SB Nation User Blog: antiswarm

Just Some Post-Game Thoughts

antiswarm — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 05:57:29 -0000

My initial thoughts.

Wow. Ok, that hurt a bit. I can tell you that just absolutely nothing worked today, and there is something we can learn from that. I really don't think that this loss says much about us as a team. I reject what Herbstreit said, that "this says something about Tech down in the trenches". Here is a fact. Sometimes you just hit a streak where absolutely nothing goes well or right for you. I mean, these guys didn't even look like our Red Raiders. They were stumbling around on the field, falling down, running into eachother. I can tell you, back when I was an athelete, I had days like that. Days when absolutely nothing could go wrong, when everything you touched turned to gold, where you could see the end before the beginning, when everything was easy and nobody could stop you. And I have had days where it seemed like my shoes didn't fit, and like one leg was longer than the other, or like the ground was tilted. I had practices on the basketball court where I could have shot free throws for 24 hours and I wouldn't have made 20%, and I was a 94% free throw shooter. If you ever played any game at any level, you know those days.

Don't get me wrong. We just played the best team in the nation in my opinion, and they smacked us right in the mouth. They get all necessary kudos from me. But I have to think that something was deeply wrong with the team tonight. Some glitch in the matrix or some miss in the corealis effect or something. I've known those days. Anyways, if I were the coaches or the team, I wouldn't try to overthink this thing. I wouldn't sink into a "Tin Cup" period of self reflection, wondering if we were hypernating when we should have been pronating, and buying a lot of self-help gadgets and psychology books. I loved that Leach went for the Touchdown at the end, and then went for the onside kick. Loved it. It reminded me of Tin Cup hitting ball after ball into the lake. Sometimes you have a bad day and you just have to be yourself and get through it.

I want to also say that I am very well pleased with the Tech fans, and I really hope to not see much of the crap we have seen from some other teams fans after a loss (or a sucky season)...

I don't want to read anyone pouting or bad-talking other teams we have played or will play; or pontificating that us losing the game was actually a good thing, because that leaves us room to improve... like aggie.

I don't want to read any crybaby excuses (like longhorn). We didn't get beat by the refs, and this was not the result of being the fourth game in our "gauntlet". We weren't tired, beat up, hormonal, or PMS'ing. It wasn't the OU fans, and I am mostly sure the city of Norman didn't conspire to gas the bus. I'm not saying that we shouldn't take whatever restaurant fed the team off the "approved" list, but I'm saying those aren't the reasons we lost.

I hope (and I know) that most Tech fans are glad to be where we are, we are happy to have such an excellent team, such an awesome coach, and we are pleased us punch for a beautiful season of incredible football. I can't wait to see how it ends.

Y'all remember, wherever you go, and wherever you talk football, to give the great Oklahoma Sooners their props. What a game, and what a performance. I tip my cap to them, and congratulate them on a great win.

I look forward to the Baylor Game, and to see how things unwind.

What a year.

Peace

UT Alternate Reality Game

antiswarm — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 03:23:54 -0000

Tired of always having to have your team prove itself on an actual field? Are you sick of little things like "losses" keeping you from automatically being given whatever you want?

We'll call the alternate reality game "Check Out Them Horns!". In the game, the player (a UT fan) can pretty much do whatever he likes and say whatever he wants. No matter what comes to pass in the game, eventually the player can hit the "Sampson Option" and make it all come out the way he wants.

In the first level, the player asserts absurd things that never happen, but eventually all things work together to make them come to pass, and if they don't, he makes it to the next level.

Level 1 play - assertions vs. results

1. The player insists that OU never "jump" Texas in the polls, because Texas beat OU, and therefore in no circumstances may the game allow OU to "jump" Texas.

2. The player insists that Texas "jump" Tech no matter who they lose to. This way, Texas backs into a game they couldn't get to on their own. If Tech says, "Wait a minute buddy... we BEAT YOU!" You merely sneer and order a Latte, hit "refresh" and you get your way.

3. The player insists that Tech absolutely in no way could beat OU. Period. Even though Texas beat OU handily, and Tech beat Texas in every single measurable facet of the game, and then demolished OSU. When in doubt, player uses the "head to head comparisons never work". Then he says, "Because we beat OU, when OU beats Tech, we automatically should be #1".

4. Player hits history button to see the results of his past play. The player had argued before the Kansas game... "Tech hasn't played ANYBODY. Kansas is their first big road test!" Result, Kansas demolished on the road. Player replies, "Well, obviously Kansas sucked" MAJOR points scored there! Player then argued, "but Tech will lose to Texas (of course), how DARE they think they can win against UT... IMPOSSIBLE. They STILL haven't played anyone." Result, Tech smashes Texas in the mouth. Player responds, "Well, it was the refs! And, we had a bad night! And, we were tired! And, we spotted them three quarters and still almost won (the almost win ploy, learned from the aggies), And, we should get a do-over! Anyway, NO WAY Tech beats OSU. We played OSU and they pulled an "almost win" on us! We barely won by 4! They are AWESOME!" Result, OSU gets smacked in the mouth.

