Web137202 horns oct 2013 by capspec

TX-OU WEEKEND: BEST OF DALLAS

LONGHORN SOCIAL BUZZ

MACK BROWN VS. DKR

SOCCER SENSATION LINDSEY MEYER

COVERING UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SPORTS

TAILGATE TIPS & TRICKS

OCTOBER 2013 WWW.HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM

BIG XII JORDAN HICKS AND THE LONGHORNS ZONE IN ON CONFERENCE PLAY

TE X NO AS B . 2 EAT NO PEN S .3 N STA ST. NF & OR D

$4.95 USA

(V. 20, NO. 7) DISPLAY THRU NOV 2013

EYES ON THE

OCTOBER 2013

Jordan Hicks has a point to prove this season.

CONTENTS FEATURES

FOOTBALL

Redemption Jordan Hicks will never forget the 2012 season. A hip injury forced him to miss 10 games, while one bad judgement call suspended him from attending the Alamo Bowl. With the coaches’ decision, Hicks encountered one of the toughest points of his college career — he was unable to support his team during the most important game of the year. Returning for his fourth season, the linebacker is ready to redeem himself and earn back the trust of both his teammates, as well as the Texas fans.

27 FOOTBALL Five Questions: Ole Miss The Longhorns showed signs of improvement — and gave fans hope — during the first half of the game against Ole Miss. With the third largest crowd in stadium history observing every move, the Texas football team found its winning stride against the 25th-ranked Rebels going into halftime. But Ole Miss came out swinging in the second half and Texas never regained its footing. Associate Editor Steve Habel analyzes the game and gives his insights into what went wrong — and what went right — in the third game of the season.

DEPARTMENTS FI RS T LO O K

M A RK YO U R C A LE N D A R

RO U N D U P

M E D I A VO I C E S

T HE HA B E O N T HE HO RN S — Steve Habel

IN SEASON

HE A LT H & W E LLN E S S

FI N A L S C O RE

COVER PHOTO: JORDAN HICKS. PHOTO BY DON BENDER

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OCTOBER 2013

DON BENDER

COVERING UT SPORTS SINCE 1994 AUSTIN CORPORATE OFFICE: 512-626-8513 SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1-855-246-7677 E-MAIL: INFO@HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM

WEBSITE: WWW.HORNSILLUSTRATED.COM FACEBOOK: facebook.com/hornsillustrated TWITTER: @Hornsillus ADVISORY BOARD RICK G ROSS — TEX AN ME DIA TOM BUCK LEY — UT F ACULTY STEW ART RAMSER — RAMSE R M E DIA PUBLISHER J AMES SCHLEICHER ART & DESIGN DIRECTOR MARTHA GAZELLA-TAYLOR (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’91) MANAGING EDITOR CARISSA STITH (UT-AUSTIN , BA ’10) ASSOCIATE EDITOR STEV E HABEL CONTRIBUTORS TREY SCOTT STEPHEN WH ITAKE R CARLO BLIG H STEV E LANSDALE ADAM SW EENEY SARA BE TH PURDY ANDY G ONZ ALEZ BRIAN K ENDALL PHOTOGRAPHERS DON BENDER J ESSE D ROH E N COPY EDITORS ADAM SW EENEY HABEAB KURDI DACIA RIV ERS RY AN BRIDGE S ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR

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K ATIE G ROSS INF O@HORNSILLUSTRATE D.COM REGIONAL DIRECTORS S OUTH C ENTRAL TE X AS SAN ANTONIO: J OHNNY WALKE R (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’ 98) NORTH CENTRAL TE X AS DALLAS: CARLTON DIXON (UT-AUSTIN, BA ’ 98) S OUTH EAS T TE XAS HOUSTON: BRANDON ASSUNCAO ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: ALLY SO N WATSON MAILING ADDRESS P. O. BOX 50069 AUSTIN, TX 78763 COPYRIGHT© 2013 BY TEXAN MEDIA, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR PART IS PROHIBITED.

HORNS ILLUSTRATED IS NOT AN OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.

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OCTOBER 2013

FIRST

LOOK

Daje Johnson (left) and Johnathan Gray (right) literally flipped New Mexico State on its head during the first game of the season.

OCTOBER 2013

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MARK YOUR

CALENDAR

OCTOBER 2013

WHAT’S GOING ON IN LONGHORN SPORTS

W. SOCC E R

UT vs. Oklahoma 1 p.m. W. ROW IN G

Head of the Charles Boston, Mass. All Day

20–22 M. GOLF

Isleworth Collegiate Invitational Windermere, Fla. All Day

The Longhorns plan to take down OU on Oct. 12. OCTOBER

9/28–10/6 W. TE N N I S

ITA All-American Championships Los Angeles, Calif. All Day

1–6

M. TENNIS

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT : PATRIC K MER ED ITH/UN IV. OF TEXAS, MATT HEM PEL/UN IV . OF TEXAS, JESSE DROHEN

ITA All-American Championships Tulsa, Okla. All day

VOLLEYBALL

UT at Baylor Waco 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

UT at Kansas Lawrence, Kan. 1 p.m.

UT vs. North Carolina 4 p.m.

W. SOCC E R

7–8

Jerry Pate Intercollegiate Birmingham, Ill. All Day

UT at Oklahoma State Stillwater, Okla. 7 p.m.

UT vs. Texas Tech 6 p.m.

UT vs. Iowa State 4 p.m.

M. GOLF

VOLLEYBALL

SOFTBALL

UT vs. St. Edwards 7 p.m.

FOOTBALL

UT at Iowa State Ames, Iowa 6:30 p.m.

W. SOCC E R

UT at West Virginia Morgantown, W.Va. 6 p.m. SOFTBALL

UT vs. Temple Junior College 7 p.m.

M. SWIMMING & DIVING

W. SOCC E R

UT vs. Baylor 7 p.m.

W. SOCC E R

VOLLEYBALL

M/ W CROSS COUNTRY

Wisconsin Adidas Invitational Madison, Wisc. 11 a.m.

19–22

M. TENNIS

USTA/ ITA Texas Regional Championships Waco All Day

UT at West Virginia Morgantown, W.Va. 5:30 p.m.

SOFTBALL

UT vs. Texas State 7 p.m.

W. SOCC E R

UT at Stephen F. Austin Nacogdoches 7 p.m.

25–26

M SWIMMING & DIVING

UT vs. Indiana, Michigan Bloomington, Ind. 10/25 – 2 p.m. 10/25 – 9 a.m.

25–27

W. ROW IN G

Head of the Oklahoma Oklahoma City, Okla. All Day

FOOTBALL

UT at TCU Fort Worth TBA SOFTBALL

M. TENNIS

UT at Texas Women’s University Denton TBA

UT Invitational All Day

The Texas volleyball team plans to dominate Big 12 play.

FOOTBALL

VOLLEYBALL

UT at Kansas State Manhattan, Kansas TBA

UT vs. Oklahoma Dallas TBA

VOLLEYBALL

UT vs. TCU 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

UT at Kansas Lawrence, Kan. 6:30 p.m.

W BASKETBALL

VOLLEYBALL

UT at LSU Baton Rouge, La. TBA

Ryan Dohner and Craig Lutz lead the men’s cross country team this season.

UT vs. Midwestern State (E) TBA

13–15 W. GOLF

Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational All Day

INFORMATION SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

17–21

CHECK WWW.TEXASSPORTS. COM FOR UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION

W. TE N N I S

ITA Regional Championship Fort Worth All Day

OCTOBER 2013

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

ROUNDUP

JES SE DROH EN

VOLLEYBALL’S VICTORY // MACK VS. DKR // TAILGATING TIPS

SUPREME COURT: The Texas volleyball team overcame a 2-1 hole and defeated the No. 1-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions in five sets (25-27, 25-17, 13-25, 25-21, 15-10) in front of a sellout crowd of 4,373 at Gregory Gym on Sept. 7. The Longhorns were led by junior outside hitter Haley Eckerman, who had a team-high 15 kills on 39 attempts. Chloe Collins and Amy Neal both finished with double-doubles, with Collins posting 22 assists and 16 digs, and Neal finishing with 10 kills and 20 digs. This match was the first of the Nike Big Four Classic, which pits four of the top-rated volleyball programs against one another. In addition to Penn State, Florida and Stanford were a part of the tournament, with Texas facing Stanford on the second day. The team weathered a late rally by Stanford to take the fourth game and match (29-27, 18-25, 25-16, 27-25), and complete a weekend sweep of the top two ranked teams. “It was a great weekend for us in front of a great home crowd,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “To play two of the top teams in the country and having to deal with the emotional status of playing one night and playing well the other night, that’s a challenge. I’m proud of how our team responded.”

OCTOBER 2013

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OCTOBER 2013

ROUNDUP

FOOTBALL

Brown vs. DKR

IFTEEN YEARS HAVE passed since Mack Brown took the reins in Austin, making him the second-longest tenured coach in Longhorn football history. Since college football coaches age in dog years, 15 years is a lifetime. The average coach’s tenure in college football is a mere four years, which makes Brown’s lengthy time at Texas more of the exception than the rule. When reviewing the list of Longhorn football coaches, two immediately separate themselves from the pack — Brown and Darrell K Royal. Though Royal’s legacy is cemented in Longhorn football lore while Brown puts up with questioning fans, the comparisons between the two are shockingly similar. Brown and Royal came to Texas under similar circumstances. The program was in disarray, coming off losing seasons, and both quickly turned it around. In Royal’s first year as coach, he took a team with a 1-9 record the previous season to a record of 6-4-1, a five-win increase. Likewise, Brown took a team with a 4-7 record the previous season to a record of 9-3, a five-win increase. Both coaches took eight seasons to claim their first national championship. The symmetry is uncanny. Here’s a chart of Brown’s and Royal’s career statistics at Texas:

SEASONS GM’S WINS WIN BOWL BOWL BOWL NAT’L % GM’S WINS WIN% CHAMPS

GETTING UP TO SPEED TEXAS’ NEW fast-paced

THE LONGHORNS decided to keep the numbers on their helmets for the rest of the season after players voted by a 90-percent margin to

continue honoring the 1963 football team. Last season, Texas played with Darrell K Royals’s initial on their helmets after the legendary head coach passed away. The team had worn numbers above the Longhorn logo in 2009 against Texas A&M and in the season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2005. Regardless of the aesthetics, the good news for Texas fans is that the Longhorns have won all three games (2005, 2009 and 2012) they’ve played with those helmets, though the font size

attack is well documented at this point. We also know that head coach Mack Brown pulled out all the stops to make the offensive scheme as rapid as possible. But did you know that he also trained the ball boys to move at a faster pace? “There are things your ball boys have to know to get the ball to the official as quickly as possible,” Brown said. “The officials have said that you can go faster if you don’t flip the ball away from us.” Brown wants the ball boys to communicate so the football can return to the referee promptly. He also outlawed his players from holding onto the ball in celebration or flipping it away from an official. Instead, the ball needs to be on the line immediately. This may seem drastic, but every second counts for a team that wants to increase its snap count by 12-15 plays a contest.

appears a bit bigger in 2013.

