For those of you in the Austin area.... there is a home basketball game on Saturday night against A&M.  I just checked texasboxoffice.com, and scored 2 GA Mezzanine tickets for $8 each (plus service charges).

I would think that there would be more demand, I know that the Aggies are not having a stellar year, but still...  I encourage you all to go support the Horns if you can!  You can get pretty good seats with those GA tickets, midcourt in the mezzanine with a good view.

So Mack tweaked the lineup a little bit after "all starting jobs were open."  I'm curious what some other BONers think about this and individual player performances.  A few suggested topics:

• Chris Hall starting at Center over Buck Burnette.   I can't recall, was Buck injured?  Or did Mack just decide that Chris was the man?
• Which opened up the RT position for Kyle Hix, and Tanner got the start at LG.  I'm no OL expert, what did you guys think about these moves and their performance?

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A little background first... I grew up in Louisiana in a family full of hardcore LSU fans.  My parents had season tickets so I went to countless games when I was a kid, but I hadn't been to one in over 10 years.  I went to Baton Rouge to visit family for Thanksgiving, and my uncle offered us tickets to the game against Arkansas.  It meant I would miss watching the Texas vs. A&M game, but I figured we couldn't pass up a chance to see the Tigers at home, especially with a #1 ranking, and McFadden coming to Bayou country.

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I picked up a few tidbits from Mack Brown's radio show last night:

•  He said that they were very pleased with Vondrell McGee's level of play so far, and "he will get more playing time this Saturday."

•  Blaine Irby is doing well at TE, but they are going to use him some in the fullback position because of Tiemann's injury.

•  They are changing up snap counts, play signals, check-offs, etc., to make sure that Chizik has to guess a little bit.

•  He talked about the younger Offensive Line players some, and said that McWhorter won't let them get significant PT until they stop making mistakes in practice.  He said it's not fair to put them in the game if they're going to miss an assignment and let Colt get blown up.  But, he said they're trying really hard and coming along well.

In the MB-TF.com "Tracking Mack" it mentions that Cosby, Jones, and Shipley are starters at WR with Pittman as a "rotating starter."

Did anybody catch that photo from the statesman on Sunday where Killebrew has a firm grip on the Rice QB's facemask?   It was especially unnecessary considering there were 3 guys tackling him simultaneously.

I found the photo on their website... here's the link:

http://www.statesman.com/sports/cont...

It looks like the QB's chinstrap is around his nose.  The caption mercifully referred to it as a "gang tackle."  I hereby dub Mr. Killebrew as "The Facemask King."

According to the statesman, Sherrod is listed as "probable" for the game Saturday!  I know Mack doesn't like to push it if there's risk of aggravating an injury, but FWIW Shipley was listed as probable for last week and he played quite a bit.

This means they could still redshirt Chiles, which may be a good idea if he hasn't played by this saturday (1/3 of the regular season).  Anyway, good news for Sherrod that he's at least getting better.

Ulatoski and Orakpo are definitely out.

Mack did say that Melton and Kindle will play, obviously Pittman too, although none will be starting.

Did anybody else catch that great Royal quote that Mack read on Craig Way's radio show this afternoon?

according to the statesman, not that we didn't know this already.  Eddie Jones is tabbed as the likely replacement.

Also mentioned, Shipley has been upgraded to "questionable" and Sherrod is still out.

Here's the link:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...

I was reading a certain football publication that focuses on Texas football, and the rushing stats from last year caught my eye:

RUSHING              GP  Att  Avg  TD
--------------------------------------
Charles, Jamaal      12  156  5.3   7
Young, Selvin        12  137  4.3   7
Melton, Henry        13   45  4.3   6

I know the reason many of us were down on Henry - he failed miserably in several crucial short-yardage plays.  But overall the stats aren't that terrible.  He had the same average and one less TD than Selvin and JC each had.  I also realize some of that was garbage time, but still I think we should cut him some slack.

Hopefully he'll excel at DE after he serves whatever suspension he gets.  He had great promise in '05, and I still think he got robbed in that Ohio State game.

