Thursday, April 06, 2006

Big 12 Spring Football Review:Texas


Nobody knows the Texas Longhorns like the guys over at Burnt Orange Nation, the most popular and most detailed Texas Blog in cyberspace. So naturally I turned to them in finding help reviewing the Longhorns spring workouts. Who says Longhorns and Sooners can’t work together?

Thanks to BON for taking the time to answer my questions.

What’s the story on the quarterback? Who is going to replace Vince Young?

The big story is Jevan Snead versus Colt McCoy. It'll be the most over-talked about, over-analyzed quarterback battle in a long time. Okay, Simms-Applewhite wasn't too long ago. Regardless, neither kid has ever taken a single snap of collegiate football, so who emerges the winner will be interesting. There will be some other interesting positional battles, but this is the Big One. It's too early to tell who is better, let alone who will emerge as the starter, but we'll be watching closely.

What is the biggest question that Texas needs to answer this spring?

Besides the obvious question of quarterback, the next biggest story is probably in the secondary. The Horns lost Michael Huff and Cedric Griffin to the NFL, so there will be some questions. Still, Texas is deep all across the board on defense, so we're not too worried.

Who is an unknown player that will emerge as a star this spring?

Jermichael Finley. The beast of a tight end is fast, has great hands, runs good routs, and blocks like a lineman. By season's end he'll be a household name in the Big 12.

Who will take ownership and become the “heart of the team” as the team leader this season?

Well, whoever emerges from the quarterback scram will obviously have to do some leading, but really, the heart of this team is going to be the defense. Both the defensive line and the linebacking unit are just loaded with talent and will set the tempo for Longhorn games all fall. Look for Robert Killebrew to emerge as one of the most ferocious defenders in the Big 12 this year. Offensively, it's all about Jamaal. The sophomore running back may not be a leader in the traditional sense, but he's certainly going to be the star of the show.

2006 Texas Football Schedule

Date Opponent Location
Sept. 2 North Texas Austin, TX

Sept. 9 Ohio State Austin, TX

Sept. 16 Rice Houston, TX

Sept. 23 Iowa State Austin, TX

Sept. 30 Sam Houston State Austin, TX

Oct. 7 Oklahoma Dallas, TX

Oct. 14 Baylor Austin, TX

Oct. 21 Nebraska Lincoln, NE

Oct. 28 Texas Tech Lubbock, TX

Nov. 4 Oklahoma State Austin, TX

Nov. 11 Kansas State Manhattan, KS

Nov. 24 Texas A&M Austin, TX