2007 Texas Longhorns football team
All you want to know about 2007 Texas Longhorns football team
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|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 Texas Longhorn football | |||
| Holiday Bowl, W 52–34 | |||
| Conference | Big 12 South | ||
| Ranking | |||
| Coaches | #10 | ||
| AP | #10 | ||
| 2007 record | 10–3 (5–3 Big 12) | ||
| Head coach | Mack Brown | ||
| Offensive coordinator | Greg Davis | ||
| Offensive scheme | Spread Option | ||
| Defensive coordinator | Duane Akina & Larry Mac Duff | ||
| Base defense | 4-3 | ||
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Home stadium |
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium | ||
Seasons
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| 2007 Big 12 Football Standings | ||||||||
| v d | Conf | Overall | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team (Rank) | W | L | W | L | ||||
| North | ||||||||
| Kansas | 7 | - | 1 | 12 | - | 1 | ||
| Missouri | 7 | - | 1 | 12 | - | 2 | ||
| Colorado | 4 | - | 4 | 6 | - | 7 | ||
| Kansas State | 3 | - | 5 | 5 | - | 7 | ||
| Nebraska | 2 | - | 6 | 5 | - | 7 | ||
| Iowa State | 2 | - | 6 | 3 | - | 9 | ||
| South | ||||||||
| Oklahoma | 6 | - | 2 | 11 | - | 3 | ||
| Texas | 5 | - | 3 | 10 | - | 3 | ||
| Texas Tech | 4 | - | 4 | 9 | - | 4 | ||
| Oklahoma State | 4 | - | 4 | 7 | - | 6 | ||
| Texas A&M | 4 | - | 4 | 7 | - | 6 | ||
| Baylor | 0 | - | 8 | 3 | - | 9 | ||
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Championship: Oklahoma 38 vs Missouri 17 |
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The 2007 Texas Longhorn football team (variously "Texas" or "UT" or the "Horns") represented The University of Texas at Austin in the 2007–2008 college football season. The team was coached by Mack Brown, who received the 2005 Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year award.[1] The Longhorns play their home games in Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (DKR), which is undergoing renovations from 2006–2008 to improve older sections and add extra seating capacity.[2]
The Longhorns entered the 2007 season ranked third on all-time college football lists in both total wins and winning percentage.[3] A pre-season ranking by ESPN writer Mark Schlabach had the Longhorns ranked eighth,[4] while College Football News ranked Texas third.[5] The Longhorns came into the season ranked fourth in both the Coaches Poll[6] and AP Poll.[7]
During the summer leading into the season, five players were disciplined for legal infractions, another was suspended for NCAA rule violations, and a coach underwent surgery for cancer.[8] Additional players were suspended during the season.[9]
The Longhorns played games against two opponents they had never faced previously: Arkansas State University and the University of Central Florida (UCF).[10] The Longhorns narrowly achieved a victory in their home opener with Arkansas State,[11][12][13] and in their first road game of the season, Texas was the inaugural opponent for the UCF Knights in their new stadium.[14] In preseason speculation, games against Texas Christian University (TCU) and Oklahoma (OU) were considered among the top 20 games to watch during the 2007–2008 college football season.[15]
The Longhorns lost conference games to the Kansas State Wildcats,[16] the Oklahoma Sooners,[17] and the Texas Aggies.[18] In two close games, they avoided upset attempts by lower-ranked Nebraska and Oklahoma State, the latter game involving a 28-point fourth quarter comeback by the Horns.[19] Texas concluded its season by winning the 2007 Holiday Bowl against the Arizona State Sun Devils—another first-time opponent for Texas—bringing their season record to 10–3.[20]
The Horns finished the season ranked tenth in the AP poll[21] and in the USA Today coaches poll.[22] After the season, five UT players entered professional football through the 2008 NFL Draft[23] and four others agreed to sign free-agent contracts with NFL teams.[24]
Contents |
Before the 2007 season