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

219

167

.774

.500

MACK BROWN

193

150

.777

.714

As you can see in the chart above, if you exclude those who coached for two seasons or less, Brown has the highest win percentage of any coach in Longhorn football history. The only statistical area where Royal has the upper hand is in National Championships, of which he has three. This, of course, trumps all else. — BRIAN KENDALL

ON THE RECORD

HURRY, HURRY!: The Texas offense isn’t the only unit keeping an eye on the game clock. Mack Brown also trained the ball boys to move at a faster pace.

I picked Oklahoma State because I think their defense is going to improve from where they’ve been the last few years. But there’s something about Texas. I look at Texas and there’s 19 returning starters. They’ve got a veteran quarterback in David Ash. They’ve got playmakers around him. I think they’re the wildcard in this thing. – KIRK HERBSTREIT

FROM LEFT: JIM S IGM ON/UNI.V OF TEXAS, J AR EN W ILKEY/BYU

NUMBERS DRIVEN

DARRELL K. ROYAL

FOOTBALL

ROUNDUP

OCTOBER 2013

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT

TAILGATE TIPS AND TRICKS Check out this advice offered by Texas tailgating experts.

Going into the game? Try not to sit in the student section. The sun sets last on that section and you’ll roast for most of the game.

If you only can attend one game during the year, go to the Red River Rivalry.

Hosting your own tailgate? Get wristbands to keep track of who is in your group.

Be prepared to pay to join a tailgate. Most tailgates ask for $15 to $20 per attendee.

packed the Red McCombs Red Zone in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Aug. 21 for the 16th annual Mack Brown Women’s Clinic. The event gives women an opportunity to become more educated about football, as well as hear from players and coaches about the upcoming football season. Co-hosted by former Longhorn player Rod Babers and Longhorn Network’s Kaylee Hartung, the event featured a panel of current Texas players and coaches. Offensive line coach Stacy Searels, defensive line coach Bo Davis, offensive guard Mason Walters and defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat — to name a few — answered audience questions about their experiences in the program. Questions ranged from topics like the players’ favorite games to questions about the team’s scariest coach. Most of the players said Brown, which drew a huge roar of laughter from the audience. After the player panel, Brown and his wife Sally took the stage to answer questions from the audience. Brown shared stories about his favorite memories with coach Darrell K Royal and honored Royal’s wife, Edith, who was in attendance at the event. The women also heard from strength and conditioning coach Bennie Wylie about the players’ workout routines, the amount of calories and types of food the players are allowed to eat. The evening concluded with guest speaker Rusty Spindel, a longtime football official, who shared stories about his experiences refereeing games at the college and NFL levels. He even shared some “golden nuggets” about hand signals, penalty flags and inadvertent whistles. — TAYLOR GRAFFT

A ALL PHOT OS THIS PAGE COUR TESY UT AT HLETICS

CROWD OF WOMEN

THE EYES OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU: Several players and coaches joined Mack Brown to discuss the 2013 season with a rather large — and very engaged — crowd of women Aug. 21. The group attended the 16th annual Mack Brown Women’s Clinic, where attendees took the opportunity to drill the speakers about their favorite games and memories since joining the Texas football program.

QUARTERBACK SCRAMBLE AS THE LONGHORNS get further into the 2013 football season, pundits started looking towards the future and assessing the Longhorns’ entire scholarship chart for their quarterbacks. According to this chart, David Ash must stay healthy because the drop-off would be significant from the starter to

2013

2014

Have fun! Arrive without a plan and wander around. As long as you’re wearing burnt orange, you’ll be welcome to most tailgates.

backup Case McCoy. Moving forward, the concern is the lack of depth on the roster, as most teams prefer to have four scholarship quarterbacks available. That won’t happen for the Longhorns in 2014 unless Jalen Overstreet continues to take reps at the position, though his inclusion on this chart is questionable given how much time he’s spending at running back. Taking another 2014 quarterback doesn’t appear to be in the plans following the departure of Connor Brewer, though the pressure is significant to land two in the 2015 class.

2015

2016

David Ash

Tyrone Swoopes

Case McCoy

Tyrone Swoopes

Jerrod Heard

Tyrone Swoopes

Jalen Overstreet

Jerrod Heard OCTOBER 2013

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

ROUNDUP

VOLLEYBALL

LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP

PAPAPETROU BIDS FAREWELL TEXAS LEADING RETURNING scorer,

Ioannis Papapetrou, has signed a lucrative deal to play overseas with Olympiacos BC. TheLonghornsconfirmedPapapetrou’s departure, which was reported earlier by multiple news sources. Olympiacos posted a story on its website that Papapetrou, a native of Athens, has inked a five-year deal worth approximately $2 million. The 6’8” 225-pound Papapetrou’s departure is the latest hit for coach Rick Barnes and the Longhorn program, which has lost Avery Bradley, Jordan Hamilton, Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph early to the NBA. The program also watched as Sheldon McClellan, Julien Lewis and Jaylen Bond transferred to other schools at the end of last season. Papapetrou averaged 8.3 points and 4.4 rebounds last season, but was set to be the key piece for a young Texas team this season. He was a mismatch at both forward spots, and showed NBA potential recently while playing for the Greek national team at the U-20 European Championships. Texas finished 16-18 overall last season and seventh in the Big 12 with a 7-11 mark. It was the first time in Barnes’ 15 seasons in Austin that the Longhorns failed to reach the NCAA tournament.

CHANGE OF HEART: Webster (left) wasn’t always this happy on the volleyball court.

AILEY WEBSTER is known for her ability to knock down kills on the court, but she didn’t always love volleyball. In fact, when the 2012 NCAA Most Outstanding Player first joined a league in eighth grade, she hated the sport. “At first, hitting the ball and getting it over the net was frustrating,” she said. “Volleyball is more difficult than people think.” To make matters worse, the 6-foot youngster was playing with high school juniors and seniors because of her height. “My first time playing volleyball definitely wasn’t a great memory,” she said. Her older sister, Brooks, was the reason Webster tried her hand at volleyball in the first place. Although they’re the products of basketball players — her dad played at Tulane and her mom at Xavier — she decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps. “She was the one to discover volleyball and I looked up to her.” Webster said. “Once I figured things out and started scoring points, then it was fun.” Still, she says her career-threatening knee injury during the 2010 season made her realize how important the sport was to her. “After I tore my ACL, I saw volleyball in a totally different light.” she said. “I realized how passionate I was about the game. It’s crazy to think how much I hated it back in eighth grade.”

MOVING ON: Papapetrou will not return for his junior season.

FROM TOP: PATR ICK MEREDITH/UNIV. O F T EXAS,C OURT ESY TEXASSPO RTS.C OM, ELISABETH DILLON,

B A SK ET B A L L

TEXASSPORTS.COM

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

MISCELLANEOUS

ROUNDUP

OCTOBER 2013

LAUNCH PARTY THE HORNS ILLUSTRATED staff gathered

with subscribers, friends and supporters to celebrate the launch of the 2013 Football Preview Issue, at a celebration presented by Howdy Honda at Draft Pick American Grill on Aug. 20. While socializing in Draft Pick’s unique sports bar atmosphere, the guests had a chance to read the 2013 Football Preview, view a highlight video of the 2012 football team and take photos with members of the Texas Pom Squad. Former Longhorn football and baseball player Johnny Walker served as master of ceremonies and presented several lucky prize winner with gift bags. The Horns Illustrated staff would like to thank Howdy Honda, Draft Pick, Bud Light and all of our wonderful sponsors for making the evening a great success, and for their continued support of Horns Illustrated. — JAMES SCHLEICHER

SEASON KICKOFF: Our staff couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the 2013 football season!

Social Media Gurus THE LONGHORN FAN base

is fiercely loyal. Not only do they pack stadiums and sports bars to watch games, but they also take to social media to show their support for Texas. In a recent article by Mashable’s

Sam Laird, he examines actual data from Facebook that proves what we already know — Texas sports fans are the greatest in all of college sports. The data map below shows which areas Texas fans reside:

Texas ranked 15th on the actual field but is the overall champ on Facebook, winning 543 counties across a range of states. Florida won 423 counties. Ohio State ended with 376, while Nebraska took 324. Oregon, home of the “Gangnam

Style” duck, dominated the West Coast. Unfortunately, the coast is only good for a total of 233 counties, giving Oregon fifth overall. Long story short: Texas fans are the best in the country. — ANDY GONZALES

#1 ALABAMA #2 OHIO STATE #3 OREGON #4 STANFORD #5 GEORGIA #6 SOUTH CAROLINE #7 TEXAS A&M #8 CLEMSON #9 LOUISVILLE

FR OM TOP: PIER CE INGR AM , COUR TESY MASHABLE.COM

#10 FLORIDA #11 FLORIDA STATE #12 LSU #13 OKLAHOMA STATE #14 NOTRE DAME #15 TEXAS #16 OKLAHOMA #17 MICHIGAN #18 NEBRASKA #19 BOISE STATE #20 TCU #21 UCLA #22 NORTHWESTERN #23 WISCONSIN #24 USC #25 OREGON STATE

OCTOBER 2013

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

UTSA ROUNDUP

UTSA

CALENDAR

SETTING THE STANDARD: As the Mavericks’ ﬁrst-ever quarterback, Eric Souza plans to leave a mark on the program.

