Defender reinstated to team

It almost brought him to tears, but a soft-spoken Lamarr Houston addressed the media Monday afternoon, eight days after being arrested for driving while intoxicated.
Over the course of the week, Houston apologized to teammates, fans and his 9-year-old nephew.

The defensive tackle was arrested for failing a sobriety test given to him after a two-car accident downtown early last Sunday morning. Head coach Mack Brown suspended him for one game but has cleared him to play this weekend against
Arkansas.

Houston’s one-game suspension was lighter than the three-game penalty Brown handed out to linebacker Sergio Kindle and defensive end Henry Melton last year for the same offense.

“We do it all individually, and that’s the truth,” Brown said.

Brown said he considered how a suspension affects a player, the teammates and the community. He offered no specific reason for Houston’s softer penalty.

“It’s like being a parent; you want to do what’s fair,” he said. “I don’t want to have rules that put me in a corner where I can’t do what’s best for that kid.”

Houston apologized to the team in a meeting the night of his arrest. He had worked with Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in the past, which he said made him even more remorseful.

“I made a mistake that has taken people’s lives,” Houston said. “The fact that I was selfish enough to make a mistake like that really affected me emotionally.”

Houston almost cried when talking about his family, especially his 9-year-old nephew.
“He’s always looking at the computer at all these things and for me to apologize to him was the toughest thing I’ve done,” Houston said.

Linebackers top tackle sheet
All is right in the world of Texas’ defensive statistics. Finally, a safety doesn’t lead the team in tackles.

Linebacker Roddrick Muckleroy has that distinction.

After the UT-El Paso game, Muckleroy finished with 20 total tackles, followed by safety Earl Thomas with 11.

Last season, three defensive backs led the team in tackles. That was more a testament to the team’s lousy pass defense, which ranked 109th out of 119 teams in the NCAA and gave up 277.77 yards per game.

Things seem to be getting better so far.

“It’s not good when your secondary is leading your team in tackles,” linebacker Sergio Kindle said. “That means the ball is getting past the linebackers and the defensive line as the first and second lines of defense. When that happens, something’s not going right.”

Mack Brown criticizes call
Texas coach Mack Brown watched highlights of BYU’s 28-27 win on SportsCenter Sunday night and thought that the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that ended the game was too harsh.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker scored a touchdown with two seconds left and flung the ball in the air in celebration. The Huskies received a 15-yard penalty on the extra point. BYU blocked the kick, ensuring a win.

“I was on the committee in 1995 that addressed excessive celebration, and it was really about taunting,” Brown said. “It was about excessive celebration to bring attention to an individual player, not a team.”

Technically, the official made the right call.

“I don’t want to see us take excitement for fans or kids out of the game,” Brown said. “The official did what he was told to do, but I would like to see some judgment in the rule. If he sticks the ball in a player’s face, or taunts — that’s a penalty. But this is show business, like it or not.”