Now that finals have mercifully ended on the 40 Acres, it’s time to enjoy a well deserved vacation. What better way to start off break than some Texas Volleyball? After rolling past UCLA and Texas-San Antonio in last weekend’s series, Texas will host Illinois, Florida, and Purdue in Gregory Gym. 

Continue reading this post »

Fifth ranked Texas Volleyball enters Dante's Rings of Hell the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic Friday in pursuit of its 1001th win. To earn it, the Horns will have to battle #1 Penn State, #2 Stanford, and #4 Florida. Whoever named it the "Big Four" tournament wasn’t messing around. In the first month of the season, #5 Texas will have played the top four national squads. The winner—really the survivor—of the tournament should emerge as the national favorite to start the regular season.

Continue reading this post »

On Saturday night, Texas volleyball’s history 1000th victory was overshadowed by the football game. Earlier in the week, the Horns were awarded a number two ranking after strolling through the Burnt Orange Classic. This weekend’s Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational featured much stronger competition with Florida A&M, #5 Illinois, and #23 Long Beach State travelling to Austin.

Texas moved to 4-0 after defeating the Florida A&M Rattlers, who have won the MEAC Conference nine consecutive times. Oddly enough, the core of their team was all Peruvian (in the same way that half of Oklahoma’s roster is Texans). Long story short, Texas effectively shut down any attacks at the net and recorded twenty blocks.

Texas volleyball losses are rare. Texas volleyball home losses pretty much don’t happen. On Friday night, Illinois had Texas’ number in three sets. The sweep abruptly ended the Gazelle’s twenty-five match home winning streak and was the first time home sweep since 2003. The Horns started slow and never were able to gain control of the tempo.

Fired up from the night before, the Longhorns fought their way through Long Beach State. Both veterans and rookies alike were able to contribute to the historic victory. Freshman Hannah Allison set her way to 48 assists and pulled Texas out of a hole with a seven-point service run. Upperclass(wo)men Rachel Adams and Juliann Faucette combined for twenty-five kills and three service aces. Coach Jerritt Elliott commented after the game, "It's nice to see this program be an elite program based on the number of wins and we will try to relay that with an email to the alumni. We're honored. It's an honor to be a coach here, it's an honor to be a player here and we recognize that and it's because of the rich tradition of having 1,000 wins."

Texas faces #3 Stanford on Friday in the Nike Big Four Volleyball Classic. The Horns will then take on either #1 Penn State or Florida the next day (gulp).

Texas A&M Recap | Illinois Recap | Long Beach State Recap

I was planning on breaking down our offensive formations and schemes for each game in search of trends. Unfortunately, in my rush to Houston, I forgot to set my DVR and breaking down film on ESPN3 was harder than finding a Rice fan in Reliant. Statistical analysis is challenging without data, so I'll throw out the conclusions I was able to come to. 

Redzone Offensive Woes

In our first drive of the season, Cody Johnson had four shots from inside the four-yard line and came away empty handed. Considering the weight disparity in the trenches, it was hardly a welcome sight. Tre’ Newton had much better luck but it still took him two or three shots to find paydirt. Redzone success will require being multidimensional, which is all about putting the right players in the right formations.  

Greg Davis relied on a TE-Trips formation—Goodwin wide, Chiles in the slot, and Matthews at TE on one side with Kirkendoll on the other—to march down the field on the opening drive. It spread out Rice’s five defense backs to achieve a numbers advantage in the interior. When inside the twenty, Davis switched Kirkendoll for Williams and Chiles for Greg Smith. Williams and Goodwin went wide together, forcing a safety to shade over them. Matthews stayed at tight-end and Smith lined up a yard behind him. I cannot say enough good things about this package. The Horns have the personnel to run power plays on one side and two receivers to run complimentary routes on the other. In play action, Williams can use his height in the corner as Goodwin shakes his defender on a slant inside. 

After Texas drove inside the five, Davis switched into a traditional goal line formation. Berryhill and Johnson lined up in the I, Matthews and Howard stayed close at TE, and Smith motioned at H-Back. Sure, that formation has an abundance of power, but is it multidimensional? Clearly even Rice can stop it with eleven men in the box. No player out of those five is a credible threat in the passing game. The toss play demonstrated their lack of quickness. 

There is middle ground between a passing and running offenses and it is especially important that we find it inside the twenty. 

