The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team (variously "Texas" or "UT" or the "Horns") represented The University of Texas at Austin in the college football season of 2007–2008. The team was coached by head football coach Mack Brown, who received the 2005 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award for "Coach of the Year". The Longhorns play their home games in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (DKR), which during 2006–2008 is undergoing some renovations to improve older sections as well as to add extra seating capacity.

The Longhorns enjoyed considerable success in the years before the 2007 season. The 2004 team had the first Bowl Championship Series win for any Texas team and the 2005 team won the National Championship (the fourth for the UT football program). The 2006 team finished with 10 wins, 3 losses, including a victory in the 2006 Alamo Bowl. They received a final-ranking of 13th in the nation by both the Associated Press AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll The Longhorns entered the 2007 season ranked third in the all-time list of both total wins and winning percentage. A 2007 pre-season ranking by ESPN writer Mark Schlabach had the Longhorns ranked eighth, while College Football News had Texas ranked third. The Longhorns came into the season ranked fourth in both the Coaches Poll and AP Poll.

The team had a turbulent summer leading into the season; five players were disciplined for legal infractions, another was suspended for NCAA rule violations, and a coach had to undergo surgery for cancer. Additional player suspensions happened during the season.

The Longhorns faced three opponents they had never faced previously. Their opening game was UT's first contest against Arkansas State University and the team narrowly achieved a victory. For their first road game of the season, the Longhorns were the first opponent for the University of Central Florida (UCF) Knights in their new stadium. Games against Texas Christian University (TCU) and Oklahoma (OU) were anticipated as ranking in the top 20 games to watch during the season.The 2007 Longhorns take the field on opening day against Arkansas State.

The Longhorns concluded their season by winning the 2007 Holiday Bowl against the Arizona State Sun Devils, another first-time opponent for Texas. They were ranked tenth in the final AP poll and in the USA Today coaches poll.

Leading into the 2007 season

Construction workers demolished the old north end of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium after the final home-game of 2006.

The 2006 team had 9 wins and 1 loss through November 4, 2006 but starting quarterback Colt McCoy was injured in the 11th game and Texas lost the final two regular season games in 2006 -- including a 12-7 home loss to division rivals Texas A&M. This took the team out of contention for the conference championship, as well as the national championship.

Between the regular season and the bowl season, back-up quarterback Jevan Snead elected to transfer to another school, and Longhorn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik accepted the head-coaching job at Iowa State University.

The 2006 Longhorns ended up accepting a bowl invitation to the Alamo Bowl against the unranked University of Iowa Hawkeyes, who had finished in eighth place in the Big Ten Conference. Colt McCoy, who was able to play for the Horns, led Texas through a back-and-forth affair to a 26–24 win. The attendance for the 2006 Alamo Bowl was 65,875, which established a new record for the most people to gather in San Antonio to view a sporting event. The Longhorns finished the season with a record of 10 wins to 3 losses and received a final-ranking of 13th in the nation by both the Associated Press AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll

Texas entered the 2007 season ranked third in the all-time list of both total wins and winning percentage. They were ranked in the Top 10 by numerous pre-season polls. For instance, a pre-season ranking by ESPN writer Mark Schlabach had the Longhorns ranked eighth; Rivals.com ranked them ninth; College Football News and Real Football 365 both ranked Texas third. The Longhorns came into the season ranked fourth in both the Coaches Poll and AP Poll.

Facilities and equipment

The lower deck of the new north end zone was ready for 2007.

Following the final home game of 2006, construction workers demolished the north end of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. This section was rebuilt to make the lowest seats closer to the field while adding luxury boxes and an upper-deck. The lower deck was ready for 2007, while the upper deck is planned to be ready for 2008. The modifications put the north end-zone seats thirty yards closer to the field of play. This results in several game day changes, such as Smokey the Cannon moving to the south end-zone near Bevo. UT worked with Bluetooth SIG to deploy Bluetooth kiosks throughout the stadium. These kiosks broadcast free game-day information to Bluetooth-enabled cell-phones in the stands.

The Longhorn football helmets for 2007 featured a decal of a Texas bluebonnet. The flower was chosen to honor President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson and the Johnson family. Brown said that President Johnson used to enjoy discussing football with former UT coach Darrell K. Royal, while the first lady was known for her conservation efforts, particularly the spread of native wildflowers.

For the second straight year, UT merchandise products were the top-selling products among clients of Collegiate Licensing Company.

Practices and pre-season injuries

The Godzillatron scoreboard at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, home of the Longhorns, with the Austin skyline in the background (2006).

The Longhorns played their 2007 Spring Jamboree Scrimmage on March 31, 2007. The Longhorns reported for fall practice on 5 August 2007. A public scrimmage scheduled for August 18, 2007 was canceled due to safety concerns related to the weather and to ongoing stadium construction. With rain expected over the weekend and no working pumps to help remove water from the field, Brown elected to hold a closed practice indoors instead. Coach Brown said he would announce the team's two-deep line-up on August 27, 2007.

During fall practices receivers Limas Sweed, Billy Pittman, and Jordan Shipley received injuries. Sweed suffered a sprain to his left wrist on August 15, 2007. Pittman sprained his left shoulder during practice on August 17, 2007. Head UT trainer Kenny Boyd said, "We will continue to evaluate him and monitor his progress in hopes of getting him back in time for the season opener." Jordan Shipley has been limited due to a strained hamstring. The receiver position was considered one of the deepest positions on the team. Veteran players Quan Cosby (Texas' second-leading receiver) and Nate Jones were both reported by coaches to have performed well in training camp. Coach Brown says that he also expects to be able to play three freshman receivers in 2007: Brandon Collins, Malcolm Williams and James Kirkendoll. On August 29, 2006 Brown announced that Sweed was "probable" for the season opening game, but that Shipley was "doubtful".

Coaches

The University of Texas Board of Regents voted unanimously to raise Brown's salary by $300,000. This brings his annual compensation to $2.81 million and keeps him among the five highest paid coaches in the sport. The package also includes up to $3 million in bonuses, including "$100,000 if he wins the Big 12 Championship and $450,000 if he wins this year's national championship, as well as bonuses based on the percent of players who graduate." At the time, Brown's contract was good through the 2016 season and included buy-out clauses should another school attempt to hire Brown.Duane Akina (center), Texas defensive coordinator

Greg Davis was the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach; Davis was in his tenth season at Texas. UT running backs coach Ken Rucker announced in August that he has prostate cancer and that he would have surgery August 27, 2007. He coached until just prior to surgery and hopes to return to the team before the end of the season. Rucker's health concern comes during Brown's most tumultuous off-season since arriving at Texas. Duane Akina was the defensive coordinator, taking the position vacated by Gene Chizik when he left the program. Akina performs his job on the sidelines while Larry Mac Duff provided input from the press box.

Player suspensions

Four Longhorn players were involved in legal issues during the off-season. Defensive end Henry Melton and linebacker Sergio Kindle were both arrested during the summer on charges of driving while intoxicated. Both players will be suspended from the first three games of the season. They will be required to do community service and will also miss the first two days of practice in order to visit with a woman whose son was crippled by a drunk driver.

Freshman defensive tackle Andre (Dre) Jones (who had not yet played for Texas but did join spring practices) and former UT player Robert Joseph were charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon. Jones' high school football career honors included Prep All-American, three-time all-state selection, first-team All-American by Parade Magazine, and Texas 4A Defensive Player of the Year by the Texas Sports Writers Association. Head coach Mack Brown suspended Jones from the team indefinitely. Joseph, a sophomore playing safety, had been suspended from the Longhorn team in June after being arrested on misdemeanor charges of breaking into vehicles, and later announced that he was transferring. In suspending Jones, Brown said “I am extremely disappointed that four of our student-athletes have had issues with the law this summer. That is not reflective of the high standard of class, character and integrity we have established at Texas for many years. It's a shame that these recent events have generated a great deal of negative attention, because I do think that overall, this is as good of a group of kids that I've ever coached. I think that will show over time.”Sergio Kindle (left) signing autographs for children from the Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center in San Antonio.

Brown apologized to the university's administrators, faculty, fans and students for the range of "embarrassing incidents" that occurred over the summer. "It's not what we have worked so hard for 9 ½ years to portray in our program of class, integrity and character," Brown said. "It's something we aren't proud of. But I can also assure you that it's not indicative of who this team really is. We're excited to be able to prove that." He allowed that something positive could come out of the troubles as it provides a learning and motivational opportunity. Brown said, "Our slogan [for the season] will be to 'earn the right,' because some people seem to have taken advantage of being at the University of Texas on a great team without [doing it] the right way. It's my job to make sure that the guys who are playing have earned that right."