OCTOBER 2013

FOOTBALL 5: 5 at Marshall, Huntington, W. Va., 1p.m. 12: vs. Rice, 3 p.m. 26: vs. UAB, 4 p.m. SOCCER 4: at Charlotte, Charlotte, N.C., 6 p.m. 6: at Old Dominion, Norfolk, Va. , noon 11: at North Texas, Denton, 7 p.m. 18: vs. Southern Miss, 7 p.m. 20: vs. Colorado College, 1 p.m. 25: at UTEP, El Paso, 8 p.m. 27: vs. Louisiana Tech, 1 p.m. VOLLEYBALL 4: vs. Florida International, 7 p.m. 6: vs. Florida Atlantic, noon 11: at Southern Miss, Hattiesburg, Miss., 7 p.m 13: at Middle Tennessee, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 1 p.m. 18: vs. Rice, 7 p.m. 20: vs. North Texas 27 at UTEP, 1 p.m. M AND W CROSS COUNTRY 4: Notre Dame Invitational, South Bend, Ind. All Day 12: UIW Cardinals Invitational, Live Oak, Texas All Day 19: Indiana State Pre-National Invitational, Terre Haute, Ind., All Day

BY STEPHEN WHITAKER

WO YEARS AGO last month, Division I football appeared in San Antonio the moment UT San Antonio started playing. In the program’s first-ever game against Northeast Oklahoma State, then-sophomore quarterback Eric Soza made history when he became the first Roadrunner to score a touchdown on a 14-yard run. Soza finished that game with 237 yards passing and 102 yards rushing with two passing touchdowns. He finished his first year under center with 2,148 yards passing, 14 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, and 285 yards on the ground with three rushing touchdowns. “We have competitors. We don’t like to make excuses,” Soza said. “We have senior leadership now with a lot of guys returning — there’s no substitute for experience. We are a new program, but we are not a new team.” The Roadrunners saw Soza improve as they made the jump to NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. In 2012, Soza only missed two games of the 12 the Roadrunners played. He finished the season

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with 2,085 yards passing, 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Much of his success can be chalked up to the stability of the receiver corps. “Those guys on the outside are the most unselfish players I’ve ever played with,” Soza said. “A lot of them were one-time quarterbacks and they tell me what the defense is doing. They’re all smart players.” This season, UT San Antonio will bring back a deep pool of experience on the offensive line. With experienced players on the line, Soza will have time to throw or hand off to a stable of quality running backs. “We believe in the five guys up front ... that they’re going to give us a hole and the running backs are going to find that hole,” Soza stated. Through two games this campaign, the Roadrunners are 1-1 with a road victory at New Mexico and a defeat coming at home by the hands of Oklahoma State. Soza is a finalist for the Manning Award, an honor presented to a senior quarterback by the Sugar Bowl selection committee. He’s also nominated for the inaugural Earl Campbell Tyler Rose award presented by the Tyler Chamber of Commerce to the best offensive player who was born in, played high school football in or plays college football in the state of Texas.

OCTOBER 2013

VOLLEYBALL THE UT SAN ANTONIO volleyball team opened its first Conference USA season against Tulane on Sept. 27. Leading the charge this year is senior outside hitter and C-USA Preseason Player of the Year McKenzie Adams. Adams finished the 2012 season as an honorable mention member of the Volleyball Coaches Association All-America Team and won Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 4.85 points, 4.33 kills and 3.84 digs per set.

SOCCER THE 2013 SEASON marks a change for the Roadrunner soccer program as this is the first year that the team will play in its very own stadium. Before this season, the soccer team practiced and played on the intramural fields. The new 1,000-seat stadium officially opened with an exhibition match against Incarnate Word on Aug. 16. The UTSA Classic, which took place Aug. 30 to Sept. 1 marked the first real game played the Roadrunners in their new stadium. The soccer stadium, which shares a concourse with the new track stadium, is the first completed phase of the Roadrunners’ new athletic complex a mile west of the main campus. Later phases will include stadiums for baseball, softball and potentially a new arena for volleyball and basketball.

ALL PHOTOS THIS PAGE: JEFF HUEHN/UTS A ATHLET IC S

History in the Making

UTA

OCTOBER 2013

IN THE SWING OF THINGS: Riley Fleming tied for 42nd at the Northern Intercollegiate.

TOP GOLF: Paul McConnell moved from ninth place to the top position in the WAC Championship Tournament after shooting the low round of the ﬁnal day.

OPENING SEASON COUR TESY UT A ATHLETICS

EDITED BY CARISSA STITH

HE UT ARLINGTON men’s golf team

Mavericks. The home of the 2009 Solheim Cup, the 2015

opened its fall season with experience

Palmer Cup and the LPGA International Crown in 2016,

and great expectations. The Mavericks’

Rich Harvest Farms was rated No. 58 on Golf Digest’s

tied

list of America’s 100 Greatest Golf Courses for 2011-12.

for

10th

the

Northern

Intercollegiate, their first tournament of the season. The Friday-Sunday tournament took place at the Rich Harvest

“It’s a great opportunity on a great venue,” coach Jay Rees said before the tournament. The Maverick golfers came off a strong summer.

Farms golf course in Sugar Grove, Ill.

Fleming won the Alberta Men’s Amateur Championship

Sept. 5 to Sept. 7.

and the professional Alberta Open. Wilkerson won the

UT Arlington’s five-man squad consisted of junior Cash Wilkerson,

Collegiate Players Tour National Championship at Texas Star Golf Course. Galliford won the Victory Shield, the

junior transfers Jake Argento and Andrew Cornella,

most prestigious team event in Welsh Golf, and the

sophomore Riley Fleming and freshman Zach Galliford.

Tucker Trophy.

Wilkerson led UTA’s team contingent as he finished

tied for 33rd at nine over. Brad Mason, a senior, competed as an individual and finished tied for 15th. Set up at 7,236 yards and playing as a par 72, Rich Harvest Farms provided a stern challenge for the

“We’re starting to build momentum,” Rees said.

UTA ROUNDUP TRACK & FIELD THE UT ARLINGTON men’s cross country team is

favored to win the Sun Belt Conference championship in its inaugural season, while the women’s squad is predicted to finish third according to the 2013 Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll. “Polls are a nice way to motivate your teams, but you don’t earn a trophy for them,” head coach John Sauerhage said. “We appreciate the recognition for both teams, and we look forward to competing in the Sun Belt Conference meet in November.” The Mavericks, in their first year of competition in the Sun Belt, earned nine of 10 first-place votes. UT Arlington enters the campaign looking for back-to-back league titles for the first time in school history after winning the Western Athletic Conference championship in 2012. UT Arlington returns four all-conference performers from a year ago. Sophomores Virgilio Martinez and Craig Lautenslager were first-team All-WAC recipients in 2012, while juniors Emil Blomberg and Ryan Tilotta claimed second-team accolades. The women finished behind only Arkansas State and Georgia State. The Mavericks return all of their participants from last year’s squad, which finished fifth in the WAC. Junior Hannah Nilsson figures to pace the squad again this year.

CALENDAR OCTOBER 2013

M EN’S GO LF 4: Notre Dame Invitational, South Bend, Ind. 2:30 p.m. 18: Crimson Classic, Tuscaloosa, Ala., 5 p.m. VO LLEYBALL 4: at Georgia State, Atlanta, Ga., 6 p.m. 5: at Western Kentucky, Bowling Green, Ky. 3 p.m. 9: vs. Texas State, 7 p.m. 11: vs. Arkansas- Little Rock, 7 p.m. 12: vs. Arkansas State, 7 p.m. 18: vs. South Alabama, 6:30 p.m. 20: vs. Troy, noon 25: at Arkansas State, Jonesboro, Ark., 7 p.m. 26: at Arkansas-Little Rock, Little Rock, Ark., 7 p.m. 30: at Texas State, San Marcos, 6:30 p.m. M EN’S T ENNIS 4-6: Columbia Invitational, New York, N.Y. All Day 19-22: Regional Tournament, College Station All Day 25-27: Texas Invitational, Austin, All Day WO M EN ’S T EN N IS 11-13: USTA Invitational, New York, N.Y. All Day 17-21: Regional Tournament, Fort Worth, All Day

“For the first time, I feel like we have depth.” The Northern Intercollegiate marks the first event for Argento, Cornella and Galliford as Mavericks. Rees believes a talented recruiting class, plus the returning

M EN’S GO LF 21-22: Herb Wimberly Invitational, Las Cruces, N.M., All Day 28-29: Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, Dallas, All Day

letter winners, sets UT Arlington up for a special year.

OCTOBER 2013

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

ALUMNI

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

SPI R I T OF T H E MON T H

BIG BERTHA HE LONGHORN BAND boasts one of the biggest bass drums in all of college football. Big Bertha, affectionately known as the “Sweetheart of the Longhorn Band,” is named for the Big Bertha Howitzer, a German weapon used in World War I, and is one of the many traditions within the Showband of the Southwest. Both on and off the field, Bertha is escorted by a group of five drum wranglers known as the Bertha Crew. Led by senior Connor Cook, this year’s Bertha Crew consists of five members of the Longhorn Band including seniors Matt Atwell, Wesley Wingo, Kevin Chaloupka and junior Cody Clapp. Cook has been on Bertha Crew for three years and constantly refers to Bertha using the feminine pronouns “her” and “she.” “[Bertha Crew] is a great way to be involved with a Longhorn Band symbol … and to be involved in something big,” Cook said. “I mainly wanted to [join Bertha Crew] as a way to participate in one of the great traditions at the University — it’s a great honor.” Bertha, who was commissioned in 1922 for the University of Chicago, was brought to Texas by Colonel D. Harold Byrd, a Texas

BY SARA BETH PURDY

alumnus, in 1955. Byrd purchased Bertha for one dollar and donated the drum to the Longhorn band. He believed that the “biggest drum needed to go to the biggest school in the biggest state.” After the University of Chicago disbanded its varsity football program, Bertha was put into storage at the football stadium. During the 1940s, the stadium was used for research during the Manhattan project, leaving the bass drum radioactive. After Bertha was purchased by Byrd, the drum was decontaminated before finding a home in the Longhorn Band. But before the drum arrived to Texas, Bertha was offered a roll in the film Stars and Stripes Forever, a movie about the life of John Phillip Sousa, in 1952. Today the bass drum is the star of the Longhorn Band. During pregame, the Bertha Crew leads the band down field and after reaching the south end zone, the crew spins Bertha around. The bass drum also appears in the Script Texas drill during halftime. And as per tradition, Bertha Crew hits Big Bertha after every Longhorn score. Purdue University often claims that their bass drum, “The Monster,” is the biggest drum in the world and sits slightly higher than Bertha. “I’ve heard that Purdue claims to have the biggest drum,” Cook said. “Bertha has an eight foot diameter and she stands a little over 10 feet tall when she’s up on her carriage. Bertha is definitely bigger.”

