For the old timers

[dcpony]

Hopes this brightens your day.....probably won't.

James has a smashing idea
SMU's inspiration for '80 win over UT could help Horns get over OU hump
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

I was only trying to make Craig James feel old when I reminded him the other day it's been 25 years since he and his SMU teammates skewered No. 2-ranked Texas at Memorial Stadium, kicking Mustang Mania into high gear and the Longhorns into the early stages of a funk that got deeper as the 1980s progressed.


James, however, came up with a story from that game that has remarkable relevance for the 2005 Longhorns, who, coincidentally, enter the season ranked No. 2 on his Associated Press ballot behind USC.

"They were No. 2 in the country, and we were a bunch of sophomores, and Texas had beaten us a bunch of years in a row," James said of the 1980 Mustangs. "After we warmed up, our center, Lance Pederson, had this little plastic Longhorns helmet that he took out in the locker room. He said, 'Fellows, this is what has beaten us — this helmet, this logo. They're no better than we are.'

"And then he smashed that helmet between his hands. Man, we flew out of that locker room, and we beat them."

Perhaps this is a good time to point out to Texas coach Mack Brown, whose teams have lost five years in a row to the Oklahoma Sooners, that OU mini helmets are $29.99, postage and shipping not included, at www.soonersports.com

"There's a whole lot to the mental part of football," James said. "Maybe the Longhorns see that helmet and look across the field at (OU coach) Bob Stoops and think, 'What does he have up his sleeve this time?' Then when things go bad, all of a sudden it's 'here we go again.'

"That's why you have to have senior leadership to reinforce things when it gets tough. When the negatives start to roll in, senior leaders have to step up and say 'it's not gonna happen' and move forward."

James, who returns to the ABC college football studio show this year with John Saunders and Aaron Taylor, thinks Texas has a chance this year if Longhorns quarterback Vince Young can make more plays than new OU QBs Paul Thompson or Rhett Bomar. If Young succeeds, James has Texas in the running with Tennessee, Michigan and Ohio State to line up against USC in the Rose Bowl for the BCS national championship.

[Stallion]

BTW there is a blurb in DMN about his son and how he is a marginal prospect who hasn't got any offers yet in either FB or Baseball.

[mrydel]

This thread is actually for medium timers. But we old timers appreciate the compliment.

[RE Tycoon]

As a new alum I appreciate the history lesson, unfortunately I never have and likely never will experience memories such as the one in the article. The highlight of my SMU fandom is two-fold, beating Tech in basketball (actually Knight more than Tech) and beating TCU in football, unfortunatley those memories won't keep me warm at night.