On August 31, 2007 the University of Texas suspended Billy Pittman for three games because he accepted the use of a friend's car over the summer. The school's compliance office determined the friend was not a booster or agent and was not connected with the university but that the use of the car violated NCAA amateurism rules. The NCAA signed off on the findings. Pittman said in response to the suspension, "I want to apologize to my coaches, teammates, fans and everyone at the university for making this mistake. I was driving a friend's car and since he didn't have any ties to UT, I didn't think I was doing anything wrong. As soon as the coaches asked me about it this summer, I told them everything." Mack Brown released a statement saying, "I'm disappointed for Billy. I am confident he wouldn't intentionally do anything to be a distraction to our team. We look forward to his return for the Rice game." Pittman had been recovering from a sprained shoulder but had hoped to play in the season opener.

On September 13, 2007 the University of Texas suspended Tyrell Gatewood indefinitely after he was arrested on two drug possession charges. A Travis County sheriff's deputy conducted a traffic stop on Gatewood for "failure to signal within 100 feet before changing lanes. The deputy said the car did use its left-turn signal, but only after it had stopped at the intersection". The deputy searched the car and found less than one-hundredth of an ounce of marijuana, along with two prescription drugs, Xanax and promethazine with codeine. The deputy did not find a prescription for the two-drugs so Gatewood was arrested and charged with two counts of possession of a dangerous drug, a Class A misdemeanor. Longhorn football player Ben Wells was also in the car. Wells was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor, but he was not taken to jail and the team took no disciplinary action against Wells.

On September 17, 2007, James Henry was arrested on third-degree felony charges of "obstruction or retaliation and tampering or fabricating physical evidence." His player biography describes him as a "Physical, athletic second-year player who worked at running back during spring drills [and] gained valuable experience working at safety as a redshirt in 2006". Henry saw some action on special teams during the 2007 season. He was allegedly retaliating on behalf of teammate Robert Joseph, who was arrested over the summer on aggravated robbery charges. The Austin police department recorded a jail-house phone call Joseph made to Henry. Police say Henry told Joseph, “I went over there and whooped all them niggas last night, fool.” Police claim Henry went to the scene of the robbery and told one of the victims, “Bitches deserve to get kicked, so that's what I am going to do!”. The witnesses said that Henry then kicked the victim six or seven times in the head and punched him frequently. Mack Brown issued a statement saying "It's unfortunate that we have just been informed of the situation or we would have been able to address it when it allegedly occurred in July. We've talked with James and his family and have decided to suspend him indefinitely."

The Austin American-Statesman reported that police may have actually been seeking James Henry back in July when they arrested Andre Jones. When Robert Joseph was arrested, police said they were "police are still looking for a black man, described as 6-2 and weighing more than 220 pounds". One week later they arrested Jones, who was 6-foot-5 and 295 pounds. The Austin American-Statesman reported "That discrepancy led to some questions about possible mistaken identity regarding Jones in the days after his arrest. Now it appears that police were looking for Henry, who was listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds." Henry had been questioned and released on the day of the robbery.

After Jones' arrest, University of Texas President William Charles Powers Jr. issued a statement concerning the suspensions and the team discipline. Powers said in part:

I applaud Coach Mack Brown for taking swift action in disciplining a member of his football team. I strongly endorse the penalties he has imposed on this player and others who have been arrested for various offenses. I know Coach Brown feels accountable for the conduct of his team and that these players must be held accountable for their own behavior on and off the field.It is important for these young men to understand that with the celebrity that comes with being part of the football program comes an inherent responsibility. When they get involved in criminal behavior or act inappropriately they embarrass themselves, their teammates and respected former players who have built the tradition of Texas football, their coaching staff and their university.

On October 6, 2007, Tyrell Gatewood was arrested on two misdemeanor drug charges; marijuana possession and for possession on a controlled substance. Gatewood was still on indefinite suspension from the football team due to his arrest less than a month earlier.

Schedule

Players

Roster

Watch lists

#12 Colt McCoy and #25 Jamaal Charles (2006)#4 Limas Sweed (2006)#26 Marcus Griffin and #40 Robert Killebrew tackle Stephen McGee of Texas A&M. (2006)

Longhorns who were listed on All-American or “All-Conference” teams or on pre-season award watch lists include:

Jamaal Charles

Maxwell Award watch list

Doak Walker Award watch list

Athlon Sports third-team All American

Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12

Jermichael Finley

Mackey Award watch list

Marcus Griffin

Outland Trophy watch list

Athlon Sports second-team All Big 12

Robert Killebrew

Athlon Sports third-team All Big 12

Tony Hills

Lombardi Award watch list

Outland Trophy watch list

Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12

Drew Kelson

Lott Trophy

Derek Lokey

Lombardi Award watch list

Outland Trophy watch list

Nagurski Trophy watch list

Lott Trophy

Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12

Colt McCoy

Maxwell Award watch list

CBS Sportsline.com Heisman Trophy Watch

Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Award watch list

Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12

Davey O'Brien Award

Manning Award

Roddrick Muckelroy

Athlon Sports second-team All Big 12

Frank Okam

Lombardi Award watch list

Outland Trophy watch list

Bednarik Award watch list

Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12

Brian Orakpo

Athlon Sports third-team All Big 12

Limas Sweed

Biletnikoff Award candidate

Maxwell Award candidate

Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Award watch list

ESPN Scouts Inc. Top 10 professional prospects list

Athlon Sports second-team All Big 12

Recruiting

Texas' 2007 recruiting class was rated by Scout.com as third-best in the nation, behind Florida and USC. Of their picks for the top 100 incoming freshman, Texas signed #8 Tray Allan (Offensive Lineman), #14 Curtis Brown (Cornerback), #30 Andre (Dre) Jones (Defensive Tackle), #31 John Chiles (Wide Receiver), and #81 Russell Carter (Defensive End). Carter made the pre-season roster as a Defensive End while Chiles was listed as a quarterback. Jones was suspended from the team due to legal trouble.

Game notes

Arkansas State

Running back Antwan Cobb backs into the end zone for a touchdown on a 16 yard pass from Colt McCoy.

This game marked the first meeting between Texas and Arkansas State. Arkansas State is affiliated with the Sun Belt Conference in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. At the time, Arkansas State's sports teams were nicknamed "Indians" in honor of the Osage Nation that inhabited the area until the 1800s. The use of an Indian mascot was the subject of controversy throughout 2007, including NCAA restrictions on the use of the mascot. On January 30, 2008 an Arkansas State University committee recommended changing the nickname to "Wolves".

As a member of the Southland Conference in 1970, Arkansas State was the NCAA small college football national champion. The Indians defeated Central Missouri State University in the Pecan Bowl, held in Arlington, Texas to win the national championship and complete an undefeated season, 11–0. UT also won the 1970 championship in their football division.

After 1970, UT next won a national title in the 2005 football season, which is also the Longhorns most recent football championship. During the same season, Arkansas State finished the regular season as Sun Belt Conference champions with a record of 6 wins and 5 losses and was extended an invitation to the New Orleans Bowl. This was the school's first bowl game since the trip to the 1970 Pecan Bowl and subsequent national championship. The Indians were defeated by The University of Southern Mississippi in the game, which was played that year in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana due to the lingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. The Indians did not make it to a Bowl Game in 2006. As a result of a new pay package approved the week before the game, Brown will receive a $100,000 special payment on the completion of the game; the Austin American Statesman anticipated this would equate to $854 per play.

Two days prior to the game, Las Vegas casinos favored Texas by 39 points.[100] Sportswriters John Bridges and Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman predicted that the Longhorns would have a big lead early in the game and that true-freshman quarterback John Chiles would enter the game in the second or third quarter as the back-up to Colt McCoy. Red-shirt freshman quarterback Sherrod Harris was on the injured list so he was not expected play.[101] Those predictions were off the mark as the Indians almost kept up with the Horns and McCoy stayed in for the entire game.

Texas scored a touchdown on their first possession and Arkansas State answered with a field goal. Texas made another touchdown to end the first quarter. Neither team scored in the second quarter. Texas scored seven points in the third quarter while Arkansas State was scoreless. In the fourth quarter, Arkansas State scored ten points to pull within eight points of Texas. With approximately one minute left to play, Arkansas State attempted an onside kick. They recovered the ball, but a controversial illegal formation penalty forced them to re-kick. On the re-kick, Texas recovered the ball and was able to run out the clock to preserve a 21–13 win. Colt McCoy threw two touchdown passes and two interceptions; he also made two punts. Jamaal Charles accounted for the third touchdown.The team and fans sing The Eyes of Texas after the victory.

