|
|
| ATBFORUM: LET'S TALK SPORTS In Category: Sports | Rate This Forum! Body Text: REPOMAN'S BABE OF THE DAY Sponsored by SCOREBOARDS/AUDIO FEEDS CHOOSE SELECTION BASK AUDIO BASEB AUDIO FOOT AUDIO HOCKEY AUDIO NFL GAMECASTS NHL SCORE BOARD COLLEGE FOOT LIVE COLLEGE BASKETB INTL SOCCER NBA LIVE GAME MATCHUPS/REPORTS FEEDS CHOOSE SELECTION MLB PREVIEWS NFL WEEKLY NCAA FOOTBALL NATIONAL HOCKEY NHL AUDIO LIVE LINES CHOOSE SELECTION FOOTBALL LINES NBA NCAA BKB GOLF LINES TENNIS SOCCER H.RACING NHL BOXING LINES OTHER SPORTS Register to our newsletter and receive contest updates, news and free picks from ATB Subscribe Unsubscribe HORSE RACING PICKS BigLou's PICKS "AT THE TRACK" CHECK BACK OCTOBER 10th SPORTBET.COM SPORTBET Check out the newest addition to the ATB family of sponsored sportsbook 20% CASH SIN UP BONUS Join the forum now! CAN THEY BREAK THE JINX AGAINST OKLAHOMA?? AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- It might be hard to believe, but something good came out of Texas' 65-13 loss to Oklahoma last year: Vince Young emerged as the Longhorns' starting quarterback. The few bright spots for Texas on that humiliating day were Young's flashes of brilliance, scrambling and breaking tackles. And desperate to get his team back on track, coach Mack Brown started Young the next week against Iowa State. Texas won that game -- and hasn't been the same since. Young is 10-1 as the starter and the key on offense for the No. 5 Longhorns (4-0, 1-0 Big 12), who meet the No. 2 Sooners (4-0, 1-0) Saturday in the Red River Shootout. Not only do the Longhorns have a chance to end a four-game losing streak in the rivalry, but the winner gets an early boost toward winning the Big 12 South and will be the favorite to win the league title. ``I love big games,'' Young said Monday. ``I love to compete. I always step up. That's what playmakers do.'' Young's ability to run and pass make him a nightmare for defensive coordinators. His scrambling ability forces them to think twice about zeroing in on tailback Cedric Benson, the nation's leading rusher at 186.5 yards per game. Young has run for 224 yards and passed for 653, with eight touchdowns. Add his 6-foot-5, 220-pound frame and sprinter's speed to Benson's tough between-the-tackles running, and the Longhorns have a powerful rushing attack. Texas leads the nation at 353.5 yards rushing per game. ``I like the changes,'' Brown said. ``We're more physical.'' Wide receiver Tony Jeffery compares Young to former Longhorns standout Roy Williams, now one of the NFL's top rookies with the Detroit Lions. ``He can make plays, but you never know when it's going to happen,'' Jeffery said. ``When it does, you're in awe.'' Young had a couple of jaw-dropping runs against the Sooners last year. A 59-yarder saw him break five tackles as he zigzagged through one of the nation's best defenses. He later scored on a 27-yard run that was simply a shorter version of the first. But he also committed some costly mistakes. Two plays after his big run, he fumbled at the Oklahoma 2 when he tried to spin out of a tackle. He also threw two interceptions that led to Sooners points. Young says the fumble still haunts him. The game was still close, and the fumble seemed to open the floodgates: The Sooners drove the length of the field for a field goal and never looked back. ``Every time I think about Oklahoma, I think about that play,'' he said. But once Young became the starter, the Longhorns ripped off six straight wins before losing in the Holiday Bowl to Washington State. Young says he's a better quarterback now. Brown agrees. Both say he's a better passer. After throwing a career-high three touchdowns against Rice, he went 15-of-20 with two touchdowns in last week's 44-14 win over Baylor. Young's best play of the season came against Arkansas when he scrambled out of a sack. But instead of taking off past the line of scrimmage, he threw back across the field to Benson for a touchdown. What might have netted a 10-yard pickup on the ground instead went for the winning score in a 22-20 victory. ``Vince is 100 years better than this game last year,'' Brown said Yahoo.com LAS VEGAS REVIEW .COM Cardinals Drum Dodgers in Playoff Opener Sheffield a Fan Favorite for Showing Grit Shula Thinks Dolphins Have Shot at Pats Judge's Aide: Jamal Lewis to Plead Guilty Oklahoma Defense Likes Challenge of Texas Georgia Now Top Dog in Tough SEC East Earnhardt Pays Dearly for On-Air Vulgarity World Golf Championships Losing Buzz Nuggets Expect to Be a Force This Season Reshuffled Heat Sees Growing Pains Coming CLASSIC TOP 25 BATTLE TIGERS vs GATORS............ (24) L-S-U (3-2) at (12) Florida (3-1) Saturday, October 09, 2004 LINE ANALYSIS: Projected Lines LSU Tigers Over/Under48.0 Florida GatorsHome Line-3.0 orida (3-1) (24) L-S-U (3-2) at (12) Florida (3-1) Saturday, October 9th - 7:45 p.m. (et) GAME NOTES: SEC cross-divisional rivals collide in Gainesville this Saturday when the 12th-ranked Florida Gators play host to the 24th-ranked LSU Tigers. What a difference a year makes, as Nick Saban's Tigers claimed the SEC crown and a share of the national title following the 2003 season, but are barely keeping their heads above water here in 2004, posting a 3-2 mark to this point. LSU was thoroughly embarrassed at No. 3 Georgia last week, falling to the Bulldogs, 45-16. The season began well enough for the Tigers with wins over Oregon State and Arkansas State, but a tough 10-9 loss to Auburn was LSU's first since falling to Florida on October 11, 2003 -- their only setback of the season. The Tigers bounced back with a 51-0 whipping of Mississippi State but the euphoria was short-lived as Georgia controlled last week's game from the outset in handing Saban's squad its second league loss of the year. As for Florida, it has won its last two games, including a 45-30 decision over Arkansas last week. The Gators are in the midst of a four-game homestand, with next week's visit from Middle Tennessee State being the final leg. The team's only loss of the season came at arch-rival Tennessee, 30-28, back on September 18th. Florida has won five of its last seven games against teams that won the SEC title the year before, giving the Gators some added confidence heading into this contest. Florida has claimed victory in five of the last six and in 14 of the last 16 meetings with LSU to take a 27-20-3 lead in the all-time series. The LSU offense had a tough time last week at Georgia, generating a mere 67 yards on the ground and scoring just a pair of TDs and one FG. The Tigers held the ball for just 26 minutes, converted only 2-of-11 third-down tries and lost three fumbles. The quarterback tandem of JaMarcus Russel and Marcus Randall combined to throw for 247 yards with each tossing a TD pass. Randall was especially efficient, hitting 10-of-13 attempts for 116 yards. Dwayne Bowe was the team's leading receiver with six grabs for 78 yards and a score. Overall this season, LSU is averaging 30.2 ppg on 396.8 total ypg. Both aspects of the Tigers' attack has worked, with the ground game accounting for 164.2 ypg and the pass generating 232.6 ypg. Three different guys have rushed for at least 200 yards this season, led by Justin Vincent's 225-yard, two-TD effort. Russel and Randall have combined for 1,076 passing yards with nine TDs and just one INT. Holding onto the football has been the Tigers' downfall to this point, as they have fumbled the ball 15 times, losing 10 of them. The LSU defense is giving up an average of 275.4 ypg of total offense to rank fifth in the SEC. That figure was even lower prior to last week's game at Georgia, but the Bulldogs racked up 430 yards (221 rushing, 209 passing) and scored early and often en route to the lopsided victory. The Tigers failed to register a turnover in the tilt, but have come up with 12 takeaways this season to rank among the league leaders in turnovers gained. Both Lionel Turner and Landry LaRon have enjoyed productive seasons thus far, with Turner collecting a team-high 41 tackles and Landry coming in with 38. The two have combined for 7.5 TFLs, including five sacks. Landry led the LSU stance, what there was of one, last week against Georgia, making eight stops. The Tigers collected 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, but sacked the quarterback just once. Georgia's Danny Ware became the first opposing rusher to gain 100 yards versus the LSU defense this season, and the Tigers can expect to see Florida try to establish the run to set up its potent passing attack. The Gators are the SEC's top passing team, coming into this contest averaging 279.8 ypg through the air. Sophomore QB Chris Leak has been rock-solid in hitting 62.8 percent of his pass attempts with 10 TDs against just four INTs. Leak threw for a career-high 322 yards and three TDs in last week's 45-30 win over Arkansas. Two of his three scoring strikes went to wideout Dallas Baker, who finished with team-highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (89). The Gator ground game generated just 118 yards, with Ciatrick Fason leading the way with 62 yards on 18 carries. Fason, who leads the SEC and ranks 13th in the country with 114.5 rushing ypg, also scored a pair of TDs, giving him five for the year. The Gators have a done a tremendous job of holding onto the ball, turning it over just five times in four games. They have also been impressive on third down, converting 55 percent. The Florida offense has gotten off to a slow start in each game this year, scoring a total of 24 points in the opening quarter. However, the Gators have really poured it on in the second stanza, scoring a combined 70 points in that period. The Gators are pretty much a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of where they rank with the ... |