Continue reading this post »

By Saturday night, any doubts about whether Texas is still a dominant force in volleyball were extinguished. Not surprisingly, the "gazelles" absolutely dominated the Burnt Orange Classic. 

Continue reading this post »

Longhorn volleyball and football play on Saturdays just a block away from each other. Despite an obvious disparity in attention, their recent campaigns were remarkably similar. Much like football, the "Gregory Gazelles" kicked off their 2009 season highly ranked due largely to senior leadership. After cruising through the regular season, the Horns finally caught up with the Nittany Lions in the National Championship. A two-set lead brought the first National Championship since 1988 within sight until Penn State snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. The powerhouse Nittany Lions won three consecutive games to secure their third consecutive national championship. Like their football counterparts, the gazelles Big-12 Championship was largely overshadowed by a heartbreaking loss on the game’s biggest stage.

Once again, Penn State is the team to beat. This time around, Texas will have to play without All-Americans Ashley Engle and Destinee Hooker. Hooker is a McCoy sized loss, as she leaves as the school leader in kills, attack attempts, and service aces. Engle, a two-time captain and fan favorite, earned four All-Big 12 selections.

Fortunately, this is Texas: we don’t rebuild, we reload. Hannah Allison was the big name in the No. 5 recruiting class. Ashley Bannister, Haley Cameron, and Sarah Palmer will also be new faces in Gregory this season. These new additions—and a roster of seasoned starters--earned the Horns a No. 3 preseason rank by the AVCA. 

Continue reading this post »

The football adage, "Strength punishes, speed kills", has only grown truer. DJ Monroe certainly has elite speed but can he be a killer threat in Texas’ offensive scheme? Monroe has shown he has the talent to contribute to special teams. Sixteen returns were all it took him to break the school kickoff returns for touchdown record. His role on offense is a different story. 

At 171 pounds, he is too small to be a multiple-down back and at 5’9", he is not a multifaceted threat at wide receiver. From the slot, he excels at the same speed routes – slants and drags – as Goodwin. Unlike Goodwin, Monroe does not great hands, height, or experience as a route runner. As a result, I sense that Greg Davis sees Monroe as a quick strike threat from a few plays that utilize his skill set. The catch is that a smart defensive coordinator will only let us get away with each play once. 

For example, there are eight minutes left in the second quarter of the National Championship. As depicted below, Gilbert lines the Horns up in a balanced formation with a tight end. Monroe, the slot receiver, comes in motion and receives a well-timed handoff. The play is blocked well enough for Monroe to burst twenty-eight yards down the sideline. It is successful largely because Monroe’s acceleration catches the Alabama defense off guard, causing under-pursuit.

Continue reading this post »

Other than the whole Independence thing, the Fourth of July is about fireworks, sun, beer, and red meat. It just so happens that Austin is incredibly good at the last thing on that list. Austin deserves to be the Live Music and Burger Capital of the World. Not only is it obsessed with great food, but it is located in the heart of cattle country. No matter where you live, there will be a burger joint in your neighborhood. Take pity on local vegetarians. I'll share my favorites and if you are an Austinite, share your own. Ex-Austinites, some of these places have not changed since DKR was prowling the sidelines so chime in too. 

Continue reading this post »

It’s unfortunate that the past year will remembered as the Year of the Almost. In a decade, most Longhorn fans will remember what failed to happen instead of what actual happened. We will remember the invisible asterisk next to 37-21, the volleyball team snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, the basketball team imploding faster than Enron, and baseball falling painfully short. For this Bonny Award, let’s forget final outcomes and reminisce over the great moments that we were lucky enough to witness. If you think about it, there were a whole lot of them. This award is more about the emotion derived from those moments rather than the moment itself. For example, I know I wasn’t the only one who got goose-bumps watching Colt lead the seniors around DKR for one last team. 

Continue reading this post »

The Bonny Award for "Enemy of the State" was rightfully awarded to a seemingly unconquerable line. Reversely, this award is for those players, active or alumni, who went above-and-beyond the call of duty to represent their school. Credit for the award goes to Whills who will chime in with his picks. It’s an expectation that players be a symbol of Texas on the field. This award is for Horns who have made a statement off the field, the heroes. The definition is purposefully vague so you can nominate candidates as you see fit. Here are a couple to get the ball rolling:

Vince Young

As you probably heard, Vince defended the Longhorn legacy in a Dallas club. It is shocking that anyone would be crazy enough to aggravate a 6’5’’ 233 lb. super-athlete in a small room. The widely-circulated video really just shows schoolyard pushing and yelling. From what I saw, Vince’s entourage did a better job of restraining him than USC’s defense.