Starting defensive end Brian Orakpo injured his right knee during the game. According to Scout.com, replays of the injury showed Orakpo was a "was the victim of an apparent chop-block."[102] Officials did not call a penalty on the play.[103] The team reported that Orakpo would not need surgery but that it was uncertain when he would return.[104]

On September 5, 2007, Arkansas State coach Steve Roberts said he was told by the Big 12 Conference's supervisor of football officials that game officials wrongly overturned ASU's recovery of the onside kick. He said the Big 12 Conference Supervisor of Officials told Arkansas State that there had been no illegal formation, that no penalty should have been called, and that Arkansas State should have been awarded possession of the football. A Big 12 Conference spokesman said he could not confirm or deny that such a conversation took place and that any such conversation would be confidential.[105]

Kirk Bohls was among the commentators who was unimpressed by the Longhorns performance; he said "if this becomes the pattern, look for a 7–5 season." Earlier in the day, Appalachian State won an historically significant upset victory over Michigan.[106] Bohls alluded to that victory in saying, "Here's pretty much the extent of the good news: thank goodness Texas wasn't playing somebody really good like Appalachian State."

TCU

See also: 2007 TCU Horned Frogs football team

This was the first meeting for the former Southwest Conference (SWC) rivals since the conference disbanded following the 1995 season.[107] Texas holds a 60–20–1 (win-lose-tie) record vs. the TCU Horned Frogs. Their last meeting was a 27–19 Longhorn victory.[108] Since the Southwest Conference broke up, TCU had won 4 conference titles: two in the Western Athletic Conference (1999 & 2000), one in Conference USA (2002), and one in the Mountain West Conference (2005).[109]

In their annual season preview magazine, CBS SportsLine.com selected two Longhorn games (the other was the game against OU) as ranking in their 17 “must see” games for 2007. In choosing this game, the writers observed, “TCU's biggest game of the [2007] season. Remember what they did to Oklahoma a few years ago?” They also selected TCU as one of the potential “BCS Busters” for 2007, saying, “The Horned Frogs will have one of the best defenses in the nation with nine starters back on a squad that allowed only 12.3 points per game last year, including a 12–3 victory over Texas Tech. Garry Patterson has made the Horned Frogs one of the best non-BCS schools in the nation, but unlike Utah and Boise State, they had not received the opportunity to play in a Bowl Championship Series bowl. If TCU can get past Texas on Sept. 8, it might finally be time for the Horned Frogs to invade the BCS party.” [110]

Texas' narrow win versus Arkansas State in week one, together with TCU's victory over Big12 Baylor, fueled even more speculation that the 2007 Horned Frogs might have a chance at an upset victory over the Longhorns.[111] Texas dropped three places to number seven in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, while TCU moved up three places to number nineteen.[112][113] One day prior to the game, Las Vegas casinos picked Texas to win by 9½ points.[114]First scoring drive for Texas

Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter. In the second quarter, TCU's Torrey Stewart faked a blitz, then dropped back and caught an interception from Colt McCoy. Stewart ran in for a touchdown near a large section of TCU fans. Later in the quarter, McCoy threw a pass that was tipped by a defender and then intercepted by David Roach. The Longhorn defense kept the Horned Frogs out of the end zone but the Frogs scored on Chris Manfredini's 19-yard field goal. The first half ended with TCU ahead 10–0.[115]

The Longhorns first second-half drive culminated in a 33-yard touchdown pass to Nate Jones. TCU's fumble gave Texas good field position but the Longhorns were stopped on the two-yard line and settled for a game-tying field goal. The Horns held TCU to seventeen yards of offense and no first downs in the quarter.[115]

In the fourth quarter, Colt McCoy set up the go-ahead score with a scramble to the TCU one-yard line. Vondrell McGee scored a touchdown two plays later. Texas' next possession resulted in a second field goal by Ryan Bailey. The Longhorn defense held TCU to three-and-out but TCU's punter fumbled the ball and Brandon Foster ran the ball in for a touchdown to make 27 straight points for Texas. The Frogs came back and scored 37-yard field goal by Manfredini and then attempted an onsides kick but Texas recovered the ball. UT's Jamaal Charles made a 39-yard rushing touchdown for the game's final score. Texas won 34–13.[115] The attendance for the game, 84,621, was the third-largest crowd ever to watch a TCU football game.

UCF

See also: 2007 UCF Knights football team

This was the first meeting between the Longhorns and the UCF Knights. The team had been known as the "Golden Knights"; on April 12, 2007, UCF announced that "Golden" would be dropped from the nickname, and a new logo was unveiled June 14, 2007.[116] Texas was the first opponent in the Knights new stadium, Bright House Networks Stadium,[117] and the game was the first of three scheduled meetings between the schools. The Knights opened their season with an upset of North Carolina State; the victory was their second victory over a BCS opponent and the first time for the Knights to beat a BCS school since 2000. They followed the win with a week off, giving them two weeks to prepare for Texas.[118] It was the sixth time for the Longhorns to play in Florida and their first appearance in the sunshine state since 1965. Texas became the highest rank team the Knights had ever played and coach George O'Leary said prior to the game, "When you talk about elite teams, Texas is an elite team from an athletics, traditions and overall standpoint."[117]

Several Longhorn players were missing from the game due to injuries or suspensions. Starting defensive end Brian Orakpo missed his second straight game as a result of suffering a knee sprain against Arkansas State. Starting offensive tackle Adam Ulatoski was listed as doubtful. Backup quarterback Sherrod Harris was also injured and has not seen action since spraining his knee on August 12, 2007. Wide receiver Jordan Shipley was upgraded to probable for play[119] and was in the game.[120] Defensive end Henry Melton, linebacker Sergio Kindle and receiver Billy Pittman are serving the last game of three-game suspensions. On September 13, 2007 Tyrell Gatewood joined Andre Jones and Robert Joseph in receiving an indefinite suspension.After the rain delay, a rainbow appeared.

The weather forecast called for a chance of thunderstorms and a 91-degree temperatures[119] to greet the sell-out crowd.[121] The day prior to the game, Sports Books in Las Vegas picked Texas to win by 18 points.[122] Meanwhile the UT team was delayed in getting to Orlando because of mechanical issues first with their charter plane and then with their buses; as a result the team did not get a full walk-through of the stadium.[123]

UCF received the opening kick-off in their end-zone and took a touchback.[124] The ESPN announcers thought the player might have crossed out of the end zone, but the play was not reviewed.[125] UCF was not able to get a first down and they punted the ball to Texas. The Horns drove inside the UCF 20-yard line before being stopped on fourth-and-short. Texas elected to fake a field goal and made the first down.[124][125][126] Time had apparently expired off the play clock, but no delay of game penalty was called.[125] Texas was not able to score the touchdown and they settled for a field goal. On their second possession, the Knights drove the ball for a touchdown and a four point lead.[124][125][126] Shortly thereafter, lightning was spotted near the stadium and both teams were sent into their locker rooms.[125] Play resumed after approximately fifteen minutes;[125][127] had further delays occurred, NCAA rules require at least three quarters to be played in order for a game to be official.[128] Texas' drive culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to Nate Jones and when the first quarter ended the Longhorns had a three point lead and the Knights with the ball. In the second quarter, the Longhorns and the Knights each fumbled inside the UCF ten-yard line. Texas scored ten points in the quarter to UCF's three. The score at half-time was 20–10 Texas.[124][125][126]UCF Knights at the Texas goal-line

Texas began the scoring in the third quarter with a 49-yard field goal. UCF needed just five plays to reply with a touchdown and cut Texas' lead to 23–17. After two punts by the Horns and one by the Knights, UCF turned the ball over on downs. On the next play, McCoy threw an interception and UCF's drive culminated in a touchdown to start give the Knights a 24–23 lead with 13:38 left in the game. The Longhorns scored two field goals and a touchdown to regain the lead. The Longhorns attempt at a two-point conversion failed, to make the score 35–24.[124][125][126] This decision was later criticized by a commentator who said that the decision allowed UCF a chance to tie the game.[129][130] According to a probability model, a team should only try for two points in that situation if they believe they have at least an 85-90% of success.[131]

With 2:14 remaining, Longhorn Jamaal Charles committed his second fumble of the game. UCF recovered the ball and completed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to cut Texas' lead to 35–32 with 35 seconds remaining. When the Knights were unable to recover their onsides kick attempt, Texs was able to run out the clock and preserve their three-point victory.[124][125][126]

Jamaal Charles of Texas rushed 22 times for 157 yards and Kevin Smith of UCF rushed 27 times for 150 yards for UCF. McCoy completed 68% of his passes for a total of 227 yards; UCF's Kyle Israel completed 35% of his passes for a total of 133 yards. Texas ran 47 passing plays and 43 rushing plays to UCF's 26 plays passing and 41 rushing attempts.[120] Sportswriter Fred Goodall quipped, " Thanks to Central Florida, it may be a while before Texas accepts another offer to open someone's new stadium." McCoy's 47 passing attempts tied a UT single-game record. His 32 completions set a new school record, besting the 30 completed by Vince Young during the 2006 Rose Bowl and by Major Applewhite during two 1999 games.[132] UT cornerback Brandon Foster was named the Big 12's defensive player of the week. For the second week in a row, Foster scored a touchdown on defense. Foster was recognized by the conference the previous week for his special teams work, making him the first Longhorn to get back-to-back conference honors since running back Hodges Mitchell in 2000.[133]

Kicker Ryan Bailey tied a school record with five field goals tying a school record. That made him seven for nine for the season-to-date. UT relied more on the kicking game than the year before; during the 2006 season, the Longhorns did not attempt their ninth field goal until the tenth game. Greg Davis remarked, "I appreciate Ryan Bailey, but I do not like him to score 17 [sic] points."[134]Bright House Networks Stadium during the pre-game festivities.

