Longhorns grip wheel hard but steer clear for win

Texas had to work a little harder than expected but in the end they had enough to beat Iowa in the Alamo Bowl, 26-24, behind quarterback Colt McCoy.

The freshman quarterback had a difficult task this season, stepping in for Vince Young and his national championship season, yet he did it with style, finishing with 29 touchdown passes, 10 wins and a bowl victory.

McCoy threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns in a typical performance, keeping the Longhorns in the game on a night when they surprisingly could not run the football, finishing with just 89 yards on 34 carries.

The Black and Gold Truth...This UT team can't be compared to last season's but it was still very good. People in Austin might be disappointed with three losses but it was a transition year, one that will take the Longhorns one step closer to potential dominance next year. McCoy might not be Young, might not have been as highly regarded as Jevan Sneed, who has since transferred, or one time verbal Ryan Perriloux, who reneged last year to sign with LSU, or John Brantley, who reneged this past week to verbal to Florida, but he is the last man standing and ready to continue his climb on the record book at Texas. Mack Brown knows what he's doing as Longhorns' coach and will continue doing what he set out to do -- keep the best local talent home and turn the program into the equivalent of the old Florida schools, which did the same to dominate college football with those players.

Next up....On Monday, Nebraska and Auburn meet in the Cotton Bowl. Read below (yesterday's post) for a look at that game. Also tomorrow, a post on an interview with the Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy on college basketball and Colorado basketball.

Saturday Night...Nevada and Gonzaga, two of the best basketball programs in the West met and Mark Fox's team beat Mark Few's, 82-74. Former Colorado prep talents Nick Fazekas (Nevada) and Matt Bouldin (Gonzaga) each played well as Fazekas scored 24 points and added nine rebounds while Bouldin drained a couple of three-pointers and finished with 10 points, five rebounds and three assists, showing a balanced game.

Big 12...No. 9 Kansas beat Rhode Island, 80-69, behind 23 points from Julian Wright and 19 from Brandon Rush. The Jayhawks weren't flawless but did hold the Rams to 37 percent shooting (ah, defense).

BGT: KU is still trying to find its' identity but is so talented they are not dropping games in the process.

No. 13 Oklahoma State had no trouble with Texas-San Antonio in a 84-47 win. The Cowboys were dominant everywhere, shooting 55 percent from the floor and doubling up the Roadrunners on the boards (34-17). Smooth-shooting guard JamesOn Curry led the attack with 24 points, sophomore guard Terrel Harris, a player on the rise, scored 15 and beefy forward Mario Boggan finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

BGT: The Cowboys are not going to be a NCAA tournament power but in the Big 12 they will be formidable, with Boggan, Curry and Harris. The questions are whether they can find another player to step to the forefront and whether the role players can be satisfied and effective doing their jobs. Right now, KU, OSU and Texas are the teams to watch, with Texas A & M on the next level.

Missouri ripped Southern, 87-58, despite shooting under 42 percent from the floor. The Tigers won by forcing 32 turnovers and winning on the glass (41-32). Sophomore forward Matt Lawrence scored 24 points to lead Missouri, freshman guard Keon Lawrence added 17, and junior guard Stefhon Hannah (remember that name) had 13 points, four rebounds and six steals.

BGT: Coach Mike Anderson has the Tigers re-energized and playing well in his first season. The Tigers might not be a tournament team yet but they will be more difficult to play and the future looks promising. Quin Snyder's leadership had grown stale and the controversy surrounding him had become too much for success to happen.

Nebraska beat Miami, 82-67, getting seven 3-pointers and 25 points from guard Marcus Perry. Center Alexs Maric added 18 points and eight rebounds in the victory.

BGT: Maric is the one constant for the Huskers. Doc Sadler is doing good things already for this program. If he can recruit, Nebraska is on the way up in the conference standings.

Baylor beat Delaware State, 59-56, behind 18 points from Aaron Bruce.

BGT: The Bears may not be getting anyone's attention but the way they run their offense to get and make good shots is impressive.