2012 Longhorn football preview

Defense wins games: Okafor and Jeffcoat lead a buzzworthy Longhorn defense

Photo by Erich Schlegel/ Getty Images
Defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat
Defensive end Alex Okafor

"With great preparation comes great confidence. That's where things like swagger come in. It's like walking into a test where you already know the questions to the exam before the teacher hands it out. That's the type of defense we want to be," said Texas Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz.

Confidence, preparation, swagger: hardly terms anyone used a year ago to describe the Texas Longhorns. Another word you never heard: Experience.

"Because of the experience we have coming back," explained Diaz, "because of the depth we have coming back, all of our freshmen class, now, we can start them off in the mail room a little bit and then work them into [bigger jobs] later on."

A year ago, no one could predict how the secondary would play, a year later they are touted as perhaps one of the best ever and that is high praise.

The 2012 Texas defense is generating national buzz and it's not because of how young the team is, it's because of the incredible expectations heaped upon them. That buzz began when a few unknown freshmen started playing lights out football last season, while a few sophomores grew into big-time players. This year, the freshmen will spend time learning rather than trying to figure it all out on the field.

The Secondary

Senior free safety Kenny Vaccaro leads what is now a seasoned Longhorn backfield that includes junior safety Adrian Phillips, junior cornerback Carrington Byndom and sophomore corner Quandre Diggs.

A year ago, no one could predict how the secondary would play; a year later they are touted as perhaps one of the best ever and that is high praise. Secondary coach Duane Akina is running his own NFL development squad, he has nine proteges in the league right now.

Diggs was named the 2011 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, while sophomore Byndom made first team All-Big 12. Today they are a year older and a season wiser. These four were responsible for 10 interceptions — Diggs had four himself — and over 200 tackles.

They hit like a freight train, can run with anyone, and after playing together for a full season, they can almost read each other's minds. That's important in the secondary as the guys play with their backs turned to the ball pretty often following receivers around the field.

The Linebackers

If there is a question mark on the team it's here behind the defensive line. Jordan Hicks is the first question mark. While the junior linebacker has taken on a strong leadership role on this defense, his play has not lived up to his recruiting hype two years ago. This may be the year Hicks breaks out.

At least Hicks has a full season behind him and played well in the Holiday Bowl. Demarco Cobbs and Steve Edmond are larger questions. Although Edmond played in 12 games last season, he rarely made the highlight reel. Cobbs played far less.

This linebacking corps, though, has tremendous upside. Whether they realize that upside — and no one is better than Manny Diaz at bringing the nasty out of a defensive player — will only be determined as the season gets underway.

Diaz knows a team can't win if they don't score and his goal is to create controlled chaos on the field for the opposing offense, hit people into next week and take the ball away.

The D-Line

"I don't know, this sounds like a copout," explained Diaz. "I don't know who the defensive ends are in the country to compare these guys to. Certainly probably from what they accomplished, I don't know if anybody had a tandem that could have accomplished that."

Diaz is talking about senior Alex Okafor and junior Jackson Jeffcoat. Along with the secondary, these two guys are worth the price of admission alone.

Jeffcoat is already being hyped as a high first round NFL draft choice next spring (yeah, he's just a junior and it will suck to lose him) and Okafor, after being named a 2011 All-American, joins Byndom, Vaccaro and Jeffcoat on the preseason watch list for the Bronco Nagurski Award, given to the best defensive player in the nation.

The two combined for 15 sacks and 35 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Those are crazy numbers and they point to the core of this defense. These guys will get after the quarterback as two quick defensive tackles, Chris Whaley and Brandon Moore plug holes.

"I want a confident team," said Brown. "And I want a defense that forces some turnovers and pressures quarterbacks and stops the run. And that's what we are looking for."

Brown's wish will come true. If the linebackers play to their ability and if the team can avoid injury, this Texas defense matches up with the best ever. In the recent past, the Longhorn defenses needed a "bend, but don't break" mentality. That does not apply to this defense. Diaz knows a team can't win if they don't score and his goal is to create controlled chaos on the field for the opposing offense, hit people into next week and take the ball away.

