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Texas Longhorns Football 2012: Longhorns Trying To Return To National Prominence
After a two-year spell in the lower half of the Big 12, Texas may begin reaping the fruits of a program-wide rebuilding process this season.
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- 11 months ago
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Texas Longhorns Football 2012: Starting Quarterback Up In The Air
The Texas Longhorns are less than a month away from the start of the regular season but the team has still not settled on a starting quarterback.
The battle is down to junior Case McCoy and sophomore David Ash.
McCoy made five starts last year for Texas and played in 11 games. He threw for 1,045 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.
Ash started six games, while playing in all 13. He threw for 1,068 yards, four touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ash ended the season as the starter.
While both quarterbacks figure to play in the early games, head coach Mack Brown will still need to choose one to go under center for the first snap.
The Texas Longhorns open their season against Wyoming on Sept. 1.
For all the latest news and notes on Texas football, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas storystream as well as Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
- about 1 year ago
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NCAA Football Rankings 2012: Scout.com Puts Texas In Top 5
After a two-year downswing ended Mack Brown's record-setting run of 10 win seasons, optimism is growing around the Texas football program headed into the 2012 season.
The Longhorns could be set to return to their spot atop the college football world, at least according to early preseason rankings from Scout.com:
Texas should finally be back to being Texas again because of a wee bit of an improvement on offense. The defense will be its same old dominant self after very, very quietly finishing 11th in the nation. The secondary is loaded, the line is fantastic, and there are four-and-five-star athletes across the board, but it's the offense that'll make the big difference. Assuming David Ash really and truly is the main man at quarterback, the offense will be more consistent and should have a stronger running game to rely on. Yes, this is the year when Texas gets back on track, but it still might not be enough to get back in the national title chase.
While the early non-conference schedule is questionable at best (Wyoming, New Mexico, at Ole Miss), Texas won't have to wait long to see how they stand nationally, as they open Big 12 play at defending champion Oklahoma State, then host West Virginia in the school's first game in the conference before heading to Dallas with their annual showdown with Oklahoma.
The Sooners, in case you were wondering, start the season as the No. 2 team in the country, according to Scout.
For all the latest news and notes on Texas football, stay tuned to the SB Nation Dallas storystream as well as Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
- about 1 year ago
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Trio Of Texas Longhorns Arrested, According To Report
A trio of Texas football players - Alex Okafor, Kenneth Vaccaro and Barrett Matthews - were arrested and charged with failure to obey a lawful order, according to a report.
The arrest stemmed from an incident at a downtown Austin night spot during which the three Longhorns, in addition to a former Texas football player, refused to leave the establishment when asked. After they refused to do so, they were arrested and taken into custody.
Further details of the arrest remain unclear at this time.
Okafor started all 13 games as a junior last season at defensive end and was a first-team All Big 12 coaches selection. Vaccaro, a safety, also started every game last season and earned first-team All Big 12 accolades from the coaches as well. Matthews, a senior-to-be tight end, started three of the 13 games that he played in last season.
Read more about the Texas Longhorns at Burnt Orange Nation.
- about 1 year ago
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NCAA Football 2012: Will Texas Longhorns Be A Top 25 Team?
The Texas Longhorns struggled mightily last season and much of that has to do with their spotty quarterback play. That will still be an issue for the Longhorns going forward, without a proven player on the roster at that position.
Still, the National Football Post says the Horns have enough on the defensive side of the ball to at least be a top 25 team, for whatever its worth:
Quarterback play is still the biggest issue for the Longhorns. David Ash looks like the starter for now, but will the ‘Horns be forced to use true freshman Connor Brewer? Either way, a sound rushing attack led by Malcolm Brown and a stingy Manny Diaz defense will be enough to make this squad a Top 25 team.
Ash is entering his sophomore season after throwing for 1,079 yards for four touchdowns and eight interceptions in his freshman campaign.
Read more about the Texas Longhorns at Burnt Orange Nation.
- about 1 year ago
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2012 NCAA Football Schedule: Texas Longhorns Have Four Must-See Games
- about 1 year ago
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Texas Spring Game 2012: A Wrap Up With Burnt Orange Nation
We discuss the future of the QB position, which players most impressed in the spring and what to expect in the second year under Bryan Harsin and Manny Diaz.
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- about 1 year ago
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Texas Recruiting 2013: Many Recruits Take In Spring Game
The spring game is just another tool for recruiting and the Texas Longhorns had a long list of committed and uncommitted recruits on campus today to watch this years spring game.
- about 1 year ago
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Texas Spring Game 2012: Quarterback Play Is Slowly Improving
The Texas Longhorns completed their spring practices with the annual Orange/White spring game on Sunday. The scrimmage featured a lot of the same young talent that struggled this past season to an 8-5 record.