5. Player, back in real time, now asserts, as before mentioned, that Tech hasn't played anyone (EVEN US), is overrated, and will certainly lose to OU... Hits "Make it SO" button, and then goes to sleep, dreaming of falling backwards into a BCS trophy full of spongy, sugary, "we just deserve it" marshmallows.

If the "Make it SO" button doesn't work properly, Player begins devising mischievous schemes to have a meteor hit the Jones during the Baylor game, which brings him to LEVEL 2.
Level 2 play - All your wildest dreams come true!
Having failed to argue his way into a National Championship, and facing the reality of Tech ignoring him and winning out on the field, the player now moves to the AWESOMENESS of Level 2.
Level 2 is the REAL alternate reality game. We'll call it a VIDEO game, where the player can just click "do over" whenever they don't like a result, and can make up any scenario that might work out for his team. For example, Tech's bus could crash into a taco stand on the way to the airport before the OU game. Then the governor could put OU on double-secret probation, and... you know, for the good of the game... Texas could then waltz into a Big 12 championship pillow fight with Missouri?
Or...

The player can program it so Tech is going to lose even if he has to put all the jet planes on the equator and fire them up at the same time in order to alter the corealis effect and make Graham Harrell throw a few more INT's and maybe give Crabtree vertigo

No matter what the player does, UT backs into a Big 12 Championship, and then a National Championship.

I'm serious. BIG MONEY HERE. This game would make crack seem like aspirin. Every UT fan would buy one or two.

Peace y'all!

Refuting the "Spin"

antiswarm — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 16:59:07 -0000

I want to also address some of the media spin about the Tech win...

First, it is great to be getting the attention, but Tech needs to play like underdogs for the rest of the season. Our dream season is far from over, and no one is going to give Tech props if they don't finish strong. There is a downside to having "arrived". We will be expected to win every week, and unless we play like underdogs, we may be the next to get smacked in the mouth.

Now...

"Tech came back in the last seconds to steal one from the Longhorns"... Uhh... Tech was winning for the whole game, save 1:48 minutes and one drive. Texas played a great game, but they were on their heels for almost the whole game. We dominated the front lines, our defense outplayed them for almost the entire game, we won the turnover battle, and won the "get pressure on the QB battle", and except for a couple of huge plays that were affected by questionable calls, we won it all on the field. We didn't "stun UT with a last second win". We stunned Texas all day long, starting with the safety on Texas first play.

"The refs never called holding on Tech"... Uhh... the really didn't call holding on anyone. both teams had huge plays and drives affected by questionable calls. That is the nature of the beast in the Big 12. Texas fans lived for awhile last year by calling Leach many un-classy names for questioning the refs last year. It sucks, I know, to have the refs call some bad calls against you. Live with it. We did. Even last night.

"McCoy lived up to his billing in bringing the Longhorns back from a steep deficit"... Well, he is a great quarterback and that is expected from great quarterbacks. In the end, poor clock management (which is on the coaches and the quarterback) cost Texas the game. In the end, the better quarterback gets the "W" in this one. No one who watched that game, OR who looks at the season stats, can say that Harrell doesn't own the Heisman so far this year without losing some credibility.

"This is a one time glitch in Texas domination of Tech".... Ok, you keep thinking that. That's what aggie said years ago. Maybe so. We'll see. What ought to keep the Longhorn fans up a few nights is... what if it isn't a glitch in the matrix? We started our current domination of aggie this way. First it was the big win... "Remember Zach Thomas?" Then it turned into - whomever is at home wins, exchanging wins every year. That lasted for a few. Now look. We own aggie. Maybe that doesn't happen with Texas. But, then, maybe it does.

"Tech just started their meatgrinder"... Ok, this one is really tired. Texas starts their meat grinder with Missouri (going by their ranking BEFORE the game), and wants to say theirs lasted 4 games. Then they discount Tech's win over ranked Kansas, who was and is a very good team. They want to say, "look where Kansas is now". Well, I will admit that Texas road was a bit harder, but only because Tech was on the list. Our meatgrinder started last week against a very, very good ranked Kansas team. We are now HALF the way through it. We may lose in the next two games, but I think it is silly and stupid to say that Tech's meatgrinder started with Texas. Every week from here on out will be a battle for every team in the Big 12 south, you Texas fans do a disservice to yourself and to the toughest division in college football when you downplay strength of schedule for a Big 12 south team. It is in Texas best interest to talk up both Kansas and Missouri. You Longhorn fans have Missouri in your wake, but Kansas is still on the horizon. If you downtalk them now, and they smack you in the mouth, or give you a good game, you'll look silly. If you dominate them, then it looks better for you if you dominated a really good Kansas team (like Tech did).