LEAH FORTUNE SOCCER (2009-2010)

LEAH LYNN FORTUNE only played two seasons for the Texas soccer team, but her story is an amazing one to follow. Fortune was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, but grew up in Wheaton, Ill. with her parents Hudson and Karen Fortune. At Texas, Fortune scored her first career goal against TCU on Aug. 21, 2009. One week later, she recorded her first career assist. But then an ankle injury sidelined Fortune for the rest of the 2009 season. She was granted a medical redshirt. In her sophomore season, she scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over North Carolina State. The match was her first game back after recovering from her ankle injury. Fortune is also an international soccer star. In 2008, Fortune received 13 caps on the U-20 Brazilian National Team and helped the team win the U-20 CONMEBOL. She also competed in the U-20 World Cup in 2008 and 2010. Fortune transferred from Texas after her sophomore season to Lee University where she is now entering her senior season. She plans to graduate with a degree in Communications. During the summer she competes in the USL W-league with the Charlotte Lady Eagles. Fortune is known not only for her goals and assist from the midfield, but for her unusual throw-in style. Fortune performs a front flip to throw the ball further into the penalty box. — TAYLOR GRAFFT

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

ALL PHOT OS THIS PAGE COUR TESY UT ATHLET IC S

OCTOBER 2013

ROUNDUP

MEDIA VOICES

AS A PLAYER WHO’S BEEN THERE, ROD BABERS GIVES HIS OPINION ON THIS YEAR’S RED RIVER RIVALRY annual pilgrimage to the Cotton Bowl to watch the Red River Rivalry, Rod Babers has a few traditions he likes to uphold as part of the festivities. During the Sports Buffet he dons a cowboy hat and takes on his alter-ego of “Rooster Blackburn.” For the past three years, he has slept in his car to ensure that he doesn’t miss the early call time for the pre-game show at the fairgrounds. Horns Illustrated sat down with Babers, with his traditions aside, to discuss five important factors that will go into the this year’s Texas/ OU game. URING HIS

The Texas losses the past two years were some of the most lopsided losses in the history of the rivalry (Oklahoma won 63-21 in 2012 and 55-17 in 2011). Those types of losses happen every now and then. When I played, we lost 63-14 in 2000. The Sooners gave Vince Young a similar beating in 2003 (65-13). Cyclically, we’ve been blown out a few times. We had young teams and as a young football player, you can’t grasp the intensity of that environment. They’re just not ready.

Texas A&M is no longer part of the Big 12, which makes the OU game even more important. Oklahoma is our only true rival. We don’t have A&M at the end of the season to make up for any losses. Everyone knows you have to beat your rival. Period.

I remember in 2011 when Carrington Byndom — a player with NFL potential — had a pass break with Kenny Stills in the corner of the end zone, closest to the locker room. After knocking him down on the pass break up, Byndom stood over him and offered Stills a hand up as a sign of sportsmanship. Stills refused the hand, and was like ‘no don’t help me up, that’s not what this game is about.’ That made me realize those guys didn’t really understand what the game is about. They didn’t understand that OU is not a ‘help your opponent up’ type of game. It is a true blue rivalry and hatred exists on either side. This game is a street fight, and in a street fight the last man standing usually wins. In the 12th round you have to find a way to get the job done.

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

OCTOBER 2013

JON MADANI (@Zone_Madani) No rooting interest, but makes me warm inside to see a fullback score a TD... Hell I’m happy to see one with a job.

The Red River Rivalry is like the midterm for the season. If we don’t win that game, we’re not going to get an A for the 2013 campaign. We can still work hard and make a B+ for the season, but the A is gone. You can’t have your fans walking out of that game with their heads low. Our identity as a program is wrapped up in that game more than any other. Point: we have to win that game.

TWEETS

DALTON SANTOS

ROD BABERS (@rodb314): I know the passion and respect it, but full contact football before teen years, with what we know about head trauma puts youth at risk.

CRAIG WAY (@CraigWay1): Found a sports bar just outside of Provo with a clear sense of humor...the Polygamy Porter is on tap!

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: AM1 300 T HE ZONE, AM 13 00 THE ZONE, PAT RICK MEREDITH/UNIV. OF TEXAS, MATT HEMPEL/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Rich Tradition

In 2011 and 2012, Mack Brown started more freshmen than any team in the country. Now the team has 19 returning starters, and they should be prepared and know what to expect. When we lost in 2000, we obsessed about that game for the next 364 days until we got a chance to meet them again. In 2001 we had one of the best defenses in the country and one of the best (statistically) that Brown ever had. I attribute that to the 2000 OU game. As a group we were embarrassed about the product we put out there and wanted to make sure we corrected that. This team has had this game marked on the calendar since the day they lost last year.

THE POLY MOVEMENT places a cap on the 2014 recruiting class in February, he’ll achieve another first while the Longhorns’ recruiting remains under his watch. Never before has Brown had a Polynesian player in a recruiting class. Between the 2014 and 2015 hauls he’s slated to welcome four into the Longhorn program. “It’s the Poly Movement,” Euless Trinity 2015 offensive lineman Patrick Vahe said. “We just want to show love for the Polynesian people.” Vahe and his cousin, Keller offensive lineman Maea Teuhema, are part of what’s shaping up to be an incredible offensive line class. Vahe, a 6’3”, 280-pound guard, is a national top-100 prospect according to 247Sports, and Teuhema, the state’s top overall recruit in the junior class and a 247Sports five-star prospect, are two of the best line recruits in the country.

HEN MACK BROWN

CLOCKWIS E FR OM LEFT: COURTES Y JEFF HOWE/HORNS 247.C OM , DON BEN DER , COURTESY @CHELLEH72/INSTAGRAM.COM

PATRICK VAHE (L) AND HIS COUSIN MAEA TEUHEMA

Teuhema’s brother, defensive end Sione Teuhema, and San Antonio Warren defensive tackle Trey Lealaimatafao are U.S. Army All-American Bowl selections. They’ll become the first Polynesian players to sign with Texas in the Brown era as members of the 2014 class. Sione is looking forward to starting this wave of talented Polynesians set to hit the 40 Acres. “I want to be a leader,” he said. “Other Polynesian players will hopefully want to follow me and my brother. I hope guys want to follow in our footsteps.” After not signing a defensive line recruit in the 2013 recruiting cycle, Sione and Lealaimatafao will bring some young depth into the pipeline for ends coach Oscar Giles and tackles coach Bo Davis. All four are quality prospects but the biggest get of the bunch is Maea Teuhema, the No. 12 overall recruit in the country among the junior class. The Teuhema brothers said from the outset they wanted to go to the same school. The four will be together for the 2015 season. That’s when the Poly Movement will truly start to pay dividends for the Longhorns. — JEFF HOWE - HORNS247.COM

WALKER’S SIDELINE REVIEW

Social Buzz

As a Longhorn athlete between 1987-90 Johnny Walker helped Texas win many games on both the football field and the baseball diamond. Fans likely remember his amazing catch to win the 1990 game against Oklahoma. Horns Illustrated is proud to have Walker join us each month to give his take on Texas sports. THE PLAYER that stood out the most in the New Mexico State

game, in my opinion, was Jalen Overstreet. He’s mixed up the running back rotation and has made incredible leaps and bounds. Texas needs to find ways to get him out on the field. Even though Overstreet came into the game late, some of the things he did against New Mexico State shocked me. He had one play where he got the hand-off and there was a guy with a kill shot right in front of him. Overstreet made one or two moves, and was off running. I didn’t realize that he was that good of a runner. Some of the cuts he made were just God-given ability. JALEN OVERSTREET He has spent most of his time at Texas at the quarterback position, but to see him run the way he did, his performance showcases the caliber of the athletes we have at Texas. The Longhorns have some guys who can make stuff happen. I’m also excited for John Harris. He came back from a foot injury this season but there wasn’t much talk about him in terms of the depth chart. He made a big play against the Aggies and acted as a turning point for the Texas offense. He looks like a guy with bigplay capability that Texas could lean on, if needed.

Chelleh72: Hook’em Horns!!

Kids in the Chicago area are getting out of school early today because it’s so hot. Wonder what my Texas people think about that. — Henry Melton (@HenMel) Where’s New Mexico State when you need them? — Kirk Bohls (@ kbohls) For a caffeine-free bunch of guys, the BYU offense sure plays fast. — Mike Finger (@ MikeFinger) Too often, coaches are judged by their last stops. Robinson’s got enough talent on Texas’ defense to rewrite peoples’ knee-jerk reaction to him. — David Ubben (@ davidubben) Justin Tucker to be featured in Cosmopolitan? This is the most Justin Tucker thing ever, I promise you. — Trey Scott (@Trey_Scott) One thing you don’t have to worry about is finding an open squat rack at Gold’s Gym. Bench press... you may be in trouble — Jordan Shipley (@Jordan_Shipley)

Check out these facts about Horns Illustrated on Facebook! 1. 20,000 people see our posts daily. 2. 50 states Follow/Like us. 3. 68 countries Like us. This means Texas has a global following!

4. Read in over 31 languages. 5. Two percent of our audience is from

Mexico. 6. 18-54 is the typical age group.

Although our Facebook fans are vocal about the future of the football team, they are also great supporters of the Texas volleyball team. “We are officially a volleyball school.” — George Alvarado

“We're taking our daughter at the end of the month to watch these amazing young ladies and role-models! Thank you for your sportsmanship and class, on and off the court! Hook 'Em Horns!” — Rudy Sotelo OCTOBER 2013

HORNS ILLUSTRATED

MEET THE T-ASSOCIATION The T-Association is an organization made up of former varsity athletics letter winners. An additional designation for the T-Association members is the T-ring, which is awarded to an athlete who lettered for 2 or more years, who did not compete the last 2 years of eligibility anywhere other than The University of Texas and who graduated from college. David McWilliams, former Longhorn head football coach, currently serves as the executive director for the T-Association. T-Association Mission - The T-Association’s mission is to create and maintain an enhanced atmosphere and structure whereby UT student-athletes become lifetime members of The University of Texas Athletics family and are welcomed, involved and encouraged to participate during and after their college tenure. TAPN Mission - The Letter Winner’s Professional Network exists to unite the members of the T-Associaton on a professional level by providing networking opportunities and a database of contacts, thereby furthering the opportunities, community, education and success of Longhorn Letter Winners.

