Hook 'Em! BYU @ Texas Longhorns

[byu71]

Has anyone pulled the trigger on ticket purchases? I'm seeing brokers offering tickets between the 30s (Secs. 104-106), but presumably near the top, at prices between $120 and $150. Uncertain if oxygen canisters are included. I'm thinking of taking the plunge and ending the uncertainty, but am open to suggestions.

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking. Does anyone know where the BYU seats are and are they OK, bad or really bad.

[Babs]

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking. Does anyone know where the BYU seats are and are they OK, bad or really bad.

endzone corner. Does that qualify as bad or really bad?

[byu71]

endzone corner. Does that qualify as bad or really bad?

Bad, really bad in my opinion would be low in the end zone.

Tough decision. Can take one of my boys and go.

Can take all my kids and grandkids to the condo's in St. George. Golf and go over to my brothers and wach the game on his big screen. I am getting sentimental and want to spend times like that with the kids and grandkids.

Of course I guess I could foot the bill and take the sons and grandsons. I do have one granddaughter that probably rather go than the boys. I would want good seats though if I did that.

If I knew I could collect SS some day, I could afford it.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I hope you don't mind me piggybacking. Does anyone know where the BYU seats are and are they OK, bad or really bad.

Wouldn't mind a bit, in part because Mrs. PAC's skills as a bodyguard are not what they once were, and I'm always looking for protection.

I'm going to wait a bit before putting down the cash. I have a friend in Austin who's supposed to get back to me later this week with possibilities. I'll be happy to share.

[byu71]

Wouldn't mind a bit, in part because Mrs. PAC's skills as a bodyguard are not what they once were, and I'm always looking for protection.

I'm going to wait a bit before putting down the cash. I have a friend in Austin who's supposed to get back to me later this week with possibilities. I'll be happy to share.

Thanks, keep me informed. I am on the fence.

[CJF]

Wouldn't mind a bit, in part because Mrs. PAC's skills as a bodyguard are not what they once were, and I'm always looking for protection.

I'm going to wait a bit before putting down the cash. I have a friend in Austin who's supposed to get back to me later this week with possibilities. I'll be happy to share.

Buy me a ticket next to you and go for the good seats.

[Shaka]

It's looking like if I go I will be going alone. If there is a possibility of several seats together I'd love to go in on them with any of you. My range may top out at a couple hundred bucks although I'd consider spending more for the right seats.

[Uncle Ted]

No visit to Austin is complete without a visit to the Salt Lick. Order the all-you-can eat special, but tell them to bring you nothing but brisket after the first round. Choose moist over lean.

Uncle Ted and family were down in the Austin area this last week and stopped in at the Salt Lick in Round Rock for lunch since we hadn't been that that location before. Here are some pictures from the visit.

Moist chopped brisket sandwich with the sides...



Pulled pork sandwich with slaw...



Dinner menu...

[Uncle Ted]

The UT boards are starting to light up about BYU... Here is a sampling of some of the better posts (from OBs):

They have a solid Oline. One that will test our Dlineman. There C Terrence Brown will probably be the best C we face all year. Watching how Randall does against him will be a fun battle to watch.

I really like there young QB Jake Heaps. He had so much pressure on him and probably the highest recruited QB since Drew Olsen back in 01. He has some steady WR options including SLC [SouthLake Carroll] product McKay Jacobsen. We should also see former horn commit Ross Apo play a lot against us. They have a solid LB Corp and some decent DB's but nobody on their defense really stands out. DiLuigi(sp?) is a good little RB for them.

I'm chalking Rice up as a W. But BYU is a huge question mark to me. It seems like they have a good OL, a talented QB and some good RBs. Should be a good match up of strengths, OL/RB vs our DL/LB.

They do play at Ole Miss before us so they should be more battle tested.

I think this is a huge game for us. A W at home to start of 2-0 will send us to Cali vs UCLA with a bit of swagger. A home loss could really affect the confidence of this young team and send us to Cali with some doubt and possibly another loss.