Rice

1234TotalRice070714#6 Texas103114358

Prior to the 2007 season, Texas and Rice had competed in football on 89 prior occasions. The series, which began in 1914, is the fourth oldest (by number of games) in Texas history.[135] The two schools were once conference foes in the Southwest Conference[107][136] and the rivalry has continued despite the usual mismatch in ability on the field (66 Texas wins vs 21 wins for Rice, with one tie). This was alluded to by President John F. Kennedy when he compared the challenge of going to the moon to the challenge faced when the Rice Owls played Texas.[137] Rice coach David Bailiff hopes to use this speech to motivate his team. The coach distributed wristbands resembleing the letters "BIH". The letters stand for the phrase "Because it's hard". Bailiff explains that Rice plays Texas for the same reason he intends to build Rice's expectations of winning. "Because it's hard," he says, "It is hard here. But it's not impossible."[138] Over the 45 years since Kennedy made his speech, the Owls are 2–42–1 against Texas.[108] This includes the sixth longest streak of one college football team winning over another team.[139]

In addition to continuing a traditional rivalry, playing Rice in a "home and away" series allows for Texas to play games in Houston, Texas, a city that is an important recruiting base for UT,[140] along with having a significant Texas Exes alumni population.[141] The 2006 game was won by Texas, 52–7.[108]

After a narrow victory over the UCF Knights, the Longhorns remained in sixth place in the coaches poll and dropped from sixth place to seventh place in the Associated Press poll. Jeff Sagarin, whose computer rankings are used as a component of the BCS rankings, had the Longhorns at number twelve coming into this game. Sagarin's system had Rice ranked as the worst team in Division I-A and 181st in the country behind many I-AA teams.[142] Four days prior to the game, Las Vegas favored UT by 39 points.[143] The Longhorns suspended one player prior to the game. Three Longhorn players, Billy Pittman, Henry Melton, and Sergio Kindle, were able to rejoin the team after serving three game suspensions. Brian Orakpo missed his third straight game due to an injury received in the opener.[134] The Rice Owls came into the game 0–3 after losing the previous week to Texas Tech by a score of 59–24.[144]

The Longhorns started the game on offense and had no success on their first drive. On the first play Colt McCoy threw an incompletion and on the second play Jamaal Charles fumbled the ball to the Owls. The Texas defense held Rice to a field goal attempt, which was no good. Texas scored a touchdown on a 13-play drive which included converting a 4th-and-two situation.[145] The Longhorns extended their lead to 41–0 before Rice scored a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the first half.[146] In the second half, Texas scored two touchdowns and one field goal and Rice scored one touchdown. Texas won 14–58.The Longhorn band performing March Grandioso.

McCoy completed 20 of his 29 passing attempts, accumulating 333 yards through the air.[145] For the first time in the season, he did not throw an interception.[147] McCoy and most of the Longhorn starting players were replaced by backups after the first drive of the second half.[145] True freshman quarterback John Chiles made his first college appearance in the first quarter. He came onto the field beside McCoy and then McCoy trotted out to a slot receiver position. Chiles never looked to pass; he ran up the middle for no gain. He came out of the game after that play and came back in the third quarter as McCoy's replacement. On that drive, Chiles line up in the zone-read offense and led the Longhorns 80 yards to a touchdown, carrying the ball 4 times for 49 yards.[148] He also threw one incomplete pass (one of two he threw in the game) and handed off to Vondrell McGee three times for thirty-one yards.[145] Redshirt freshman Sherrod Harris came in to replace Chiles for the final two drives of the game.[145] Chiles' strong performance instantly led to media speculation as to how the Longhorns can get him more playing time.[147][149]

McGee was the game's leading rusher with 8 carries for 80 yards. Jamaal Charles rushed 14 times for 72 yards and John Chiles ran 9 times for 72 yards. Limas Sweed was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns as he set a new career high for receiving yards.[150][151] Sergio Kindle injured his knee and defensive end Eddie Jones injured his shoulder, but neither injury was thought to be serious.[152]

The Marching Owl Band, a scatter band known for satirizing opposing schools, used their half-time performance to poke fun at the legal woes facing some UT players. The band, wearing dark sunglasses, opened with the theme from Dragnet. Three members dresses as Longhorn football players ran around the field being chased by other band members carrying cardboard police cars. The Rice announcer narrated: "In the two years since the MOB last visited Austin, your team's demeanor - and misdemeanor - has changed. Buy a program at today's game. It includes Mack Brown's wrist-slap Top 10 and a photo guide to the next episode of 'America's Most Wanted."[153][154]Pre-game festivities at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium prior to the Rice game.

Kansas State

Vince Young was on the sidelines in support of the Longhorns1234TotalKansas State71710741#7 Texas777021

Texas first played Kansas State in 1913 and holds a record of 5–4–0 in the series. Since the Kansas State Wildcats belong to the north division of the Big 12 Conference, Texas plays KSU two out of every four years.[155] In the 2006 meeting, #4 ranked Texas was favored by 16 points over an unranked Kansas State team.[156] Colt McCoy was injured early in the game and KSU went on to defeat Texas 45–42.[157] This defeat snapped the Longhorns 17 win streak on the road as well as the national best 21-game conference winning steak. Texas dropped in the AP Poll from #4 to #11 and from #5 to #13 in the BCS rankings.[158] Since the inception of the BCS in 1998, no team has entered the championship game with more than one loss,[159] so Texas' chances of repeating as national champions were considered eliminated after taking this second loss on the season. The 2006 game also has the distinction of being the most points ever scored by a UT team in a losing effort.[108]McCoy drops back to pass

One day prior to the 2007 game, Las Vegas casinos picked Texas to win by 15 points.[160] Kansas State got the ball to start the game and scored a touchdown on their opening drive. Texas answered with a touchdown on a drive that featured John Chiles in alongside Colt McCoy for some of the plays. The first quarter ended with the score tied 7–7.[161]

In the second quarter, Kansas State took a 24–14 lead[161] and Colt McCoy was injured and headed to the locker room just before the end of the half. McCoy came back as the Longhorn quarterback at the start of the third quarter.[162] Texas was never able to erase the point deficit and lost 41–21.[161] With about two minutes left in the game, McCoy again headed to the locker room early and Chiles led the Longhorns' last drive.[162]The Texas Longhorn band and the alumni band perform during the rain at halftime.