PAT RICK MEREDIT H/UNIV. OF TEXAS

CONTACT INFORMATION: t-association@athletics.utexas.edu 512.471.6864

THE HABE ON THE HORNS BY STEVE HABEL

Steering the Herd

JERRITT ELLIOTT CONTINUES TO KEEP HIS EYE ON THE PRIZE

ETTING TO THE TOP is hard, but staying there is even more difficult, let alone returning to the summit. That’s the quest in front of the Texas volleyball team — the 2012 National Champions — and their pragmatic but focused coach, Jerritt Elliott. Elliott told me before the 2013 season that he barely had a weekend off from work since last December, when the Longhorns beat Oregon in the NCAA FULL FOCUS: Jerritt Elliott didn’t take any championship final in time off during the Louisville. offseason. Contenders looking to unseat the team spent the offseason evaluating the returning players and its recruiting class. They also evaluated the Longhorns’ pipeline for the future which Elliott and his staff worked to stock with sold-out junior camps. Clearly, Elliott didn’t spend his spring and summer fretting over the opposition. “It’s been a whirlwind, but one that’s been worth the hard work,” he said. “I don’t know if winning again will be harder, but I do know that we won’t leave a stone unturned on the road back to the championship.” To ensure the team kept up its training in the offseason, Elliott front-loaded Texas’ pre-conference schedule with games against a handful of the nation’s best teams. These games included a trip to Hawaii to open the season (Texas lost to the Rainbow Wahines in five games) and a pair of home matches against Penn State and Stanford. Texas won both of those showdowns, in the witness of back-to-back sellout crowds at Gregory Gym. When the Longhorns beat Penn State and

Stanford (a team it hadn’t defeated since 1999 and never under Elliott’s tutelage), they made a statement. And although the women appear ready to take on any challenger, Elliott says they aren’t exactly where they need to be at this point of the season. “We’re still hitting 12 to 14 percent below where we want to be,” he explained. “We’re trying to keep things simple and working to bet-

ter define a rotation and some continuity. I’m still learning about my team but we’re on the right track.” I have little doubt that Elliott would’ve enjoyed time off in the offseason. He deserved some time to swing a golf club or to open a book on a beach somewhere. Instead, his focus never wavered and he’s looking for a second championship with the same fervor he had when chasing his first. Betting against him and his team would be a foolish gamble. Just sayin’, ya know?

The Habe is Steve Habel, Horns Illustrated’s Associate Editor. He was the magazine’s first staff member, in 1994, and has covered Texas sports ever since.

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FIVE QUESTIONS

HERE’S TO YOU MR. ROBINSON: After only three practices with the team, defensive coordinator Greg Robinson did his best to get the defense back on track.

Ole Miss 44 TEXAS 23 THE LONGHORNS’ FIRST-HALF PERFORMANCE SHOWS POSITIVE SIGN OF WHAT’S TO COME. BY STEVE HABEL

DON BENDER

NDERSTANDING HOW the 2013 Texas football season went from overdrive to overhaul in just eight days may be difficult to comprehend, but the Longhorns showed signs in the game against Ole Miss. Even after a 44-23 loss to the 25thranked Rebels on Sept. 14, Texas still gave hope that the team’s best performances are on the horizon. At times, the Longhorns found their winning stride against Ole Miss, most notably when they took charge of the game midway through the first quarter and scored on five consecutive possessions to erase an early 14-0 deficit. During that stretch, Texas’ defense answered its call by forcing two punts after three-and-out possessions by the Rebels. The Longhorns held Ole Miss to a drive that ended at the Texas 31yard line, while also jumping on a fumble by Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace in the Rebels’ red zone. Before a crowd of 101,474 fans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, the Longhorns showed signs of a team coming together. But their momentum disappeared after halftime, as Ole Miss dominated all three aspects of the game in the final 30 minutes. The Rebels scored 30 unanswered points, beginning with a game-changing 52-yard field goal by Andrew Ritter on the final play of the first half. Ole Miss also racked up touchdowns in the third quarter on a Wallace run, a short pass to Evan Engram

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off a quick set and a nail-in-the-coffin 73-yard punt return by back Jeff Scott (who had 243 allpurpose yards, including a career-best 164 yards rushing). Texas — with backup Case McCoy starting and playing every snap at quarterback for the injured David Ash — managed only 90 yards of total offense in the second half and never ventured past the Ole Miss 40-yard line. “For some reason, we didn’t play consistently well in the second half, and we need to go back and figure out why,” head coach Mack Brown said. “When we lose our momentum, we’re having trouble getting it back. Somebody has to step up and make plays.” The loss marked just the second time in Brown’s 16-year tenure at Texas where the Longhorns lost two of their first three games. The only other time was during Brown’s first season on the 40 Acres. The game’s final offensive numbers give a detailed story as to why Texas lost the contest. The Rebels, using a balanced attack, racked up 449 total yards to the Longhorns’ 320. Texas’ continuing issues with stopping the run also swayed the game in Ole Miss’ favor — the Rebels had 272 rushing yards. After their third game of the season, Texas has allowed 926 yards on the ground or 308.6 yards per game.

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OCTOBER 2013

“If you can’t stop the run, you’re not going to win football games,” Brown said. Ole Miss (3-0 for the first time since the 1989 season) stunned the Longhorns in the game’s opening minutes, using two eight-play drives to fashion a 14-0 lead six and a half minutes into the first quarter. The Rebels, employing the read-option offense that Brigham Young used so well to beat Texas on Sept. 7, scored on Scott’s 5-yard run and then on an 18-yard pass from Wallace to Donte Moncrief, putting Texas on its heels. Texas responded by playing some of its best football of the season, scoring 23 straight points. McCoy hit Mike Davis on a 13-yard touchdown pass at the end of a nine-play, 78-yard march. Then Anthony Fera nailed a 28-yard field goal, cutting the Ole Miss lead to 14-10 at the 13:12 mark of the second quarter. Minutes later, Johnathan Gray rambled eight yards for a touchdown that gave Texas a 17-14 lead with 8:27 to play before halftime. Fera added field goals of 30 and 47 yards — the latter with 37 seconds to play in the half — and the Longhorns had the game in their hands. But Ole Miss came back in the second half and took the game right back. “The momentum was on our side before halftime, but from there I don’t know what happened,” defensive end Cedric Reed said. “[Ole

Miss] looked at what we were doing, schemed it up, made some switches and it got to us.” In the third quarter Ole Miss turned the game around by going back to the things the team did well on its first two drives with the read option. “They had the same drive in the first half and used it again starting the second half,” Brown said. “We made some adjustments with the defenses we had in the first half, but we didn’t do as well in the second half.” Jaylen Walton’s 8-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter expanded the Ole Miss lead to 44-23. “We can’t come out hard in the first half

and not keep the momentum going in the second half,” Texas defensive tackle Chris Whaley said. “We have to find that spark and be able to continue fighting for the entire game.”

HOW WELL DID THE DEFENSE ADAPT TO THE CHANGES EMPLOYED BY NEW DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR GREG ROBINSON? The defense only had three practices under Robinson before the game, which makes evaluating the players’ adaptability to the coach’s new direction difficult. “We’re trying to make the transition and learn as fast as possible,” linebacker Jordan Hicks said. “One thing we harped on today and this week was our effort — we had to get to the ball and rally.” Reed, who had three tackles (one for a loss) and two pass breakups during the first half, said Robinson’s changes are still underway. “The only change [Robinson made] was shorten our plays,” he said. “We didn’t have much and we did what we could with the number of plays that we had.” “It’s just a matter of adapting with everybody,” he added. “I’ve got to step up myself and get to where I’m even more tuned in. I will say this: I never had any problem with the effort of the defense. They were clawing and scratching.” Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat said the players will take responsibility for making the defensive turnaround. “This isn’t an unfixable defense and it’s not an unfixable team,” he said. “This is a player-run team, so we will correct it.”

overall top prospect — and has the momentum of becoming a real force on the college football landscape in the coming seasons. The Rebels closed the talent gap with Texas in just one season, as runners like Scott, players like linebacker Serderius Bryant and Wallace can play for anyone in the country. Against the Longhorns, Scott was fearless in his run through the Texas defenders in his punt return touchdown and Bryant posted a game-high 11 tackles. “We’re better than we were when I got here,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said. “Our kids have some confidence, but we still make a lot of mistakes. To come in and stand toe-to-toe with Texas, I do think nationally, is a step in the right direction, but it’s just one step.”

Texas played better against Ole Miss than against BYU, but the Rebels were also better. “I give credit to [Ole Miss],” Robinson said. “They did a few things in the game that we needed to adjust to and we didn’t get it done quick enough.”

WHAT WERE THE GAME’S MOST CRUCIAL PLAYS? Two plays come to mind. First, the targeting penalty on the Rebels’ Jordan Holder by Texas safety Adrian Phillips at the end of the first half moved Ole Miss into field-goal range. Holder’s 19-yard catch and the 15- yard penalty moved the ball from the Ole Miss 31 to the Texas 35. Ritter made Texas pay for the

2 ALL PHOT OS THIS SPR EAD: DON BENDER

HOW MUCH WAS THIS GAME WON BY OLE MISS RATHER THAN LOST BY TEXAS? Most of this game was won by Ole Miss. This year’s contest showed how the two teams have changed since they played last year (when Texas won, decisively) in Oxford. Ole Miss is a team on the rise, signing one of the nation’s top recruiting classes in 2013 — led by DE Robert Nkemdiche, who was the

ON THE RISE: With the nation’s top recruiting class, Ole Miss is on track to become a football powerhouse.

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penalty with his 52-yarder as the first half ended. “If you give up points right before the half, it’s killer,” Brown said. “We let them have the momentum going into halftime. We didn’t take the momentum coming out in the second half, and we never got it back.” Scott’s punt return touchdown was the game’s other crucial play as it gave the Rebels a 14-point lead with just a quarter left to play. The return also indicated that Texas had fallen behind on all three aspects of the game (offense, defense and special teams).