The main focus was on the quarterback position which has been a complete mess ever since Colt McCoy moved on. The first team reps were split between David Ash and Case McCoy with Connor Brewer getting the third-team reps. Head coach Mack Brown said that if he is able to that he would like to have Brewer redshirt in 2012.
Even though McCoy scored a touchdown pass and connected on a nice deep pass to tight end M.J. McFarland. Ash was more consistent but not great however he looks to have the inside edge over McCoy to be named the starter. McCoy had two passes intercepted in the endzone and nearly had a third pass which was tipped.
Offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin talked about the quarterback play:
Harsin on Ash's day: "Both those guys are better in the pass game. More consistency in the pass game is what we needed and saw this spring"
— HornsNation (@ESPNHornsNation) April 1, 2012
Harsin on QB race: "We are trying to get 2-deep. Day by day, David is ahead on day and Case is another. It's pretty even."
— HornsNation (@ESPNHornsNation) April 1, 2012
Harsin: "Case really came on the second half of spring. Today David threw the ball well, nice job in red zone, no turnovers."
— HornsNation (@ESPNHornsNation) April 1, 2012
The best thing to come out of the spring game was that there were no injuries.
For the latest news and notes on Texas football during the long months until football season starts, check out SB Nation Dallas' story stream as well as Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
- about 1 year ago
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PHOTO: Ricky Williams Statue Unveiled At Texas' Spring Game
- about 1 year ago
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Texas Football Spring Game 2012: What To Watch For
While there's only so much information fans can glean from a nationally televised open scrimmage, it's still the only bit of football Texas fans will have for another four months.
Over at Burnt Orange Nation, Wescott Eberts has a breakdown of what to look for:
Just how free can DJ Monroe be? Time is running out on the speedster finally making a significant impact on the offense and the general perception is starting to swing in the direction of putting the lack of production on his own shoulders instead of on the offensive coordinator.
Can someone who fought the ball in his last stint at receiver improve his concentration to the point of finishing plays? Was it simply his unfamiliarity with having to watch the ball into his hands after taking handoffs for so long or does he just have stone hands?
Other players worth watching include both junior-college transfers, offensive tackle Donald Hawkins, penciled in at left tackle, and defensive tackle Brandon Moore, who is capable of wowing in short bursts, but needs to show some evidence of improved stamina on the field, especially in preparation for Big 12 play, when it may be difficult to substitute for winded players.
The Longhorn Network will have exclusive coverage of the game starting at 2 PM.
For the latest news and notes on Texas football during the long months until football season starts, check out SB Nation Dallas' story stream as well as Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
- about 1 year ago
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Red River Rivalry Looks To Stay In Dallas Through 2020
The Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners and the city of Dallas are in talks to extend the deal of the Red River Rivalry and the Cotton Bowl into 2020.
- about 1 year ago
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Texas Football Recruiting 2013: Spring Game Weekend Huge For Longhorns
While the Orange/White spring game will be the first time Texas football fans get to watch their team in over four months, the most significant part of the weekend may be happening off the field.
As Wescott Eberts explains over at Burnt Orange Nation, it's the final major recruiting weekend of the spring and the last significant on-campus event until the June summer camp:
When the Texas Longhorns play the annual Orange-White game on Sunday, the school will host a variety of high-profile 2013 targets, as well as get an early start on the 2014 class by inviting top sophomore prospects into town.
Even with the late cancellation from Oklahoma cornerback Stanvon Taylor, there will be a number of important defensive back targets in Austin for the game. The two most important visitors are from out of state -- Chandler Hamilton (AZ) cornerback Cole Luke, the top target at his position, and Rossville Ridgeland (GA) safety Vonn Bell, one of the top safeties in the country.
For the in-state players, the trip will simply provide another look at the program -- both Davis and Smith are pretty familiar with the coaches and the campus after multiple visits this spring. For Luke and Bell, however, the visit is monumental -- Texas may not be able to get either on campus for a summer camp, making this the only trip to Austin before a possible official visit. Bell's verbal offer should become official, while Luke is virtually certain to receive his formal offer.
For the latest on Texas football's 2013 recruiting cycle, stay tuned to SB Nation Dallas' exclusive storystream and check out Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.
- about 1 year ago
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Texas Orange-White Game: TV Schedule And More
The annual Texas Longhorns Orange-White spring football game is set to kick off in just a few days as head coach Mack Brown looks to finalize the roster and depth chart heading into the 2012 season, which will hopefully be much better than the disappointing 2011 season.
The Orange-White game is set for April 1 and there should be some interesting questions, especially on offense, answered. The game is set to kick off in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at 2 p.m. Central time in front of what is likely to be a large crowd.
