Message-ID: <20896452.1075848299982.JavaMail.evans@thyme> Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 05:19:00 -0700 (PDT) From: truorange@aol.com To: truorange@aol.com Subject: True Orange, April 23, 2001, Part 2 of 3 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ANSI_X3.4-1968 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-From: TruOrange@aol.com X-To: TruOrange@aol.com X-cc: X-bcc: X-Folder: \Clint_Dean_Nov2001\Notes Folders\Discussion threads X-Origin: DEAN-C X-FileName: cdean.nsf Part 2 of 3 3 Big Horns Drafted High All-American OT Leonard Davis was the second player chosen in the NFL draft Friday and Longhorn All-American teammate DT Casey Hampton also went in the first round. Arizona picked Davis after the Atlanta Falcons traded up to get the first choice and took Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick. Hampton was chosen by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 19th pick in the fir= st round. The Horns' other outstanding DT, Shaun Rogers, was picked in the second rou= nd by the Detroit Lions. He was the 61st pick overall. The last time Texas had three players chosen in the first round was in 1982= . Texas coach Mack Brown noted that all three players were recruited by forme= r coach John Mackovic and his staff, and said he is hoping it starts a trend that sees several Longhorns being drafted every year. There might be a little fall off next year, but Longhorns should be very popular with NFL teams on a regular basis beginning in 2003. Football Notes, Observations . . UT QB Chris Simms says he is 100% sure he will stay at Texas for his senior year. There had been some speculation that Simms might turn pro after this season= , but he said he will stick around for his senior year. Things to watch for this season that should make a big positive difference include: * More weapons to pick up those short-yardage plays to keep drives alive, like a bigger, stronger running back, a more experienced offensive line and don't forget great targets in TEs Bo Scaife and Brock Edwards from a two-TE set. * More misdirection plays, particularly reverses and quick pitches to the outside. * More short passes to frustrate the pass rushers and to give the Horns' swift and elusive receivers chances to turn short passes into long gains. Bears Maul Longhorns The UT baseball players looked great Friday night in whipping Baylor in Austin, but they looked lost when they went to Waco for the final two games of their series Saturday and Sunday. Gerritt Simpson scattered six singles and struck out 10 Friday night to giv= e the Horns a 5-1 triumph in the first game of the crucial series. Ryan Brooks had three hits to pace the offense. But the Bears got to apply the "mercy rule" twice in Waco, throttling the Horns 14-4 in seven innings and 16-6 in eight innings. Texas made seven errors in the two games in Waco and that, coupled with spotty pitching and very little hitting, turned the two games into routs. Nebraska (15-4) is running away with the regular season championship, and Baylor (14-7) and Texas (16-8) are tied for second place. Texas Tech is fourth (14-9) and OSU is fifth (12-9). Super Fax/E-Mail Offer If you are a subscriber to my newsletter, but not to my fax/e-mail service, I'm going to make you a super introductory offer right now. First, let me explain that the fax/e-mail service includes more than 100 instant updates and you can get them via fax, e-mail or first-class mail. I normally charge $130 for both services, or $99 if you get both via e-mail. Now, here's the super deal: If your subscription expires by July 30 or earlier (the date is on the labe= l on your newsletter), send me $105 (a $25 discount) for a year's subscriptio= n to the newsletter and fax/e-mail service and I'll also give you all the e-mail/faxes I do between now and your expiration date. If you want everything by e-mail, just send $80 and your e-mail address. If you act quickly, you can get a lot of free fax/e-mails because I do one every time the Horns get a commitment, and they got 14 last June. If your subscription expires between Aug. 1and Oct. 30, send me $130 for a year's subscription to both services and I'll give you all the e-mail faxes= I do between now and your expiration date. Send $99 for an e-mail sub to both services. If your sub expires later, give me a call at 512-795-8536 if you would like= a super deal to add the e-mail/fax service and I'll work one out with you. (The dollar figures in the ad below aren't correct for the current deal, so if you use that form, just send the amount specified in my offer above) Subscribe Now To The Fax/E-Mail Service to Get Scoops on Early Recruiting Get Reports on Productive Summer Camps & Early Commitments ! Save Big As An Internet Subscriber ! Whether you live close to Austin or far away, the True Orange Fax Service i= s the way to keep up with Longhorn football and Longhorn recruiting =01) instantly. It has at least 99 timely faxes a year, primarily about footbal= l and football recruiting. To subscribe, send your check to True Orange, Bo= x 26530, Austin, Texas 78755, and copy or clip the coupon below and fill in t= he blanks. If you want it mailed, or by E-Mail, just include the right numbers= . o I'm enclosing $99 for the 99-fax package for the next year o I'm enclosing $130 (an $11 saving) to renew my subscription to True Orang= e and to subscribe to the 99 faxes. o I'm enclosing $79 for the 99-fax package for the next year by E-Mail (a $= 20 saving) o Here's $110 to renew my subscription to True Orange and to subscribe to the 99 faxes by E-Mail (a $31 saving) o Here's $99 to subscribe to True Orange via the Internet and to subscrib= e to the 99 faxes by E-Mail (a $42 saving) Name Fax No. (or E-Mail or mailing address) Offensive Coordinator Interview Offensive coordinator Greg Davis says there are two areas he always focuses on in spring practice. The first is replacing the seniors, and the second "is schematics, what we did last season and what changes we need to make, what we should try to do better." All-American LT Leonard Davis and All-Big 12 RB Hodges Mitchell were the on= ly senior starters on last year's offense, and he said he feels a lot better a= bo ut replacing Davis than he does about replacing Mitchell. "Robbie Doane had a real good spring at left tackle," Davis said. "We also