FROM THE REAL ART SPORTS DESK
TEXAS WINS A TOUGH ONE, LSU BEATS FRESHMAN B TEAM

From the AP via ESPN:

Backup QBs help Texas edge BYU after Garrett Gilbert pulled

From 2006-2009 it was Colt McCoy, who won an NCAA record 45 games. On Saturday night, it was Colt's younger brother Case coming off the bench to help spark the No. 24 Longhorns to a 17-16 win over BYU.

Texas (2-0) pulled ineffective starter Garrett Gilbert in the second quarter and handed the offense to sophomore McCoy and freshman quarterback David Ash in a rotation that flipped a game the Cougars (1-1) were dominating.

McCoy and Ash combined to hit 9 of 11 passes for 92 yards and Ash also rushed for 39 yards. McCoy carried the load on Texas' winning drive, twice connecting with Jaxon Shipley for big gains before Cody Johnson punched in his second touchdown for the lead with 8:46 to play.

"When Case came in, he played a real leadership role for us," said Shipley, a freshman who is the younger brother of Texas' career receptions leader Jordan Shipley.

More here.

And again from the AP via ESPN:

Spencer Ware, Michael Ford combine for 4 TDs as LSU romps

The LSU coach demanded that his team take Northwestern State seriously and hoped they'd win impressively enough that he could rest starters who will be playing a tougher opponent in less than a week.

The second-ranked Tigers didn't disappoint him, rolling to a 49-3 victory on Saturday night that included two touchdowns apiece by Michael Ford and Spencer Ware.

"I like how our team approached this game," Miles said. "It's nice. It means that your starters were not taxed. It means you should be fresh, and as we go into a short week, that's key."

LSU (2-0) led 28-3 by halftime, allowing Miles to give a number of starters some rest in advance of the Tigers' Southeastern Conference opener at Mississippi State on Thursday night.

Junior college transfer quarterback Zach Mettenberger made his debut in relief of LSU starter Jarrett Lee to open the second half.

More here.

So, of course, I didn't watch the LSU game because, as far as I can tell, it wasn't televised. I mean, duh. Who really wanted to watch a big time national championship contender beat up on what is, relatively speaking, a high school freshman b team? Not me. I didn't even track the stats on ESPN. This one was in the bag the moment the schedule was announced. Nonetheless, after watching the highlights and reading the article, I saw a couple of things I liked: Lee continued his solid work, no interceptions; and this new backup guy Mettenberger seems very promising, indeed. Fuck Jordan Jefferson--he's a criminal. Who needs him?

The Texas game I did watch, and for so many reasons it was a thing of beauty. Obviously, the first half was no fun. Texas couldn't do shit, and Gilbert was looking like it was last season all over. The Mormons were having their way with the Longhorns and it just sucked--I think I even posted on facebook that the Law and Order marathon was preferable, not that there was a Law and Order marathon, mind you, just that it would be preferable. And then they pulled Gilbert, which was when the fun started. I guess "you've got to go through hell before you get to heaven"--all apologies to Texan rocker Steve Miller for stealing one of his best lines. But that's kind of what happened on the field, stealing lines from great songs of yore, especially that utterly fantastic moment when Colt McCoy's younger brother hooked up with Jordan Shipley's younger brother for a big yardage gain. It really did look like the glory days of just a couple of years ago.

I mean, Texas looked like a totally different team in the second half. They looked like, well, Texas. God I love it. Personally, I'm done with Gilbert, and I hope Coach Brown is, too. We're keeping the more talented QBs on the sidelines and we need to get them out there on the field.

This might be a really good season for Texas. Keeping my fingers crossed.


AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 10: Backup quarterback Case McCoy #6 of the Texas
Longhorns signals victory over BYU Cougars as time runs out on September 10, 2011 at
Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas defeated BYU 17-16.
Photo: Getty, Erich Schlegel / 2011 Getty Images


LSU wide receiver Odell Beckham (33) breaks a tackle by Northwestern
State linebacker Derek Rose (56) during the second half of an NCAA college
football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. LSU won 49-3.
Photo: Gerald Herbert / AP

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