Over at the LSU blog "And the Valley Shook" they have a post comparing the top programs over the last 5-10 years, basing it on winning percentage.  Texas is right up there of course, and is in the discussion for best program, although he ultimately gives USC the nod.  (Apparently he didn't consult Les Miles first).  

http://www.andthevalleyshook.com/

And I also have a completely unrelated question - how hard is it to get into DKR with the student ticket deal?  If my friend doesn't have an ID, will I need to "borrow" one for him, or can he get by without one?

According to the Statesman, Barnes has made it official.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...

"Kevin meets the same criteria as T.J.," Barnes said. "He was national player of the year."

I know there was some debate about this... I thought VY's number would be retired before KD's, even though he didn't win a certain award.  What do you all think?

excerpted from SI.com:

"One shot I couldn't block, and he came over my shoulder and blocked it; I was amazed," said power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2006 draft. "And he dunked everything around the rim."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...

Personally I still think the Trailblazers made a foolish decision, but I won't be able to prove it for at least 5-10 years.

I received this in my inbox, check out #1:

---------------------------

Time once again to review the winners of the Annual "Stella Awards." The
Stella Awards are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled hot
coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's (in NM). That case
inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous, ridiculous,
successful lawsuits in the United States

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Just read this brief article about former Longhorn Cedric Griffin, who somehow got arrested for not pulling up his pants:

Two witnesses told KSTP-TV that the Vikings cornerback was thrown out of the Spin nightclub for not pulling up his pants. The club has a dress code requiring that pants not sag below the waist.

The witnesses said Griffin then had a dustup with bouncers and police before being taken away in handcuffs.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...

It's a sad state of affairs when a guy can't get his sag on without being hassled by the man.

I saw this posted on statesman.com

•Dec. 2: at UCLA.

•Dec. 8: Rice, at the Toyota Center, Houston.

•Dec. 19: at Arkansas.

•Dec. 22 : Michigan State, the Palace, Auburn Hills, Mich.

•Dec. 29: Wisconsin, Erwin Center.

•Jan. 2: Texas Christian, Erwin Center.

I'm pleased that we have some high-level competition in here... UCLA, Arkansas (maybe), Michigan State, Wisconsin.  And the Rice game is almost like a home game, right?  Keep the H-town alums involved.

I realize his stats may not look that great... but why did Barnes wait until the last few games of his career to play this guy??  He's capable of playing great defense, and even provided a spark or two on offense.

I was home sick yesterday and dusted off the '06 Rose Bowl DVD.  A few random thoughts...

• Drew Kelson!!! Oh my, I had forgotten how much ass he kicked.  I started getting excited about our new secondary just watching what he could do at LB.
• What happened to Jamaal Charles last season?
• Sure wish we could have put the franchise tag on David Thomas and Michael Huff, to keep them around for a few more years.  (not to mention a certain QB, but that one's obvious).
• So funny to listen to the broadcasters in the 4th quarter... "Vince has led his team to comebacks before... but this is USC, the defending national champions..."  and  "put the ball in #10's hands and let him win it for you"

I was looking over the depth chart from last season (specifically the Alamo Bowl chart) and wondering who will fill in the spots vacated by departing seniors.

So I'm just looking for opinions on which of the new guys you think will get playing time.  I figure Curtis Brown and Tray Allen will be in the mix, unless Mack decides to redshirt them.   Will Chiles get any PT at QB during the easy game mop-ups?  Who else?  Obviously the OL, DE, and secondary are the biggest concerns.

I'm also curious about guys who were redshirted last year (Chykie Brown, Antwan Cobb, Sherrod Harris, Vondrell McGee, etc.) and the guys who played 2nd and 3rd string last year.

And of course this is all leading to the larger question of "what will the depth chart look like after spring practices?"

LINKS:
Alamo Bowl Depth Chart:

http://tinyurl.com/2xna7u

Full 2007 Roster:

http://tinyurl.com/7m5o4