The Cards of Texas are Upon You! Find Out How to Win Some Below!

Upper Deck has produced the first fully licensed Texas Longhorns football trading card set. The California-based card and sports memorabilia company has exclusive rights with the Collegiate Licensing Company to produce licensed college trading cards.

The set checklist features legendary Longhorns such as Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, Vince Young, Colt McCoy, Wane McGarity, Darrell Royal, Tony Degrate, Johnny "Lam" Jones, Steve Worster and plenty others sure to excite those with burnt orange oozing through their veins. The main set consists of 100 cards, but the product also features several subsets and special themed sets, including autographed cards.

The Monumental Moments set highlights games and moments that will forever be lauded by all Texas fans, such as the first bowl in 1943, the 1970 Cotton Bowl win, Ricky Williams setting the career rushing record and, of course, the 2006 Rose Bowl. All-Time Alumni combines two or three greats with combos such as Colt McCoy/Vince Young and Vince Young/Ricky Williams/Earl Campbell. And, yes, those also have dual- and triple-autographed versions sure to make your Longhorns pants go crazy.

All-Americans is a 16-card insert set highlighting the years each featured player was named All-America. The National Champions insert features players and coaches from the four national championship teams. There also are dual and triple combo versions. How about a Mack Brown/Vince Young combo autograph, or a Darrell Royal/James Street?

More on the set, where to get the cards and how to win some from Upper Deck, after the jump.

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After two huge tests against the Oklahoma schools, the young Texas team embarassed the Kansas Jayhawks 43-0. There were many interesting and record-setting numbers in this game, makeing just about all of us to want to fast-foward to the 2013 season to see what these kids can do with some experience. For now, enjoy these numbers. See ya after the Tech game.

99,211 Official Game attendance

590 Total yards of offense by Texas

441 Rushing yards by Texas

136 Rushing yards by true freshman Joe Bergeron

119 Rushing yards by true freshman Malcolm Brown (first time two freshman have rushed for 100 yards in the same game)

77.8 Completion percentage by David Ash

76 Games since the last shutout (Baylor, 2005)

70th Game in Texas history with at least 500 total yards of offense

57 More offensive plays by Texas than Kansas

52 Rushing yards by Marquise Goodwin – a career high

52-Yard field goal by Justin Tucker – a career long

46 Total yards of offense by Kansas – the lowest by a Texas opponent since 1944

36 Total plays by Kansas – the fewest number of plays in Big 12 history

35 First downs by Texas 

3 tackles for loss by Jackson Jeffcoat

2 rushing touchdowns by Malcolm Brown in each of the last two games

1 (of 10) Third-down conversions by Kansas

-2 Rushing yards by Kansas

Lots of strange, interesting, impressive and concerning numbers from yesterday's loss to Oklahoma State. Here are the ones you need to know. Chew on these during the bye week. See ya after the Kansas game, and before Halloween.

100,101 Official game attendance
284 All-purpose yards by Fozzy Whittaker - a career high
231 Yards rushing
139 Yards passing
135 Rushing yards by Malcolm Brown - his second 100-yard game
89 Offensive plays by Texas
74 Yards receiving by Justin Blackmon
68 Offensive plays by Oklahoma State
40 Passing attempts by David Ash
39:18 Time of possession for Texas
32 Percent humidity recording during the game
28 Age of OSU QB Brandon Weeden - the most overplayed side story of the day
20:42 Time of possession for OSU
20 Yards per carry by OSU running back Jeremy Smith
14 Points (including extra points) off of back-to-back kick returns to open the second half
12 Losses at home in the Mack Brown era
10 Catches by Mike Davis
7.1 Yards per carry by Malcolm Brown
6.3 Yards per completion by Texas
2 Games in a row in which Fozzy Whittaker has returned a kickoff for a touchdown - the first time in school history
1 Loss by Mack Brown in games after the OU game
0 Plays by Case McCoy

Once again this young group of Longhorns proves just how underachieving last year's team was. Here are a few interesting numbers that came out of the win. Chew on these as you ponder Saturday's game against the Land Thieves.

