The last time Arkansas came to Austin was the beginning of the end for the Longhorns. The Razorbacks and quarterback Matt Jones ran all over No. 6 Texas in 2003 and held the Longhorns to just 62 rushing yards en route to a 38-28 victory. After that, Texas abandoned the traditional I-formation in favor of the spread and started playing quarterback Vince Young more.
Breakdown Quarterbacks Arkansas, which has hung its hat on its pass defense, will be the first real test for Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, who has gone against Florida Atlantic (230 passing yards allowed per game), Rice (277.8) and UTEP (277.
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Sam Acho is lucky enough to have one brother on the Texas football team. But with the tight bond the players of Nigerian descent on the team have, it’s like he has three. Acho, his brother Emmanuel, senior running back Chris Ogbonnaya, senior defensive end Brian Orakpo and junior safety Ishie Oduegwu all share a common thread as children of Nigerian immigrants.
Life has not always been easy for Casey Dick. Sure, he had the best running back tandem — Darren McFadden and Felix Jones — to handoff to in the past couple of years. And yes, he did have a tough-nosed Southeastern Conference defense. Don’t forget a talented coach in Houston Nutt.
Casey Dick, QB The 6-foot-2-inch senior quarterback from Allen, Texas, has struggled this season but is still the backbone of the Arkansas offense. Although the Razorbacks’ two wins — both against inferior opponents — weren’t pretty, Dick displayed poise and leadership, directing clutch, fourth-quarter comebacks in each.
1. Oklahoma had a bye after taking over the No. 2 spot in the AP poll. Unfortunately for the Sooners, the week off was not enough time to heal injured defensive tackle DeMarcus Granger, who will be out at least three weeks. Up next for Oklahoma is a matchup with TCU, a team that has emerged at the No.
Tommy Nobis, No. 60 (upper photo) As a sophomore under coach Darrell Royal in 1963, linebacker Tommy Nobis played a pivotal role in the Longhorns’ first-ever football national championship. Averaging nearly 20 tackles per game during his tenure at UT, Nobis is recognized as one of college football’s all-time greatest linebackers, being named to Sports Illustrated’s All-Century Team.
The 82-year history of the SWC filled with classic moments
It started with only three teams and an idea from L. Theo Bellmont. The SWC was formed in 1914 when Texas athletic director L. Theo Bellmont held a conference meeting in Dallas about forming an athletic conference for schools in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas.
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Matchup between old SWC foes a chance to relive tense history
Few things in life stir up pride and camaraderie like a classic duel between two schools that share a heated and true dislike for each other. And this weekend, one of college football’s greatest rivalries of days gone by will be on display as Texas and Arkansas add another chapter to a storied history.
The offense is set. So is the defensive line. But Texas still has to answer one more question. Who’s going to step up in the secondary? Through cupcake season, the Longhorns have not yet been tested by teams with more than one receiving threat — and those threats have put up NFL-prospect numbers against Texas’ secondary.
1. Chase Daniel, Missouri QB No. 4 Missouri celebrated another double-digit win over an unranked opponent, thanks to its star quarterback Chase Daniel. In the Tigers’ quest to win their first-ever national championship, Daniel has put up big numbers in four wins out of four games this season.
This game was supposed to be a lot more interesting. This was supposed to be the Longhorns’ “quality” nonconference game. So much for that. Every year, Texas seems to follow the same formula. Schedule pushovers for the nonconference games, except for one.
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Illinois head coach Ron Zook issued a clear message after his team’s lackluster performance against Louisiana-Lafayette on Sept. 13. “Your best players have to play the best,” Zook said. Quarterback Juice Williams got the memo. “Great players have to play great all the time,” Williams told the Chicago Sun-Times on Monday.
Major Applewhite has been brought to Texas to coach running backs. Yet Colt McCoy is going to make sure that isn’t the only thing Applewhite does. McCoy leans on the former Texas quarterback for advice about everything that comes with playing the position — on and off the field.
Colorado at Florida State Fresh off their huge overtime upset of West Virginia 17-14, the Buffaloes are finally leaving the friendly mountain confines of their home state — the Buffaloes are 3-0 in Colorado this year — and are headed down to Florida to face Florida State at Jacksonville’s Municipal Stadium Saturday.
No. 2 Oklahoma at No. 24 TCU The last time these teams met up in Norman, things didn’t turn out how the Sooners expected. The Horned Frogs dealt then-No. 7 Oklahoma a shocking 17-10 loss in the 2005 season opener that derailed the Sooners’ national title hopes.
