UPDATE: The missing Texas A&M football player has been found safe

UPDATE 7:20 a.m. CT: According to Texas A&M spokesperson Jason Cook, Texas A&M freshman receiver Thomas Johnson was found safe over night. No other details have been given.

Aggies defender Damontre' Moore's wrote on his Twitter account, @tmoore94, "They found my lil bro thomas Johnson #ThankGod"

Only a few days after the Texas A&M football experienced one of the biggest highs in more than a decade, its now going through one of the bigger lows.

According to various reports, freshman wide receiver Thomas Johnson has been missing since Monday.

Click here for the official release from Texas A&M.

Johnson is a true freshman from Dallas Skyline. Click here for his bio.

Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin issued this statement: "Authorities are working closely with his family, friends and law enforcement agencies to help locate him ... We pray for his quick and safe return."

Thomas Johnson was last seen at 5 p.m. CT on Monday, Nov. 12.

According to this story by the AP, police believe Johnson returned to the Dallas area to visit family.

Hope they find this guy. Now.

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How Ben Bass made it to the Cowboys is greatness

IRVING, Texas - An NFL agent once told me if you are being paid to play football you are doing pretty well. Ben Bass may never be the second coming of Harvey Martin, but the man is collecting a check to play football. Not many people who ever play football can say that.

This week, the size of Bass's check just increased by a large amount.

Bass was elevated from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad to the active roster after the team lost Kenyon Coleman to a season-ending, torn triceps injury. At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds Bass has the ideal frame to be an NFL player. 

Only the diehard Texas A&M Aggie fan knows Ben Bass, and even the diehards may not remember much about him. He started one time last season as a senior in College Station. He was not drafted and only after a tryout with the Cowboys during the rookie mini-camp did he sign with the team. 

Now he is expected to play against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

A graduate of Plano West, Bass attended A&M from 2007 to 2011 with one small interruption.

In 2009, Bass was kicked out of school because of bad grades. Then coach Mike Sherman told him if he brought his grades up, he could return. Most of the time when that happens the player is never heard from again.

In his year away from Texas A&M, Bass attended Blinn Junior College in nearby Brenham and brought his grades up. Then Sherman told Bass he had to make a pitch to the defensive coaches, who did bring him back.

Now he is an active NFL player. This never happens.

"It was a great example of a guy who came in and just took advantage of an opportunity," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "He was a guy that we liked, but literally from Day 1 that he belonged here in some way, shape or form. He kinda came from nowhere and showed us that he deserves to be on this football team."

 

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Video: Galloway & Big Mac pledge allegiance to Johnny Football & the Aggies

 

Dispelling the University of Texas QB myth

From the Things My Little Brain Can't Comprehend File - The University of Texas continued inability to land the Grade A quarterbacks. Or at least the following ...

Andrew Luck - Stanford 
Robert Griffin III - Baylor
Chase Daniel - Missouri
Graham Harrell - Texas Tech
Andy Dalton - TCU
Kevin Kolb - Houston
Todd Reesing - Kansas (OK, I'm a KU grad so I had to throw this one in here)
Now add to the list Johnny Manziel - Texas A&M

Since Mack Brown arrived in Austin in 1998 to effectively turn the University of Texas into Wal Mart, he has established himself as one of the best recruiters in the country. Mommies and daddies love them some Mack.

There is growing sentiment that he has not landed consistently landed the best players at the most valuable spot. It's simply not entirely true.

Since Mack arrived he has had ...
Major Applewhite
Chris Simms
Chance Mock
Vince Young
Colt McCoy
Garrett Gilbert
David Ash

These guys aren't stiffs.

Much of the perception that UT has whiffed on QB's would be dramatically different had Simms' UT career arced just a bit higher, and Gilbert developed into the player so many thought he would. One Division I head coach told me of Gilbert that after he arrived to college "this was not the same player (he) saw in high school."

Mack has found good quarterbacks, two of which were outstanding (VY, Colt). The problem for Mack is that while he lands the best recruiting classes in the country, QBs from all around him routinely go elsewhere and to win Heisman trophies.

The Horns are 8-2 and sophomore QB David Ash has passed for 2,354 yards with 17 TDs and 5 INTs. Hardly horrible. Much like Colt McCoy, Ash does appear to be at least developing.

It is, however, really hard to look good when you aren't RGIII, Luck or Johnny Football.

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Aggies representin the state of Texas very well in SEC

Regardless of what happens next week in Alabama, in its first season in the SEC Texas A&M proved it can hang. At least. It has done the entire state of Texas proud against the "best conference in football, including the AFC".