WHAT WERE THE MOST SURPRISING STATISTICS FROM THE LOSS? In years past, the Texas offense was able to convert third downs at a high rate. Against Ole Miss, the Longhorns converted only four of 15 third-down snaps and are 16-of-42 this season on third down conversions (38 percent). That rate is less than last season (when Texas converted 49 percent of its third downs), less than in 2011 (44 percent) and even less than 2010,

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OCTOBER 2013

we found ourselves in good down situations in the first half. That’s why we scored in our last four series.” Texas has lost two games now where the team committed a combined one turnover. The only miscue against Ole Miss occurred when running back Malcolm Brown and McCoy weren’t on the same page and Brown knocked the ball out of his quarterback’s hand as McCoy was trying to pass. The lack of turnovers means that BYU and Ole Miss were able to dominate Texas without the Longhorns gifting any type of opportunity.

when the team converted 40 percent of its thirddown chances. Texas has never been below a 40 percent third-down conversion percentage with Brown at the helm. “There are things we did at quarterback, O-line and at back that we could’ve been more effective at when running the ball,” co-offensive coordinator Major Applewhite said. “That’s why

HOW DID MCCOY PLAY? The coaches will likely make changes to the offensive attack when McCoy is at quarterback. His arm isn’t as strong as Ash’s and he’s quicker to leave the pocket when rushed. But Texas made the change in quarterback work in the first half. When Texas was successful, the crucial plays came on short passes and swings to the flats that Ole Miss hadn’t seen in its scouting reports from

the lineup for an extended stretch and that he may be limited when he does return. During Ash’ rehabilitation, McCoy will be pressed into more playing time — and carrying the momentum from the beginning to end. “Case had a great first half,” Brown said. “I thought 11 for 13 for 104 yards with a touchdown, no turnovers, no sacks in the first half was pretty good stuff. But that’s what we wanted him to do in the second half.”

ALL PHOTOS THIS SPREAD: DON BENDER

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Case McCoy had an impressive ﬁrst half against the Rebels, but was unable to maintain that momentum going into the last two quarters of the game.

the Longhorns’ first two games (both with Ash at quarterback). Once the Rebels figured out the changes in Texas’ offensive strategy, they pressed its secondary coverage closer to the line, stopping McCoy’s short passing attack and stymied Texas’ ability to run the ball. Ash, who was ruled out of the Ole Miss game the day before kickoff because of head and right shoulder injuries, didn’t even attend the game as doctors didn’t want him exposed to excessive crowd noise and the possibility of bumping into teammates on the sidelines. That situation may mean Ash could be away from

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MAN UNDER FIRE: Jordan Hicks faced the media head on, answering questions about last season and how those experiences changed his outlook on 2013.

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Redemption After a season-ending injury and a bowl suspension, Hicks ready to lead by example. by Steve Habel

PLEASE EXCUSE JORDAN HICKS

if he rushes past in a hurry. He lost some time over the last 12 months, thanks to injury, bad luck and a few unwise decisions. But coming into the 2013 season, the Texas linebacker is focused and attempting to make up for the practices and games he missed during his college career. Hicks is expected to serve as one of the defense’s kingpins this season after

working hard during the spring. He had to swallow some pride and change his way of thinking in order to assume a leadership position. By doing so, however, he’s reemerged as a potential first-round draft pick when the NFL “Jordan is a guy who just makes everyone better, not just on the field, but in the hotel and in pregame meetings,” former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. “He adds a calm-

ness to the defense, and as he gets his chances [to play], he’s going to make the most of them.” Given the glowing assessment by his former coach, it’s hard to fathom how Hicks could be a detriment to the Longhorns. But Hicks’ story, and the way he’s dealt with adversity over the past seven months, has defined the offseason and the early part of the 2013 campaign.

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LASTING IMPRESSIONS: Learning from his past experiences, Jordan Hicks is on a mission to earn back the respect of his teammates and fans. He’s focused on becoming a positive role model on and off the ﬁeld.

PR EVIOUS SPR EAD: M AT T HEMPEL/UNIV. O F T EXAS, T HIS SPR EAD C LOC KW IS E FR OM T OP L EFT: MATT HEMPEL/UNIV. OF TEXAS, JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS, JIM SIGMON/UN IV. OF TEXAS

A poor choice placed him and senior quarterback Case McCoy in the crosshairs of the San Antonio Police Department days before the Longhorns’ appearance in the 2012 Alamo Bowl. Hicks and McCoy became embroiled in a sexual assault case after an alleged incident at a downtown San Antonio hotel. Both players were suspended for the bowl game. Hicks, sidelined from a hip injury he suffered in Texas’ third game of the year against Ole Miss, planned on cheering from the bench. Charges were never filed against either player and both were reinstated to the team in January. Hicks addressed the suspension this fall, telling reporters that he’s done everything he can to earn back the respect of his teammates and the Texas fans. “I was out past curfew, and as a leader I shouldn't have been,” Hicks said. “I haven't had the chance to apologize to the whole fan base, and I would like to do that.” Facing his teammates was the hardest part of the entire incident. “I had earned their trust. These are the people that I love and care about,” Hicks said. “They're my brothers. So having to tell them that I had to Cincinnati, Ohio, Hicks garnered notice as a leave for the bowl game and wasn't going to be Parade High School All-American and won the there to support them was probably the toughest high school Dick Butkus Award in 2009. Hicks part for me.” was considered the top-rated linebacker in the In the months since, Hicks has put the nation as a prep player and the 16th overall incident behind him and placed his focus on recruit on Rivals.com in the 2010 signing class. dominating the game as the Longhorns’ starting In his first three seasons with Texas, Hicks weakside linebacker. racked up 111 tackles (52 solo), two sacks, eight “Jordan had to earn [his teammates’ respect] tackles for losses, five pass breakups, three quarback, and he was able to do that by working terback hurries and one fumble recovery. He every day, keeping his mouth shut and being missed 10 games in 2012 due to a hip injury a good player,” head and was ruled out for the coach Mack Brown remainder of the season “Jordan had to earn [his said. “There’s no teammates’ respect] back, on Nov. 19. doubt that [he has] and he was able to do that In 2011, he appeared earned that respect in 13 games with eight by working every day, back.” starts while recording keeping his mouth shut Hicks plans to 65 tackles, four tackles and being a good player. use the San Antonio for loss, one sack, one “There’s no doubt that incident and its afterfumble recovery, four [he has] earned that math as fuel for this pass breakups and one respect back.” year. “I've faced a lot pressure. In 2010 he was — MACK BROWN of adversity since I've named honorable menbeen here, but I’ve tion Big 12 Defensive embraced it — it's Freshman of the Year made me stronger,” he said. “This year, I've come after appearing in all 12 games and posting 23 out tough and I'm highly motivated.” tackles (nine solo), one sack, one TFL and one pressure. Hicks was named to the 2011 Academic AllBack on the path to stardom? Big 12 first team and is a four-time member of HICKS WAS BORN in Colorado, spent time in South Carolina and then moved to Ohio, where UT’s Athletics Director’s Honor Roll. But once Hicks went down, the Longhorns’ he became the nation's best high school linebacker. When Hicks signed with Texas, spurn- defense went south. This season, Texas is relying ing Ohio State and Florida among many others on Hicks to steady a linebacker unit that encounfor a college career on the 40 Acres, pundits tered problems tackling and surrendered a bevy considered him the next in a long line of great of big plays in 2012. “We know exactly what the perception is of Longhorn linebackers. As a senior at Lakota West High School in us from last year. We were a weak link and we’ve

taken that head on,” Hicks said. “The linebackers have gained a sense of swag in the fall workouts and early-season games, and we've got a little chip on our shoulders. We're coming. We're attacking right now.” Given his experience and talent, expect Hicks — along with senior DE Jackson Jeffcoat and junior cornerback Quandre Diggs — to step up as leaders this season. All three have been named to the 2013 Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list, an award that honors the national defensive player of the year.

Leading by example on and off the field. In order to stay on the field, Hicks has to stay healthy. He’s dedicated to taking care of his body, which — even with the aid of the Longhorn nutritionists and strength and conditioning coaches — comes down to his own will to say no to sweets and other foods that could impair his performance. Hicks, who listed at 6’2” and 238 pounds, began fall camp in August weighing about 20 pounds less than the end of last season. Hicks is determined to get Texas back on track defensively, but his leadership will come from actions not words. He’s not the type of player that gets in teammates’ faces, demanding that his fellow Texas defense members play to a higher standard.

PLAYERS NEED TO LEAD

“I’m not one to put down teammates after making a mistake,” Hicks said. “I’m more of a teacher because I lead in the way that I respond. There’s no humiliation. I like to make sure theyknow what they did wrong and I address those times with personal one-on-one type talks — that’s more my style.” Texas granted Hicks a medical redshirt for the 2012 season, making him eligible to play college football for 2013 and 2014. Whether Hicks stays for both seasons is another story. After all the injuries and off-field drama of 2012, Hicks was excited to be back in the starting lineup in the season-opener, a decisive and dominating 56-7 victory by the Longhorns against New Mexico State. “It felt great to be out there with my team again,” he said. “I could definitely tell it had been awhile, but it felt good. I got back into my groove in the second half.” For the Longhorns to be successful, Hicks has to continue overcoming adversity. And after what he’s fought through so far, he’s cleared any doubt concerning his ability to help carry Texas’ defense in 2013. “Nothing simulates the game situation, so I’m just glad to get back into the game, to have one under my belt, and be back into the system again just running around playing against some other guys,” he said. “I feel like I am part of the team again.”

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REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Playing for Texas was always Chiaka Ogbogu’s dream.