Mack Brown became the head coach of the Texas Longhorns for the 1998 season.[25] Through 2006, he had a win/loss record of 93–22 and the best winning percentage (80.9%) of any football coach in Longhorn history. The 2004 team had the first Bowl Championship Series win for any Texas team[26] and the 2005 team won the National Championship (the fourth for the UT football program).[27]
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.[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35] This took the team out of contention for the conference championship,[36] as well as the national championship.[28][37]
Between the 2006 regular season and the bowl season, back-up quarterback Jevan Snead transferred to another school,[38] and Longhorn defensive coordinator Gene Chizik accepted the head-coaching job at Iowa State University.[39] The 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.[40] Colt McCoy was cleared to play for the Horns[41] and led Texas through a back-and-forth affair to a 26–24 win.[42] The Longhorns finished the season with a record of 10 wins and 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[43]
Texas entered the 2007 season ranked third in the all-time list of both total wins and winning percentage.[3] 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;[4] Rivals.com ranked them ninth;[44] College Football News[5] and Real Football 365[45] both ranked Texas third. The Longhorns came into the season ranked fourth in both the Coaches Poll[6] and AP Poll.[7]
Facilities and equipment
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 planning for luxury boxes and an upper-deck.[46] The lower deck was ready for 2007, while the upper deck and luxury boxes are planned to be ready for 2008.[46] 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.[47]
Each 2007 Longhorn football helmet featured a Texas bluebonnet decal. The decal was chosen to honor President Lyndon B. Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson and the Johnson family. Brown said 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.[48]
For the second straight year, UT merchandise products were the top-selling products among clients of Collegiate Licensing Company.[49] UT entered into a marketing arrangement with Bluetooth SIG to deploy Bluetooth kiosks throughout the stadium. These kiosks broadcasted free game-day information to Bluetooth-enabled cell-phones in the stands.[50]
Practices and preseason injuries
The Longhorns played their 2007 Spring Jamboree Scrimmage on March 31, 2007[51] and reported for fall practice on August 5, 2007.[52] 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 held a closed practice indoors instead.[53]
During fall practice, receivers Limas Sweed, Billy Pittman, and Jordan Shipley were injured. Sweed suffered a sprain to his left wrist on August 15.[54] Pittman sprained his left shoulder during practice on August 17. Head UT athletic trainer Kenny Boyd said, "We will continue to evaluate [Pittman] and monitor his progress in hopes of getting him back in time for the season opener."[55] Jordan Shipley had to limit his practice due to a strained hamstring. The receiver position was considered one of the deepest positions on the team; coaches said veteran players Quan Cosby (Texas' second-leading receiver) and Nate Jones performed well in training camp. Coach Brown said he expected to be able to play three freshman receivers in 2007: Brandon Collins, Malcolm Williams and James Kirkendoll.[55] On August 29, 2006 Brown announced that Sweed was "probable"[56] for the season opening game, but that Shipley was "doubtful".[56]
Coaches
Prior to the first game of the season, the University of Texas Board of Regents voted unanimously to raise Brown's salary by $300,000, bringing his annual compensation to $2.81 million and keeping him among the five highest-paid coaches in college football. The package also includes up to $3 million in bonuses, including "$100,000 if he wins the Big 12 Championship and $450,000 for a national championship, as well as bonuses based on the percent of players who graduate."[57] At the time, Brown's contract extended through the 2016 season and included buy-out clauses should another school attempt to hire Brown.[57]