McCoy threw for 200 yards and had four interceptions[161] during his worst performance of his college career.[162] Sports Illustrated selected him as one of the season's 10 "Most Disappointing College Players" and noted that he his nine interceptions thrown so far in 2007 were already two more than he threw in the entire 2006 season.[163] Kansas State had no turnovers and scored 21 points on defense and special teams.[161] They scored one touchdown on a punt return, one on a kick return, and one on an interception. Previously, Texas had never allowed all three types of scores in a single season.[162] The 41 points were the most scored against Texas in Austin since UCLA handed the Longhorns a 66–3 loss in 1997,[164] and it was the worst home defeat in the Mack Brown era at Texas.[165] Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated listed several factors contributing to the Longhorns struggles. He cited the off-field problems as evidence that no UT player has been able to show the superior leadership skills of Vince Young. Mandel said that McCoy, still only a sophomore, had not been able to completely fill that gap and that McCoy's play had not been as good as during 2006. He also said part of the blame was to be placed on an offensive line that lost several starters and has not been able to consistently protect McCoy. Finally, he noted that the running game had been "equally inconsistent".[165] For the Wildcats, the win over UT was the first road victory over a top–ten team in school history.[166]

Oklahoma

UT Torchlight Parade, 2007See also: 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team
1234Total#10 Oklahoma777728#16 Texas0140721

The game against the 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team marks the 102nd meeting of the Red River Shootout, which has been called one of the greatest sports rivalries.[167] It is the second longest running rivalry for the Longhorns, behind the one with Texas A&M. Texas leads the series 57–39–5, including the last two consecutive wins. The last match-up was a 28–10 Longhorn victory.[108] Since 1929 the game has been held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas typically in mid-October with the State Fair of Texas occurring adjacent to the stadium.[168]

In the week prior to facing the Oklahoma Sooners, UT fans conducted their traditional Torchlight Parade and Rally.[169][170] The rally first took place in 1916 prior to a game versus Texas A&M, but since 1986 it has been an annual event held exclusively during the week prior to the Texas–OU game.[171][172] A further annual tradition is the running of game balls by the schools' Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs.[173][174] Each school's ROTC program uses a relay running system to run one game ball all the way from their respective campus to Dallas. Once there, they participate against each other in a football scrimmage, with the winner taking home a rivalry trophy and bragging rights.[173][175]2007 Texas State Fair

CBS Sportsline.com listed the game as sixth on the list of games to watch during the 2007 season: “The annual Red River Shootout in Dallas will once again feature two top-ten teams with the winner being the front-runner for not only a Big 12 title but a factor in the national title picture. The game will also feature one of the best match-ups of the year with Limas Sweed and Billy Pittman of the Longhorns facing against Oklahoma's excellent secondary.” [176] Both teams lost the week before the Red River Shootout. Oklahoma at one point had a 17 point lead over the Colorado Buffaloes before ultimately losing. In the rankings, Texas fell to number 16 in the coaches poll and number 19 in the AP poll; OU fell to number 10 in both polls. This marked Texas' 114th straight week to be ranked in the AP poll, longest active streak in the country[177] and tying the school record.[178] The Longhorns have been ranked 142 straight weeks in the coaches poll. That is the longest UT streak in any poll and the country's longest active streak in the coaches poll.[178] The morning of the Red River Shootout, oddsmakers favored Oklahoma to win by 12–13 points.[179]Texas kicks off to Oklahoma

The game was a back-and-forth affair that was ultimately won by Oklahoma 28–21. OU's freshman quarterback, Sam Bradford, was 21–of–32 for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns. UT's McCoy was 19–of–26 for 324 yards and two touchdowns.[180] That was the most passing yardage against an Oklahoma team since the 2004 National Championship game vs. USC.[181] McCoy threw one interception and Jamaal Charles lost a fumble inside the Oklahoma 5 yard-line on what would otherwise have been a touchdown scoring run.[180] For the second straight week, the Texas defense did not cause any turnovers.[182]

McCoy, who suffered a concussion the previous week, played the game with his throwing arm bandaged from mid-forearm to biceps. He held up physically despite taking four sacks[183] and a blind-side late hit after one play had been whistled dead.[182][180][184] With the loss, Texas opened conference play 0–2 for the first time since 1956, when they were in the Southwest Conference and one year before Darrell Royal became head coach of the Longhorns.[180] A bright spot for the Horns was tight end Jermichael Finley who caught four passes for 149 yards.[180] Jamaal Charles ran for 79 yards and John Chiles carried once for four yards. Counting the sacks to McCoy, Texas had a total of 61 yards rushing.[185]McCoy and Chiles in pre-game warmups

Limas Sweed left the game early because he re-injured his left wrist. He will undergo surgery to tighten the ligaments in the wrist.[186] The injury ends the college-career for the senior all-conference receiver.[187] NFL scouts have projected that Sweed would be an early pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. The Austin American-Statesman reported "Quan Cosby likely will move to Sweed's spot at split end, with Nate Jones moving to flanker. The Longhorns likely will decide between Billy Pittman and Jordan Shipley at slot receiver when Texas is in its base, three-receiver set."[187] Sweed was a candidate for the Biletnikoff Award and the Maxwell Award in 2007. ESPN Scouts Inc. listed him among their Top 10 professional prospects and Mack Brown says he still believes Sweed will play professional ball after the surgery.

Defensive end Aaron Lewis fractured his elbow in the game and was taken out of the lineup indefinitely.[186][187] The Austin American-Statesman reported "A depth chart issued Monday shows Lamarr Houston moving to Lewis' spot at power end, with Brian Orakpo regaining his starting job at quick end. The Longhorns have been dealing with injuries at defensive end all season."[187] Fullback Luke Tiemann also required surgery to repair a broken wrist,[187] but was expected to miss only two games.[186]2007 Red River Shootout viewed from the skyway of the Texas State Fair. Note the color change where the fans are divided at the 50 yard-line.

Jeff Duarte of the Houston Chronicle made note of Charles' fumble, McCoy's interception and the low rushing yardage. He said, "the Texas Longhorns went back and forth with Oklahoma for most of the game Saturday before eventually succumbing to the same problems that have taken them from a Top 10 ranking to the verge of dropping out of the national polls for the first time in seven years."[188] The win kept the Sooners in position to win the south division of the Big12 Conference and could even allow them back into the national championship race.[183]

Asked to assess his personal performance after the loss to Kansas State, Colt McCoy said, "I think I've had some bad luck, I'm definitely a better quarterback, definitely more experienced -- I've just had some bad luck. Things that can go the wrong way, have gone the wrong way -- tipped balls and that stuff."[165] He also said there was room for improvement, "Teams are blitzing us a lot more. We've handled it well for the most part, but there's so many things we can do better... If you ask every person on this offense, they'll tell you there's something individually they can do better."[165] After the loss to Oklahoma, Mack Brown said he did not want to hear about bad luck, "By saying we're unlucky is just a cop-out, this game isn't about luck. If you knock balls loose you should get on them. If you tip balls in the air you should catch them. We're not going to have any excuses." Brown cited the lack of big plays on defense, particularly the lack of forced turnovers, as a problem for Texas. Both Brown and Greg Davis hinted that Jamaal Charles could face less playing time as a result of his problems hanging onto the ball.[189] Charles said that he felt a deep remorse over his fumbles and feels that he was the biggest reason the team lost to Oklahoma. Texas running backs coach Ken Rucker and former Longhorn quarterback Earl Campbell had worked previously with Charles on his ball handling. Greg Davis said he wants to get the ball to Charles "in space", on pitches and passes, instead of in heavy traffic up the center.[190]

Iowa State

1234Total#22 Texas141421756Iowa State03003Gene Chizik, formerly defensive co-coordinator for Texas, was head coach of the 2007 Iowa State Cyclones.

Texas first played Iowa State in 1979 and the Longhorns have won all six match-ups coming into the 2007 season. Their last meeting in 2006 concluded with a 37–14 Texas victory.[108] The Cyclones football team was coached by Gene Chizik who was co-defensive coordinator for Texas from 2005–2006. Like Texas, the Cyclones are 0–2 in conference play, but they have only a 1–5 record overall. Their lone victory of the season came against Iowa when they made a game-winning 28-yard field goal with :01 remaining.[191] As with Kansas State, Texas plays the Cyclones two out of every four years as part of the Big 12 Conference schedule.[155]

Despite losses to Kansas State and Oklahoma, Texas remained in the Top 25 coming into the game with Iowa State. The 'Horns were number 22 in the USA Today coaches poll and number 23 in the Associated Press media poll. Texas extended its nation-leading streak in the coaches poll to 143 weeks and its nation-leading streak in the AP poll to 115 weeks.[192] Mack Brown says that he will not change the game plan in facing Chizik but that he will need to adjust sideline signals and snap counts since they are known to the former Texas co-coordinator.[191][193]

The Austin American-Statesman predicted that Iowa State's quarterback Bret Meyer and wide receiver Todd Blythe would pose the biggest threat for the Longhorns.[194] The paper also called the Cyclones the worst team in the Big12 north and predicted that Texas would be 2–2 in conference play after facing Iowa State and Baylor, the worst team in the south division.[195] The Daily Texan reported that the game offered an opportunity for Gene Chizik to get a "signature win" if his team could beat Texas.[196] Two days prior to the game, oddsmakers favored Texas to win by 16 points.[197]