56,390 Game attendance (second-largest crowd in Iowa State history).
141 receiving yards by Jaxon Shipley.
89 Offensive plays by Iowa State (Texas had 64).
75 Blocked kicks in the Mack Brown era.
48-Yard touchdown pass by David Ash, his first career TD.
43 Interception return yards by Blake Gideon.
30-9 Total score in the first quarter of all games this season.
18.2 Yards per completion by Texas.
10.1 Yards per completion by Texas in last year's game vs. Iowa State.
9 Tackles for loss by the Texas defense, four more than the season average.
6 First-quarter turnovers caused by Texas this season
5 Different players have now thrown touchdown passes.
4 catches by Mike Davis this season that have gone for 45 yards or more.
3 True freshmen who have now scored touchdowns this year (Malcolm Brown, Jaxon Shipley, Josh Turner)
1 More win to equal last year's win total.
0 Points Texas allowed in the first half - the first first-half shutout since the 2009 Baylor game.

The only numbers we need to be concerned with from yesterday's game is 49-20, but here are a few others that might add to your elation over the win:

54,583 Game attendance
284 Rushing yards by Texas (85 last year)
168 Passing yards by Case McCoy in his first start
141 Rushing yards by UCLA (264 last year)
110 Rushing yards by Malcolm Brown
100 Wins vs. unranked opponents under Mack Brown
77 Receiving yards by both D.J. Grant and Mike Davis
45 Yards in Case McCoy's first career touchdown throw
19 UT's New rank in this week's AP Poll (which is not counted in the BCS, which absolutely blows my mind)
18 UT's New rank in this week's Coaches Poll
7 Games in a row Texas has not allowed a point in the fourth quarter
6 Receptions this season by Mike Davis that have gone for at least 40 yards
5.6 Yards per carry by Malcolm Brown
3-0 Undefeated. So far, so good.
3 Touchdowns by D.J. Grant - tying a UT single-game record by a tight end
9 (of 15) Third downs converted by Texas
+2 Turnover margin for Texas
0 Snaps by Garrett Gilbert
-3 Turnover margin for Texas against UCLA last season

The young Longhorns are 2-0 and prepare for three straight games away from DKR, starting with a trip back to the Rose Bowl against UCLA, where, as we all know, Texas has never lost. But before we shift our heads to that, here are some key numbers from the win over BYU:

100,995 Official Game attendance.

2,822 (estimated) Number of times Joey Harrington misidentified Case McCoy as a freshman on the Longhorn Network postgame show.  

100 pass completion by WR Jaxon Shipley.

99 Wins in the Mack Brown era against unranked teams.

87.5 pass completion by Case McCoy.

87 Game-leading all-purpose yards by Marquise Goodwin, who rejoined the team early last week.

70 Wins in the Mack Brown era at home.

43 Rushing yards by BYU.

35 Points Texas has scored in the second half this season.

33 Career touchdowns for Cody Johnson – tied for seventh place in UT history.

13.3 Average yards per carry for D.J. Monroe. He also caught the first pass of his career, which seems really odd.

13 Point deficit Texas came back from to win – the largest deficit overcome since November 2007 against Oklahoma State.

11 Team-leading tackles by Emmanuel Acho.

8 Penalties by Texas for 46 yards.

7.4 D.J. Monroe’s career yards per carry.

2 INTs by Garrett Gilbert.

1^st Win over BYU.

Even if you were one of the few fortunate Hook 'em fans to see the game yesterday, here are a few numbers that might have escaped you. If you have any other interesting numbers, post below.

232,594,098 Number of times the "Bevo Loves Hay/Longhorn Network" promo has been shown on LHN in the past week.

101,624 Game attendance.

1,000 Career kickoff return yards reached by D.J. Monroe in the game – only the fourth UT player to reach that mark.

100 Completion percentage by David Ash and John Harris.

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Football is back. Everything is going to be OK.

That uneasy, restless, empty feeling we get during the sports abyss known as summer has come to an end. Those few of us lucky enough (ME!) to be able to watch the Texas-Rice game on Longhorn Network have plans for Saturday night. But there are a few other games worth setting the DVR for as opening week unfolds. Two of these games kick off at the same time of the Rice game, so if you don't have a dual-tuner DVR, better get one within the next 24 hours.

No. 3 Oregon vs. No. 4 LSU

Saturday @ 7:00 p.m. CT

This one is happening a little more than three hours north of the Texas-Rice game in what's known here in Dallas as "Jerry's Tomb" or "Jerryworld." It's a top-five match-up with a lot of storylines. LSU QB Jordan Jefferson and LB Josh Johns are suspended indefinitely after being arrested earlier this month. That gives Jarrett Lee the start, but it has to shake things up significantly for the Tigers, who are expected to have one of the most complete teams in the country.