Continue reading this post »

There were some great suggestions for the "Enemy of the Year", now time to vote!

The always-creative Whills suggested "In Defense of Hook ‘em" for a Bonny award category to award those Longhorns who went above and beyond the call of duty to defend the great state of Texas. Young and Durant will definitely be the front-runners for their service. Before we can properly cover the heroes of the past year, I think it’s only fitting to cover the villains first. This award is for all of those teams, players, universities, coaches, administrators, or even reporters who irritated and maddened you. These awards will be much more interesting for all if everyone throws in their two-cents. As it’s based entirely on your opinion, you can’t be wrong. Tweety Carter and Jerrod Johnson are my picks.

Tweety Carter

Things didn’t seem all that bad after losing to powerhouses Kansas State and Connecticut. There was still hope for a basketball championship until Tweety came along. In the first game, Carter’s twenty-seven points were only one less than Balbay, Bradley, Mason, Johnson, Lucas, Wangmene, Hamilton, and Brown combined. During the second loss, Carter pulled off an impressive reverse layup with a few minutes left to initiate Baylor’s final scoring run. Third time was the charm right? Nope, Carter scorched us for a third time in the Big-12 Tournament. After three terrible games, I couldn’t figure out what was more irritating: his ability to score at will, the announcers raving about "Tweety" (from the sound he made as a crying baby), or that flat top haircut.

Continue reading this post »

Introduction

TCU’s victory over Texas last weekend marked not only the end of Texas' baseball season but also the end of another Longhorn athletic year. This is the first article in a series that will look back at some of the best athletes, teams, and moments of the past nine months. Twice a week, there will be a post for a new Bonny Award. With the category, I’ll include a couple candidates to get the ball rolling and then anyone can can post their favorite candidate and an explanation. Once there is a solid group of contenders, a poll will be created. Since we’re in the doldrums of summer, the categories and candidates should be creative and fun. It’s more about looking back on the best parts of the past year than picking MVPs. We’ll start with a simple category that’s fitting for the first award: "Best New Kid on Campus."

Marquise Goodwin

There was talk about Goodwin being an undersized, "track-guy" when he was recruited. When he was quickly thrown in the mix against LMU, it was clear his size wouldn’t be an issue. Goodwin earned the spotlight for the first time when he blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown against Colorado. A week later when Oklahoma’s defense put a cover-4 around Jordan Shipley, Goodwin rose to occasion, catching a quick slant and slipping off his defender for his first touchdown. I can still picture him high stepping into Texas’ corner of the Cotton Bowl. It was Goodwin's fourth quarter heroics--a kickoff returned for touchdown-- that put the game out of reach for the Aggies. In the Spring, he won the NCAA Long Jump Championship as a Freshman with 26’9’’ jump, which was seven inches farther than the first loser. Between two sports, he still found the time to earn a spot on the UT Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. Not too shabby.

Strength hurts, Speed kills

Continue reading this post »

I see great things in baseball.  It's our game - the American game.  It will take our people out-of-doors, fill them with oxygen, give them a larger physical stoicism.  Tend to relieve us from being a nervous, dyspeptic set, repair these losses, and be a blessing to us.

Walt Whitman

Continue reading this post »

The Three Lions - England

Striker Wayne Rooney is a global star and the face of the England National Team. From ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, "…an adept passer and finisher, with a newfound ability to consistently head the ball into the back of the net, but he's also a pest away from goal." He’s one of those rare players who is gifted with both power and touch. It’s a shame we will never see him at tailback. Speedy Emile Heskey or lanky marksman Peter Crouch will match up next to Rooney as the other striker.

In the midfield, Steven Gerrard could be England’s most talented player. His ball skills and great field vision make him a vital part of the English attack. Many have doubts whether Gerrard can be productive with midfielder and Chelsea star Frank Lampard. Shaun Wright-Phillips or Aaron Lennon will be called upon to provide speed down the sidelines. Pity the defender assigned to cover them. James Milner is an offensive minded midfielder should playing time as well.

