“If I’m on the field, I’m con-fident in myself that we have a good chance to win,” Potts said. “If that’s not the case, I’m going to be a team player and, from the sidelines, help our team win.”

Baylor snags two weekly awards in rare feat

After its stunning defeat of Texas, the praise continues to pour in for Baylor. On Monday, two Baylor players were select-ed as Big 12 players of the week. The conference named safety Byron Landor and punter Der-ek Epperson Big 12 defensive player of the week and special teams player of the week, re-spectively.

“Our players are about as resilient a bunch as I’ve ever been around,” said Baylor head coach Art Briles in a teleconfer-ence on Monday.

Landor recorded a second-consecutive game of 15 or more tackles last Saturday, including nine individual stops.

Meanwhile, Epperson av-eraged 56.8 yards in the four punts he made against the Longhorns. Epperson is now second with 48 punts of 50 yards or more in the history of the Baylor football program.

The last time the Bears had a duo named Big 12 players of the week was back in 2005.

— By Alexandra Carreno | Daily Texan Staff

BIG 12notebook

South

Big 12 South Conf. overall

1. Baylor 4-1 7-2

2. Oklahoma 3-1 7-1

2. Oklahoma St. 3-1 7-1

4. Texas A&M 2-2 5-3

5. Texas 2-3 4-4

6. Texas Tech 2-4 4-4

STANDINGS

Next issue: Nov. 12

Oklahoma St.

Please recycle your coPy of Double coverage.

♲

12

Historic Hyde Park LivingJust minutes from UT

* Free Internet and Cable including HBO!• Large 1 and 2 bedrooms• Serious student community• 24 Hour Fitness Facility• Free Covered Parking and Bicycle Garages

• Roommate friendly fl oor plans• Conveniently located by UT Shuttle, Bus #7• GPA Rebate Program• Online Services Requests• Courtyard and BBQ area• On-site laundry Facility

www.duvalvillaapartments.com• 4305 Duval Street, T: 512.451.2343, F: 512.451.5758, ask about out move in specials

Healthy Vegetarian Cuisinewith a Delicious Oriental Flair

G • -T-S S

- –/– –

C V H .

..

13



TEXASSTUDENTMEDIA

Want to save nearly 50%on some of the best placesaround Austin?

JOIN..

P 512.471.1865CONTACT USFOR MORE INFORMATION

Sign up for our daily e-mail and we’ll send you amazing deals at places you’ll love!

Like the deal? Buy it before the deal goes away! Our deals are only live for 1-3 days.

Share this deal with your friends! Each friend that signs up gets a $5.00 credit, and you get a $5.00 credit after your friend’s fi rst purchase.

COLLEGE JUST GOT CHEAPER

Subscribe at: http://deals.dailytexanonline.com


��South Texas College of Law in downtown Houston knows “discovery” is so much more than just a legal term.

At South Texas, you’ll discover the excellent legal education you’re looking for in faculty, curriculum, and services at one of the most affordable law school tuition rates in the U.S.

South Texas’ location, near some of the country’s most prestigious law firms, boutique practices, and global corporations, enhances opportunity for clerkships and employment.

With the Houston Pavilions, Discovery Green, and Toyota Center close by, you’ll find lots of ways to have fun, too.

Discover how great your future can be. Contact our Admissions Office at

713.646.1810www.stcl.edu

��

seniors: K-State 4-2 against Longhorns since formation of Big 12wins in the late ’90s. Snyder returned to coach the Wildcats before last season after spending the previous two years away from coaching, but he did not get the chance to see the Wildcats’ tri-umph over Texas in 2007. His predecessor, Ron Prince, instead ushered in the then-freshman with a resounding victory over Texas, which was his second in as many seasons.

“I wish I had the opportunity to be with them for a longer period of time,” Snyder said. “There are a lot of good guys, fine players and fine young men as well. The quality and character of guys who took their education very seriously — it’s a good group of youngsters.”

But Snyder has stacked his team with junior

college transfers since his return to the coach-ing ranks, including defensive end Antonio Felder, now one of the team’s better defensive linemen after spending a year at Butler Coun-ty Community College. The senior has nev-er had the opportunity to face Texas but said his greatest memory with the Wildcats was this year’s training camp when the seniors left their mark on the program.

“It was our last one so we had to be there for each other,” Felder said. “We just had to push each other and look at each other and say, ‘We are going to make it. We are going to push through it.’ That’s a good memory — us just sticking through it and being good leaders. It has carried on because the players that were leading in camp are still leading now.”

Kansas State quarterback

Carson Coffman drops

back to pass against Kansas

on Oct. 14. Coffman was on the roster

when KSU beat Texas in 2007.

Orlin Wagner Associated Press

From page 3

Friday, November 5, 2010 1515 Plyrs2watch

Buy any Pizza at Menu Price & Get any 2nd Pizza of Equal or Lesser Value

FREE!

Free Pizza!