The Longhorns were in control almost from the very beginning and they routed Iowa State 56–3, the worst loss for the Cyclones since 1997.[198][199] Iowa State got the ball to start the game and made a first down with a pass from Bret Meyer to Todd Blythe. The UT defense prevented them from gaining another first down and the Cyclones punted from their own 37 yard-line; Texas took over at their 42 yard-line.[200] On the first play from scrimmage, Colt McCoy scrambled away from a blitz and saw that Jordan Shipley had broken off his route and was 10 yards behind any Cyclone defender. He caught a pass from McCoy and sped away from the Cyclones to score a 58 yard touchdown.[201] From that point, the Longhorns never relinquished the lead. They led 14–3 at the end of the first quarter and 28–3 at halftime.[200]Texas on defense

The Longhorns initially ignored the running game and played most of the first quarter in the spread offense.[202] The offensive line provided great protection for Colt McCoy,[199] who called most of the plays without huddling and directed the Longhorns to touchdowns on his first five series.[200] He completed 23 of 30 passes for 298 yards, 4 touchdowns, and no interceptions.[200] His most athletic play came early in the third quarter when he evaded three defenders on a play from the Cyclones' 20-yardline. He twisted around and managed to stay upright long enough to throw a pass to Nate Jones in the end zone. He capped off his performance by making his first rushing touchdown of the season,[198] a career-long, 44 yard run in the third quarter. The play was designed to be a screen pass to the fullback. Mack Brown said, "Colt was as good today as I've ever seen him."[201] Brown also praised McCoy for taking on more of a leadership role with the team.[203] The Austin American-Statesman said, "Colt McCoy is shedding his sophomore slump. In the past two games, he is 42 of 56 passing for 622 yards with six passing touchdowns, one rushing touchdown and just one interception. That deciphers to a quarterback rating of 200.1."[202]

The passing game worked so well for Texas that they did not call a rushing play until the third offensive possession, which occurred early in the second quarter.[201] On that possession for Texas, Brown sent-in "The Storm",[204] which was his nickname for the all-freshmen, second-team offense headed by John Chiles[204] Besides Chiles The Storm includes Montre Webber, James Kirkendoll, Blaine Irby, Vondrell McGee, and an all-freshman line of Michael Huey, Buck Burnette, Kyle Hix, Tray Allen and Britt Mitchell.[202] The series resulted in a punt - the only time Texas had the ball in the first half without scoring.[200] The Longhorns planned for the appearance during practice and it was a morale boost for players who had not had much playing time. Mack Brown, "We also felt like we had not finished the last two games in the fourth quarter like we wanted to and we thought that putting more players in the game earlier would help us with energy in the fourth quarter."[204]

Jamaal Charles, who has had problems with fumbles, did not touch the ball until more than half-way through the second quarter. When he came into the game, he rushed on three straight times, including a three-yard touchdown run.[202] Texas coaches said that was not related to the fumbles and was not intended to convey any sort of message.[205] Greg Davis said, "That had more to do with the game plan than Jamaal, It wasn't for any other reason."

Brown commented on the new emphasis on passing early in the game, "We've decided we're going to do whatever gets points. If they spread out, we'll run it. If everybody is going to line up, we're going to throw it and we're going to throw it every time."[206] The Longhorns' success in passing the ball eventually made room for the running game. John Chiles led the Longhorns with 54 yards on 9 carries. McCoy rushed for 50 yards, while Jamaal Charles carried the ball 7 times for 44 yards. The Longhorns finished with 514 total yards – 298 via the air, 216 on the ground.[201] The Longhorns made three turnovers, including two interceptions, without surrendering any themselves. Brandon Foster intercepted a pass from Bret Meyer and returned it for a 39 yard touchdown. Deon Beasley also picked off Meyer, who had a poor showing for the day. Along with the two interceptions he completed only 17 passes for 111 yards.[201]The Iowa State University Cyclone Marching Band performs at halftime.

The blow-out could have been worse. Towards the end of the third quarter McCoy came out for good and Chiles scored Texas' final touchdown of the day on an 11–yard run. The 'Horns might have scored again in the fourth quarter were it not for an intentional delay of game penalty.[200] When the Longhorns failed to score on that drive, the Cyclones took over but were unable to keep the ball. Henry Melton forced a fumble, which was recovered by back-up linebacker Dustin Earnest at the Cyclones' 21 yardline. Brown prevented his team from scoring points by ordering the third-team quarterback, Sherrod Harris, to take a knee.[201] Chizik said of Brown, "He's all about class. He could have made it a lot worse. He just said [after the game], 'Hang in there.'"[207] The loss puts the Cyclones at 1–6, and they are expected to be underdogs in each of their final 5 games.[207]

Texas fullback Antwan Cobb sprained his left anterior cruciate ligament late in the game and was out for the rest of the season. He was playing tailback at the time of his injury. Cobb's injury left the Longhorns without a true fullback, although they had not utilized the position often in 2007. The only other fullback on the team, Luke Tiemann, was expected to miss one more week with a wrist injury. Mack Brown said that Chris Ogbonnaya, the second-team tailback, would move to fullback for the Baylor game. Freshman tight end Blaine Irby had taken some practice at fullback and could also be used in that position. Cobb scored a touchdown on his very first play with the Longhorns (pictured), a 16-yard pass against Arkansas State.[208] Robert Killebrew was benched after committing two&nbps;personal foul penalties,[209] a consistent problem for him in the 2007 season.[202] Without a veteran fullback, Texas may have to either run the ball out of the shotgun formation or simply centre on the passing game.[199]

Representatives from the Holiday Bowl were in attendance. One of them said, "We'd love to have Texas, but they're still hoping to wind up at the Fiesta Bowl."[210][202] In order to reach the Fiesta Bowl, Texas would likely need Oklahoma to loose two games to allow Texas into the Big12 Conference Championship game, which Texas would then have to win. A further possibility would be Oklahoma making it to the National Championship game and Texas being selected for an at-large BCS bid.

Baylor

1234Total#18 Texas3771431Baylor070310

The game against Baylor was played in Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco, Texas, approximately 100 miles (161 km) north on Interstate 35 from Austin.[211] Because home UT games are typically a sell-out, recent games against Baylor have found numerous Texas fans driving to Waco to watch the game.[212]

The Longhorns first played the Baylor Bears in 1901 and faced them annually during the days of the Southwest Conference. In the 96 meetings through 2006, Texas' record with the Bears was 70 wins, 22 losses, and 4 ties. This is Texas' third-longest rivalry by number of games: only Oklahoma and Texas A&M have faced Texas more often on the football field. Texas won the last meeting 63–31.[108]

In the week prior to the game, Baylor assistant coach Eric Schnupp was charged with a misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct and reckless exposure. He allegedly urinated on the bar of a Waco nightclub.[213] He was suspended indefinitely from the program.[214] Schnupp played football for the University of Miami from 1995–2000 and coached at West Texas A&M University before become the offensive line and tight ends coach for the Bears.[215] Baylor's starting quarterback, Blake Szymanski, may miss the game because of a mild concussion he suffered in the game against Kansas.[216][217] Szymanski is ranked third in the list of touchdown passes by a Baylor quarterback, with a total of fifteen.[216] Although Szymanski has been physically cleared to play, back-up quarterbacks Michael Machen and John David Weed were sharing snaps in practice and Baylor coaches said any one of them could get the start against Texas.[217] Two days prior to the game, oddsmakers favored Texas to win by 25 points.[218] The game was initially a close fought contest, but Texas outlasted the Bears in a 31–10 victory.[219]

Nebraska

See also: 2007 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team
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Texas first played the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1933 and the Longhorns hold a 7–4–0 record. Nebraska won the first meeting by the lopsided score of 26–0. As with Kansas State and Iowa State, Texas plays the Cornhuskers two out of every four years as part of the Big 12 Conference schedule.[155]

Since their first meeting, the series has included a number of upsets and close calls. In 1960 a #4 ranked Longhorn squad was upset by an unranked Nebraska team, 14–13. In 1996 an unranked Texas team defeated #3 ranked Nebraska (who were also the defending national champions) 37–27 to win the inaugural Big 12 Conference football championship and deprive the Cornhuskers a shot at repeating as national champions. In 1998 an unranked Texas team beat #7 Nebraska 20–16.

In 1999 the two teams met twice. In the regular season, #18 Texas beat #3 Nebraska by 24–20. However, #3 Nebraska beat #12 Texas in the Big 12 Championship game, 6–22. In 2002 the Longhorns were ranked #7 and they went to Lincoln, Nebraska to play an unranked Nebraska team. In front of the largest crowd in Nebraska history (78,268) the 'Horns snapped the Huskers' national-best 26-game winning streak at Memorial Stadium by a score of 27–24.[220] Most recently, in the 2006 game, #5 Texas faced #17 Nebraska on a snowy day in Lincoln. The Longhorns were trailing and needed a field goal by walk-on kicker Ryan Bailey (with just 23 seconds remaining in the game) to win 22–20.[221]

On the morning of the game, oddsmakers favored Texas to win by 21 points.[222] The weather forecast called for a high of 76 degrees and plentiful sunshine with winds NNE at 10 to 15 miles per hour.[223]infoA panorama of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium during the Nebraska game.

