ESPN/USA Today College Football Coaches' Poll

Rice? LOL! Please, pack me a bowl and pass me some of what you're smoking.

Rice?

We have the #2 ranked defense in the nation, 3 studs at the wide out position, a revamped O-line with a healthy 1-2 punch at RB with Benson primed to have a breakout season if injury free, etc...

Rice? You're high.
Kansas State- We almost gave that game to them at their place, no way they win in Austin. Not even a close game.
Oklahoma- No comment.
Iowa State- Good team, close game.
Nebraska- Improved in the off season, but again there's no way this young team has the ability to pull out a win in Austin.
Ok State- For some reason, this game does have me worried. Toss up.
aTm- Straight up Texas win. They have zero depth and pose no challenge to the Mighty Horns.

HOOK 'EM!

 

Agree with most of this most. But, Iowa State is NOT a good team. They have a piss poor defense, and lost stud QB Seneca Wallace to the NFL. Also, don't be worried about the Pokes. Our offense should be able to score on them almost at will.

 

Sure Mock doesn't have much experience. But he's a junior this year, and had three years (1 RS) to learn the system. He's got great mobility and a cannon for an arm.

Chance Mock

QB, The Woodlands (15-5A), TX, 6'2", 205, 4.45. Widely considered the top QB in Texas and one of the top 2-3 QB's in the country. Mock is an incredible athlete with a rocket arm (can throw 82 yards). Mock is so versatile that Rice desperately wanted him to run their wishbone offense while OU wanted to make him the centerpiece of their 50+ pass/game air attack. In July, Bob Johnson, the Director of Quarterbacks in the 1999 Nike Training Camps and a coach at the Elite 11 passing clinic and who worked with the nation's top QB's in camps (like Brock Berlin and Chris Rix), said "If I had to pick a quarterback today, to go win with, I'd pick Chance Mock of all the guys I worked with during the Nike camps. He just has that knowhow, and he's so athletic -- that can get you through some tight spots." Despite playing in a ground-oriented offense at The Woodlands, Mock impressed everyone with his arm strength, mechanics and accuracy while leading his team to the semifinals (they lost 27-26 to runner-up champ Lake Worth) of this year's Texas 7-on-7 tournament (he really threaded the needle on some throws). Chance reportedly lined up sometimes at WR and looked as good as anyone at the tourney at that position. Fellow tourney member RB Vontez Duff called Mock "the real deal. We didn't play against him, but I can see why everybody thinks he is so good." Geoff Ketchum said "Let's be frank; Mock is the real deal. No discussion is needed when talking about who the best quarterback in the Lone Star State is. Chance has everything that you would want your quarterback to have physically as well as mentally. He is also one of the toughest son of a guns you'll ever see at the quarterback position. His stats at The Woodlands will never compare with some of the other quarterback across the country because he plays in a run-oriented offense. But, make no mistake about it. Mock is a premier quarterback and if I had to choose a guy to lead my team in any situation, I'd choose Mock without any hesitation." In June, Chance attended the "Elite 11" QB passing camp in San Diego with a handful of the nation's other top passers and reportedly looked fantastic, not only physically (his arm strenght and accuracy impressed), but in terms of his leadership skills and mental poise. The Woodland's Coach Willig said that Mock "could be the best athlete in the state. . . He's a playmaker that's every bit as dangerous if you force him out of the pocket as he is going back there to throw the ball." Willig also said "The utmost thing is that he’s an athlete first of all. His thing was to make plays and he always made them as far as he had the ability to make the plays and avoid tackles. Whatever he needed to do, you can just call him a playmaker and a winner. He can improvise and throw the ball if he needs to. He wasn’t going to get sacked, he was going to make people miss and deliver with the big play. That was the big thing about him. And he has as strong an arm as anyone around and he can throw on the run. However he needed to do it, he could do it. That was probably the big thing that not only Texas saw, but everyone around the country. He was the next Tee Martin or Donovan McNabb." Willig added ": I think the big thing about Chance is that he’s such a likeable person. Sometimes you get these guys who are preseason All-Americans and the No. 1 quarterback in the state and it goes to their head. With Chance, there isn’t anybody who doesn’t like him. That’s always a plus. You’ve got to be a good person before you can be a good player and he fits that category." Fully qualified.

1999: Mock was 82-131 for 1,441 yards with 16 TDs and 6 INTs.. Mock was named Parade All-American, DCTF Super Team 1st team QB, as well as being All-County and his District's MVP his junior year.

1998: During his Junior year in a ground oriented offense, Mock was 82 for 165 for 1051 yards with 4 TDs and 2 INTs; and had 102 carries for 563 yards and 10 TDs. He led his team to an 11-1 record as a junior, even after the Woodland's top running back was injured in the first game.

Physical Stats: Sizzling performance at the Nike Training Camp (in College Station) where he showed a very strong arm (can throw a football 82 yards), clocked a 4.53 and vertically lept a stunning 39". Mock then bested that performance with a 4.40 at the A&M camp. During his senior year, Mock benched 290, squatted 450 and power cleaned 295. Mock will give up baseball even though he has an 88mph fastball.