Greg Davis, who entered his 10th season with Texas, was the team's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.[58] Duane Akina was the defensive coordinator, and took the position vacated by Gene Chizik when he left the program. During the 2007 season, Akina performed his job on the sidelines while Larry Mac Duff provided input from the press box.[59] UT running backs coach Ken Rucker announced in August that he had prostate cancer and that he would have surgery on August 27. He coached practices until just prior to surgery and returned to the team before the end of the season.[60] Rucker's health concern coincided with player incidents that created Brown's most tumultuous off-season since arriving at Texas.[61]
Player suspensions
The school suspended a total of seven players for at least a portion of the season. Six were suspended for alleged illegal activities, and one was suspended for a violation of National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) rules. Defensive end Henry Melton and linebacker Sergio Kindle were both arrested during the summer on charges of driving while intoxicated.[62][52][60] 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 was one of the team's most highly touted recruits; his 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[62][52][63][64] The university suspended Tyrell Gatewood indefinitely after he was arrested on two drug possession charges.[65][66] James Henry was arrested on third-degree felony charges of "obstruction or retaliation and tampering or fabricating physical evidence."[67][68][69][70][71]
The University of Texas suspended Billy Pittman for three games because he violated NCAA rules when he accepted the use of a friend's car over the summer.[72] Coach Brown[61] and University of Texas President William Charles Powers Jr. issued statements concerning the important of team discipline and zero tolerance policy for infractions.[9]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1* | 6:00pm | Arkansas State | #4 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | FSN PPV | W 21–13 | 84,440[73] |
| September 8* | 6:00pm | #19 TCU | #7 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | FSN | W 34–13 | 84,621[74] |
| September 15* | 2:30pm | at UCF | #6 | Bright House Networks Stadium • Orlando, FL | ESPN2 | W 35–32 | 45,622[75] |
| September 22* | 6:00pm | Rice | #6 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | FSN | W 58–14 | 84,571[76] |
| September 29 | 2:30pm | Kansas State | #7 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | ABC | L 41–21 | 84,864[77] |
| October 6 | 2:30pm | vs. #10 Oklahoma | #16 | Cotton Bowl Stadium • Dallas, TX (AT&T Red River Rivalry) | ABC | L 28–21 | 80,000[78] |
| October 13 | 11:30 a.m. | at Iowa State | #22 | Jack Trice Stadium • Ames, IA | FSN | W 56–3 | 52,060[79] |
| October 20 | 11:30 a.m. | at Baylor | #18 | Floyd Casey Stadium • Waco, TX | Versus | W 31–10 | 41,335[80] |
| October 27 | 2:30 p.m. | Nebraska | #16 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | ABC | W 28–25 | 85,968[81] |
| November 3 | 2:30 p.m. | at Oklahoma State | #12 | Boone Pickens Stadium • Stillwater, OK | ABC | W 38–35 | 41,406[82] |
| November 10 | 2:30 p.m. | Texas Tech | #14 | Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, TX | ABC | W 59–43 | 86,401[83] |
| November 23 | 2:30pm | at Texas A&M | #13 | Kyle Field • College Station, TX (State Farm Lone Star Showdown) | ABC | L 38–30 | 88,253[84] |
| December 27 | 7:00pm | #10 Arizona State | #17 | Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) | ESPN | W 52–34 | 64,020[20] |
| *Non-Conference Game. †Homecoming. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to game. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||
Players
Roster
- See also: American football positions and Glossary of American football
| (as of August 5, 2007) | ||||||||
| Edit | ||||||||
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Quarterbacks
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Wide Receivers
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Offensive Line (unspecified)
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Linebackers
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Kickoffs
for 1, 2, or 3 years, respectively.