I think this is a huge game for us and it's not being talked about as much

There’s an old adage that when a team is struggling, you can’t fire the players so you start firing coaches, but BYU’s change in attitude came from out of left field and might have been a preemptive strike that should work.

Even with a disastrous start losing four of the first five games and five of the first seven, head coach Bronco Mendenhall was under no pressure whatsoever. After starting out his coaching career going 45-15 and with the glory starting to be restored, there was no hot seat to worry about in what everyone knew was a rebuilding and reloading season, but that didn’t matter.

Forget that the Cougars were forced to break in a true freshman, but supremely talented, quarterback in Jake Heaps, and forget that the offense lost two superior tight ends in Dennis Pitta and Andrew George, and forget that the offensive line wasn’t quite jelling. Also forget that the defense had a hard time finding a groove against strong offenses like Air Force, Florida State, Nevada, and TCU, and forget that everything was going to be fine over the second half of the year when the schedule got nice and breezy. Mendenhall didn’t like the team’s attitude, and he came out and said he didn’t like the “energy,” so over the course of a few months he started to change things up.

Out went defensive coordinator Jaime Hill and in came Mendenhall himself to fire up the D. Out went offensive coordinator Robert Anae to Arizona, and in this January came former BYU star quarterback Brandon Doman to run the attack. Mendenhall also brought in a slew of new assistants like Joe DuPaix to handle the running backs and former defensive star Kelly Poppinga to deal with the linebackers, and now the program is full of new ideas, new energy, and new talents just in time for the big move.

BYU becoming an independent didn’t exactly send Nebraska-to-the-Big Ten shockwaves through the college football world, but it did provoke a slew of head scratches. For a variety of reasons, from certain research and educational factors to the religious aspect, BYU wasn’t going to be invited into the Pac-12. When that became apparent and Utah got the call to go into the big leagues, BYU had to do something major (but, as rumor has it, there was no interest in the Big East). However, instead of becoming an anchor and a big fish for a Mountain West that appeared to be just this close to becoming a BCS-level conference, with Boise State coming in and with TCU, before later signing on with the Big East, BYU bailed and went on its own as an independent. It’s early, but the desired effect appears to be achieved.

It’s becoming a big deal that BYU is scheduling several big games down the road, and it gets to pick and choose its dates to create a nice slate tailored around becoming a bigger national player, but more than anything else, it all comes down to the team’s play.

After the struggles of last year, everything now appears to be in place to come up with a huge season. Heaps has matured, and now the nation’s No. 1 recruit of 2010 knows what he’s doing, and he has a loaded offense to work with highlighted by a tremendous line and a deep group of skill players. Under the eye of Doman, the offense started to click this offseason, and after a fantastic second half of last season, expect the explosion to come.

The defense that wasn’t up-to-snuff last year against the better offenses might not be a killer, but it’s full of veterans and has the depth needed to keep a rotation going at every position. The front three gets tackle Romney Fuga back from a knee injury, safety Daniel Sorensen appears ready to have a special season after coming back from a church mission, and the linebacking corps has playmakers across the board. Add the good special teams and strong kicking game, and BYU appears ready to be BYU again.

Some of the previously great BYU teams were mirages, with pumped up great records and big stats with one or two strong wins to hang their hat on. This team is different. It’s deep, it’s talented, and it could be very, very good. If it can come up with road wins at Ole Miss and Texas to start the season, this whole independent thing might not be so bad after all.

What to watch for on offense: The offensive line. Led by All-American Matt Reynolds, the line was fine last season. Right tackle Brandon Brown and center Terence Brown earned all-star honors, and guard Braden Hansen wasn’t far off, but it struggled a bit early on and found its stride over the second half of the year. Now, assuming the right guard situation sorts itself out, the line should be a rock. That means that sophomore QB Jake Heaps should get two days to work, and the quick, talented slew of running backs should be able to crank out big yards on a regular basis. Of course, that means that offense should blow up like Cougar fans are used to.