VOLLEY B A L L

Smooth Operator COMPOSURE, WITH A CLASH OF COMPETITIVE DRIVE, IS THE KEY TO CHIAKA OGBOGU’S SUCCESS. BY SARA BETH PURDY

has made her goals clear. She refuses to settle for just one national championship title — she wants at least two. And she wants to start this season by adding to the one the Texas volleyball team claimed in Louisville last December. The freshman middle blocker from Coppell, Texas arrived to the 40 Acres with plenty of experience playing on a big stage. As a junior and senior, Ogbogu led the Coppell Cowgirls to back-to-back Texas 5A state championships. “Those experiences prepared me for Texas,” Ogbogu said. “Winning the state titles fueled my competitive drive.” That competitive spirit will fit right in with the Longhorns, a team known for its spirit and ferocity on the court. “I like playing at Texas. I like that I’m learning from others,” Ogbogu said. “The expectations here are high. The upperclassmen made sure that we were aware of their standards, although there’s not a lot of pressure.” 36

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HIAKA OGBOGU

As a senior, she was named the 2012 Gatorade Texas Volleyball Player of the Year and the 2012-13 Texas Girls Coaches Associate 4A-5A Player of the Year. She said that one of her most memorable accomplishments in high school was being recognized by Gatorade. Ogbogu was the first player from Coppell to win the award and the second in the last five years from the Dallas area. Ogbogu is one of four newcomers at Texas. She joins setter Chloe Collins and outside hitter Pilar Victoria Lopez as the three incoming freshmen. Junior Tiffany Baker is also new to the team, after transferring from Tennessee this past January. Baker will redshirt after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason. “This is a great class for our program and we’re thrilled with the quality of the young women we acquired,” head coach Jerritt Elliott said. “Each one of them has the ability to come in and compete.” As a senior, Ogbogu posted 486 kills, 144 blocks and finished the season with a .555 hitting clip. She earned MaxPrep All-America honors as a senior and was named one of the 25 Underclassmen to Watch in 2012 by Volleyball Magazine/Rox. Ogbogu stands at 6’2” but can touch close to 10 feet and seven inches. According to the Texas coaching staff, she has an impressive jumping ability and speed on the court. She’s expected to become a star blocker for the Longhorns. “Chiaka will continue the program’s great tradition of middle blockers,” Elliott said after Ogbogu signed last May. “She’s a smooth athlete … with growth [she] has the potential to develop into one of the premier players in the nation.” Through all of her accomplishments, she has tried to remain composed while on the court. In fact, Ogbogu credits her success to her calm and collected playing style. But remember to never judge a book by its cover — Ogbogu’s competitive drive continues to thrive while she’s on the court. “I’m really competitive,” she explained, “but I try to stay composed so I don’t get frazzled.” Ogbogu originally committed to play at the University of California at Berkley before switching her commitment to Texas. The Longhorns recruited her later in the process, although that didn’t matter in the end. She said that Texas attracted her because of its successful history and high profile volleyball program. “Texas has always been a dream school for me,” Ogbogu said. “There was always just something pulling me to Austin.” Over the summer, Ogbogu competed at the USA Volleyball Girls’ Junior National Championships. Her team, Texas Advantage Volleyball (a club based out of North Texas) won gold and claimed the 18 Open division title. They went undefeated through the competition and defeated Sunshine 18 Westside, a club from California, for the title. Since arriving on campus for fall training camp, Ogbogu has embraced the Longhorn cul-

ture and life in Austin. When she’s not practicing, at games or attending classes, her favorite thing to do is to stay at home and hang out with her friends. She prefers the close personal atmosphere of a casual night with loved ones. And though she loves all that Austin and the 40 Acres have to offer, her favorite thing about the city is the local cuisine — with the exception of chocolate. “I like to eat,” Ogbogu said. “I love all of the food choices available. I like how Austin has such a variety and there’s always something new to try.” Winning another championship, however,

is still her top priority while in Austin. Ogbogu, along with the rest of the newcomers, will attempt to fill the shoes of senior utility player Sha’Dare McNeal, the only nonreturning player from the Longhorns’ championship squad. “Sha’Dare was a big piece to our team,” senior outside hitter Bailey Webster said. “But we have big new additions. We’re extremely excited.” Longhorn fans will remain engaged while watching Ogbogu on the court this season — her competitiveness and drive to win titles is just what Texas fans want to see.

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FOO T B A L L

EXPLORING THE BIG D DALLAS OFFERS MORE THAN THE COTTON BOWL AND FRIED FOODS DURING TEXASOU WEEKEND. BY STEVE LANSDALE

is one of those must-see games. When the Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners square off Oct. 12 in Dallas, fans will jam the highways to attend the ultimate destination game (at least for the regular season). But the game lasts only a few hours and Dallas has far too much to offer to simply race into town and make a hasty exit after the game. For those who make the pilgrimage to the Big D to watch the Rivalry, keep in mind there are countless things worth seeing while in town.

The State Fair of Texas is the easiest place to get to as the Cotton Bowl sits right in the middle of Dallas’ Fair Park section. The event will feature its usual array of foods which fairgoers should refrain from telling their cardiologists about, with new menu items such as deep-fried biscuits and gravy, deep-fried brownies, “Fernie’s deep-fried Whole Lotta Chocolate” and fried pecan caramel candy. The

For tickets and more information: http://www.bigtex.com/ sft/index.asp

HE RED RIVER RIVALRY

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The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum opened in May on the Southern Methodist University campus, just six miles north of the Cotton Bowl. The library is the 13th presidential library in the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) system. Bush Center visitors will learn about the 43rd U.S. president and his wife, Laura (an SMU graduate) and gain access to features including interactive museum galleries, a full-scale replica of the Oval Office, permanent and temporary exhibits, and a 360-degree highdefinition wall in Freedom Hall. Aimed at welcoming guests of all political leanings, the Bush Center is also the site of the George W. Bush

state fair will also showcase live music, parades, rides (including a ride that takes guests almost to the top of the new 500-foot Top o’ Texas Tower), midway games, car and livestock shows. The iconic Big Tex, which stood more than 50-feet tall and greeted generations of visitors before burning on Oct. 19, will be replaced by a slightly taller version, complete with a built-in firesuppression system.

Institute, a public policy center that was founded in 2009. For tickets and more information: http://www.bushcenter.org For those bringing young fans to Dallas, make sure to check out the Perot Museum of Nature and Science . The museum includes an incredible array of exhibits, focusing on topics ranging from the expanding universe (featuring numerous displays about the solar system and beyond) to the Being

THIS SREAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT : COUR TESY KUTNEWS.OR G, PERO TMUS EUM.O RG, ALL OTHER PHOTOS JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

Fans are coming to Dallas for football, right? In that case, make a weekend out of it. Stick around until Sunday night and watch one of the NFL’s most storied rivalries when the Dallas Cowboys host the Washington Redskins at 7:30 p.m. The Redskins won both contests against the Cowboys last season, but Dallas enjoys a 62-44-2 advantage in the alltime series. Limited single-game tickets remain available through Ticketmaster.com, but as the game approaches, the best deals likely will be found through secondary ticket sellers like Stubhub.com.

The local ESPN Radio affiliate (103.3 FM) is gearing up for the annual invasion of Longhorn fans as well. As part of its “Lunch with a Legend” series, ESPN Dallas 103.3 and Morton’s Steakhouse will kick off Texas/OU weekend Friday, Oct. 11, with a lunch with former Doak Walker Award winner and Texas legend Ricky Williams. Midday hosts Richard Durrett and Ian Fitzsimmons will broadcast live from Morton’s (2222 McKinney Ave., Dallas, Texas 75201), and will have Williams join them on-air at 1 p.m. To make a reservation, call Morton’s Steakhouse at 214741-2277.

Human Hall that explains numerous aspects of the human body and mind. Families can also visit an interactive engineering and innovations hall in which visitors can try an assortment of inventions, the Discovering Life Hall that shows fossils, one-celled organisms, cross-sections of the human body and complete ecosystems, as well as a kids’ section that includes displays with plants and live animals. The museum also features a Sports Hall, in which visitors can hit balls at assorted targets and can race against computer-generated images of pro athletes. The museum gets very crowded and sometimes sells out, especially on weekends, so get your tickets early: http://www. perotmuseum.org. The Sixth Floor Museum (http:// www.jfk.org) is located in the sixth and seventh floors of an early 20th-century warehouse once known as the Texas School Book Depository. The museum chronicles the assassination and legacy of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy and presents contemporary culture within the context of presidential history. The exhibit also features bipartisan news reports, photographs and videos from assorted news outlets that chronicle arguably the most famous event in Dallas history. The museum offers a series of public programs and on Oct. 12 the program will feature former Associated Press photographer Ferd Kaufman, who took one of the first pictures of Lee Harvey Oswald after he’d been taken into custody, and who also covered the Jack Ruby Trial.

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IN SEASON FULL SPEED AHEAD: As the Longhorns’ only freshman starter last season, Lindsey Meyer plans on keeping her starting position.

SOCCER

Lindsey Meyer

THE MIDFIELDER LOOKS TO BUILD ON AN IMPRESSIVE FRESHMAN SEASON. BY TREY SCOTT

season as the Longhorn’s only freshman starter, Lindsey Meyer didn’t waste any time making her pitch to win a starting position as a sophomore. She scored her fifth career goal and recorded her second assist in Texas’ season-opening win over Georgia, 2-0. Meyer discussed her freshman season — the Longhorns finished fourth in the Big 12 in 2012 — as well as the expectations for the program in its second year under head coach Angela Kelly with Horns Illustrated. How are expectations different now than they were a year ago? Last year, obviously with new coaches coming in, we didn’t know what to expect. We had 10 freshmen and it took us a while to get used to things. But this year we know what the coaches expect and we’re all committed. Did you expect to play as much as you did last year? Our club coaches prepared us well in the offseason, but coming into the fall I didn’t have any expectations. I didn’t even know if I’d play.

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F FUN FA FACTS

What was the toughest adjustment you faced as a freshman? Practicing every day was different. On my club teams, we practiced twice a week. We also play back-to-back games and the speed of play is much faster in college. But once we got into Big 12 play — around mid-September — I figured out how to keep up. We also had

M Meyer and d a group of teammates aim to try a new Austin restaurant each week. Taverna, Salt Lick, Hut’s and Bananarchy are recent choices. During her spare time, Meyer enjoys spending time on her family’s ranch and four-wheeling.

THIS SPR EAD CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: D ON BENDER , BETHANY WALTER/UNIV. OF TEXAS, INSET: COURTESY UT ATHLETICS

FTER ENDING the 2012

TAKING DOWN THE OPPOSITION: One of Meyer’s goals this season is pushing the point of attack.

