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CB
Nathan Vasher |
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2002
Statistics
|
Coach:
Mack Brown
49-15,
5 years |
2002
Record: 11-2
|
|
NORTH
TEXAS |
WON
27-0 |
at
North Carolina |
WON
52-21 |
HOUSTON |
WON
41-11 |
at
Tulane |
WON
49-0 |
OKLAHOMA
STATE |
WON
17-15 |
vs.
Oklahoma |
LOST
24-35 |
at
Kansas State |
WON
17-14 |
IOWA
STATE |
WON
21-10 |
at
Nebraska |
WON
27-24 |
BAYLOR |
WON
41-0 |
at
Texas Tech |
LOST
38-42 |
TEXAS
A&M |
WON
50-20 |
COTTON
BOWL
|
Louisiana
State |
WON
35-20 |
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2002 Final Rankings
AP-6, Coaches-7, BCS-10
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2003
Outlook
|
Yes,
Mack Brown does not win the huge game. Hasn't
so far, anyway. But give him credit for
putting Texas back on the college football
map. The Longhorns have hooked consecutive
Top-10 finishes after not placing there
for 18 seasons. Pundits consistently have
pegged Texas for a breakout season, to finally
get over the national title hump, during
Brown's five-year tenure. Again, hasn't
happened. Yet.
With
possibly the most talented roster, top to
bottom, in the country, it's conceivable
Texas could challenge Oklahoma and Kansas
State for the Big 12 championship. And beyond
that? Well, let's just say sugar cubes are
a legitimate possibility.
On
offense, Chris Simms will be playing on
Sundays, which opens up Saturday duties
for Chance Mock or Vince Young. Both will
alter the complexion of the Texas offense.
Fans will see a slew of new packages, including
some shotgun formations and option plays.
Chance has the real game experience, while
Young has the size (6'5") and skills
coaches love to develop. Rotations have
been known in Longhorn country. Either will
bring the sack total down (37).
As
senior Roy Williams draws double- and sometimes
triple-teams, it will open up the field
for fellow receivers as well as junior runner
Cedric Benson. Texas will score points.
But
they'll give up some, too. Standouts Cory
Redding, Rod Babers and Lee Jackson are
all gone from a unit that surrendered only
16.3 points per game. The returnees, though
talented, will have a hard time keeping
teams to that figure. The Longhorns still
will be tough to throw against, with three
of their top four defensive backs returning
from the nation's No. 8 pass defense coming
back. When Texas' talented corners lock
up outside receivers - a frequent possibility
- runners and throws will be funneled toward
the middle of the field, where a bunch of
opportunistic athletes are licking their
chops. Turnovers should be a huge factor
again this season.
The
coaching staff loves junior Derrick Johnson's
athleticism and play-making ability at linebacker,
but want to see an increased work ethic
and more effort on every play. IF that happens,
watch out, Big XII.
The
season starts slow with non-conference games,
the toughest against Arkansas. Kansas State
and Oklahoma make for a tough beginning
to October, with November no easier. Look
for the learning curve to catch up to whichever
QB by these months for mixed results. Texas
would bode well with a few tougher opponents
in those first few weeks, which would give
the "team" more character and
identity as they work through challenges.
With the schedule stacked as is, Texas will
do well early, only to disappoint later.
Third place in the Big XII South could mean
Top 20 at year's end. Good conference, huh.
Projected
2003 record: 10-2
|
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OFFENSIVE
MVP
QB Chance Mock
|
DEFENSIVE
MVP
DT Rodrique Wright
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TOP
NEWCOMER
TE David Thomas
|
|
|
|
TEXAS
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 3.5 |
DL
- 5 |
RB
- 4.5 |
LB
- 4 |
WR
- 5 |
DB
- 4.5 |
OL
- 4 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
Chance Mock, 8-5-0, 44 yds., 0 TD's
Rushing: Cedric Benson, 305 att.,
1293 yds., 12 TD's
Receiving: Roy Williams, 64 rec.,
1142 yds., 12 TD's
Scoring: Dusty Mangum, 16-26 FG,
54-54 PAT, 102 pts.
Punting: Justin Smith, 2 punts, 38.5
avg.
Kicking: Dusty Mangum, 16-26 FG,
54-54 PAT, 102 pts.
