FROM THE REAL ART SPORTS DESK
TEXAS, LSU BOTH POST SOLID WINS

From the AP via ESPN:

Texas shakes off slow start in win against Rice

Freshman Jaxon Shipley caught a touchdown pass on a trick play and Fozzy Whittaker scored twice in the fourth quarter as Texas shook off a slow start for a 34-9 season-opening win over Rice on Saturday night.

Shipley, the younger brother of Texas career receptions leader Jordan Shipley, put the Longhorns ahead 20-9 in the third on a pass from wide receiver John Harris.

And

Gilbert, scorned by many Texas fans after throwing 17 interceptions last season, did not have a turnover and showed a deft touch on his deep passes and his 26-yard fourth-quarter TD pass to Whittaker.

The Longhorns also unveiled a new wildcat formation that kept the Owls off guard near the end zone, and a tougher running game that was able to grind out 229 yards. Freshman tailback Malcolm Brown came on late and finished with a game-high 86 yards on 16 carries.

More here.

Again from the AP via ESPN:

LSU takes advantage of miscues to best Oregon

In a rare opening matchup of top-five teams, both missing key players, Jarrett Lee admirably directed LSU's offense in place of suspended quarterback Jordan Jefferson.

Being without standout cornerback-punt returner Cliff Harris was more than mistake-prone and third-ranked Oregon could overcome.

The Ducks' fill-in punt returner had a fumble that led directly to an LSU touchdown and Lee's touchdown pass came against the defensive back playing in Harris' spot in the fourth-ranked Tigers' 40-27 victory Saturday night.

And

Lee's 10th career start, his first since a win over Louisiana Tech in 2009, was far from spectacular. The senior completed only 10 of 22 passes for 98 yards, but didn't have an interception and appeared steady throughout the game.

More here.

Okay, good football day for me on Saturday. Both my teams won, and won convincingly. I mean, Texas played lowly Rice while LSU played the number three team in the nation, but my Longhorns are coming back from a miserable 5-7 season--I'm content to watch them crawl before they run.

Of course, I didn't get to see Texas play. Indeed, most people didn't get to see the game because of the mostly unavailable Longhorn Network. I settled for streaming updates of game stats on ESPN.com while I watched LSU/Oregon on television. But from what I could tell, Texas looked solid. Actually, I was very pleased that there seems to be something of a running game in the works for the Longhorns, and as a bit of a purist, I think the running game is absolutely necessary if you want to win championships. I mean, sure, Texas has had a running game over the last few years, but it was mostly Colt McCoy, so it wasn't much of a running game. This is promising. We probably won't beat OU, but I feel pretty good about a winning record and some kind of bowl berth.

LSU, however, has me seriously hoping for a national championship. They really looked fucking great, and I'm very pleased that the off-field drama didn't spill onto the gridiron; this means Les Miles has his guys focused and disciplined. The Tigers always have masses of great talent, but to successfully navigate the SEC, you can't fuck up. I'm particularly pleased with Jarrett Lee's performance. No, it wasn't spectacular, but I've watched this guy on and off over the last couple of years, and all the nausea-inducing bullshit was gone. No interceptions, good leadership.

Also, I totally dug Mathieu's forced fumble/fumble recovery/TD return. It was so weird and cool that I was reminded of Vince Young versus USC. One of Professor Xavier's mutants playing football.

It's going to be a good year.


Texas' Jaxon Shipley (8) pulls in a touchdown pass as Rice's
Paul Porras, right, defends during the third quarter of an NCAA
college football game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, in Austin, Texas.
(AP Photo/Eric Gay)


LSU defensive end Barkevious Mingo (49) and Eric Reid (1) look on as
Tyrann Mathieu (7) picks up a fumbled kick off return by Oregon and runs
it in for a touchdown in the first half of the Cowboys Classic NCAA college
football game Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, in Arlington, Texas.
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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