What to watch for on defense: The front three to be impenetrable on the inside. The pass rush will likely come from outside linebackers Brandon Ogletree and Jameson Frazier, and the secondary will do its part to get into the backfield from time to time, but it’ll all revolve around a big, deep front three. Ends Matt Putnam and Eathyn Manumaleuna are built for the 3-4, and the return of Romney Fuga from a knee injury should be a huge boost for the run defense. The back eight might not be full of big talents, but everyone will fly around because the line will do its job.

The team will be far better if … the running game works. Conveniently, the offense worked against the weak and the sad on the schedule, with all due respect to Washington in the opener, and it died against the better teams. Yeah, hanging up 144 points in three weeks against UNLV, Colorado State, and New Mexico looks splashy, but being held to 16 points against Utah, three against TCU, and a total of 37 points against Air Force, Florida State, and Nevada was more indicative of the offense. The addition of Brandon Doman should help the cause, and it’ll help if he can get the ground game going. BYU shocked San Diego State 24-21 after running for 271 yards and three scores, and went 6-1 on the season when running for 200 yards or more. In the seven wins, BYU ran for 16 touchdowns, and ran for just seven in the six losses.

The schedule: The new independent slate is certainly interesting. The key will be to get off to a hot start, being tested at Ole Miss and Texas before the rivalry date against Utah that normally comes late in the year. Dealing with Conference USA power UCF won’t be a layup, but if the Cougars are good enough to beat Texas, they’ll be able to handle the Knights. There are some landmines over the second half of the year with a trip to Oregon State and a date against TCU in Arlington, but there are enough layups against the San Jose States and New Mexico States of the world to get by. BYU will go bowling, but closing out the regular season at Hawaii is a nice bonus for the players.

Best offensive player: Senior OT Matt Reynolds. A star for the Cougar line for years, he’s among the nation’s best all-around collegiate blockers. The 6-6, 322-pounder will play at the next level, but he doesn’t have the feet to be a pro left tackle and will make his money on the right side or at guard, but for now, he’ll keep Jake Heaps upright and clean. As good as Reynolds is, the goal and the hope will be for Heaps to be the team’s signature star early on. That’ll happen if and when Reynolds does his job as expected.

Best defensive player: Junior DT Romney Fuga. It’s a positive that BYU doesn’t have any one defensive player who stands out. Players like linebackers Brandon Ogletree and Jordan Pendleton, rising safety Daniel Sorensen, and any one of a number of other players could turn out to be the team’s top defensive star, but it’s Fuga who should be the key piece of the puzzle. The 6-2, 307-pound rock of a nose tackle is strong, quick, and able to be the one the entire defense works around.

Key player to a successful season: Sophomore QB Jake Heaps. There’s experience and depth on defense, the offensive line should be great, and there are enough good skill players to make the offense explode. Now Heaps has to live up to the billing. Considered by many to be the nation’s top recruit last year, or at the very least the top quarterback, he’s not all that big and he doesn’t have a cannon, but he could be a perfect fit for the Brandon Doman offense. He’ll dink and dunk teams to death, and if he can make a jump up in his play, which he appears ready to do after a strong offseason, the season has the potential to be special.

The season will be a success if … BYU wins ten games. Beating TCU in Arlington will be tough, and it’s asking a lot to beat Texas on the road, but every other game is winnable for a veteran team like this. A 9-3 regular season and a bowl win isn’t too much to ask for, but several key parts of the equation have to improve after an inconsistent 2010.

Key game: Sept. 3 at Ole Miss. A few losses are expected and acceptable, but one can’t come right out of the shoot. Going independent should bring BYU a little more national notoriety because now it can play a truly national schedule, and it’ll make the program a boatload of money. However, this only really works if the wins come, and if the Cougars lose the season opener against Ole Miss, it’ll take wins over Texas, Utah, and later Oregon State and TCU to get on the national map. Beat an SEC

[Babs]

So long as we're posting from the Texas boards, here's a sampling from last year's descent into madness. The farther down, the farther into the season. This stuff totally cracks me up.

