Longhorn Football Ready to Make Most of Texas Bowl Appearance

Habe on the Horns

By Steve Habel/Associate Editor

HOUSTON – While the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl appears as a minor postseason clash in the big scheme of the college football world, don’t expect either Texas or Arkansas – the two combatants on Monday night in at NRG Stadium – to take this game lightly.

There’s every indication that the rivalry between the Longhorns and the Razorbacks, which all but died after Arkansas bolted the Southwest Conference for the greener pastures in the Southeastern Conference after the 1991 season, remains as alive and as intense as ever.

Need proof? Just [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)] look at the supposedly inadvertent “Horns down” sign being flashed by Arkansas coach Bret Bielema at the Texas Bowl’s introductory press conference with Longhorns’ coach Charlie Strong.

The most important offshoot of the bowl game is the time spent in practice. The additional 15 practices act as a springboard to the following season, so much so that some in the college football hierarchy suggest that it gives the teams that qualify for a bowl game a considerable advantage over those that don’t.

Thanks to both teams winning three of their final five games, Arkansas and Texas get a chance to continue their development process.

“You’d like to go into the offseason in the right frame of mind and understand you can continue to work and just build off of that win,” Strong said. “When you look at both of our programs, we’re nowhere near where we want to be. We still know we have some work to do, but to win would be good.”

The time spent in bowl practices can most easily be compared to preseason workouts, Strong explained.

“We are able to work on a lot of things but our focus is still on fundamentals and technique,” he said. “You still just go and prepare. You have a lot of practices. The history and playing the team that we’re playing gets (our players’) attention, so it’s been very easy to get them going.”

There are also all the trappings that go with a bowl game – the activities for the team to familiarize it with the host city.

For the Texas Bowl, there was a rodeo competition attended by both squads and a visit to the DePelchin Children’s Center, which, since 1892, has supported parents and families in providing for the emotional, mental and physical needs of their children.

The key to a Texas victory in Houston will be its offense, which needs to control the ball and limit chances for Arkansas’ potent attack. That means sophomore quarterback Tyrone Swoopes needs to manage the game better and avoid turnovers.

In at least three of the Longhorns’ losses this season, the Texas’ defense dominated at the line of scrimmage for most of the game before the unit eventually wilted under the weight of the opposition and the Longhorns’ own inability to move the ball on offense.

Arkansas will hope to wear Texas down with its ground game and will be happy to punt and play field position for three quarters to force Swoopes to get into a rhythm and make some plays.

Like Texas, Arkansas has a two-headed running back attack. Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins each totaled more than 1,000 yards rushing and will make Texas’ very talented defensive front very tired if the Razorbacks can sustain long drives on offense.

But the biggest game-changer for Arkansas actually comes on defense, where senior defensive end Trey Flowers has 13.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and plenty of reasons to put on a show for NFL scouts in his final college game.

Interest in this game is high, with the bowl enjoying an advance sellout, the first time the bowl has sold out in its eight-year history.

All the signs point to a low-scoring game, but I’m gonna buck that trend and predict a shootout, with at least one touchdown from special teams and plenty of success from both teams’ passing attacks.

If the Horns can find a way to make one more big play than the Hogs, they will win. Doing so could be a harbinger of great things ahead for the Texas football program.

Just sayin, ya’ know?

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