This game went a long way towards dispelling the myth that the Big 12 has weak defenses. This was a defensive battle all day long, with the two best teams in the Big 12 duking it out in the trenches. That is the right spin for this game. Defense wins championships, and either of these teams will put up a great and glorious fight when/if we play the SEC (or anyone else) in the National Championship game.

As for me, I am excited to be from Texas. The State of Texas showed that the best players, and the best teams in the country are from the Big 12... They are from the Big 12 South... they are from the state of Texas.

Semper Tejas,

Peace

"Doug Franks": A UT Parable

antiswarm — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:00:56 -0000

UT fans and writers are already preparing themselves for a loss to Tech.

You see, to UT, it doesn't matter if they aren't better than Tech on the field. They think they are just better humans... They will look down on the plebians of West Texas and snort... "Sure we lost, but at least we're not from Lubbock". Apparently, they've been taking night lessons from aggie. Reminds me of last week, when the aggie poster said, "Raider... know your place!".

Which brings up a parable... a true story in the life of me.

"Doug Franks" (name changed in case he is now a UT dance instructor or something) was the bully of my block when I was 9. He was a little guy, but he was very, very aggressive - and he would fight at the drop of a hat. If you disagreed with Doug... BAM, right in the mouth. And we all took it.

I was bigger, stronger, and faster than Doug Franks, but I didn't know it. So I basically just shut my mouth and tried not to get beat up.

One day my father told me to go get a load of firewood. I was loading up the wheelbarrow with wood when Doug walked up. He saw me lifting and pushing the heavy load and he sneered "I could do that... easy". I didn't want any trouble, so I put down the load and stepped aside. Doug tried to lift the wheelbarrow, but he couldn't. His eyes grew wide and something like fear crossed his face as he saw the wheels start to align in my mind. He strained again but couldn't budge the thing. He stepped back and all of a sudden I saw him tremble...

Then I smacked him right in the mouth. Hard. He went down like a load of bricks and stayed on the ground trembling and crying. I told him to get up with every intention of knocking him down again... but he just sat there crying. So I took the wood inside. Thirty minutes later Doug's mom shows up at our door. She asks to speak to my mother and she complains that I "hit her Doug for no reason". My mother laughed. She said, "You and I both know that Doug has been beating up every child on this block almost weekly. Well, that's not happening any more. He better get it straight". Doug's mother looked down and said, "Yes... I know. Doug is just is so small, and I'd hate to see him get hurt."

Doug's fighting days on my block were finished. UT has a smack coming. I hope it's tomorrow.

Peace

Here's to Sunday Morning!

antiswarm — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:16:04 -0000

Here's to Sunday Morning!

Why I think Tech beats Texas...

antiswarm — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:42:31 -0000

Texas is the best team in the country. No doubt. That’s why they’re #1. Sometimes #1 gets beaten. They can have a bad day. They can run into a team playing way over it's collective heads. They can underestimate a team that has yet to be really tried. Tech has thrived on the lack of respect and the doubt this season. If Tech wins, they will have beaten the best team in the country, and a team that has proven they deserve to be in these types of games. I want to see Tech get its props if that happens.

The upside for Tech is that before every game so far, everyone has dismissed them, bad talked their defense, and guaranteed that this was the game they would lose. After every game, the same people (and the Big 12 hating east coast media elite) have then trashed the team Tech just beat by saying “well, they just weren’t that good”. That is what some folks are now saying about Kansas. But they just won’t be able to say that about Texas…

Texas is as good as we think. Knowing that will help Tech. Texas and their fans dismissing Tech can only be in Tech’s favor.

Everything will have to go right for Tech to get a win. But I think they can do it. Listen, there are two main things that will contribute to a Tech victory in Lubbock:

1. If Texas trips up… at all. They need to play nearly a perfect game, which means they need to score on virtually every drive without a turnover. If I were uT's coaches, I would assume Tech is going to do so, even if they may not.

2. If Texas players come into the game with an attitude of dismissing a very good Tech team... the same attitude evident in some of the teams we have played this year, and the same attitude now evident on the Texas blog.

I warned the overconfident KU fans not to do what many of your fans here are doing. Mack Brown himself said that many Texas fans were “stupid” because they had the luxury of not watching film of OSU. I suggest some of you watch the film of the Kansas game.

Granted, KU is not Texas. Texas gets all the respect from us it is due.

Coach Mack Brown had this to say about some Texas fans:

"You all are fools," Brown said. "Absolute fools."

Brown said he even heard some people talking during the week about a burnt orange blowout (against OSU).

"It's really an advantage when you don't watch film," he said. "Because then you can be stupid."

I predict a Tech win, because I don’t believe Texas players or their fans have any idea what to expect in Lubbock. If Texas comes in with the right idea and mindset, they will win. I don’t think they will.

Peace