College Confidential

Jimmy Johnson weighs in on Roy's struggles

Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson stopped by practice today as part of a safe-driving promotion in assocation with Crown Royal. Johnson gave his thoughts on the struggles of receiver Roy Williams.

"Receivers in some ways are a little like a golfer, they get in streaks,” Johnson said. “I remember Michael Irvin’s second year, we had a training camp where he was dropping everything and so it was a matter of us pulling back and saying let’s work on the things that he does well and gradually expand it some of the other routes.”

Johnson said when he had Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper, they worked hard to put Harper in routes he was good at running. Where Irvin could run just about everything well, Harper was designated for certain deep routes he excelled at.

"Say in your mind, you’re dropping a crossing route, time after time,” Johnson said. “Well, let’s stop throwing the crossing route, because in his mind, he’s saying, ‘Oh no, I’m going to drop it, I’m going to drop it.’ Don’t drop it, don’t drop it. That seeds planted, don’t drop it. Well the seeds planted to don’t drop it, so what do you do? You drop it. And so let’s just pull away from that. Let’s start throwing that comeback where he knows he’s going to catch it, he catches it every time. Catch it, catch it, catch it and then occasionally sprinkle in a crossing route so where he’s had some success to build that confidence back up.”

Jeff Caplan

Texas RB Tre Newton back in starting lineup

AUSTIN _ Texas tailback Tre Newton, who moved to the top of the Longhorns’ season rushing list with Saturday’s 66-yard effort against Kansas, returned Monday to the top of the depth chart as well.
Newton, a redshirt freshman from Southlake Carroll, will start Thursday’s game against Texas A&M, coach Mack Brown said today.

 Newton, son of former Dallas Cowboys’ offensive lineman Nate Newton, drew a comparison Monday to one of his dad’s former teammates.

“He reminds me … a little bit of Emmitt Smith,” said Texas offensive coordinator Greg Davis, reflecting on both players’ ability to produce despite lacking breakaway speed. “Tre is not a guy that’s going to wow you with his speed. And yet he’s had several long runs this year. He’s probably faster than we think.”

Newton, who lost his starting job after suffering a concussion during a 38-14 victory over Colorado on Oct. 10, leads the Longhorns in rushing yards (370). He averages 5.5 yards per carry, tops among the four tailbacks on Monday’s depth chart, and has the team’s longest touchdown run of the season _ a 45-yarder against Baylor.

Davis drew the comparison to Smith, a Cowboys’ legend and the NFL’s all-time rushing leader, because Smith’s speed was questioned by scouts, causing Smith to slide to the 21st overall pick in the 1990 draft.
“Draft day comes around and the comments are, ‘Great college player. Probably won’t be a great pro because he’s not fast enough,’” Davis said, noting that the “proof is in the pudding” for Smith. As for Newton, Davis said he likes his patience, vision and receiving ability. Brown cited another trait.

“He carries his pads so well … his speed in pads is just like his speed when he’s running for a time (in shorts),” Brown said. “He’s like a dart. He’s got great explosion.”

KEY MATCHUP
Texas left tackle Adam Ulatoski, the other Southlake Carroll graduate in the Longhorns’ offensive lineup, will spend most of Thursday lined up against Texas A&M defensive end/linebacker Von Miller, who leads the nation in sacks (15 1/2).

“He’s quicker than most guys I face,” Ulatoski said. “He’s got a great burst off the ball. I’m going to have to prepare hard for him.”

The bottom line, said Ulatoski, is that he’ll have to “man up and do my job” to keep Miller away from quarterback Colt McCoy. Brown said Ulatoski, a senior, “has become as good a leader as we’ve ever had up front,” especially in recent weeks when he has become more vocal with younger players.

AWARD FINALISTS
In addition to being a finalist for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy also was selected Monday as a finalist for the Maxwell Award, given to the nation’s top player. McCoy, winner of the 2008 Maxwell, was one of three Longhorns selected as finalists for awards that will be presented Dec. 10 during The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show.

Receiver Jordan Shipley (91 catches, 1,204 yards, 9 TDs) became the school’s first-ever finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation’s top receiver. Safety Earl Thomas (7 interceptions) was selected as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back.

INJURY UPDATE
Cornerback Aaron Williams (knee) and receiver John Chiles (ankle), who were injured in the Kansas game, are considered questionable for Thursday’s game against A&M, coach Mack Brown said. Williams injured his knee while blocking on Earl Thomas’ interception return. Chiles was injured when he was tackled after catching a screen pass.

TALENTED AGGIES
Despite A&M’s 6-5 record, Brown said the Aggies’ skill-position players are “probably as good as we’ve played all year.” Asked if that put them in the same class with Oklahoma, which pounded A&M, 65-10, Brown did not back off.

“A&M has moved the ball as good as anyone in our league,” Brown said.

EARLY RISERS 
Texas players practiced at 6 a.m. Monday and will continue to do so throughout game week. Brown said the idea is to maximize post-workout recovery time each day and to let players practice when it is “dark and cool” to mimic Thursday’s 7 p.m. kickoff conditions.