Oregon QB Darron Thomas and CB Cliff Harris have also recently run into some legal issues, but both are expected to play Saturday. RB LaMichael James is a legit Heisman candidate and well worth watching. He led the country with 144.3 rushing yards per game and 24 total touchdowns in 2010.

Two more games to watch after the jump...

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It's never too early to start planning the 2011 issue of the Eyes of Texas magazine. Due to that universal truth, we're putting together a feature on the all-time Big 12 team, and we need your help. Below is a line-up of a proposed team. For defense, we have four linemen, three linebackers, two corners and two safeties. For offense: one QB, two running backs, two receivers, one tight end and five linemen. Also, a kicker, punter, kick returner and one head coach.

OK, so, leave your comments below. Who would you take out? Who would you put in? Oh, and try to be unbiased (just a little). Let's go!

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Besides having a lot of pointy capital letters on the back of his jersey, what do we know about this Patrick McNAMARA kid? According the listings on TexasSports.com, he's 6-4, 210 pounds and is as white as a biscuit. He's a junior walk-on from Lubbock. Played high school ball at Monterey and totaled 890 yards and 11 touchdowns during his senior year.

If you watched Sunday's Spring Game, you know who we're talking about, even if you don't know a thing about him. He has appeared in just three games on special teams during his two seasons at Texas. Sunday, he appeared in the end zone at the end of a Case McCoy pass. McCoy went 5-for-5 on the drive and found McNamara in the front of the end zone for six.

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 A long line had already formed at Longhorn RV in Garland, Texas. Fans rocking burnt orange and holding their Texas memorabilia watched as the Earl Campbell Sausage bus pulled into an already crowded parking lot. He was a little late, but The Tyler Rose showed up as promised for his free autograph session, promoting the RV dealership.

My dad and I waited for about 45 minutes as the line in front of us got shorter. Campbell was sitting at a table inside his bus signing autographs and chatting with fans. As well as he could, anyway. By the time my dad and I reached him, it was obvious he was having a rough day, seemingly unable to carry on a simple conversation. I can't be sure, but he seemed to be under some pretty powerful medication. I could only assume he was trying to fight back pain. He was just 49 years old.

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I've been wanting to write this post ever since I started seeing all the headlines pop up a few weeks ago calling March Madness the "greatest sporting event in America" or "the best event in sports." Last year, SportsIllustrated.com's Michael Rosenberg wrote an article backing up this claim. His two main reasons: 1. It's never overhyped. 2. It never disappoints.

My response to that: So.

Don't get me wrong; I get caught up in this thing like everyone else. It's cool to know that games are taking place all over the country, and schools, players and fans are all focused on the same goal at the same time. Most of us would cut at least one-tenth of our pinky off to have a tournament in college football. But to all you out there who agree with Rosenberg, you're just flat out wrong. Now, is it the best championship tournament, from start to finish, in sports. Probably, yes.

My dilemma with posting this is the timing. I didn't want to post when the tourney started. That would be going too much against the grain. And I didn't want to post while Texas was still in the thing because everyone's focus is there (including mine). But if I post after Texas loses, I look like the kid who didn't get picked to play kickball and walks away mumbling, "I didn't want to play stupid kickball anyhow." So, hopefully the kick to the gut we all got last week has worn off a bit and I don't look like a winer. I know many of you will disagree with me on these points, and that's cool. But I just needed to get them out there. Here are 10 reasons why March Madness is not the greatest event in sports:

10. Too many teams. Seriously, the thing starts with Spare U vs. North Southeastern State Episcopal College in a "play-in" game. Admit it, you know this tarnishes the tournament's rep. It panders to that "everyone's a winner just for showing up" mentality that is reserved for preschool sports. While it is cool to know that there are 32 games going on all over the country in one tournament, 64 teams is just too many.

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When most Texas fans hear the name Chris Ogbonnaya, they automatically think of his crucial run in the 2008 OU game. The 62-yard dash sealed the win in one of the best Texas-OU games of all time. Chris finished that season with 883 total yards and seven touchdowns. He was an ESPN The Magazine second-team Academic All-American and a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection.

The former Texas and current Houston Texans running back is an all-around sports fan. BON got in touch with him to see if he'd be interested in sharing his predictions for how Texas will make its way through the tourney. He loves March Madness. He loves Texas. And he loves Longhorns fans. So, of course, he was in. Here's how Chris Ogbonnaya sees Texas playing through the tourney.

Be sure to follow Chris on Twitter and Facebook (links at the end of this post).