England took a big hit with the loss of defender Gareth Barry and invaluable leader Rio Ferdinand. John Terry will have to elevate his game to compensate. Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole will provide support in the backfield. England’s kryptonite will be in goal where David James will have a trial by fire to prove he’s championship caliber. If James stumbles, English coach Fabio Capella (Yes, England is led by an Italian) will insert Joe Hart or Robert Green quickly.

Preview of America after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

(Writers note: The following was inspired by an article from the front page of SB Nation that PB rec’d about two weeks ago. Check out that front page often, you will learn more about sports in ten minutes of doing that then an hour of Pardon the Interruption. The article imagines what the US of A’s soccer team would look like if soccer was as popular in the States as it is overseas. I am going to attempt to do the same for Longhorn athletes. Since this is an outlandish-hypothetical-thought-experiment, there are a number of obvious assumptions in play. You can read all of them in the aforementioned article. To clarify, I am not suggesting these athletes could trade their prolate-spheriods for spheres with equal success tomorrow. It’s just a fun way to connect our favorite Longhorn athletes with the incomparable, unequivocal awesomeness that is the World Cup.)

New Tournament, New Questions

Continue reading this post »

This series has all the makings of a classic. The fifth-ranked Horned Frogs return to Austin to rematch last year’s Super Regional. Do not think for a minute they’re not bitter about leaving empty handed. It is safe to say that TCU has a pitching staff comparable to our own and superior hitting. If we play in Omaha, no one will be able to say we did not earn our ticket. Oh and yes, these games will be televised. 

A close look at TCU after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

As you probably heard, the Horns emerged victorious over the University of Louisiana, Rider, and Rice. Three relatively easy victories awarded them the right to host TCU this upcoming weekend. A preview of the upcoming Super Regional will be up tomorrow. Until then, photos and thoughts about the Regional.

All eyes were on a recovered Brandon Loy

More photos and random thoughts after the jump...

Continue reading this post »

Lindy’s College Football Preview includes an interesting article that explores how the classic labels Tailback U and Linebacker U applied in the last decade. The piece by Anthony Gimino awards a top school of the decade for each position. The usual suspects USC, Ohio State, Miami, Penn State, and Georgia all made the cut but the Horns were left out, only being named runner-up. It’s easy to concede that USC has produced more than its fair share of quarterbacks and Ohio State had more great linebackers than you can shake a stick at. It's also hard to deny that Texas has had its fair share of talent as well. For comparisons sake, I wanted to match up Texas’ linemen with Georgia’s and Texas’ defensive backs to Miami’s to see how we matched up. It's nearly impossible to compare past, present, and future careers but something has to get us through the offseason. Results after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

There have been suggestions that Chance Ruffin should be moved from closer for the Big-12 Tournament and Omaha. Ruffin has been having a great year, going above and beyond the call of duty every time he has seen the field.  As he is one of our top four pitchers--if he wasn't a Longhorn he would be just about any team's ace--it seems like it would make sense to play him on the mound as long as possible.

Personally, I think he should stay exactly where he is. Jungman, Green, and Workman are all more than capable at starter. There's going to be a point where one of them is losing control on the mound and that's exactly why we have Ruffin in the bullpen. When the LSU game spiraled out of control last year having a expert closer in the bullpen could have made the crucial difference. As a closer, he can pitch two nights in a row at exactly the points when we need him the most. I say "dance with the one who brung ya" and don't fix what's not broken. Chime in with your thoughts. 

The Horns snuck by Missouri for a 6-4 victory in a see-saw battle. Freshman Jordan Weymouth, receiving valuable experience as Texas has already been named regular season champions, drove in Kyle Lusson for an early 1-0 lead. Taking the lead 2-1 in the third, Missouri responded with a couple runs generated by standout Aaron Senne. Texas returned fire when Connor Rowe launched his second home run of the season over the left-field wall and Cameron Rupp singled up the middle to bring Kevin Keyes home. Missouri re-conquered the lead in the bottom of the fifth with a two run home run. The Horns refused to quit, tying the score 4-4 on a Walla RBI single.  

Luck was on Texas’ side in the top of the ninth. A Rupp fly to the warning track was dropped by a Missouri outfielder and Moldenhauer earned a free base. The Horns got lucky when a wild pitch allowed Rupp to sneak home for the lead. A sacrifice fly added insurance and brought Moldenhauer in for the 6-4 final score.