worked Derrick Dockery some at left tackle because we've got three really good guards. Alfeo Randall (incoming JC transfer) also is a left tackle. Considering all the possibilities, I think we'll be okay at left tackle." "But I don't think we solved anything this spring at tailback," he said. "A= ll five guys did some good things, and we could play all five of them, but we wanted somebody to step up and nobody did." The five tailbacks are juniors Victor Ike and Kenny Hayter, sophomores Bret= t Robin and Ivan Williams and redshirt freshman Sneezy Beltran. Head coach Mack Brown said Robin had the best spring, but he said none of t= he five played at the level the Longhorns need their tailback to reach. Davis concurred, saying, "We're going into the pre-season practices with an unsettled situation at tailback." "Obviously, we're going to find out what the youngster can do when he gets here," he added. The youngster, of course, needs no identification. He is Cedric Benson, the super recruit who is finishing his senior year at Midland Lee after leading the Rebels to three straight state 5A championships. As for a changing some things in the overall scheme, Davis said, "We wanted to add more misdirection this spring and we worked on that. It's an area where we think we can add some things that will help us." He said more work needs to be done on the reverses shovel passes and quick dashes to the outside. "Those things are not greased yet," he said, but I'm glad we got to throw a lot of those things at them. It gives us some more avenues to attack." Davis also said the coaches worked hard this spring on developing a running game to pick up short-yardage situations. "We're not going to be a team that says we have to run for a certain amount of yardage," he said. "We want to do whatever it takes to win the game, but there are times when you have to be able to run the ball in short yardage, particularly for first downs, on the goal line and in the fourth quarter wh= en we're trying to protect a lead." Other than the uncertainty at tailback, Davis liked what he saw this spring= . "Our linemen had a good spring," he said. "Mike Williams at right tackle ha= d a great spring. I think Mike will be an outstanding right tackle this seaso= n. "Derrick Dockery had a really good spring at right guard," Davis said, "Mat= t Anderson had a good spring at center and Jason Glynn got a lot of snaps behind Matt. I'm really pleased with Jason Glynn's development." Davis said the line will be much better when guards Antwan Kirk-Hughes and Tillman Holloway, who both missed the spring rehabilitating injuries, retur= n for pre-season practice. "Tight end will be a really solid position," he said. "Bo Scaife was able t= o get back into things (after knee surgery) and he had a really solid spring. Brock Edwards is a good young tight end and we'll get Mike Jones (knee surgery) back for the season." "Our young wide receivers are just going to get better and better," Davis said. "Roy Williams, B. J. Johnson and Sloan Thomas all played really well = as true freshmen and now they're a year older and more experienced." He also said walk-on Kyle Shanahan, redshirt freshman Tony Jeffery and seni= or Montrell Flowers also will see a lot of action. Shanahan is the son of the Denver Broncos' head coach and was a starter on = a scholarship at Duke before deciding to transfer and walk on at Texas becaus= e he wants to be a coach and felt this was the best place to learn the trade. After sitting out last season, Shanahan is a junior and he catches the ball as well as anybody on the team. "This is a really solid group, with very good players and quality depth," Davis said. "We're really pleased with our wide receivers." "At quarterback," he said, "you would be hard pressed to find anybody who h= as two like we do." They are junior starter Chris Simms and senior Major Applewhite, who shattered most of Texas' passing records before severe injuries to both kne= es sidelined him gave Simms a chance to win the job. Davis also said he is very pleased with the development of redshirt freshma= n QB Chance Mock. "Chance Mock is really talented," Davis said. "He has really good skills." Mock has outstanding speed for a quarterback and a strong arm. He also has = a very quick release. "He needs to get some experience, but he has all the tools," Davis said. So, looking at everything, how good can this Longhorn offense be? "I think this group has a chance to be really good," he said. "We have a lo= t of talented players. We just need to solidify the running game, and we're working on that." UT Hires Volleyball Coach Jerritt Elliott, 32, former interim head women's volleyball coach at the University of Southern California, is the new head women's volleyball coach at Texas. He was the interim coach at USC for two years while former UT and current U= SC coach Mick Haley was coaching the U. S. Olympic Team. Elliott replaces Jim Moore, who resigned. A highly personable coach who is an outstanding recruiter, Elliott had the top-rated recruiting classes in the nation both years he was at USC. Last season, he led USC to its first final four appearance in 15 years and = to USC's first-ever share of the Pac-10 title. USC also finished the year ranked No. 4 nationally by both the AVCA and Volleyball Magazine. USC compiled a 50-12 record under Elliott in these two years, going 29-3 la= st fall en route to the NCAA Final Four, and 21-9 in 1999. In both years, Elliott was honored as the Pac-10 Conference Coach of the Ye= ar and was the 2000 Pacific Region Coach of the Year. Elliott spent the last six years at USC (1995-2001), the last two years as interim head coach and a four-year term prior to that as assistant coach. Elliott accepted the interim head position in 1999 and 2000 in the absence = of Haley, who was serving as the USA National Team head coach through the 200= 0 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Elliott also was named the USA Junior National Team Head Coach for the summ= er of 2001, but will relinquish that role with USA Volleyball due to his appointment at UT. "It is with tremendous pleasure that I accept the University of Texas volleyball head coach position," he said. "I am extremely enthusiastic abo= ut coming to Texas, which is considered one of the prominent volleyball progra= ms in the country."