The decision to go behind former A&M director of athletics Bill Byrne to fire Mike Sherman to bring in Kevin Sumlin looks like a good move. The Aggies' spread offense with Johhny Manziel running all over town can indeed work against the SEC.

The Aggies are 7-2 and 4-2 in the SEC after a 38-13 whuppin' of Mississippi State on Saturday in Starkville.

Figuring A&M loses next week in Alabama, the Aggies are going to finish out the regular season 9-3 and 5-3. That should put them in third place in the SEC West. They should be in a position to win 10 games for the first time since 1998 when they won 11.

I never thought this transition would go so well. Call it good timing, a softer SEC West than expected, a better roster than expected, the Aggies are doing it.

Cynics are going to say this is a tainted SEC record because Arkansas and Auburn were both. Phooey. A&M destroyed both of the Hogs and Tigers, and defeated a better-than-expected Ole Miss team on the road. Should A&M have defeated LSU and Florida? Considering the way those respective games flowed, at least one of them.

Unless A&M completely collapses in its final three games, the Aggies' first football season in the SEC has to be considered a success.

(This still doesn't mean I like A&M's decision to leave the Big 12 for the SEC.)

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The detail in the AP men's college hoops poll that will surprise you about the state of game in Texas

Even with Perry Jones III gone to an NBA bench, the Baylor men's basketball team is the class of the great state a Texas. 

The preseason AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll is out, and Scott Drew's Baylor Bears are the only ranked team from this entire great state - the Bears are No. 19. The Big 12 features two ranked teams: Baylor and No. 7 Kansas.

The good thing for Texas coach Rick Barnes is that nobody cares enough in Austin to complain.

The state of the game has been in better shape than it is now in Texas. Not only is there but one Top 25 team from Texas, but the rosters of the other top 24 teams are not littered with Texans; it's not as if other teams are raiding Texas of its best players. 

Looking at all 25 rosters of the Top 25 teams viw ESPN.com, below are the players who list Texas as their hometown.

1. Indiana
2. Louisville
3. Kentucky
4. Ohio State
5. Michigan
6. NC State
7. Kansas - Justin Wesley (Fort Worth); Zach Peters (Plano)
8. Duke - Rasheed Sulaimon (Houston)
9. Syracuse
10. Florida
11. North Carolina
12. Arizona
13. UCLA
14. Michigan State
15. Missouri -  Phil Pressey (Dallas)
16. Creighton -  Austin Chatman (The Colony); Nevin Johnson (Houston)
17. Memphis -  Anthony Cole (Arlington); D.J. Stephens (Killeen)
18. UNLV
19. Baylor. 8 players.
20. San Diego State -  Winston Shepard (Houston)
21. Gonzaga
23. Wisconsin
24. Cincinnati. Titus Rubles (Dallas)
25. Florida State 

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The reason Texas football is average - start with the Longhorn Network ... duh?

Hope the ESPN executives are listening, and listening good, because Mack Brown and the fine folks at the University of Texas have had enough of ESPN's unfair requests for original content to air on The Longhorn Network.

Texas would merely prefer to take the $300 million from ESPN/Disney and the network giant politely just leave them alone.

On Monday afternoon, Texas football coach Mack Brown had the brass stuff to tell the AP that his program is "a little overexposed." Mack Brown said that Texas football is overexposed.

Let that sink in - Mack Brown said that Texas football is overexposed. 

Do not think for a moment that several members of the media, and other coaches, are not enjoying this complaint a great deal. The network that Big 12 commissioner/UT AD DeLoss Dodds fought so hard to protect, and played such a huge role in Texas A&M's decision flee to the SEC, not to mention all but cost Dan Beebe his gig, is now an unfortunate headache.

Brown is tiring of the many needs the network requires to fill the 24/7 station, and he has expressed concern that anyone can watch the increased access that could give an advantage to an opposing team.

"It's a true advantage (for opponents)," Brown said. "They can watch our attitude, they can watch our coaches."

Yes, yes ... that's why Oklahoma rolled you out of the Cotton Bowl. And why Baylor went for 50 on you in Austin. It was because the other teams could see your team's attitude, watch Manny Diaz dial up that Longhorn defense, and study the no tackling techniques employed in Austin.

What were Brown and UT expecting when they agreed to a 20-year deal with ESPN for $300 million - all softball all the time? The only way this network was going to be sold to more cable carriers was increased access to a football team that wins a lot. Softball and women's soccer isn't going to cut it.