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Watch lists
Longhorns listed on preseason All-American or “All-Conference” teams or on award watch lists:
- Jamaal Charles
- Maxwell Award watch list[85]
- Doak Walker Award watch list[85]
- Athlon Sports third-team All American[86]
- Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12[87]
- Jermichael Finley
- Mackey Award watch list[85]
- Marcus Griffin
- Outland Trophy watch list[85]
- Athlon Sports second-team All Big 12[88]
- Robert Killebrew
- Athlon Sports third-team All Big 12[88]
- Tony Hills
- Lombardi Award watch list[85]
- Outland Trophy watch list[85]
- Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12[87]
- Drew Kelson
- Lott Trophy[85]
- Derek Lokey
- Lombardi Award watch list[85]
- Outland Trophy watch list[85]
- Nagurski Trophy watch list[85]
- Lott Trophy[85]
- Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12[87]
- Colt McCoy
- Maxwell Award watch list[85]
- CBS Sportsline.com Heisman Trophy Watch[89]
- Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Award watch list[85]
- Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12[87]
- Davey O’Brien Award[85]
- Manning Award[85]
- Roddrick Muckelroy
- Athlon Sports second-team All Big 12[88]
- Frank Okam
- Lombardi Award watch list[85]
- Outland Trophy watch list[85]
- Bednarik Award watch list[85]
- Athlon Sports first-team All Big 12[87]
- Brian Orakpo
- Athlon Sports third-team All Big 12[88]
- Limas Sweed
- Biletnikoff Award candidate[90]
- Maxwell Award candidate[90][85]
- Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year Award watch list[85]
- ESPN Scouts Inc. Top 10 professional prospects list[90]
- Athlon Sports second-team All Big 12[88]
Recruiting
Texas’ 2007 recruiting class was rated by Scout.com as third-best in the nation, behind Florida and USC.[91] 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).[92] Carter made the preseason roster as a defensive end while Chiles was listed as a quarterback.[93] Jones was suspended from the team due to legal trouble.[62][52][63][64]
Game notes
Arkansas State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
| #4 Texas | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
The first Longhorn game of the season marked the first-ever meeting between Texas and Arkansas State,[10] a NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision team from the Sun Belt Conference. Pre-game media attention played upon the fact that both schools won national football championships in 1970.[94] Both schools entered the game with a level of controversy attached to their teams. Arkansas State was facing criticism over its team name. The team was nicknamed "Indians" in honor of the Osage Nation that inhabited the area until the 1800s.[95] The NCAA enforced restrictions on the use of Indian mascots, saying that they were derogatory to American Indians.[96][97] In 2008, the Indians changed their name to the Red Wolves.[98][99] The University of Texas was dealing with player suspensions, and passed a large pay raise for Mack Brown one week prior to the game. As part of the package, Brown received a $100,000 special payment upon completion of the game.[100]
Two days prior to the game, Las Vegas casinos favored Texas by 39 points.[101] Sportswriters John Bridges and Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman predicted 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. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sherrod Harris was on the injured list and was not expected to play.[102] Those predictions were off the mark as the Indians almost kept up with the Horns and McCoy stayed in for the entire game.[11]
Texas scored a touchdown on its 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. State 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.[12]
Starting Longhorn defensive end Brian Orakpo injured his right knee during the game.[103] The team reported Orakpo would not need surgery but that it was uncertain when he would return.[104]
Kirk Bohls was among commentators who were unimpressed by the Longhorns performance, saying, "if this becomes the pattern, look for a 7–5 season."[13] On September 5, 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 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]
TCU
- See also: 2007 TCU Horned Frogs football team
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #19 TCU | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| #7 Texas | 0 | 0 | 10 | 24 | 34 |
The second Longhorn game of the season was the first meeting of the former Southwest Conference (SWC) rivals since the conference disbanded following the 1995 season.[106][10] Texas held a 60–20–1 (win-lose-tie) record vs. the TCU Horned Frogs.[10] Their most recent meeting was a 27–19 Longhorn victory.[107]
In their annual season preview magazine, CBS SportsLine.com selected two Longhorn games — vs. TCU and against OU — as ranking in their 17 “must see” games for 2007.[15] CBS Sportsline.com 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.”[108]
