Austin, TX (My Sportsbook) - Expectations are at an all-time high in Austin, and the second-ranked Texas Longhorns will try to live up to the hype, as they open their 2009 campaign against the UL-Monroe Warhawks this weekend.
The 'Horns enter just about every season with legitimate national title hopes and after falling just short last year, this team could be primed to take that final step. In 2008, Texas went a stellar 12-1, including a Fiesta Bowl victory over Ohio State, but the program felt its was robbed of a chance to play for the national championship. Texas, along with Oklahoma and Texas Tech all finished 7-1 in the Big 12's South Division, but it was the Sooners that earned the right to play for the Big 12 title despite the fact the 'Horns posted a 45-35 victory earlier in the year over their hated rival. The tie- breaker was determined by the BSC standings and because of that, Texas was edged out and Oklahoma eventually got a shot at the national title. With 15 starters back in the fold and plenty of motivation, Mack Brown's club appears ready for another run towards supremacy.
As for the Warhawks, they went just 4-8 last season under head coach Charlie Weatherbie, a fall off from a 6-6 showing in 2007. The team however, does return a wealth of experience on each side of the ball and that should have the program competing for a winning campaign in 2009. While ULM isn't all that publicized, the team did knock off Alabama in Tuscaloosa in 2007, so anything is possible.
This is the first-ever meeting between ULM and Texas on the gridiron. The Warhawks are 0-10 all-time against the Big 12, while the 'Horns are 13-0 versus teams from the Sun Belt.
The Warhawks' success this season may just come down to the play of quarterback Trey Revell, who is taking over for three-year starter Kinsmon Lancaster. As a backup last season, Revell threw for 129 yards and a score and he will have to be sharp this weekend, as Texas figures to bring the pressure.
Darrell McNeal will provide Revell with a nice outlet after leading the team with 51 receptions last year. ULM has plenty of options at wideout and that is something Weatherbie is excited about.
"I think we have some really good receivers," Weatherbie said. "We have a mix of physical athletes and really fast guys. Our receivers are very athletic and give us the whole package."
ULM also returns some experience and talent in the backfield, as Frank Goodin is ready to pace the ground attack once again. Last season, Goodin rushed for 783 yards in 11 games and he figures to compete for a 1,000-yard campaign with an increase in carries. With four starters welcomed back along the line, Goodin should find plenty of running room in 2009.
The defense returns nearly intact for ULM, which is employing a new 3-3-5 scheme to help get all the best athletes on the field at once and create some big plays. Defensive end Aaron Morgan accounted for nearly half of the team's 13 sacks a year ago and he will once again be counted on to pressure opposing quarterbacks.
The leader of this defense however, is Cardia Jackson, who did it all from his linebacker position last season. Jackson led the team with 127 stops, while ranking second with four sacks and two picks.
"Cardia is a great leader on this team," said Weatherbie. "He is the leading tackler on this team and he is a guy that I believe as he goes so the defense will go and so the team will go."
The secondary is also talented and the return of James Truxillo should only make this group better. An all-conference caliber safety, Truxillo missed most of last year with an ACL injury, but he appears fully healthy and ready to make an impact.
Texas churned out an impressive 42.4 ppg last season and while topping that number could be difficult, it is certainly possible with the returning talent on this side of the ball. Leading the way is none other than quarterback Colt McCoy, the runner-up to the 2008 Heisman Trophy. A holder of 42 UT records, McCoy is coming off a remarkable campaign in which he completed 76.7 percent of his passes (NCAA record) for 3,859 yards, with 34 touchdowns against only eight interceptions. If that wasn't impressive enough, he also paced the team with 561 rushing yards, to go with 11 more scores on the ground. He is clearly one of the top returning players in all of college football.
"The offense needs to really appreciate him and what he's doing, and the offensive line needs to block well for him," Brown said about McCoy. "We need to really enjoy him being here, enjoy his success and make sure we don't take him for granted."
McCoy will also benefit from working with a familiar group of wideouts that is highlighted by Jordan Shipley, who pulled in 89 balls for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2008.
The one area that Texas would like to see less of McCoy involved in is the ground attack. Vondrell McGee was named the starting tailback and he has a good combination of speed and size at 5-10, 205 pounds. He ranked second with 376 rushing yards last season and should easily eclipse that number running behind a mammoth offensive line that welcomes back four starters.
"I think our fans are going to see a different Vondrell Saturday," stated Brown. "We're really impressed with his patience and his toughness and his conditioning."
The 'Horns permitted only 18.8 ppg last season, but the defense created just 16 turnovers and that is area they will look to improve upon in 2009. Seven starters are back, although three are gone from a line that helped the unit generate a whopping 47 sacks. Sergio Kindle however, will help forget about some of those losses and he has a good mix of speed and strength that resulted in 10 sack and 14 TFLs last season.
At linebacker, Roddrick Muckelroy is welcomed back and he is a tackling machine, leading the club with 112 a year ago.
"As far as our defense, we're a lot more comfortable," said Muckelroy. "We're not really just learning, we're really just fine tuning and tweaking things here and there just within the defense."
The secondary is where Texas needs to get better after allowing 259.4 passing ypg and notching a mere six interceptions in 2008. Safety Earl Thomas was a freshman All-American last season after making 72 tackles and 17 PBUs and figures to play a big part in this group's improvement.