Oklahoma State

1234Total#12 Texas01402438Oklahoma State14147035

Texas has played the Oklahoma State Cowboys football (OSU) program 21 times and holds a 19–2–0 record from 1916 through 2006. Texas came into the 2007 game with a nine game active winning streak against OSU. The Cowboys' only two victories occurred in 1944 and 1997.[108] In the 1997 game, the OSU fans took down their own goal posts[224] after the Cowboys pulled off a 42–16 win over the defending Big 12 Conference Champion Texas.[108]

Since then, Texas has won every game, but most have been close-fought contests. The Horns won the 1998 game 37–34 on a Kris Stockton field goal with 3 seconds left. In 2000, Texas trailed 7–3 before scoring 39 unanswered points. In 2001, Texas trailed by 10 points in the first quarter but ultimately won 45–17. Texas made an interception to preserve a 17–15 win in 2002.

In three of the last four games, the Longhorns needed come-from-behind rallies in order to win. The 2003 Longhorns fell behind by 10 points in the first quarter but won 55–16.[224][225] In 2004 the Cowboys led 35–7 in the second quarter, but the Longhorns scored 49 unanswered points to win 56–35. In the 2005 game UT trailed 28–9 but rallied to win 47–28.[226][227][228][225] Over the three meetings from 2003–2005, the Longhorns outscored the Cowboys by a combined second-half score of 118–0.[108] Texas won the 2006 game 36–10[108] in a game the Austin American-Statesman called "the only snoozer in a decade".[224] Texas never trailed in that game; they outscored OSU 20–3 in the first half and 16–7 in the second.[108]

The day before the 2007 game, oddsmakers favored Texas to win by 3 points.[229] The pre-game festivities included an appearance by Challenger, the first Bald Eagle ever trained to free-fly into sports stadiums, and a fly-over by four F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Oklahoma Air National Guard's 138th Fighter Wing piloted by Oklahoma State alumni.[230] For the fourth time in five years, the Longhorns staged a big rally to win the game. This time, Texas overcame a twenty-one point fourth quarter deficit to win by three points as time expired in the game.[226] It was the biggest fourth quarter comeback in Texas Longhorn history.[225]

The Cowboys got the ball to start the game and they mounted a nine-play, 2:35 second touchdown-scoring drive. On the Longhorns' first play, Colt McCoy's pass was intercepted by Jacob Lacey, who returned the ball for a touchdown to put OSU up by fourteen. On the Longhorns' next series, McCoy was again intercepted by Lacey. The Cowboys and the Longhorns were each forced to punt and the first quarter ended with OSU having the ball on their 42-yard line and leading by 14 points.[231]

Cowboy quarterback Zac Robinson scored a rushing touchdown on that drive to give OSU a 21 point lead. Texas narrowed the lead back to 14 with an eight-play drive that culminated in a touchdown by Jamaal Charles. The Horns' defense forced the Cowboys to try for a field goal and the 37-yard attempt by Jason Ricks was no good. Texas pulled within 7 points on a 20-yard touchdown pass from McCoy to tight end Jermichael Finley. The Cowboys fumbled the ball to the Longhorns at the Texas 23-yard line but the Longhorns could not make a first down and they were forced to punt. OSU took over at their 36-yard line with 4:00 left in the half.[231] OSU drove to the Texas 14-yard line and benefited from a clock-stoppage due to a Texas injury. An incomplete pass left the Cowboys with 14 seconds left on the clock and one time-out. Robinson's pass to Brandon Pettigrew was complete for 13 yards and both teams left the field as time seemed to expired in the game. However, the officials ruled that OSU had managed to call a time out and they ordered two seconds to be placed on the game clock.[232][233] From there, the Cowboys scored on a pass to Brandon Pettigrew to take a 28–14 lead into half-time.[231]

The Longhorns got the ball to start the second half and used 4 plays to drive to the OSU 31. Colt McCoy threw a pass to Nate Jones that was originally ruled an incomplete pass.[231] After a lengthy review, the officials decided that Jacob Lacey had made his third interception of the game.[232] OSU drove 10 plays and scored a touchdown on a 20-yard pass to Adarius Bowman. The Cowboys defense stopped Texas' drive and they punted the ball to the OSU 8-yard line, the second series in a row for OSU to start inside their 10-yard line. The Cowboys began with a 44-yard pass to Seth Newton. Despite the good start, they were unable to score and they punted the ball to the Texas one-yard line. The Horns punted after failing to earn a first down. At the end of the third quarter OSU had a 35–14 lead and possession of the ball at the Texas 39-yard line.[231]

That drive ended when the Cowboys failed to convert on 4th-and-five and gave the ball to the Longhorns at the UT-41. The drive culminated in Jamaal Charles' second touchdown of the game, trimming the lead to 35–21. OSU was forced to punt and for the second time they pinned Texas at the UT 1-yard line.[231][233] This time, Texas advanced the ball on a 3-yard pass to Nate Jones and a 15-yard pass to Quan Cosby for a first down. Colt McCoy ran for 6 yards to put the ball at the UT-25. Jamaal Charles broke through for a 75-yard touchdown run and the Longhorns trailed by seven points. The Texas defense forced the Cowboys to punt and Texas took over at their own 9-yard line. Texas opened with a pair of big rushing plays: 16-yards by McCoy and 14-yards by Charles. Then McCoy threw a 60-yard pass to Jordan Shipley, who was finally brought down at the one-yard line. On their third-attempt at running the ball in, UT's Vondrell McGee managed to score the game-tying touchdown with 3:22 left in the game.[231]

On what was to be the final kick-off, Texas committed a 15-yard face mask penalty and the Cowboys started the series on their own 45. Zac Robinson completed a pass to Dantrell Savage for 35 yards to the Texas 20. The UT defense forced OSU to try a field goal; the 32-yard attempt by Jason Ricks was no good, leaving the score tied at 35 with 55 seconds left. Texas started their drive at their 20. The Longhorns used 8 plays, the longest being a Jermichael Finley for 31 yards, to get to the Oklahoma State 23. Texas called a time out with 2 seconds left and sent in Ryan Bailey to make the game-winning kick as time expired off the clock. The Longhorns prevailed, 38–35. [231] Bailey's kick was reminiscent of his very first kick for UT.[234] In the 2006 Nebraska game Bailey kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired. At the time, he was a walk-on player who was not even listed on the Longhorn depth chart.[235][236][237]

Fox Sports selected Jamaal Charles and Jacob Lacey as their player-of-the-game for Texas and Oklahoma State, respectively.[232] Charles averaged 11.3 yards per carry.[238] ESPN remarked, "For the second straight week, Jammal Charles led a late charge for the 15th-ranked Longhorns. He scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Texas (No. 14 AP) outscored Oklahoma State 24-0 in the final 15 minutes."[226] OSU's leading rusher was Dantrell Savage with 102 yards and 1 touchdown on 23 carries. McCoy was 20 of 28 passing attempts for 283 yards. He had one touchdown pass and three interceptions; he also rushed for 105 yards.[226][239] Oklahoma State ran 87 plays and used 35:11 minutes of ball possession, compared to 70 plays and 24:49 for Texas.[238]

Alan Trubow of the Austin American-Statesman reported, "It was hideous before it was pretty. It was one of the worst performances before it was one of the best finishes. It was so bad. Yet it ended so good."[240] Kirk Bohls, also writing for the Statesman, said "Texas may be the prettiest ugly team in the country, but winning hides a lot of blemishes".[241] Bohls pointed out that Texas has won five games in which the team has trailed this season and that three times Texas has had to recover an onsides kick to preserve their win. He credited Texas' customary no-huddle, hurry-up offense and their confidence for seeing them to victory in pressure packed games. He also opined that the Horns might be the best two-loss team in college football and that they might make it into a Bowl Championship Series game.[241] Trubow said that the punting by OSU's Matt Fodge may have been the most impressive performance of the game.[233]

The Longhorns suffered several injuries according to the Statesman, "Center Dallas Griffin left the game with a knee injury, linebacker Jared Norton left with a right shoulder injury and Eddie Jones left with a shoulder injury. Brandon Foster injured his chest in the third quarter, and Drew Kelson left the game with a left knee injury."[233] The paper reported that the loss of Griffin may have contributed to several mistakes in snapping the ball to McCoy and that UT might not have been able to win had any of the bobbles ended up being turnovers for Texas.[233]