Deep Dish Extra.Limited Time Offer.

¡Compra una Pizza Grande a Precio del Menú y Recibe una 2da Pizza de Igual o

Menor Valor GRATIS!

400

1900 Guadalupe512-477-0101

400discount

code

order online at: www.dominos.com

“It was really tough to see all of our drops — devastating,” said re-ceiver Malcolm Williams. “We all knew those could have helped us win the game.”

Others have speculated that the problem is simply a lack of a go-to receiver. In the past, Colt McCoy had present-day NFL receivers Li-mas Sweed, Quan Cosby and Jor-dan Shipley. Most people expect-ed Kirkendoll or Williams to natu-rally assume the leadership role in the receiving corps, but the coach-es have discovered that it’s not something that can be forced.

“You can’t create it,” said offen-sive coordinator Greg Davis. “It’s like the chicken and the egg. You don’t ordain someone as the ‘go-to’ guy, and we’re going to really work to get them open, but I have seen improvement.”

Now that other, younger receiv-ers are beginning to make their presence known, Gilbert has more options if the upperclassmen con-tinue to drop passes. Either way, Brown admitted that his offense has been pressing of late, trying too hard to come up with explo-sive, game-changing plays when they can’t even get the smaller, game-helping plays.

“It hurts our momentum, and it wears on everybody,” Brown said.

While Davis is convinced that the dropped passes don’t have an effect on his quarterback, he ad-mitted that he would like to see Gilbert run more. That comes de-spite the fact that Davis joking-ly said Gilbert looks like Icha-bod Crane from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” with the way he runs, legs swinging everywhere.

“Did coach Davis say that again?” Gilbert said when asked about the nickname, admitting he didn’t know who Ichabod Crane was.

But no matter what he looks like when he runs, Gilbert will have to do it this week. Kansas State’s pass defense ranks No. 58 in the nation, far ahead of Baylor, allowing few-er yards per game, yards per at-tempt, touchdowns and a much lower completion percentage than the Bears. On the other hand, their rush defense ranks dead last in the country, allowing 228.5 rush-ing yards per game.

With the cold air turning soft hands into concrete, Gilbert will have to run. Despite the odds stacked against them, the Long-horns are confident that the offen-sive woes are now behind them.

DroPs: Kirkendoll, Williams not able to stay consistent

— By Austin Laymance | Daily Texan StaffPLAYERStoWATCH

Coffman is in the mold of the dual-threat quarterbacks that have become so common these days in the Big 12, and the senior is making the most of his first full year under center. Coffman is second on the Wildcats in touchdowns with sev-en on the ground and is most dangerous in the red zone. Coffman only throws the ball about 20 to 25 times a game

but when he does he is strikingly accurate — he’s completed over 66 percent of his attempts. Coff-man may not have the breakaway speed of some of the conference’s elite running QBs but he makes the right decisions in the Wildcats’ zone-read scheme and will hurt undisciplined defens-es, like when he exploited Kansas for three rush-ing scores or when he found pay dirt twice against

Baylor. His reads are one of the main reasons Kan-sas State has been so successful inside the 20-yard line as the Wildcats have scored touchdowns on 20 of their 26 trips to the red zone.

Carson Coffman, QB

Thomas is one of the top 10 tailbacks in the nation and is a workhorse out of the backfield for the Wildcats. The senior is an all-around back who is adept at pass protection and factors into the receiving game, keeping him on the field no matter the down or distance. Thomas is four yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard mark and his 124.5 yards-per-game average ranks eighth in the country. He is an NFL-ready athlete and is no stranger to the end zone — he’s run for two scores in four of Kansas State’s eight games and notched 10 total TDs. The Wild-cats will go to Thomas early and often as they look to get the ball in the hands of their biggest offensive weap-on — he’s touched the rock on nearly 43 percent of KSU’s plays. Don’t be surprised if Thomas even pulls up in the backfield and throws the ball as he’s completed 3-of-4 passes for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Daniel Thomas, RB

Powell is a spark off the bench for the Wildcats and has a knack for chunk-yardage plays. He’s a home run threat

any time he gets his hands on the ball, whether in the kick return game or in Kansas State’s spread at-

tack. Powell’s contribution to the Wildcats often goes beyond

the box score, as he is an excellent change-of-pace back to spell Thomas and keeps opposing defenses honest when Thom-

as goes to the sidelines for a breather. The se-nior always seems to find daylight and slips

through the slimmest of holes with his 5-foot-9 build. He’s quick on his feet

and can explode for a big gain at any moment with a 10.6 yards-per-carry average. Powell is arguably the most dangerous return man in the Big 12

and his 33.2 yards-per-kickoff-return average is top in the nation. The for-mer walk-on can change the momen-tum of a game with one play and the

Longhorns’ special teamers must surround him in space.

William Powell, RB/KR

From page 3

16

Documents

Double Coverage Volume 5 Issue 10