Everything is Bigger in Texas

By Chris Ogbonnaya

Everything is bigger in Texas... including my predictions for the 2010-11 Texas basketball team. Here is what I'm predicting for this year's NCAA tournament.

Round 1: Texas vs. Oakland
In our first matchup against Oakland, I predict a nice test for the 'Horns. Despite pre-game jitters and a 25-9 Oakland team with some NBA-ready talent in their frontcourt, our talent will show. I'm predicting a triple-double for my African "bruddah" Lexi Wangmene in this match. Hey, one can hope.

Round 2: Texas vs. Arizona
In the second round I see the 'Horns taking on the University of Arizona. I think their PF Derrick Williams is versatile, talented and athletic. A few weeks back, we saw him seal the regular season Pac-10 crown for the 'Cats with a big defensive play against Washington. The 'Horns will have their hands full with him. However, we should win because of matchups. J Ham (Jordan Hamilton) should pose as a big matchup problem for the Wildcats because of his ability to score both inside and outside. Plus, I think we have been tested with a tougher in/out of conference schedule.

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"I'll tell you a secret. Something they don't teach you in your temple. The Gods envy us. They envy us because we're mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we're doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again."

-Achilles in the movie Troy

Achilles pretty much sums up what makes college sports so much better than the pros. Players' careers are fleeting. If we're lucky, they key players will stay for four short years. (Or in Jordan Shipley's case, 11 years.)

Compared to the pros, college players come and go like the wind. Most make a significant impact for one to three years. And then they're gone. They are either forgotten, remembered or immortalized.

There are so many Longhorns that I miss - players who I wish we could have back just for a few more games just to watch them play. There are the obvious ones, of course. But even players like Brian Robison and Dusty Renfro and D.D. Lewis and Wayne McGarity and Rod Babers - those players I really miss. I just loved watching those guys play football.

Remember how Brian Robison always seemed to be around the ball? He was always there to make a play. Remember those hits Rod Babers would suddenly deliver out of nowhere. And Dusty Renfro... he was just a beast.

I'm sure you more senior fans have your favorites from back in the day. So, which Longhorns do you miss? Leave your comments below.

(Oh, and Mike Davis and Mike Adams. I miss them, too. And Shaun Rogers.)

What's the really great thing about following a team? Community. That's what gathers 90,000-plus inside a stadium on a Saturday afternoon, with all energy focused on one goal.

Fans naturally seek each other out, to cheer, to complain, to argue, to share knowledge... but to do it together. That's what has helped BON grow over the last several years. The Interwebs provide great tools for fans to connect. There are three Longhorns Facebook fan pages to visit that are bringing together tens of thousands of Texas fans.

Texas Longhorns Football Page

Direct URL: http://www.facebook.com/TexasHornsFootball

An unofficial Longhorns Facebook page attracting a lot of eyeballs is the "Texas Longhorns Football" fan page run by Arizona high school student Ryan Rash. His page has more than 20,000 fans (with more than 7,000 added since the start of the 2010 football season) who are quite active in posting comments and interacting with each other.

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You know that time you were sitting in church and fought off the urge to buy some Texas gear? Now you don't have to. The University Co-op has launched a mobile website! Buy some gear from anywhere. How practical is that? Check it out... but not here, use your phone, of course. (But then come RIGHT back to BON. OK?)

University Co-op Mobile Site

Thanks to all the BONers who entered the My Favorite Hook 'em Things collectibles give-away. We have picked the six winners (listed below). There were some awesome collectibles submitted, and I want just about every one of them. Jealous here.

If you were chosen, please shoot me an email (find my link at the bottom of the contributing authors list at the bottom of the site) with your name and address so we can mail you your sweet prize. But your work isn't done yet. When you get your prize, please take a picture of yourself with it and email it to me. We will post your pics here. Got it? Sweet. Now, here are the winners (oh, and congrats!)...

Grand Prize: Autographed Colt McCoy photo

BON Member: KevinJ

Collectible: Signed game-used Vince Young shoes

First Prize: Autographed Jordan Shipley photo

BON Member: crphorn

Collectible: 2005 team-signed football

Second Prize: Autographed Jordan Shipley Upper Deck football card

BON Member: PALonghorn

Collectible: 2006 Rose Bowl National Championship football signed by Mack Brown

Other Prize Winners

BON Member: Big Goob

Collectible: 1969 team-signed football announcing the Longhorns as champs

BON Member: revhorn

Collectible: Signed 1968 Arkansas vs. Texas program

BON Member: staceyandmatt2000

Collectible: Colt McCoy signed "Mother's Day" ball

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Want a chance to win some sweet Longhorns autographed collectibles of Colt McCoy, Jordan Shipley and Sergio Kindle? Of course you do. Read the post below to find out how!

