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Swagger: Win shows how far this team has come From page 12 defense and special teams. “Our defense is continuing to score, and we didn’t score on special teams tonight, but we usually do,” said Texas coach Mack Brown. “Scoring in all three phases is something that gives you a chance to be really, really good, and we’ve just got to keep that hammer down and keep pressing in those areas.” Some new wrinkles on offense help the team, with Malcolm Williams emerging as a deep threat down the field. The offense also has the luxury of speed threats Marquise Goodwin and D.J. Monroe, something it hasn’t had before. In the last two games, Tex-
as has scored 82 points. “It took a while for everything to come together, but it’s clicking now,” McCoy said. The secondary, a weakness for the team last year, has turned into what could be its biggest strength. If you throw on this secondary, chances are pretty good that they will not only pick it off, but also return it for a touchdown. Earl Thomas has six interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. When Aaron Williams left the game with a knee injury on Saturday, Chykie Brown and Curtis Brown both stepped up at corner, each recording interceptions. “We just try to put it in the end zone as much as possible and create turnovers,” Thomas said.
“Our goal is three a game, and it’s just falling our way.” Something is different about this team now compared to the beginning of the season. Senior Sergio Kindle had the team wear dog tags this week for motivation to play with a swagger. Right now, the team is playing with the swagger of a champion. A year ago, the team was at its lowest point following a loss to Texas Tech. Now, the Horns are at the other end of the spectrum, and it seems like nothing or no one is getting in the way. “We have a chance to be really good here at the end,” Brown said. “We want to be the best team in the country.”
Monday, November 2, 2009
football: McCoy threw season-low passes From page 12 forcing four interceptions and five total turnovers from an explosive Cowboys offense. Coming into the game, OSU quarterback Zac Robinson had thrown only three interceptions all year but finished 15-of-28 with only 143 yards and four picks Saturday. Texas kept the running game in check, too. Oklahoma State got 134 yards rushing, but needed 43 carries, only a 3.1 per-carry average. “Tonight was about execut-
ing against a good offense,” said Texas safety Blake Gideon, who also had an interception. “If nothing else, we were going to stop the run.” The Longhorns’ defensive dominance left both offenses frustrated. Thanks to two defensive scores, a muffed punt and a slew of short fields after turnovers, Texas ran only 56 offensive plays all night. McCoy had a season-low 21 passing attempts, completing 16 for 171 yards and a touchdown. For the
first game all season, he didn’t throw an interception. “It’s hard to play great offense when you don’t have the ball because you’re scoring on offense all the time,” Brown said. “Colt got mad at the defense once, ‘Don’t score, fall down, give us the ball every now and then.’ That was fun for them.” It was a lot more fun than even the Longhorns expected. “We were prepared for a fight today,” McCoy said. “And it was. We just played really well as a team.”
Swimmers dominate at meets
Secondary: Defensive backs close book on last year From page 12 performance to replace his missed tackle on Crabtree’s touchdown as the defining moment of his career. His second-quarter pick went 77 yards for the score to give Texas a 17-0 lead and was the first of his career. It also fulfilled Thomas’ pregame prediction that Brown would have an interception for a score. And Thomas knows a thing or two about pick-sixes. “We were talking about it in the hotel this morning,” Curtis Brown said. “When I saw [the ball], I said, ‘I gotta go.’” Along with Brown, Thomas took a lot of blame for the Crabtree catch after he pulled off his
coverage when he was supposed to provide support over the top. Saturday, he continued to make his case that he’s one of the top defensive backs in the nation. The sophomore’s 31-yard interception was his sixth of the year and second for a touchdown this season. He has as many picks as the Longhorns had as a team in all of 2008. “We try to put it in the end zone as much as possible,” Thomas said. Thomas shifted over to nickel back after starter Aaron Williams left the game with a knee injury on OSU’s first drive after, coincidentally, colliding with Thomas. Of all the miscues from the Tech loss, none was bigger than
Gideon’s. Dropping an easy interception that would have likely sealed the game for Texas brought much criticism for the then-freshman. Against Oklahoma State, Gideon proved that he’s shaken off his case of the butterfingers with his fourth interception of the year. The players were quick to point out that the reason they’ve been able to improve has been their ability to put last year behind them a long time ago. “We put that to rest before the season,” Gideon said. “If we would have let last year carry into this season, I think it would have been a long year for us.” What a difference a year makes.
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This weekend, the men’s swimming and diving team claimed its second win of the season when it topped Indiana 179-149. Friday, the Longhorns took 13 of 17 events and clinched the dual-meet victory with a commanding lead of 170-140. Texas opened the meet with a victory in the 200yard medley relay, which junior Scott Spann and seniors Hill Taylor, Ricky Berens and Ben Van Roekel finished in 1:29.97. The team continued to dominate as Texas swept the 100-yard breast-
stroke, capturing the top four spots. Texas’ Drew Livingston edged teammate junior Matt Cooper for first in the 3-meter diving event with 402.60 points; Cooper finished with 402.15 points. Saturday, the Longhorns finished off the team win in impressive fashion. Cooper won the platform diving event, adding nine points to the final score. He beat out the competition by more than 100 points. The men’s season will resume Dec. 3 when UT hosts the opening session of the Texas Invitational.
Intramural 5-on-5 Basketball Tournament
Meanwhile, the women’s team took on Indiana and Michigan in a dual meet this weekend and defeated both the Hoosiers, 222-162, and the Wolverines, 235-149. Saturday’s highlights include a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay, with Texas’ Bethany Adams, Brie Powers, Kathleen Hersey and Katie Riefenstahl finishing in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 3:22.96. The women return to action when they host Texas A&M on Nov. 6. — Tara Dreyer
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Anne-Marie Huff | Daily Texan Staff
Ricky Berens competes at the Texas Swimming Center over the weekend. Berens and his teammates defeated Indiana 179-149, while the women’s teams topped Michigan, 235-149, and Indiana, 222-162.
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