 "Photo: Andrew Rohers")
Editor’s note: Longhorn football beat writer David R. Henry addresses more of your questions in the second segment of Longhorn football Q&A. If you have questions about the 2008 Longhorns, please e-mail them to sports@dailytexanonline.com.
Q: Why is the A&M game on Thanksgiving this year? When was the last time Texas played a game on Thanksgiving?
A: Both athletic directors wanted to see if it could be moved, and the Big 12 and ESPN agreed to it. It will be on Thanksgiving this year and the next.
“I think both schools really enjoyed that Thursday night game, from the feedback I’ve had across Texas,” A&M athletic director Bill Byrne told The Dallas Morning News. “That was a game people looked forward to.”
Now, instead of being one of the many games on Friday, this will be the game on Thanksgiving night, which will bring a lot more exposure. That’s advantageous for both programs.
The last time Texas played on Thanksgiving was Nov. 23, 1995 against Baylor in Austin. Just to show how much the times have changed, the attendance for that game was 58,947. The last time Texas played A&M on Thanksgiving in 1993 in College Station. Texas lost 18-9.
Q: How come Sherrod Harris never plays? If Colt gets hurt, will Harris or Chiles get most of the snaps?
A: The coaches want Chiles getting the reps and the game experience as the second-team quarterback. That to them is more important than getting Harris playing time. If something happens to Colt (knock on wood), Greg Davis said Chiles will be the guy. Harris will be his backup. The coaches believe Chiles throws the ball as well as Harris and is a better runner. Chiles is not practicing at receiver anymore, so that indicates he is firmly entrenched as the No. 2 quarterback.
Q: If Oklahoma beats Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, will they pass us in the BCS?
A: That is the million-dollar question. Wins over Tech and Oklahoma State will certainly bolster Oklahoma’s strength of schedule.
However, Texas’ argument is that they beat Oklahoma on a neutral field and lost to Tech on the road, while Oklahoma will have gotten their win over Tech at home. If Texas stays ahead of Oklahoma in the coaches’ poll, they will be in good shape as far as the BCS is concerned. If the coaches move Oklahoma up, it could get very interesting. It’s anyone’s guess right now. In my opinion, the best scenario would be for Tech to beat Oklahoma to advance to the Big 12 championship game and lose to Missouri there.
Q: Why is Jordan Shipley not a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award?
A: Great question! He has more receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns than four of the finalists. There was no availability today, so I didn’t get to ask Greg or Mack. But there are probably two reasons. For starters, he was not on the watch list for the award before the season. Teammate Quan Cosby was, and Cosby is a finalist. Also, six of the 10 finalists are from the Big 12, so they probably didn’t want to have 70 percent of the finalists from one conference. Anybody want to start a protest rally outside of DKR?
Q: It seems like Deon Beasley always struggles in single coverage. Why does he struggle in those situations?
A: That’s not fair to say. He probably only gets noticed when he gets beat. He made a great play on Dezmon Briscoe against Kansas on the fourth-down play in the third quarter, and the ball got tipped to Briscoe. Also, Chykie Brown’s injury has put him in some unfavorable mismatches. He’s had to cover a lot of guys much bigger than himself. For example, he got called for pass interference while defending Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew in single coverage. Pettigrew is 6-feet-6-inches tall, and Beasley is 5-feet-10-inches tall. What do you expect? They need Curtis Brown to play like he did against Oklahoma State and for Chykie Brown to get back to full strength. That way they can have those guys going up against the tall, physical receivers.
Q: Without Jermichael Finley and Blaine Irby, why do we still use a tight end?
A: The tight ends are used for blocking, so Texas can stay in their 11-personnel, which offensive coordinator Greg Davis is more comfortable with. They aren’t used very often as receivers, and when they are used, it doesn’t look pretty. One disadvantage is that the tight end brings an extra defender into the box to stop the run, and Texas can’t really exploit that and throw to the tight end because of their lack of receiving ability. With the emergence of Brandon Collins and Malcolm Williams at receiver, it would make sense that you see less tight end. Whether you do is up to the coaching staff.