The sports card hobby exploded in the early 1990s. People started realizing there was real value to these little gum-stained cardboard collectibles. For me, it was the perfect storm. I was a young lad living in Dallas, playing football. The Dallas Cowboys were winning Super Bowls. Sports card and memorabilia shops were popping up all over town. My mom spent several Saturdays wheeling me all over Dallas to shops and weekend shows as I tried to grab all of Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman's rookie cards (still got 'em all).

Sports collectibles were on like Donkey Kong.

The hobby is very specialized these days. However, other collectibles and memorabilia may be bigger and more available than ever. My passion for sports collectibles that was born in the early 1990s remains. I've always collected Longhorns players, and burnt orange items have become the focus of my collecting efforts in recent years.

Many hook 'em fans reading this post are collectors and don't even realize it. Mini-helmets, autographed footballs, old football cards of Bobby Layne or Tommy Nobis - if you have any of these items or anything of the like, you are a collector. Accept it.

After the jump are some of my favorite Texas Longhorns collectibles, and the stories behind them. After the article, leave a comment with your favorite Longhorns collectibles and tell us the story behind them. Also, leave a picture if you can. We'll pick our six favorite ones and send you a sweet prize (details at the end of the post)!

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A little more than a year ago I wrote an article for Horns Illustrated magazine on Sam and Emmanuel Acho. Today they are two of my all-time favorite Texas Longhorns.

I interviewed the Achos separately for about 20 minutes each, and if I didn't know it, I would have thought I was talking to the same person each time. It's easy to tell that the brothers are smart, confident, humble and Godly men. They are rare, that's for sure. And they are, in every sense of the word, real.

Sam and Emmanuel are the type of guys you just want to know more about - the type of guys you want to be around. Much has been publicized about the Acho family's yearly medical mission trips to Nigeria, where Sam and Emmanuel's parents are from. The Achos spend two weeks with a team of doctors and surgeons, helping with surgeries, handing out medicine and ministering to kids. Some fellow Longhorns players have even joined them in recent trips.

"The first time I went on this mission trip ... I was going to school, learning, playing sports and enjoying my life," Sam said in the interview during the 2009 season. "I came back with a completely different perspective on life. I really realized how blessed I was. It makes me thank God every day for putting me where I'm at."

Sam knows exactly the kind of person he wants to be. He knows he's a leader. He's leads verbally. He leads by example. He leads in the classroom, and of course, he leads on the field. It's sad to see him go, but I sure did appreciate every minute I got to see him play.

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How far have the Texas Longhorns fallen this season? A late-season game was on a double-directional Fox plus channel. Granted, we played an oceanic Florida school, but it was really weird listening to the Craig Way while hanging Christmas lights.

Being limited to the radio is largely why this column is late this week. I had to do a little more research than normal. I know you've been clamoring for your weekly "We Have Issues" (that's what I tell myself, at least). Because, folks, we still have issues.

A win is a win is a win, right? Right.

We had the first 100-yard rusher of the year, more than 50 points scored, a beautiful stat line from Garrett Gilbert, a big defensive touchdown and the first home win in almost 40 days. We'll take it. (Heck, we would have taken a 28-20 win at this point.)

Even if it was against Florida Atlantic, it was nice to see the offense get into a rhythm and execute. Just to know they can. Plus, it was a 10-point game very late in the third quarter, so it's not like the thing was a foregone conclusion at kickoff.

Garrett Gilbert's Progress 

He threw just 21 times for 263 yards and two touchdowns. Not 50 passes. No fire drill offense early in the second quarter. He hit James Kirkendoll for a 63-yard score in the second quarter. Amazing how good things can happen when you run plays to the strength of your players. The Hail Mary to Malcolm Williams just before halftime was 99 percent luck, but it was 100 percent just the kind of thing this team needed.

Gilbert also added 60 rushing yards and a touchdown run. He continues to show good ability to run at the right time, and has been effective with the QB draw. Good steps forward for the youngster. Now we see what he can do against the Ags. We'll see if he can keep his head like a developing leader and put the agriculturalists back in their place.

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The Great Sam Acho has been named to the 2010 ESPN Academic All-America First-Team. He is the seventh Longhorn to be a two-time first-team Academic All-American.