Texas' narrow win versus Arkansas State in week one, together with TCU's victory over Baylor, fueled speculation that the 2007 Horned Frogs might have a chance at an upset victory over the Longhorns.[13][109] Texas dropped three places to number seven in the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, while TCU moved up three places to number nineteen.[110][111] One day prior to the game, Las Vegas casinos picked Texas to win by 9½ points.[112]
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 before running in for a touchdown. Later in the quarter, McCoy threw a pass that was tipped by a defender and intercepted by David Roach. The Longhorn defense kept the Horned Frogs out of the end zone following the interception, but the Frogs scored on a 19-yard field goal by Chris Manfredini. The first half ended with TCU leading, 10–0.[113]
The Longhorns' first second-half drive culminated in a 33-yard touchdown pass to Nate Jones. A fumble by TCU 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.[113]
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 a three-and-out but TCU's punter fumbled the ball, and Brandon Foster ran the ball in for a touchdown, capping 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.[113] The attendance for the game, 84,621, was the third-largest crowd ever to watch a TCU football game.[74]
UCF
- See also: 2007 UCF Knights football team
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #6 Texas | 10 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 35 |
| UCF | 7 | 3 | 7 | 15 | 32 |
The third game of the season was the first-ever meeting between the Longhorns and the UCF Knights.[10] Texas was the first opponent in the Knights' new stadium, Bright House Networks Stadium,[14][114] and the game was the first of three scheduled meetings between the schools.[14] 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.[115] It was just the sixth time Texas had played in Florida and was the team's first appearance in the state since 1965. The number six-ranked Longhorns were the highest rank team the Knights had ever played. UCF 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."[114]
Several Longhorn players missed 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 had not seen action since spraining his knee on August 12. Wide receiver Jordan Shipley participated in his first game since a preseason injury.[116] Defensive end Henry Melton, linebacker Sergio Kindle and receiver Billy Pittman were serving the last game of their three-game suspensions.[72] On September 13, Tyrell Gatewood joined Andre Jones and Robert Joseph in receiving an indefinite suspension due to alleged illegal activities.[66][62][52][63][64] The day prior to the game, sports books in Las Vegas picked Texas to win by 18 points.[117]
A sell-out crowd greeted the Longhorns in Florida.[118] UCF received the opening kickoff in their end-zone and took a touchback.[119] UCF was not able to get a first down and before punting the ball to Texas. The Horns drove inside the UCF 20-yard line before being stopped on fourth-and-short and settling for a field goal.[119] On their second possession, the Knights drove the ball down the field for a touchdown and a four point lead.[119][120][121] Shortly thereafter, lightning was spotted near the stadium and both teams were sent into their locker rooms for approximately 15 minutes before play resumed.[120] Texas' first drive after the delay culminated in a six-yard touchdown pass to Nate Jones. When the first quarter ended, the Longhorns had a three point lead and the Knights had 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 halftime was 20–10, Texas.[119][120][121]
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 resulting drive culminated in a touchdown to give the Knights a 24–23 lead with 13:38 left in the game. The Longhorns regained the lead with two field goals and a touchdown. A Longhorn attempt at a two-point conversion failed, making the score 35–24.[119][120][121] This decision was later criticized by commentators who said that the decision allowed UCF a chance to tie the game.[122][123]
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 onside kick attempt, Texas was able to run out the clock and preserve a three-point victory.[119][120][121]
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. 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.[124] Due to his performance in the game, Texas 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 work on special teams, making him the first Longhorn to get back-to-back conference honors since running back Hodges Mitchell in 2000.[125] Kicker Ryan Bailey tied a school record with five field goals. Combined with his previous attempts, the five kicks made him seven-of-nine for the season at that point.[126]
Rice
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| #6 Texas | 10 | 31 | 14 | 3 | 58 |
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.[127] The Owls were 21-67-1 against Texas heading into the game,[107] including the sixth-longest streak of one college football team winning over another team.[128]