Tackles: Reed Boyd, 123 tot., 58
solo
Sacks: Rodrique Wright, 4.5 sacks;
Bryan Pickryl, 4.5 sacks
Interceptions: Dakarai Pearson, 6
for 88 yds.
Kickoff returns: Selvin Young, 12
ret., 23.8 avg.
Punt returns: Nathan Vasher, 26 ret.,
14.2 avg.
|
|
|
RB
Cedric Benson |
|
|
|
TEXAS |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 8
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 8
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Chris Simms-QB, Matt Trissel-FB, Robbie Doane-OT,
Derrick Dockery-OG, Beau Baker-OG |
DEFENSE:
Cory
Redding-DE, Miquel McKay-DT, Lee Jackson-SLB,
Rod Babers-CB, O.J. McClintock-DE, Brian Bradford-P |
|
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2003
OFFENSE
|
written
by Ryan Hockensmith
Veteran
starter Chris Simms is gone, but so is some of
the baggage that comes with never beating Oklahoma.
That forces the Texas coaching staff to alter
a complicated offense to more fit the skills of
their returnees. Quarterbacks Chance Mock and
Vince Young, 1 and 1a on the depth chart, are
mobile gunners and the Longhorns staff will accommodate
those skills, which differ greatly from what Brown's
had in more prototypical pocket passers Simms
and Major Applewhite. Brown and staff already
are salivating at the slew of available offensive
choices. They'll implement the shotgun for the
first time, with more quarterback draws, sneaks
and bootlegs. Expect to see some option, too,
and less tough pro-style quick-out patterns that
Simms had no trouble zipping into receivers' hands.
But both have the arm and surrounding cast to
light up scoreboards by throwing 25-yard (or more)
ropes down the field.
Mock
threw merely eight passes, but he's had two full
years to watch and learn from veterans Simms and
Applewhite. He has the size (6'2", 215 pounds)
to get through linebackers and the speed to avoid
the rush for first downs with his feet. Most importantly,
he knows the sophisticated Texas passing offense,
and there's a comfort level with somebody who
took a sizeable number of practice snaps a year
ago. Mock will be the favorite to begin August
as the starter. SPRING UPDATE: Chance Mock
has officially been named the starter going into
the fall after an eye-popping spring game (8-9,
200 yards, 2 TDs).
But
don't count out Young, the nation's top recruit
at any position in 2001. The freshman red-shirt
has the athletic ability and cannon arm to break
into the lineup. At 6'5", 220 pounds, coaches
and teammates were stunned at how fast and elusive
he is. Better yet, they love his pocket instincts
- he instinctually knows when to scramble and
find an open receiver, and when he should pull
it down and take off. Young is too good to hold
a clipboard all season, and Horns fans won't hesitate
to call for the beloved back-up should Mock falter
at all. We will update any changes or preseason
progress.
They'll
have an amazing array of talent in which to throw.
Without much question, Texas brings (back) the
best bunch of wide receivers, period. Roy Williams,
a 6'4", 210-pound package of athletic ability
that should be banned in some states, might be
the most explosive college football player in
the country. He draws constant attention, sometimes
as much as three defenders at a time, and even
that doesn't matter. In last year's Cotton Bowl,
LSU geared its defense to stop him with a safety
and corner
on every play! With Williams'
distraction, Texas will have running lanes. Factor
in sizeable (and dangerous) B.J. Johnson and Sloan
Thomas, and those lanes will look like an empty
Autobahn for Benson.
Benson
ran for 1,293 yard but physically wore down by
the end of the season. Brown and his top rusher
have butted heads for the past year about Benson's
desire to pursue a minor-league baseball career
with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which he says he'll
again do this summer. Brown felt Benson entered
summer practice a little tired last season, and
he has a point. Both coach and player admit Benson
battled through a variety of injuries, something
a few months of baseball definitely would foster.
Texas finished with its worst per-yard rushing
average (3.5 per carry) in 14 years, grinding
out a few at a time when it could have been more
in chunks with a healthier Benson. SPRING UPDATE:
Soph FB Eric Hall is slated to start at FB in
the fall, but will most likely be backing up Ivan
Williams (who sat out the spring with an injury)...
coaches REALLY liked his (Hall's) performances
in the spring.
He'll run behind a line that loses three of its
top six, including All-American Derrick Dockery.