This column, like this season, has not turned out like I thought it would back in August. Examining the progress of our four issues has become an exercise in repeatedly placing head against wall.

What are we learning? That this team has layers and layers of problems. This time of year we should be fighting for a spot in at least the Big 12 Championship game, but we are fighting to just have a winning season. And do not be surprised if this thing struggles against Florida Atlantic. As flat as they're playing, anyone, and I mean anyone, can beat these Texas Longhorns. Because it's not really about what team we're playing. We'll do enough to beat ourselves to give the other team plenty of chances to, you know, score more points than us.

Oklahoma State is a good team with a great offense. I didn't expect them to score fewer than 28 points. I always expect effort throughout the game from our 'Horns, but a lot of expectations have not been met this season, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that we laid down again and forgot that urgency and not giving up are still valuable things for a young team.

Still, each game I think we can learn some things about this team, even if we don't like what these lessons are teaching. Class is in session, after the jump.

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Six NFL rookie Longhorn alumni are trying to make a name for themselves at football's highest level. We never thought we'd miss them so much. But they sure do make us smile seeing them succeed in the pros.

In a season where it's hard to find positive notes, most of the Texas NFL freshmen are having a great start to the pro careers. Here is a quick look at what each has accomplished as of mid-season now that each team has played at least eight games.

Jordan Shipley, Bengals
The Bengals had perhaps the most crowded receiving group in the NFL in the preseason. Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco are two of the most productive receivers of the past 10 years. It was hard to imagine enough passes going Shiley's way. But when you work the middle like a surgeon, Carson Palmer can't help but look your way. After playing in seven games, he has 396 yards, which is fourth-most among rookies. His best game was in Week 7 against Atlanta when he had six catches for 131 yards, including a 64-yard weave to the end zone.

Colt McCoy, Browns
Colt McCoy wasn't supposed to see a snap during his rookie season. But the football gods work in funny ways. Injuries to Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace forced an early start to McCoy's NFL career. His first start was against the best defense in football, the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's 2-1 so far against a gauntlet threesome of Pittsburgh, New Orleans and New England - the first two being on the road. The stat line reads: 67.6 completion percentage, 529 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 37 yards rushing, 1 rushing TD. His QB rating is 83.5. Not bad at all. He's best play came against the Patriots last weekend when he scrambled for a 20-yard touchdown. It doesn't look like he'll be grabbing some bench again anytime soon.

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Tough times, friends and fans. Tough times indeed.

I was talking to a teenage Longhorns fan on Facebook Saturday and he mentioned the worst Texas team he recalls watching was the 2003 team that went 10-3. There is almost an entire generation out there that knows nothing but winning from Texas Longhorns football. Funny, because I was a teenager the last time Texas was this bad (1997), and even then, I don't remember them playing this poorly. This team has better talent (at least I think it does), but they are so far down in a hole that when things start to go bad, it seems as if they expect to lose.

I don't want to sound like it's the end of the road for Texas exceptionalism, because I certainly don't think that at all. But many, many things need to be fixed. And it may not even get back on track next year. It hurts to watch what's going on this season, and it's hard to pinpoint exactly what's wrong. It's like watching a cloud that continues to change shape. There's no identity, and it's hard to define what you're seeing.

The loss to Kansas State was another exhibit of us not being able to get out of our own way. K-
State completed two passes! They even started their back-up QB!! We lost while out-gaining our opponent yet again. They had one of the worst rushing defenses in the country and we passed 59 times. From the beginning, we played like someone pulled the fire alarm. It just doesn't make sense.

The worst part of it all is that we're squandering and misusing our talent. And that's a problem from the top down, from Mack Brown to the freshman. You only get these guys for three or four years, and then they're gone.   

After the jump we'll pick apart our four key issues and try to garner some level of understanding of where this thing is and where it might be going.

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Like most fans this upside down season, I've gone from shock (UCLA) to frustration (Oklahoma) to false hope (Nebraska) to anger (Iowa State) to an uneasy sadness (Baylor). I suppose the next step is hysteria.

Texas has lost three straight games at home to teams much less talented. So, what does that tell us? Winning and losing is about so much more than talent. It's how you use it - or perhaps more accurately with this team, how you misuse it. We thought we knew how valuable guys like Jordan Shipley, Quan Cosby and Earl Thomas were. Now we're really finding out.