Why Texas? My grandpa played basketball and baseball here, so I grew up a Longhorn. I fell in love with Austin and it’s a good distance away from home. I wanted to attend college somewhere semi-close to Coppell [Texas]. Plus I loved the facilities.

upperclassmen to help balance our time on and off the field. You had a solid freshman year: third in minutes, member of the All-Big 12 Newcomer Team and you scored four goals. What can you improve on? Little aspects of my game, like pushing the point of attack, working better with my teammates and staying in position. I need to work on getting the ball wide. As a team, we started focusing on our finish and being in the right spots.

Did the coaching change from Chris Petrucelli to Angela Kelly affect your decision at any point? I committed the summer before my junior year, so I committed with Chris. I honestly didn’t think about changing my decision because I came here for the school. I spoke with Angela a few times when she was at Tennessee — she kind of recruited me — but I never went for an official visit. I didn’t want to go out of state for school. What are your goals for this year? I’d like to help my team win a Big 12 Championship and ultimately a national championship, but it starts with the Big 12. We’re working on that this season.

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GOING WITH THE FLOW: Although Ryan Dohner was surprised by the coaching changes, he’s remained focus on his senior season.

C R O S S C OU N T RY

Change Management A MAJOR OVERHAUL IN THE OFFSEASON GAVE TEXAS CROSS COUNTRY A NEW COACH AND NEW OPPORTUNITY. BY CARLO BLIGH

OR THE LONGHORN cross country

team, the summer is about laying down a solid foundation for the upcoming season. But this past July, a major upheaval took place in the Texas Athletics Department that would rock that very foundation and leave everyone involved wondering what would happen next. Last January, Bev Kearney, the women’s head track coach and winner of six NCAA outdoor track titles, resigned. Then at the conclusion of the 2013 track & field, Bubba Thornton, the men’s head track coach who led the program to 12 conference championships and 19 NCAA top 10 finishes, retired. Faced with the prospect of having to replace two track & field legends at the same time, the University made a bold decision — it combined the women’s and men’s teams into one program for the first time in the school’s history. This move meant that the track & field and cross country programs received their very own head coaches. After hearing the news, the cross country athletes suddenly found themselves with a new set of challenges before the 2013 season even started. The decision removed Steve Sisson from the women’s program and John Hayes from the men’s. With one month remaining before the start of the season, Texas named Clemson’s Brad Herbster as the first head cross country coach of the newly formed combined program.

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Hired well after the incoming class signed to Texas, Herbster understood that he needed to earn the respect of the pre-existing team. “My recruiting was about the upperclassmen,” he said. “The first priority was meeting all the kids, and making sure they were taken care of and had what they needed.” For the seniors, a new coach revived the same uncertainty they faced when they first arrived to the 40 Acres as freshmen. “When you encounter change, there’s uncertainty,” senior Sara Sutherland said. “You build up trust when you talk to one person every day for several years. The change was difficult to process and to understand how to handle things.” The men echoed Sutherland’s statement. “The fact that we lost our last coach was the hardest part. None of us expected that since we’ve been doing well,” senior Ryan Dohner said, whose shock was understandable given that the men’s squad finished ninth at the 2012 NCAA National Championships at the end of the 2012 season. Hayes was awarded the NCAA South Central Region Coach of the Year title shortly after the meet. But despite the initial shake up, the foundation of Longhorn cross country is stronger than ever. The buildup of this season will likely yield a final product that Texas fans have never seen before.

“The conference championship is no longer our end goal,” junior Craig Lutz described. “The direction under Sategna and Herbster is that the conference championship is the new expectation and national championships are our aim.” As the associate head cross country coach of the combined program at Clemson for the last four years, Herbster was well suited to take on the challenge of steering the program in the right direction. And as a native Texan, returning to his home state is the perfect place to hunt down a championship. “Brad’s enthusiasm for Texas is refreshing,” Sutherland explained. “The amount of pride he has for Texas is contagious.” Herbster’s excitement took a hold of the program’s core early on and spread throughout the team rapidly. As Dohner stated, “It’s a fresh start to try new things. Everyone has a great attitude going into the season which will be a huge component of our success as a team.” “There will be some changes to the current philosophy, but not much,” Herbster added. “The last thing you want to do is take a successful athlete and suddenly change things up. The men’s side will continue what they’ve been doing. For the women, they’ll definitely see an adjustment in pace. I’m more of a ‘more quality miles and less mileage’ person.”

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FINISHING STRONG: Sarah Sutherland wants to end her senior season on a high note — with an All-American title.

Cross country is often perceived on the outside as an individual sport, and while that may be true, each meet is a team competition. And from a coach’s perspective, a successful team requires not one, but at least five runners racing together towards a common goal. Of all the new aspects that Herbster brought with him, one idea has transcended above all others for his athletes: family. “From the outside we may have looked like a close group, but compared to other teams we weren’t spending time together,” Lutz reflected. In Herbster’s short time at Texas, the new sense of unity is changing the whole experience for both teams, though each runner has a different way of describing the shift. “We’re rooting for more than just our own team, now that we’re with the guys’ team,” senior Marielle Hall said. “It’s exciting to be able to see their progress and to receive support from more people out there.” Sutherland also appreciates the vast difference in the amount of encouragement each runner receives in the new system. “It’s something special. I don’t know about the guys, but I love it. Nobody can encourage and challenge you like your own Texas family.” The men agree. For Dohner, “it’s fun having the girls around. We’re looser and more relaxed, and we feel more like a family now.” “When you’re in the last 1,000 meters of a race and dying, the first thing you want to see by your side is your teammate,” Lutz elaborated. “You don’t hear the people cheering for you while your mind is shutting down. You just want to see that burnt orange next to you.” As far as families go, the Longhorns have more talent in their ranks than most. While

each squad held impressive statistics on their own, they’re much more formidable as a single unit. Lutz was the first of the group to be named an All-American when he was awarded

the title his freshman year. In 2012, both Ryan Dohner and Marielle Hall received All-American titles after standout performances at the National Championships (Dohner finished 19th and Hall placed 23rd). “Now that I’ve accomplished it I can look forward to other goals,” Hall said of her AllAmerican status. “I can focus on training without that hanging over my head. It’s hard to have similar success after something like that, but I’m more prepared and confident.” Sutherland has two All-American titles for the 5,000 meter run in track & field, but has yet to achieve the same honor in cross country. “All American has evaded me all along now. I’ve wanted it since I was a freshman,” she stated. Over the last two seasons, both programs were considered young. This year, however, the teams are dependent on their upperclassmen in order to make a run for the national titles. On the women’s side the responsibility may fall onto a quartet of seniors comprised of Hall and Sutherland, who each led the team for three meets a piece last season. Rounding out the group is Megan Siebert, an All Big 12 runner, and Brittany Marches, who holds the school record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase. While the team finished 25th at the championship meet last season, Herbster and the athletes know they’re capable of more. “The women’s side is a top-20 team on CONTINUED ON PAGE 47

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any given day. I’m excited to see what they can do at the National Championships this season,” Herbster said. “Marielle is a hard worker and a great team leader. Sara is the most vocal when it comes to leadership. They are both great leaders, academically and athletically.” For Sutherland, how the team performs at the National Championships may boil down to team mentality. “We need to collectively have the mindset that we belong at the meet.” On the men’s side, the team struggled with putting together its talent into a winning formula. At times, the Longhorns constantly rotated the race leaders with those hampered by injury. Yet, despite the lack in consistency, their depth boosted the team to a ninth place finish at the National Championships. In order to build on that finish, the men are aware of what they need to do this season — have everyone race well on the same day. This is especially true for Dohner and Lutz, who haven’t had much luck with this in the past. The two took turns putting in All-American races at the last two national meets. “We’re closer now than we’ve ever been before,” Lutz stated. “We got along but [Dohner and I] have two different personalities that didn’t mesh. It carried over to the field and we never

raced well on the same day. We need to do that to achieve what we want.” Herbster’s philosophy will be the key to any further improvements in the team’s ranking this season. While it’s difficult for a team to crack the top ten nationally, to continue to improve once you’re in that exclusive club takes something special. “Success at the national championships means building the team dynamic where all the guys will fight together to win,” Herbster explained. His two All-Americans have taken this to heart in their new attitudes, and the hope is that other upperclassmen like Austin Roth, Mark Pinales, Will Nation and Blake Williams capitalize on the their potential as well. Nobody is more anxious than the athletes to see what they’re capable of this season. Rather than buckle under the pressure from competing under a new coach and team philosophy, the athletes have a new sense of empowerment and have set lofty goals. Lutz wants to return to his All-American ways and make a trip to the podium. Dohner would like to become the fastest American in the nation, Hall has her sights set on a top-10 finish at the national meet, and Sutherland plans to capture that elusive All-American title. For everybody involved in the program, the team national championship title is the first priority. “We want to race for Texas,” Dohner said, “and do the best we can in burnt orange.”

Horns Illustrated (ISSN 1096-2573), Volume 20, Number 7. Copyright © 2013 by Texan Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Published nine times a year (monthly in January, February, March/ April, May, June, July, October, November and December) in the United States by Horns Illustrated, 1505 Ridgecrest, Austin, TX 78746. Subscription inquiries: Send new or renewal notices or change of address (send both old and new addresses) to Horns Illustrated, P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Allow 6-8 weeks for change of address. Subscription problems: Call 855-246-7677. Subscription costs: U.S. and its possessions, one-year basic rate, $49.95. Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, Texas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER – send address changes to Horns Illustrated - P.O. Box 50069, Austin, TX 78763. Tel. (512) 626-8513. Publisher disclaims all responsibility to return unsolicited editorial matter, and all rights in portions published vest in publisher. Letters to Horns Illustrated magazine or its editors are assumed intended for publication in whole or in part without permission from the writer. Any similarity between persons or places mentioned in the fiction or semi-fiction and real places or persons living or dead is coincidental. Single copies: $4.95 in U.S.

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FINAL SCORE

In preparation for each of its home games, the Texas football team follows the same routine as most schools. The Longhorns review their plays and discuss game day strategies with their coaches. They eat well and rest. But Texas’ game day preparation includes one unique, and very honorable factor — the Friday before every home game, the team visits the Dell Children’s Medical Center of Central Texas. This year is no exception, as a group of players came together and visited the center’s young patients before the New Mexico State game. David Ash, Jackson Jeffcoat, Jordan Hicks and others signed autographs and took photos with the children and their families. The players also took time to play a few games and show the younger kids how to form the Hook ‘Em sign.

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JIM SIGMON/UNIV. OF TEXAS

A Source of Inspiration