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[Longhorns win against Rice, Wyoming, and Texas Tech.]

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After 3 games and playing two craptastic teams and one decent one. We are #72 in total offense according to NCAA stats. That is not acceptable given the talent of our team.

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This is Texas. This is unacceptable.

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8-4 sounds about right for the season. Flip a coin to see if we win the bowl game.

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We're not that bad, are we?

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We are really, really bad on offense.

[Texas loses to UCLA.]

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Why are other teams so much smarter than ours? Its frustrating!

[Texas loses to Oklahoma.]

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I wouldn't be so sure that a bowl is in the cards for us this year. Baylor totally pantsed Kansas today, and I'm not sure we're that much better than Kansas right now. Unless things improve in a hurry, I think we go down to Nebraska, K-State, Okie Lite, aggy, and as much as I hate to say it - Baylor.

[Texas loses to Iowa State.]

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This may be the year that the mighty Baylor Bears prevail over the Horns.

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We are what we look like--not a very good team, coached by a not very good staff.

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A thousand dollars to anyone that can name whatever it is kind of offensive scheme/[censored] we're trying to execute...

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I am completely befuddled. But probably less so than our coaching staff, though.

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Now, now guys. Our plays weren't all sideways.
A few were backwards.

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Will we beat Baylor? We'll play down to anyone's level. Will we beat Florida Atlantic?

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Oklahoma State is going to donkey rape us.

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I can't believe I'm praying for 7-5.

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This team couldn't even beat off successfully.

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For the Baylor game I'm gonna start sniffing airplane glue and hope I pass out before kickoff.

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What the apologists in this thread and on this board don't want to admit is that this year's team sucks in large part because of the coaching staff.

[Texas loses to Baylor.]

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**** you Mack Brown. **** you and your clapping. **** you and your ****ty game preparation. **** you and your inability to motivate. **** you and your loyalty to ****ty coaches. **** you and your loyalty to players that aren't the best we can field. **** you and your puckering *******. **** you and your thin skin.

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Hey, Mack. I was ****ing booing you. You arrogant ***!

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With all the resources we have, texas should reload and not get beat physically, emotionally and spiritually on the field to ****ing iowa ****ing state ...****, come on, their budget is 25% of ours and their recruiting is far worse. come on with the bull**** excuses. **** you bunch of pussies

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Again, how many tanked football seasons and loses to unranked opponents at home does the Colt and VY era buy us? We should accept mediocre football and ****ty loses because of two good QB's from the past?

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The more Mack says the more I wish he would step down.

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No, Mack. We're not rebuilding. Rebuilding is when you lose to OU or NU. You don't lose to UCLA and ISU. You certainly don't lose those games at home.

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Baylor and A&M are ahead of us in the Big XII standings. Think about that for a while.

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Since it seems nobody on this teams three deep seems willing to earn their ****ing scholarships, I think Mack should just bench all of the sons a bitches and play a squad of walk-ons. ****. This team is a ****ING JOKE!!!

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This team doesn't deserve to wear the Texas uniform. The coaches also don't deserve to wear the colors or logo.

Bevo shouldn't have to watch this ****.

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There is simply no excuse for potentially going 4-8 with the resources and talent that we have here at Texas.

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It's not that bad. We might go 5-7.

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Is mike leach still available?

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1) UCLA = Denial
2) OU = Anger
3) Iowa St = Grief
4) Baylor = Acceptance

[Texas loses to Kansas State.]

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We're losing 31-0 to a team that has completed 1 pass for 4 passing yards.

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I said it earlier in the week, and I'll say it again. I want Mack Brown's *** fired TONIGHT!!! Do not even let him address the team after the game. I spent too much money on all my Texas gear before this season started to take this much ridicule from the people around me. Get his *** off my sideline!!!