The increased urgency was noticeable against Baylor, but we just weren't able to finish drives on offense. Yeah, that's where a good running game comes into play. That's the difference between touchdowns and five field goals. Baylor's two big plays wiped out the Texas field-goal fest. The catch-and-run touchdown pass took advantage of the Texas blitz. Blake Gideon couldn't cover the slant one-on-one (surprise, huh?). It happens. Jay Finley's 69-yard touchdown sprint against nothing but air was inexcusable.

Remember in Top Gun when Maverick and Goose flew through a jet wash, the engine stalled and their plane went into a flat spin? That's this team - flat-spinning and struggling to gain control, and sometimes shifting the controls just hoping the plane will respond to something.

With four wins, four losses and four games left, it's really pointless to talk about what might happen over the next month. What we need to see is a team that will progress and finish. Even if it turns your stomach, a lot of the same players will be back next season. After the jump, we'll try to pry some positives out of this nightmare.

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Losing is a disease... as contagious as polio.

Losing is a disease... as contagious as syphilis.

Losing is a disease... as contagious as bubonic plague.

Attacking one... but infecting all.

But curable.

Pessimistic-yet unfortunately applicable-words from my all-time favorite sports movie, The Natural.

While I'm not yet ready to say that Texas has contracted the losing disease, the symptoms are there. The saddest part is we're not this bad. Not even close. As encouraging as the win over Nebraska was, Saturday was a yet another gross misuse of talent, both by the coaches and the players.

Losing to an Iowa State team that got obliterated 52-0 by the Land Thieves... unbelievable. And completely unacceptable.

The offense is embarrassingly flat and predictable. Any explosiveness only comes when we're more than three touchdowns behind. If it's third-and-seven, we run a five yard route. Our receivers continue to catch (or drop) passes standing like statues. There's no rhythm with the vertical passing game. There's no urgency. It's like everyone is waiting for someone else to make a play. Just look at some of Mack Brown comments after the game:

"This is as disappointed as I've been in our offense."

"This team is '07 all over again. You don't ever know who's going to show up. It scares you to death."

When your offense scares you more than it does the other team, something's really wrong. And the defense? Yeah, let's not let the mighty Cyclones bust it right up the gut on you.

Uhhh, there's so much more to say about this thing. Let's get into detailing the progression/regression of our four key issues. But before the jump, here are few nuggets to chew on (warning: these might make you vomit)...

Nugget #1: Colt McCoy won on Sunday.

Nugget #2: Jordan Shipley had 131 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons.

Nugget #3: Baylor is ranked. Baylor.

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The morning of the game, I told my dad that I didn't have a good feel if Texas would win or not, but I told him Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez was going to have a long afternoon. I was wrong. He had a really short afternoon.

Martinez, who came into the game averaging almost 11 yards per carry, was shut down with 1.6 yards per carry and had just 63 yards passing. He was benched in the second half.

The Texas defense had its best performance since the Texas Tech game, holding Nebraska's offense to just 202 total yards and two field goals. Nebraska prepared a red-out, but they should have been prepared to get shutout - of the end zone, that is.

The offense had its best rushing game of the year, totaling 209 yards on the ground. The offense did what it needed to do to win. And although they didn't show much overall progress, I think we'll all agree that a win trumps individual progress any day. Plus, nothing develops a team and builds confidence like winning. And if that's true, Texas sure has developed a ton playing Nebraska over the last 15 seasons.

Garrett Gilbert's Progress 

Nebraska was not ready for Garrett Gilbert running. Neither were Texas fans. Let's get something out of the way right now: Although Gilbert was effective running, he pretty much made no significant progress. Not the kind we expect, anyway. Yes, he looked confident and he took on the responsibility very well, but he will make his mark at Texas with his arm. He wasn't going to have a good day passing against Nebraska anyway. They used Nebraska's terrific man coverage against them, and for that we've got to give a nod to the play calling. Clearly the bye week was used wisely.

He had 71 yards rushing and ran hard. He showed decent straight-ahead quickness. Through the air he completed just four passes for 62 yards. Again, not the kind of progress we need to see from him, but he was crucial in the win. That builds his confidence and leadership qualities, and those things may be more important than the ability to pinpoint a pass in the back of the end zone.

So, after I just contradicted myself with those two paragraphs, the quarterback grew into his role more with his performance against a really good Cornhusker defense. But his overall progress developing his skills was put on hold in favor of a gameplan that beat the No. 5 team in the country. And I'm perfectly fine with that.