For the Cowboys, the loss dropped them to 5–4 overall, 3–2 in the Big 12,[242] and likely eliminated their chance of winning the Big 12 Conference South Division.[243] The Cowboy coaches appeared shaken-up after the loss.[244] OSU offensive coordinator Larry Fedora called the loss "gut-wrenching".[243] Mike Gundy said "There's nobody whose heart has been ripped out more right now than myself."[243] He said he could not explain how the Longhorns were again able to come from behind except "they made the big plays in the fourth quarter and we didn't."[243] Defensive coordinator Tim Beckman added, "I'm extremely disappointed for the seniors, the fans and for everybody involved with Cowboy football."[239]

The Stillwater News Press reported, "It's almost too much to take, hearing that Twilight Zone music playing as it happens in front of you. There's not enough antacid in this community for Oklahoma State football fans, as they were witness to another gut-grinder at Boone Pickens Stadium on Saturday afternoon...24 unanswered points, all coming in a 311-yard fourth quarter for the Longhorns. It was the kind of comeback that probably made a lot of people in attendance want to puke."[230]

Texas Tech

The World's Largest Texas Flag on the field prior to kick-off against Texas Tech1234TotalTexas Tech31702343#14 Texas141472459See also: 2007 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team

The series with the Texas Tech Red Raiders began in 1928 and the Longhorns' record through 2006 was 42–14–0. In the 2006 contest, #5 ranked Texas barely came away with a 35–31 win over an unranked Texas Tech team.[108] Two days before the 2007 game, oddsmakers favored Texas to win by 6½ points.[245] Speculation continued about what bowl game might take Texas. Various media predictions included the Gator Bowl, Cotton Bowl, and Holiday Bowl. The Holiday Bowl executive director Bruce Binkowski said they would be very interested in pitting Texas against the USC Trojans, whom Texas defeated in the 2006 Rose Bowl. A BCS bowl was also still mentioned as a possibility, with Sports Illustrated saying the Orange Bowl could take Texas.[246]

Texas Center Dallas Griffin injured his anterior cruciate ligament against Oklahoma State and was out for the season. Griffin was a senior, meaning his career with the Longhorns ended due to the injury.[247] Backup defensive end Eddie Jones and reserve safety Drew Kelson are definitely out for the game against Texas Tech. Linebackers Jared Norton and Sergio Kindle were listed as "questionable" and "probable", respectively.[248]

The Red Raiders were 7–3 on the season and 3–3 in the Big 12 after beating Baylor 37–7. Quarterback Graham Harrell passed the 4,000-yard passing mark for the second season in a row, becoming the fifth quarterback in NCAA Division I-FBS (formerly Division I-A) to have multiple 4,000-yard seasons.[249] The Austin American-Statesman reported, "Defensively, Texas must hope that the injured are quick healers because it's a given that the Longhorns will need every available body against the Red Raiders. Texas Tech fields the most dynamic passing offense in the country, and the Red Raiders also stay on the field an average of 77.3 plays per game. Tech further frustrates a defense by often going for fourth downs. They've been successful on 14 of 23 fourth-down attempts this season. A year ago, Tech was one of three on fourth downs in a 35-31 loss to Texas."[247]

With the game falling on Veteran's Day weekend, a pre-game ceremony honored veterans and commemorated the 60th year of Texas' ROTC program. Four army helicopters from Fort Hood overflew DKR after the national anthem. It was also Senior Day for Texas, with 25 players making their last home game appearance. As a group, they had a 42–6 record coming into the game, which represented the third-highest win total for any Texas class.[250] The temperature at kickoff was 84 degrees.[251]

On the first series, the Horns scored a touchdown on a pass from McCoy to Shipley. Their defense held Tech to a field goal. Texas' offensive tackle Tony Hills injured his leg and left the game on a cart. Texas scored another touchdown on a run by Vondrell McGee to create a 14–3 lead at the end of the first quarter. Tech's Graham Harrell threw a touchdown pass and Texas answered with a rushing touchdown. On the ensuing kick, Texas used a pooch kick which was tipped by a Texas Tech player. The Longhorns' special team recovered the ball to set up a short field for their offense to rush for another touchdown. Tech brought the game to 28–20 with another touchdown. Texas drove into field goal range but tried to throw a touchdown pass with 11 seconds remaining in the half. The pass was intercepted for a touchback and the Red Raiders ran a short play to run out the half.[252]

Jammal Charles and tight end Jermichael Finley were injured in the second half but were able to return. In the fourth quarter, McCoy was on the sidelines nursing a cut on his head but he did not miss any snaps due to the injury. McCoy threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more. Both teams kept running their first team offense until late in the game; they combined for 47 points in the final 12 minutes[253] and each scored a touchdown within the final two minutes of play.[252] Tech attempted two onside kicks in an effort to come from behind, but Texas recovered both kicks.[253]

During his post-game press conference, Texas Tech's Mike Leach used most of his time to rail against the officiating crew for incompetence and bias.[254] He speculated that the officials may have favored Texas because the head official lives in Austin, because they are incompetent, or possibly because the conference wants Texas to appear in a BCS bowl because of the increased appearance fees that such a bowl generates for the conference.[255][256] Jim Vertuno of the Associated Press wrote "Leach was upset officials disallowed two Tech touchdowns in the third quarter. The first was overruled when video replay clearly showed the receiver let the ball hit the ground. On the next play, a touchdown pass was negated by a holding penalty. Leach also wanted, but didn't get, a flag for roughing the quarterback."[256][257] The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported, "Big 12 policy prohibits coaches from commenting publicly about game officials, so Leach's actions leave him open to reprimand, fine or worse." ESPN reported, "Leach's rant will likely draw a fine from the league and possibly a suspension."[258] The Big12 fined Leach $10,000, the largest fine in conference history.[259]

The win ensured that 2007 would be the 10th straight season the Longhorns won 9 or more games, a record streak for the Horns. Including Mack Brown's final 2 seasons at North Carolina, Brown became the only coach in the nation to lead his program to 9 or more victories in 12 straight seasons.[260]

Texas A&M

See also: 2007 Texas A&M Aggies football team
Texas on defense vs. Texas A&M1234Total#13 Texas03141330Texas A&M10771438

This game marked the 114th meeting between the Aggies and the Texas Longhorns and was the fourth year as part of a multi-sport rivalry called the Lone Star Showdown. The football rivalry began in 1894 and continues to be the longest-running rivalry for both the Longhorns and the Aggies; it is the third most-played rivalry in Division I-A college football.[261] Texas A&M comes into the 2007 contest with a 35–73–5 record. Since the series began in 1894, the game has conventionally been played on Thanksgiving Day or Thanksgiving weekend.[262] The 2007 game marks the fourteenth straight game to be scheduled the day after Thanksgiving.[262]

The 2005 UT game was the poorest performance of that season by the Longhorns, both offensively and defensively. On offense, Vince Young had only 162 yards of offense, his lowest output of the season.[263] UT running backs Henry Melton and Ramonce Taylor also received criticism for their tendency to run side-to-side instead of down-field.[264][265] On defense, the Longhorns held A&M to only 118 yards passing but gave up 277 yards rushing; the highest allowed by the Longhorns all season.[263]

The 2006 meeting was the first time in eight years that both teams entered the game with at least eight wins coming into the match-up.[266] A&M prevailed 12–7 over the Longhorns in Austin, Texas, rushing for 244 yards against the nation's then-top-ranked rush defense.[267][268]

As a result of a tragic accident in 1999, the Aggies could no longer hold a school sponsored version of their traditional Bonfire[269] but the unofficial "Student Bonfire" was lit on the evening of 20 November 2007.[270] Texas A&M also hosted its annual Maroon Out on game day.[271] During the week before the game, the Longhorns held their traditional Hex Rally.

A&M head coach Dennis Franchione spent much of the season being criticized for his coaching performance.[272][273][274][275][276][277][278][279] Criticism intensified in late September as it became known that Franchione had been selling a secret email newsletter to athletic boosters who paid $1,200 annually for team information that Franchione has refused to release to the public. The newsletter, called "VIP Connection", had been written by Franchione's personal assistant, Mike McKenzie, and included specific injury reports and Franchione's critical assessments of players.[280][281][282][283][284][285] On October 2, 2007 Franchione apologized in front of A&M football players and expressed his love for the job and the university, and his desire to "elevate the program to its highest level". A&M players also expressed their support for Franchione as a coach.[286] On