But 6'7", 297-pound DE-devouring Jonathan
Scott, only a sophomore, returns as this version's
cornerstone. Scott is so good Texas will shift
him from right tackle to the left side because
Mock and Young are right-handed. Pancakes anyone?
The coaching staff doesn't plan on schematic changes
in the run game. Instead, the Horns will stick
with their favored style of gap- and zone-blocking
rather than straight-ahead plow-blocking. With
the receivers demanding extra attention on the
flanks and possibly a spy concentrating on the
quarterback, the line might not have to simply
run over defensive fronts - Benson should have
seams before the ball is even snapped. Look on
the big gainers for these WR's quality blocks
downfield.
|
|
WR
Roy Williams
|
TEXAS
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
OFFENSE
|
QB |
Chance
Mock-Jr (6-2, 215) |
Vince
Young-Fr (6-5, 220) |
FB |
Ivan
Williams-Sr (6-1, 240) |
Eric
Hall-So (6-3, 250) |
TB |
Cedric
Benson-Jr (6-0, 205) |
Selvin
Young-So (6-0, 195) |
WR |
Roy
Williams-Sr (6-4, 210) |
Sloan
Thomas-Sr (6-2, 200) |
WR |
B.J.
Johnson-Sr (6-1, 200) |
Tony
Jeffery-Jr (6-2, 175) |
TE |
Brock
Edwards-Sr (6-5, 250) |
David
Thomas-So (6-3, 220) / Bo Scaife-Sr |
OT |
Jonathan
Scott-So (6-7, 297) |
Terrance
Young-Jr (6-6, 350) |
OG |
Tillman
Holloway-Sr (6-3, 315) |
Stevie
Lee-Jr (6-4, 310) |
C |
Jason
Glynn-Jr (6-2, 275) |
Will
Allen-So (6-6, 297) |
OG |
Mike
Garcia-So (6-3, 315) |
Trey
Bates-Jr (6-5, 300) |
OT |
Justin
Blalock-Fr (6-4, 340) |
William
Winston-So (6-7, 350) |
K |
Dusty
Mangum-Jr (5-11, 170) |
David
Pino-Jr (5-8, 175) |
|
|
2003
DEFENSE
|
written
by Ryan Hockensmith
Brown
has been hording shelve-loads of defensive talent
for five years, and more than capable replacements
are just waiting for the opportunity.
Losing Redding hurts the front four's ability
to penetrate, but the Horns still won't be easy
to handle. If DE Kalen Thornton stays healthy,
he should be an all-Big 12 threat and a constant
backfield bother. Up the middle, watch out for
tackles Marcus Tubbs and Rod Wright. That's 625
hard-to-handle pounds pushing up the gut of the
offensive line, opening up hunks of area for a
standout linebacker crew to roam. However, the
coaching staff wants to see a few candidates emerge
from a pack of youngsters to provide depth, a
necessity for getting 60 fresh minutes with some
of the mauling OLs Texas will see. SPRING UPDATE:
Former LB Soph Mike Williams has made a very smooth
transition to DE and should be a force in the
pass rush this season.
Junior Derrick Johnson looks like a superstar-in-the-making.
He has enough burst to follow the big boys into
the backfield. But Johnson also is superb at dropping
his 6'4", 220-pound frame into coverage and
gluefully disrupting passes. He batted down ten
and picked off four more - he gives the defense
a wild card that must be accounted for on every
snap. And the coaching staff says if he improves
his habits and effort he could be light-years
better. Quarterbacks, look out.
Johnson's explosiveness and ability to freelance
are balanced out by MLB Reed Boyd, the defense's
cork. With the front four funneling runners toward
him, Boyd took down 123 in 2002. He is capable
of plugging up the middle running lanes, which
will allow his teammates to rove.
The real starting point on defense, though, is
stopping the pass. Brown has churned out defensive
backs (Babers, Jammer), and this group looks like
another keeper. Corners Nathan Vasher and Michael
Huff are good enough in man-to-man coverage to
allow a safety or linebacker to blitz, or to push
an extra random man (or two) up to the line of
scrimmage to halt running attacks.
With outside receivers locked up, opposing quarterbacks
will have to look toward the middle of the field.