According to SB Nation's Barking Carnival, the Orange-White game can't tell us too terribly much, but based on individual progress, fans can make guesses about the 2012 season.
Spring games are shoddy, uneven products that are dangerous to draw hard conclusions from, but you can see individual progress, players on the rise, and make educated guesses about strengths, weaknesses, unanswered questions and future attrition.
Game Date/Time: April 1, 2012; 2 p.m. Central
Location: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
TV Schedule:
Texas: Longhorn Network
- about 1 year ago
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Bryan Harsin: David Ash 'Feeling More Comfortable'
- about 1 year ago
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Quandre Diggs Has Surgery On Left Wrist, Will Miss Rest Of Spring
Cornerback Quandre Diggs is coming off a season where he led the Texas Longhorns with four interceptions, but his 2012 spring has been cut short due to injury. Diggs recently had surgery on his left wrist and has been ruled out the rest of spring including the April 1 Orange-White spring game.
The details of the injury are not being disclosed by the team, but athletic trainer Kenny Boyd anticipates that Diggs will be able to participate in summer conditioning in a few months and is not expected to miss any time for fall camp.
Diggs was named to many Freshman All-American teams this past season and is a key defender for Texas. In addition to playing cornerback, Diggs also took part in the return game and led Texas in punt return average at 20.1 yards per return on nine punts and he finished second on the team in kick return yards with 371 yards which was a 19.5 average per return.
For more on the Texas Longhorns, check out Barking Carnival and Burnt Orange Nation.
- about 1 year ago
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SI.com: Under Manny Diaz, Texas Defense Could Be Even Better In 2012
- over 1 year ago
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David Ash Is Performing Well In Spring, Looks To Be Quarterback For Texas In 2012
The position to watch this spring for the Texas Longhorns is the quarterback spot. The two contenders are David Ash and Case McCoy, or even maybe true freshman Connor Brewer who is taking part in spring practice. Last year, Texas had a rotating door at the quarterback position with Ash and McCoy splitting time.
With spring practice just getting underway and with many practices to go Cedric Golden of the Austin American-Statesman is saying that Ash is the clear choice to be Texas' starting quarterback in 2012:
Ash is the guy and it's not even close. This shouldn't be a Simms-Applewhite replay, where Mack was torn between which one to play. If early indications mean anything, Ash will be the man behind center when the Horns open next season against Wyoming.
Christian Cornoa of the Dallas Morning News feels the same and sees Ash as being the starting quarterback:
If Friday's practice was any indication of what the depth chart will look like at quarterback, Ash will be the starter, McCoy his backup, and freshman Connor Brewer -- who completed a 10-yard pass in his only action during 11-on-11 drills -- should be the third-string signal-caller.
Texas is still extremely early in their spring practices and things can change, also to keep in mind is that there will be no post-spring depth chart announced which means that the quarterback battle will likely go into fall camp with a decision probably being made about a week before the season opener against the Wyoming Cowboys.
For more on the Texas Longhorns, check out Barking Carnival and Burnt Orange Nation
- over 1 year ago
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Ricky Williams' Career To Go Up In... Bronze
- over 1 year ago
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2012 Texas Football Spring Practice: All Eyes On QB Position
Over at ESPN's HornsNation, Carter Strickland looks at how the eventual resolution of the QB battle between David Ash, Case McCoy and incoming freshman Connor Brewer this spring will have effects that go way beyond 2012:
It stands to reason, if Texas goes through 2012 once again questioning who the right person is for the quarterback job, then it once again will be in the same predicament it now finds itself mired in during the spring of 2013. To avoid that, this spring Texas needs to critically evaluate not only who will serve as quarterback in 2012, but who it should invest in so that the program is best served in the future.
With McCoy's lack of arm strength being what Donald Rumsfeld would call a "known known", many fans are hoping that Ash, who has thrust into the fire as a true freshman last season without even the benefit of spring ball, will show significant improvement after his first collegiate off-season.
As Strickland points out, with another top-rated recruiting class starting to come together in 2013, the QB position is the one thing holding Texas back from returning to the top of the Big 12.
- over 1 year ago
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Texas Longhorns Football 2012: Spring Practice Begins This Week
The Texas Longhorns are shaking off the Winter blues by returning to the field for Spring practices, culminating in the Orange-White game April 1.
Texas hosted 11 of their 13 verbal commits for the 2013 class and also 14 players in the class of 2013 who have not committed to a school:
There were also was over 30 high school players from the 2014 class who were at the spring game.
For the latest news and notes on Texas football during the long months until football season starts, check out SB Nation Dallas' story stream as well as Burnt Orange Nation and Barking Carnival.