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Texas is 8-1 against Nebraska since the formation of the Big 12 in 1996. This Saturday being the last in-conference meeting (at least for the foreseeable future) between the two college football giants, let's look at seven of the best Big 12 meetings between the Longhorns and Cornhuskers.

Seven of the nine games since 1996 have been decided by 10 points or fewer. One could argue that the Texas-Nebraska series has been the best match-up between two teams in the history of the Big 12. The two games not included below are the 1999 Big 12 Championship (22-6, Nebraska) and the 2003 game (31-7, Texas), a.k.a., The Vince Young Debut.

Texas 37, #3 Nebraska 27

Inaugural Big 12 Championship Game

Dec. 7, 1996

St. Louis, Mo.

Unranked Texas was a0 three-touchdown underdog to No. 3 Nebraska in the first Big 12 Championship Game. The Cornhuskers were positioning themselves for a national championship, but the resilient Longhorns shocked the nation with a 37-27 win.

Quarterback James Brown had a career-best 353 yards passing plus 120 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Texas opened the game with an 80-yard scoring drive. The teams traded field goals and touchdowns for most of the second quarter, and Nebraska took a 27-23 lead in the fourth quarter. Texas answered on a 66-yard Wayne McGarity touchdown, but the key play came in the with just 2:48 seconds remaining.

Up 30-27 and on their own 28-yard line, the Longhorns set up for a fourth-and-inches play. Staying aggressive, Brown faked a run, rolled out to his left and hit tight end Derek Lewis for a 61-yard gain. With the ball on the Nebraska 11-yard line, running back Priest Holmes scored on the next play. Texas won its third-consecutive conference title with the win and earned a trip to the Fiesta Bowl where they lost to Penn State.

Six more games after the jump - all of which were decided by no more than four points.

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It's tough to beat two opponents in one afternoon. Saturday's 28-20 loss was to Oklahoma and Texas.

Mistakes happened at the worst possible times. They were either momentum killers for us or momentum boosters for the Land Thieves. It was just too much to overcome. And so was yet another afternoon of embarrassing offensive play calling.

After the fifth game of the season we are finally starting to get a good idea of the narrative of the 2010 Texas Longhorns. And while that might be an uneasy and sometimes frustrating story unfolding, the wins will be sweeter and the losses will bring a deeper look into the development of a team still trying to find an identity. It's a journey, and I know that for several years I have not stopped down to really enjoy the journey. I've looked to the end, flying through the season without much appreciation for all the stories along the way.

We are out of both the AP and Coaches' polls for the first time in half a generation. While that sounds devastating and embarrassing, I honestly don't feel that way. Don't get me wrong, I've been as frustrated as anyone with what we've seen this season, but what I saw Saturday gave me a better understanding of where this team is in its development. And more important, why. That doesn't mean things are suddenly going to get better. It just means more things are starting to make sense. We know what we're doing well and we know what still needs a lot of work.

I chose to post this column ever Monday to give us at least 24 hours to calm our emotions and collect our thoughts. This is about examining the progress of four key issues for this season. Sometimes you just can't do that when you're still clouded by frustration or excitement.

With that said, let's get into this week after the jump...

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The 66-3 loss to UCLA in 1997 might have been the worst loss ever at DKR Memorial Stadium, but Saturday's 34-12 debacle is one of the most embarrassing in the Mack Brown era. It was a symphony of drops, missed opportunities and utterly ridiculous play calling.

"We gave ourselves absolutely no chance to win."

That's how Mack Brown summed it up in the postgame press conference. And that's as dead-on as it gets. If you caught his radio postgame interview or any video of the press conference, it was easy to tell he was pissed. There was a crystal-clear element if embarrassment and disgust.

We could not get out of our own way, and credit UCLA for capitalizing and sticking to their game plan. Honestly, there wasn't much difference between this game and the Texas Tech game. Both were sloppy, and both lacked direction, identity and leadership on offense. It was ugly, for sure. If this is a "rebuilding year," UCLA brought sledgehammers and a wrecking ball. Now we must pick up the debris. There's still time to turn it around, and we could find out the fate of this season with Oklahoma and Nebraska looming. Losses would mean the first three-game losing streak in the Mack Brown era. Wins would mean staying in control of a possible Big 12 title and BSC appearance.

Bad things are going to happen this year. We were all prepared for that. But we want to see progress throughout the season. That's the purpose of this column-to examine the progression or regression of the four key issues we identified at the beginning of the season.

After the jump, let's get into this week...

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