That's where Texas really rakes in the TOs. Safety
Dakarai Pearson stole six INTs, and linebacker
Johnson dropped into coverage and pulled down
four. That flexibility allows Texas to shut down
receivers as well underneath as they do deep,
or outside. They will send extra men after the
quarterback and scare off throws into the heart
of the defense. That leaves scant cracks in which
to fit passes, and Texas ought to be a Top-10
passing defense again (the Horns were No. 8 in
the country in 2002).
|
|
LB
Derrick Johnson
|
TEXAS
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
DEFENSE
|
DE |
Kalen
Thornton-Sr (6-3, 270) |
Chase
Pittman-Fr (6-5, 265) / Kaelen Jakes-So |
DT |
Rodrique
Wright-So (6-5, 320) |
Marco
Martin-Fr (6-4, 310) / Adam Doiron-Sr |
DT |
Marcus
Tubbs-Sr (6-4, 305) |
Larry
Dibbles-So (6-4, 280) |
DE |
Austin
Sendlein-Jr (6-3, 265) |
Bryan
Pickryl-So (6-5, 210) |
SLB |
Reed
Boyd-Sr (6-3, 235) |
Brian
Robison-Fr (6-3, 240) |
MLB |
Garnet
Smith-So (6-3, 220) |
Aaron
Harris-So (6-0, 230) |
WLB |
Derrick
Johnson-Jr (6-4, 220) |
Marcus
Myers-Fr (6-3, 220) |
CB |
Cedric
Griffin-So (6-2, 190) |
Edorian
McCullough-So (5-11, 175) |
CB |
Nathan
Vasher-Sr (5-11, 180) |
Tarell
Brown-Fr (6-0, 180) |
SS |
Michael
Huff-So (6-1, 190) |
Matt
Melton-Fr (6-0, 195) |
FS |
Dakarai
Pearson-Sr (5-10, 185) |
Phillip
Geiggar-Jr (5-11, 205) |
P |
Taylor
Landin-So (6-2, 200) |
Justin
Smith-Jr (6-5, 198) |
|
|
|
2003
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
Kicker
Dusty Mangum is a lock inside of 30 yards, hitting on
eight-of-nine FGAs and all 54 extra-point tries. But
he needs to muscle up his right leg after shanking nine-of-17
from beyond 30. Remember, to line up a 29-yard field
goal, an offense must drive to the 12-yard-line. Mangum's
inability to convert outside that area surely doesn't
evoke much confidence in a 45-yarder to win a road game.
Expect to see junior Richmond McGee, who handled all
KO duties, take a crack at some of the longer tries.
Punter Justin Smith assumes fourth-down duties. Smith
punted only twice last season, so asking him to consistently
drop kicks inside the 20-yard-line might be a little
much.
On returns, Texas will be good again. Vasher is consistently
explosive. He averaged 14.2 yards per return, which
greatly trims what the offense has to do. A nice luxury
to have. Back-up running back Selvin Young carted 12
of Texas' measly 20 kickoff returns a year ago and was
simply OK.
Any of these special teams' chores could cost them dearly
if not kept tight against the likes of Oklahoma and
A&M.
|
|
Thanks to a rigorous off-season workout
schedule, RB Cedric Benson is stronger,
quicker and more explosive than ever. He
says he is ready for a dynamite year and
expects nothing less from himself. Neither
do we
Chance Mock's play this spring
firmly etched him into the starter's role
at QB. He was precise with his throws, wise
with his decisions, and most important,
he assumed his role as a leader for this
team. Mock won't have the media weight that
Simms did and that can translate into more
focus on delivering team goals. We see this
young man stepping up and producing, much
like Tee Martin did in 1998 after the graduation
of Peyton Manning
Coaches were thoroughly
amused at the work Eric Hall did this spring
at FB. He excels at lead blocking and is
a load when he carries the ball. He will
back up Ivan Williams in the fall.
Former LB Mike Williams has been moved to
DE to help with the pass rush for Texas
this fall. The Horns will bring one of the
deepest D-lines in all of college football
this season, which will certainly help them
maintain their reputation as a demolition
defense
Defensive coordinator Carl
Reese has Garnet Smith and Reed Boyd each
spending time at both the "Mike"
and "Sam" backer positions. Our
depth chart reflects where each will start
come August, but knowing both positions
only enhances their defensive smarts
Sticking with Mack Brown's tendency to play
hot freshman early, we like the chances
of true freshman Tarell Brown between the
hash marks this season. He is outlandishly
quick and will give the Horns yet another
cover corner to help shut down opposing
passing attacks
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