Years like this happen when young teams are allowed to learn from their mistakes. Texas defense last year was good and won some games the offense didn't deserve to win. The 2012 Texas defense will play at a whole other level. Expect them to dominate games — and who doesn't love watching that?

Tomorrow we preview the Longhorns' opening game against Wyoming.

unspecified series568664048

Hotty Toddy!

Tailgating the southern way: A taste of game day at The Grove at Ole Miss

Standard Ole Miss Grove attire
A sample spread
Meredith Rainey
Hotty Toddy!
Meredith Rainey
It’s game time!
Meredith Rainey
Welcome to The Grove!
Meredith Rainey
Fans enter Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Meredith Rainey
The square in Oxford
Meredith Rainey

Oxford Mississippi’s official population is just over 19,000. But come Saturdays in the fall, what some might affectionately call a sleepy college town wakes up with a buzz of excitement and activity as the population explodes to more than triple, with college football fans eager to cheer on their Ole Miss Rebels. They prepare to do that in one of the most inviting and unique tailgating spots in the country.

“The Grove is unlike any other place on earth, especially [during] big games such as Texas vs. Ole Miss. The feeling and experience are indescribable,” Ole Miss senior Margaret Anderson says. The Grove is a place Longhorns fans have been excited to go since the announcement UT would face Ole Miss in a series of games starting in 2012. The first of those games happens this Saturday in Oxford.

The closer you get to Ole Miss, the greener the grass and the taller the trees. The campus of The University of Mississippi, which welcomed its first class in 1848, has been ranked by many publications as one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country.

Its roads and walkways are lined with vibrant oak, elm, magnolia and pine trees. Its old stone and brick buildings are accented with classic details quintessential of a traditional southern university. And on Saturdays every fall, the largest green space on campus, known as The Grove, is dotted with hundreds of red, white and blue tents and young adults dressed to the nines, ready for a good time.

“It's the biggest and most well dressed party in the USA that happens six times a year,” Ole Miss junior and Attorney General of the Student Body Matthew Kiefer says.

Inside the 10-acre Grove, you’ll be greeted by unparalleled southern hospitality and enjoy some of the best food and fixin's you'll find at any college tailgating. And don't worry if you don't know anyone. If you're friendly, you will have dozens of people calling you by your first name in no time and you will be satisfied with a tummy full of homemade pimento cheese, fried chicken, deviled eggs and decadent finger sandwiches.

“There's a sense of hospitality that you can only experience when walking through the brick arch of the Walk of Champions. We welcome and offer shelter and refreshments to both opponent and friend and win or lose, there's always a party,” explains Ole Miss Student Body Vice President Emmalee Rainey.

Besides the great food and the lush setting, something else that makes The Grove unique is the dress code. While you can wear whatever you want, you will find students dressed in their Sunday best or something you might see at a cocktail party. You'll see girls in dressy sun dresses or knee length evening gowns and heels, boys in khakis and long-sleeved button downs, ties and perhaps seersucker blazers. The formal game day dress adds to the excitement, giving it a sense of being even more of a special occasion than it already is.

Matthew Kiefer describes the uniqueness of The Grove, “It’s the feeling of 30,000 people walking around in their Easter best, where a ‘hello’ and a ‘y'all’ can make acquaintances into friends, and friends into family.”

The tents are also more formal than what you might see in the parking lots around Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on game day. Many have chandeliers, living room lamps, flower arrangements and sterling silver platters and cutlery, making it feel more like a backyard party than tailgating. In fact, to call it tailgating is both inadequate and inaccurate, as vehicles aren’t allowed in The Grove.

Between the delicious food and friendly faces, you can spend hours just wandering between the tents catching up with old friends, making new ones and sharing your thoughts on what you think might be in store for the Ole Miss Rebels when that first whistle blows.

University of Texas Longhorns fans were able to scoop up about four thousand tickets to this Saturday’s game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, but thousands more UT fans are expected to stampede into the Grove to get a taste of a different type of tailgating. Regardless of who wins, Longhorns fans will undoubtedly be charmed by the small Mississippi city home to one of the most beautiful college campuses and best tailgating in the country. Hotty Toddy!

---

In the interest of full disclosure, Emmalee Rainey who is quoted in this article is my stepdaughter.

unspecified series568664048