Texas Commit: Mock's dad (Mike) played for Texas Tech (1975-77) and the New York Jets, but Chance was a lifelong Aggie fan -- Chance grew up watching them, attended 3 Aggie bonfires, attended four 1998 Aggie home games and even had an Aggie screensaver! Within two months of his commitment, Texas was not even on Mock's list of 5 top schools. Before his trip to Texas' camp, Mock told Rivalnet that "If they [Texas] blow me away and I like them more, then I'll commit to them. Otherwise, I know where I want to go [A&M]." Texas "blew him away" and he committed early on (6/29/99, Texas' 8th commit) over Texas A&M (offer), Notre Dame (offer), Georgia (offer), Syracuse (offer), Kansas State (offer), Arizona (offer), Oklahoma (offer), Rice(offer) and a bunch of others. Mock instantly became a Longhorn favorite after engaging with fans in Chat and BBS discussions, and personally calling several other highly ranked players Texas is recruiting. Re committing to Texas with Simms in Austin, Coach Willig said "Well, any quarterback is going to have competition no matter where you go. You’re never going to walk in and say I’m the quarterback and nobody else is going to compete with you. I think he just really liked it and then Chance Mock would like to continue playing football after college. I don’t think A&M has produced too many Sunday players. I don’t know how many Texas has produced but Mack Brown is more of an offensive minded coach than his counterpart."

 

Our quarterback situation is much improved in my opinion. Now instead of a golden boy with a not so golden arm sitting in the pocket and falling down at the slightest hint of a defensive presence, we have 2 mobile quarterbacks, which can only help to aid the running game.

How many times did opposing defenses have to prepare for the Horns running an option or even draw plays last year? Zero. Oh, how things are gonna change...

If our QBs even play close to their overall potential, look for UT to once again have the most potent offense in the Big 12. Two mobile QBs with players such as Roy Williams, BJ Johnson and Sloan Thomas to play catch with? I'm psyched!

 

Thanks for the correction. Somehow I did forget Seneca was no longer a Cyclone.

 

Actually, the last thing UT needs to do is dust off the option because they have some QBs who can actually outrun the OLmen.

I'd rather see UT expand the running game, and run something other than "Benson - ISO right, ISO left." Benson would be lethal if he could run a "Counter Trey" every once in a while, particularly with his vision & footwork.

I'd rather see Mock or Young completing passes to Williams than optioning Big12 DE's.

 

Good question. Rice defeated Texas in 1994 by a score of 19-17. So yes, it was in fact in the last 10 years.

 

I have a feeling that neither Oklahoma, Ohio State, or Miami will win the NC for this upcoming season. I do think that one of those 3 teams will be playing for it but the winner will be someone unexpected.

As for Miami, their season all depends on how well Brock Berlin performs. If he can get be halfway as decent as Dorsey, then Miami should still be in the running for the NC, but if they lose an early game like to Florida, then it could be a long season.

Having Frank Gore, though, will help things tremendously.

 

that was the year before Ricky arrived

 

Let me give my $.02 on OSU:
-The defense will be as good or better than last year (scary). Will Smith and Simon Frasier will be teh best DE combo in the nation. Tim Anderson is the perfect DT, with decent size, good instincts and a motor which never stops.
The LBs lost 2 really good players in Cie Grant and Wilhem. Bad news is there is better athletes (they won't be better players this year but they will make some plays that Cie and Wilhelm couldn't do). Hawk, D'Andrea will team with Robert Reynolds to be very solid.
Losing Doss and Nickey is our biggest losses by far. I expect one of our CBs to move back, so if this D has a weakness it will be inexperience of the safeties. Gamble willb e better having the years experienc at CB under his belt.
The offense really needs Clarett to be a force.
Let me tell you I doesn't look good for Maurice Clarett playing this year for OSU. Lot of crazy things going on (Academics, vehicle he is driving, relationship with Lebron James and his agent, falifying a police report) and unless the NCAA says ok he's clean i don't think Tressel or the Administration will risk having him play and forfeiting games he played in. The kid is so talented yet so flippin stupid (or maybe just lacks any common sense).
Our O-line remains largely intact (we did lose one linemen due to a blood clot). Stipanovich will anchor this group and they willb e much better (with experience) than last years group.
You are correct that we have Lydell Ross and Maurice Hall at RB. They are both good, solid backs but neither is Maurice Clarett.

The Washington game will be interesting. I would prefer to open up with an easier game and it concerns me that Washington has talent and you never know what to expect from a team in turmoil (Neuheisel situation).
NC State will be a great game. These guys (IMO) could win their conference championship.
The Big 10 will be a very good conference this year. I don't think we will have a s many top 10 teams as the Big 12, but top to bottom the Big 10 is solid. I would really not be surprised to see 5-6 teams from th Big 10 int he top 25 at the end of they year (OSU, Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa and possibly PSU). Personally I think Wisconsin is in for a great year (also OSU plays their for a night game so I don't like that). I also like Purdue but don't know enough about them to really know what to expect besides tehy have talent. I really think Michigan is overrated. They don't have the typical Michigan D which I think will really hurt them (meanign they will will 8 games or so).