HISTORY LESSON
Texas is 11-0 for the sixth time in 117 football seasons (1963, 1969, 1977, 1983, 2005, 2009). With a victory over A&M, the Longhorns would post consecutive 12-win seasons for the first time in school history.

PLAYER OF WEEK
Texas QB Colt McCoy was selected as the Big 12 offensive player of the week after throwing for 396 yards and four touchdowns in the team’s 51-20 victory over Kansas. It marked the second time for McCoy to be honored by league officials in the Longhorns’ last five games.

During that five-game stretch, McCoy has completed 76.9 percent of his passes (130-of-169) for 1,487 yards (297.4 avg.) and 12 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. He’s led the offense to scores on 64 percent of his drives (30-of-47) during that stretch (23 TDs, 7 FGs).

_ Jimmy Burch

No disrespect, but Leach would rather play Baylor at home

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach paused Monday to pay homage to the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

“It’s fabulous, it’s a nice stadium,'' Leach said. "We’re excited to be there and we’re excited to go play. Heard a lot about it.”

Tech plays Baylor at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Cowboys Stadium. But with all due respect to the massive $1.1 billion structure the Dallas Cowboys call home, Leach would rather play Baylor in Lubbock rather than at any neutral site.

"It’s better than going to Baylor,'' Leach said. "It’s not as good at being at Jones (AT&T) Stadium in Lubbock.''

This year's Tech-Baylor game is considered a home game for Baylor. Next year the two squads will play each other in the Cotton Bowl, and that will be considered a home game for the Red Raiders.

Either way, both teams will have to leave their friendly confines to play both games.

“Yeah, we’d rather play here (in Lubbock),'' Leach said. "With all due respect to the stadium (in Arlington) and all that, if you’re given the choice, you’d rather play here.

"I think it’s kind of a wash, really. You lose a game at your place, but you don’t go to the other fellow’s place, so it’s somewhere in the middle.''

_ Dwain Price

Newton tops UT tailback list

Southlake Carroll product Tre Newton, coming off a career-high in all-purpose yards against Kansas, has again been elevated to the top of the tailback depth chart at Texas.

Newton is expected to start Thursday when the Longhorns close the regular season at Texas A&M. He ran for 66 yards against Kansas and caught three passes for 36 yards.

Earlier this season, Newton had moved into the starting tailback spot before suffering a concussion against Colorado. He's looked more like himself lately, with 80 yards rushing on seven carries against Baylor on Nov. 14.

 Cody Johnson drops down to second on the depth chart, with Fozzy Whittaker and Vondrell McGee sharing the third spot.

-- Chuck Carlton

No sympathy for Baylor from Mike Leach

Don't look for any sympathy from Texas Tech coach Mike Leach concerning the season-ending knee surgery to Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin.

Besides, Leach said nobody sent him any sympathy cards in a season where he had to play three quarterbacks because of injuries _ Taylor Potts, Steven Sheffield and Seth Doege.

“I have no sympathy whatsoever,'' Leach said, referring to Baylor's loss of Griffin. "I’ve played three guys this season.”

Tech left cornerback Jamar Wall acknowledged that losing Griffin was a big loss for Baylor. Last year Griffin made the Freshman All-American squad and he was really flourishing again this season until he tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in the Sept. 26 game against Northwestern State.

Surgery followed for Griffin, and the 4-7 Bears _ they play Tech on Saturday _ have struggled ever since.

"He brought a lot to that team,'' Wall said. "A scrambling quarterback who is extremely fast, a great thrower, and who is learning every game.

"For them to lose that person, I’m sure it set them back some, but they still have that mindset that they are going to win. Without him there is just a different leadership, whether it’s a receiver or someone on their core that will step up and keep them going.''

-- Dwain Price

Mike Leach comes to Mark Mangino's defense

Several reports circulated last week accusing Kansas coach Mark Mangino of crossing the line by allegedly verbally abusing and making inappropiate physical contact with some of his former players.

The reports raised concerns about whether the alleged abuse will ultimately cost Magino his job.

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach thinks someone is way out of line. And he doesn't believe it's Mangino.

"Nobody truly knows what went on in Kansas,'' Leach said during this morning's Big 12 teleconference. "But my suspicion is Mark's in the middle of a witch hunt, which is unjustified.

"Heaven forbids somebody should ask the guys to pay attention and focus in, and for the sake of all his teammates and coaches and everybody else, pay attention. Well, there's different ways to ask a guy to do that, and sometimes after you've asked him a number of times you raise the bar.''

Leach had to "raise the bar'' after spring practice started earlier this year when he forced receiver Edward Britton to sit in a chair at midfield and do his homework, because he had fallen behind in his homework duties. Britton is now in good graces with Leach -- and doing his homework on time.