After their 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 Bowl Championship Series rankings, had the Longhorns at number twelve coming into the 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.[129] Four days prior to the game, Las Vegas favored UT by 39 points.[130] The Longhorns suspended special teams player James Henry prior to the game,[70] but 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 season-opening game.[126] The Owls came into the game 0–3 after losing the previous week to Texas Tech by a score of 59–24.[131]
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 that included converting a 4th-and-two situation.[132] The Longhorns extended their lead to 41–0 before Rice scored a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the first half.[133] In the second half, Texas scored two touchdowns and one field goal, and Rice scored one touchdown. Texas won 58–14.[76]
McCoy completed 20 of his 29 passing attempts, accumulating 333 yards through the air.[132] For the first time in the season, he did not throw an interception.[134] McCoy and most of the Longhorn starting players were replaced by backups after the first drive of the second half.[132] True freshman quarterback John Chiles made his first appearance as a Texas player in the first quarter, when he participated in a single play. He came out of the game after the play before returning in the third quarter as McCoy's replacement. On his first drive, Chiles led the Longhorns 80 yards to a touchdown, carrying the ball 4 times for 49 yards.[135] 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.[132] Redshirt freshman Sherrod Harris replaced Chiles for the final two drives of the game.[132] Chiles' strong performance immediately led to media speculation as to how the Longhorns could get him more playing time.[134][136]
McGee was the game's leading rusher, and had 8 carries for 80 yards. Jamaal Charles rushed 14 times for 72 yards, and John Chiles ran 9 times for 72 yards.[76] Limas Sweed was the leading receiver with 5 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns[76] as he set a new career high for receiving yards in a single game.[137][138] Sergio Kindle injured his knee, and defensive end Eddie Jones injured his shoulder, but neither injury was thought to be serious.[139]
Kansas State
- See also: 2007 Kansas State Wildcats football team
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State | 7 | 17 | 10 | 7 | 41 |
| #7 Texas | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
Texas first played Kansas State in 1913 and held a record of 5–4–0 in the series prior to 2007.[10] Since the Kansas State Wildcats belong to the north division of the Big 12 Conference, Texas plays KSU two out of every four years.[140] In the 2006 meeting, fourth-ranked Texas was favored by 16 points over an unranked Kansas State team;[141] Colt McCoy was injured early in the game and KSU went on to defeat Texas 45–42.[142] This defeat snapped the Longhorns 17 win streak on the road as well as the national-best 21-game conference winning steak.[28]
One day prior to the 2007 game, Las Vegas casinos picked Texas to win by 15 points.[143] 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 backup quarterback John Chiles in the game alongside Colt McCoy for some of the plays. The first quarter ended with the score tied 7–7.[144]
In the second quarter, Kansas State took a 24–14 lead[144] and Colt McCoy was injured and headed to the locker room just before halftime. McCoy came back as the Longhorn quarterback at the start of the third quarter,[145] but Texas was never able to erase the point deficit and lost, 41–21.[144] With about two minutes left in the game, McCoy again headed to the locker room early and Chiles led the Longhorns' last drive.[145]
McCoy threw for 200 yards and had four interceptions[144] during his worst performance of his college career.[145] Sports Illustrated selected him as one of the season's 10 "Most Disappointing College Players" and noted that his nine interceptions thrown to that point in 2007 were already two more than he threw during the entire 2006 season.[146] Kansas State had no turnovers and scored 21 points on defense and special teams.[144] The Wildcats 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.[145] The 41 points were the most scored against Texas in Austin since UCLA handed the Longhorns a 66–3 loss in 1997.[147] The loss to Kansas State was the worst home defeat in the Mack Brown era at Texas.[148] Stewart Mandel of Sports Illustrated listed several factors that contributed 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 should be placed on an offensive line that lost several starters and had not been able to consistently protect McCoy. Finally, he noted that the running game had been "equally inconsistent".[148] The win over UT was the Wildcats' first road victory over a top–ten team in school history.[16]
Oklahoma
- See also: 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #10 Oklahoma | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| #16 Texas | 0 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
The game against the 2007 Oklahoma Sooners football team marked the 102nd meeting of the Red River Shootout, which has been called one of the greatest sports rivalries in college football.[149] It is Texas' second-longest running rivalry, just behind its rivalry with Texas A&M.[10] Prior to 2007,