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Mike Gundy is a Man, and he's going to run 40 inches of Cowpoke **** right up our pucker.

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This ****ing god damned team was in the MNC game just TEN months ago, and now they look like a ****ing junior college team.

WE NEARLY GOT SHUT OUT BY THE 104TH RATED DEFENSE IN THE NATION.

Fire EVERYBODY on the offense staff. Burn the ****ing thing down and start from scratch. I wouldn't mind keeping Major on to be QB coach, but that's it. And if Mack wants to fire him too to make a point, so be it.

**** THIS ****ING TEAM.

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Everyone on this team can go **** themselves in the *** and die of AIDS

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I think this team hates themselves. There is NO ****ING WAY that all this talent should be losing to colleges that hold juco talent like K-state and Iowa-State. How the **** can anyone excuse this ****. The talent should be able to beat somebody. **** FOOTBALL, and **** LIFE. This is the most dissapointing team to ever be held on the 40 Acres.

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We are DEAD LAST IN THE SOUTH. The worst ****ing team in the South Division. Dead *** last. This is really happening.

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Kansas State showed some class and not trying to run it up. They got their backups some work against us with 12 minutes left on the clock. This is real.

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Someone needs to get the ****ing guillotine on Monday.

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We seriously may lose to Florida Atlantic.

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Just wait until the Monday press conference in 2 weeks when Mack has to explain to us how good of a football team FAU is. That way none of us get too upset when it's a close game or we lose, because they're a good team and all.

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Every week I think we've reached a new low, and then we find a way to go deeper. Tonight was damn near a shutout butt****, if not for the fact that they put in their 2nd and 3rd string defense in garbage time.

Someone needs to get axed over this.

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Just when I think we've hit rock bottom.

[Texas loses to Oklahoma State.]

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Does this mother****er take any accountability? Man up and say, I ****ed up. I need to quit ****ing up and letting down my team.

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Right now, I think I'm more pissed at the poster on here that had a chance to run over Greg Davis last week and didn't.

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How is anyone defending Mack after this abortion. We have lost any momentum we gained the past 5 years. We can't even beat Iowa State/Baylor/K-state with the 5 star recruits we cherry pick. **** THIS ENTIRE COACHING STAFF!!!

[Texas loses to A&M.]

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People I know that hate Texas were actually sending me messages about how bad they felt for us. That's when you reach a whole new level of pissed-tivity. We're that sad kid who keep wetting the bed.

[Jeff Lebowski]

So long as we're posting from the Texas boards, here's a sampling from last year's descent into madness. The farther down, the farther into the season. This stuff totally cracks me up.

Get your yucks in now, smarty pants, because it won't happen this year!!!

[Uncle Ted]

Get your yucks in now, smarty pants, because it won't happen this year!!!

I think it is time again to watch the last BYU vs. OU game on BYUtv.org.

[YOUTUBE]eEsqTn2xUoY[/YOUTUBE]

[Babs]

I think it is time again to watch the last BYU vs. OU game on BYUtv.org.

What, you mean the Longhorn Network isn't showing last year's Red River Shootout?

[Uncle Ted]

What, you mean the Longhorn Network isn't showing last year's Red River Shootout?

Nope, they are showing the 2009 game as well.

[Paperback Writer]

So long as we're posting from the Texas boards, here's a sampling from last year's descent into madness. The farther down, the farther into the season. This stuff totally cracks me up.

Thanks for the laugh (and for not posting any Longhorn comments after the Nebraska game). Enjoy it while it lasts though. I remember reading similar comments about the Sooners in 1996-97. Actually began to feel sorry for the Sooners and how the mighty had fallen. That all changed in the 2Q during the Nebraska-OU game in 2000. College football is cyclical and 35-year bowl streaks can come to an end. The Longhorns will be back sooner (pun intended) rather than later.