As for Mangino, he and Leach were both assistants on Bob Stoops' staff at Oklahoma in 1999, so they are close friends. So naturally, Leach would come to the defense of a friend he's known for years.

"The interesting thing to me is all the (reports) went from (Mangino) hit some guy in the face to, well, he didn't even touch anybody, but he did say mean things to them,'' Leach said. "A mean man told some players something he didn't want to hear.

"Well, there's a mean man in Lubbock who tells people stuff they don't want to hear, too, and that's part of it.''

-- Dwain Price

 

Baylor concerned about Tech, not Cowboys Stadium

Baylor coach Art Briles said he hasn't yet talked to his players about possibly being star-struck as the Bears prepare to play Texas Tech on Saturday at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

"It's somethng that we really haven't even talked about and thought about,'' Briles said during this morning's Big 12 teleconference. "We have enough things going on mentally with our approach to the game and our production and improvement and demeanor that we can't be worrying about gazing around at a star-ship looking stadium.''

Saturday's game will be the final one of the season for the 4-7 Bears, who still haven't been bowl eligible since 1994.

-- Dwain Price

OU's Habern has surgery, Reynolds questionable; Robinson back for O-State

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said that Argyle center Ben Habern underwent successful surgery to repair his broken fibula and should be facing a 3-month rehabilitation.

Stoops also said that middle linebacker Ryan Reynolds is 'doubtful' with a strained hamstring and that defensive tackle Adrian Taylor is "probably and likely" this weekend to play against Oklahoma State. Taylor suffered an undisclosed leg injury Saturday at Texas Tech.

Cowboys coach Mike Gundy said that quarterback Zac Robinson, who did not play in the victory against Colorado because of a head injury, would resume practice Monday.--Mike Jones.

Texas to get early morning starts this week

Texas coach Mack Brown has scheduled 6 a.m. workouts this week for the third-ranked Longhorns to try and mimic playing conditions the team will face during Thursday's 7 p.m. game against Texas A&M in College Station.

Because this is the first time the A&M-Texas game has been played on a five-day turnaround during Brown's tenure at the school -- a Thursday game following a Saturday contest -- Brown said he sought input from coaches at other schools and NFL teams with experience in short turnarounds before setting this week's practice schedule. Last year, the A&M-Texas game moved back to Thanksgiving night. But both teams were idle the Saturday preceding the contest.

"We knew we'd be dealing with a tough schedule this week so we spent time talking to people and studying how to handle the week," Brown said Sunday. "The most important thing we learned and told them ... was to get their rest. We need to get our work in and get off of our feet. That's one of the big reasons we'll be practicing at 6 a.m. this week. It will let the guys get on the field when it's dark and cool, like it will be at game time and give them more recovery time."

Texas (11-0, 7-0 in Big 12) clinched a Big 12 South Division title with Saturday's 51-20 victory over Kansas. A&M (6-5, 3-4) became bowl-eligible with Saturday's 38-3 victory over Baylor.

_ Jimmy Burch

Hey Texas Tech, just blame it on Tulsa

If the Texas Tech Red Raiders fail to become bowl eligible this year, they can blame it on Tulsa.

Because they wanted to collect some more money in a deal with Arkansas, Tulsa bought its way out of a two-year contract with Tech. That's all fine and dandy, except the buyout didn't occur until earlier this year and way too late for the Red Raiders to find a suitable replacement.

Oh yeah, the Raiders could have found another Division I team to replace Tulsa on their schedule. But all the good ones only wanted to play Tech once _ with the Raiders going on the road for that game.

Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said: "We could have gotten a road game, but we're not going to do that.''

Tech was slated to play Tulsa this year in Lubbock, so naturally the Raiders wanted to get another home game and the revenue it generates. So they wound up scheduling _ and playing -- Nortjh Dakota.

The only problem with that is North Dakota is a Football Championship Subdivision that don't have the required scholarships. In other words, for Tech, playing and beating North Dakato was akin to playing and beating the school's intramural team.

It didn't count.

The Raiders are 6-4 going into today's game against Oklahoma. Six wins usually makes you bowl eligible.

But because ojne of their six wins is against North Dakota, Tech must win seven games this seaosn in order to become bowl eligible. And Myers is not happy about that.

"This is a result of Tulsa canceling that schedule on us,'' Myers said. "We had to pick up a team on the run, because it was late, because Tulsa backed out of our deal real late.

"North Dakota is one of those teams that we filled in for Tulsa.''

So why did Tulsa abandon Tech so late?

"It's a situation where they had to pay a penalty to end the contract,'' Myers said. "But they got a big payout from Arkansas.

"They bought us out and there was nothing we could do about it.''

Tulsa paid Tech $200,000 to buy its way out of the contract. But to prevent something like that from happening again, Myers said he has made some necessary changes to protect the Raiders.

"We put a big buyout in there now where it's going to cost them a lot of money to get out of a contract,'' Myers said. "We're not putting $200,000 (buyouts) in contracts now. We're putting buyouts at about $500,000.''

_ Dwain Price