Cole Green didn’t have a stellar performance, giving up four runs and eight hits in five innings. In relief, McKirahan showed why he has potential to be a major component of the pitching staff next season. Finally, Chance Ruffin produced his second save in as many games. He retired every batter he faced, striking out two for a total of seven on the weekend. Augie was impressed with the defense for the second night in a row, "I was once again impressed with the defense. We had a different look than normal up but they continued to play at a high level." Garrido was referring to a new twist in the defense: Weymouth at second and Etier at short. As has been par for the course, great defense and even better pitching pulled this one out for the Horns.

The Sunday matchup has been moved to 12 PM to accommodate Texas’ travelling plans.         

Despite giving up two home-runs, Taylor Jungmann pitched an solid game against the Tigers to earn his sixth win. Texas struck early in the first inning, when a Kevin Keyes double off the outfield wall allowed Loy to reach home. Longhorn bats came alive in the fourth when Jonathan Walsh dropped a single into the outfield in the fourth to bring Rupp home. Etier quickly followed by driving in a couple runs himself. Etier was finally brought home by Walla for a 5-0 score. 

Jungman protected the lead for seven innings before eventually being replaced by Chance Ruffin. Ruffin was his usual self, earning the save by striking out six of the seven batters he faced. 

Garrido commented on Jungmanmn's performance, "What impressed me the most is the way he kept attacking. Missouri was hitting some good pitches, but he was undeterred. He kept going at the hitters and gave us a great performance. It’s not the best pitching line he’s put up this year, but his effort in continuing to attack was just as impressive as those other games."

The Tigers host the Horns again at 2 PM.

Finals are official over, graduation is set for Sunday, and there are forty students left on the forty acres. The baseball team also vacated campus this weekend for their final Big-12 Series. The Horns take on the Tigers in rainy Columbia, Missouri.  These are the last three regular season games before the Big-12 Tournament kicks-off on Wednesday. Keep in mind that we haven’t been racking up the airline miles this season. Out of fifty-one games, the Horns have left Austin only thirteen times and only six of those games were outside of Texas. Keep out of mind the result of the last time Texas traveled to Missouri for baseball, an embarrassing 32-12 blowout. Writing the football-like score on the ball and burying it in the dugout didn’t solve any karma problems as the Horns dropped the second game 13-2. As you’ve probably noticed, this year’s team is a step up from that 2008 squad. Officially, the Horns are #2 nationally but it would be hard to argue that we’re not the top dog right now. Since the loss to Kansas State two weeks ago, Texas has scored 46 runs while only allowing 18.

Continue reading this post »

Texas Baseball took the rubber match on Sunday with a tight 6-5 win over Kansas State. The first inning was a home run competition with Walla, Moldenhauer, and Keyes all hitting solo shots early. The Wildcats quickly responded with a homerun of their own in the bottom of the first. Workman didn’t have his best performance of the season, letting up four more runs to put the Horns down 5-3. He was eventually relieved by Hoby Milner, who had another excellent outing. Kevin Keyes continued to take advantage of a small ballpark in the sixth inning with a second homerun. The right fielder now leads the team with eleven homeruns. With four RBIs on the day, he continued his hot streak and was, without a doubt, your game MVP. Not surprisingly, Chance Ruffin successfully closed another game for the Horns and earned his eleventh save. 

This is your victory celebration and Mother's Day (in case you forgot) thread. The tower will be burnt orange for the second night in a row to celebrate Texas Baseballs' fourth Big-12 Championship in the last five years. The Horns have the week off until a Sunday doubleheader against Louisiana Tech. On the other diamond, Big-12 Champion and #12 Texas Softball suffered a tough 9-0 loss to #10 Georgia. Finally, some good quotes from Stayton Thomas about his mother:

Whats the best piece of advice your mother gave you? "Don't cross me. That was pretty much the philosophy I lived by for 18 years."

What is the best gift you've ever given on Mother's Day? "I did hit a home run for her. I was either 15 or 16, and I had just started playing summer league ball. We were playing in a Mother's Day tournament and I told her that I was going to hit a home run for her and sure enough my last at bat I did. " (I don't want to know what would have happened if he didn't hit a homerun.)