Mack is as PR and politically savvy as any coach in recent memory and he would be better served to take this money, and to shut it when it comes to this network.

 

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The last time Texas Tech visited Ft. Worth (as conference rivals) 34 teams claimed a share of the SWC title

Most - OK, all - of the players involved in the upcoming TCU/Texas Tech football game are too young to recall the last time the Red Raiders visited Fort Worth as conference rivals. Even the players who were actually alive at the time were smart enough to realize that on Nov. 25, 1994 the Southwest Conference sucked.

Texas Tech needed to defeat TCU that afternoon to win the SWC outright. Instead, TCU won and 34 teams could claim a share of the Southwest Conference title that season.

In front of 43,219 at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Tech and QB Zebbie Lethridge took a 17-16 lead late in the fourth quarter before they blew it. TCU was led by QB Max Knake and RB Andre Davis; the Frogs scored a late TD to secure a 24-17 win.

It was TCU's first share of SWC title since 1959. The win all but ensured TCU would be invited to the Independence Bowl, and for a brief time convinced TCU people that head coach Pat Sullivan's tenure was going to work out.

Tech finished 6-5 and went to the Cotton Bowl.

This is my favorite part: Texas, TCU, Rice, Baylor, Texas Tech all claimed a share of the SWC title.

 

 

 

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This former Aggie remembers when Johnny Manziel was just the scout team guy

IRVING, Texas - Ben Bass figured when Ryan Tannehill left as the Texas A&M quarterback he would be replaced by Jameill Showers for the 2012 season, not the scout team guy named Johnny Something OrOther.

Bass, who is now on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, was a defensive end for the Aggies last season. He scrimmaged against Johnny Manziel and played against him when he ran the scout team offense, and he said he never saw what is going in College Station right now with Johnny Ball.

"Everybody who left thought, we just thought Jameill would come up and that was it," Bass said. 

As for as Johnny Manziel? 

"He was the scout team guy. He would try his best to replicate what the other team's QB would do," Bass said. "The offense we had last year, I guess, isn't as suitable as to what he is doing now. We were a pro-style offense last year. Now it's more run and gun."

In his first six games as the Aggies QB, Manziel has rushed for 676 yards (7.4 yds per carry), 10 TDs; he has thrown for 1,680 yards with 14 TDs and 3 INTs.

At 11 a.m. on Saturday in College Station, we will see just how good Johnny Ball is when the No. 18 Aggies (5-1) host No. 6 LSU. LSU is favored by 3.5 points.

"I knew they could play. I didn't know what the offense was going to look like. I knew they were going to have a good defense," Bass said. "They have two linebackers who are going to be drafted - Sean Porter and DaMontre Moore. No one in the SEC has ever seen an offense like this. It's such a run and gun, screen here, draw there, that it takes a while to get used to."

Like a good Aggie, Bass has his alma mater defeating LSU. He is so confident he said he bet Cowboys guard and former LSU player Nate Livings 100 pushups. 

 

 

 

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TCU, Baylor, etc. wants to keep people in the stands? Follow UTEP's lead

The college game day atmosphere is the "place to be on Saturdays", but in our hyper competitive society with decreasing attention spans people now need a draw to come back to watch the games they paid a ticket to enjoy from the seat rather than the parking lot.

A potential solution? Beer.

On Tuesday afternoon UTEP announced that it will implement the sale of beer at home football games and home basketball games at the venues that are owned and operated by the univeristy. UTEP will begin sales of beer beginning with its home game on Saturday against Tulane.

You have to think one of the primary reasons fans leave the games for the halftime tailgate scene is the chance the drink without having to hide it. We all know fans smuggle in a little container of something to mix in with their Diet Coke (don't want those calories). 

With athletic departments searching for any additional way to increase revenue, selling beer is not a final step but an inevitable one to sell tickets.

“That’s obviously part of the equation here.  We will see.  We will see how ticket sales react to this," said UTEP executive vice president Ricardo Adauto III in a press conference on Tuesday. "And we hope it does.  And hopefully Saturday night will be a nice night, people will want to come out and we’ll see how this works."

Prediction: A lot of schools have embraced selling beer in suites, or in a designated beer garden, but general beer sales to the rest of the stadium in university-owned venues has been mostly verbotten.
It will take a while, but expect that within the next 10 years most college football and men's basketball games will sell beer so fans can enjoy watching their favorite amateur sports team.

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