Houston Chronicle: SMU Connection to the OSU v U.T. Game
Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 7:18 pmHouston Chronicle sports writer Joseph Duarte prominently mentions SMU's connection to this weekend's battle between the #1 and #2 teams in the nation. I have not yet seen this mentioned in the DALLAS MORNING NEWS !!!
From the Houston Chronicle:
by Joseph Duarte
AUSTIN - No. 1 vs. No. 2.
It's the dream showdown college football fans go crazy for and coaching staffs and players live to see but rarely do.
It's so rare it's happened only 36 times in NCAA history, and not in the regular season in nearly a decade.
Come Saturday, Ohio State will be only the second top-ranked team to come to Austin. The other was SMU nearly more than a half-century ago, when then-No. 7 Texas beat the Mustangs 23-20 on Nov. 4, 1950.
The stakes got a little higher when the Longhorns moved up one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 in the Associated Press poll released Tuesday, creating the earliest meeting for the nation's top two teams. The Buckeyes are No. 1 in every major poll.
It will mark the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the regular season since 1996, when No. 2 Florida State beat No. 1 Florida 24-21.
"I think it will be one of the most exciting games in the history of this school," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
For the Longhorns, it will mark the second meeting against a top-ranked team in their last three games. In January, No. 2 Texas beat top-ranked Southern California 41-38 in the Rose Bowl.
A sellout crowd of 85,000 is expected for the game, which is drawing the type of hoopla and attention reserved for a national title game. The city is bracing for an invasion of Buckeye fans that have reserved the Erwin Center on campus for a pep rally this weekend.
"This game will be hyped like the national championship game," Brown said. "Only it will be a week instead of a month."
Texas is 4-0 all-time in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, with all four coming en route to the national championship. The other previous meetings were in 1963 (No.2 Texas beat No. 1 Oklahoma 28-7), the 1964 Cotton Bowl (No. 1 Texas beat No. 2 Navy 28-6) and 1969 (No. 2 Texas beat No. 1 Arkansas 15-14).
Ohio State is 2-0 in games featuring the top two teams, the last coming when the then-No. 2 Buckeyes beat top-ranked Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to win the 2002 national title.
"Right now, I would have to think these are two of the best teams in the country," Brown said. "I hope the game is as good as the buildup. The last couple we've played like this have been, so hopefully our guys will answer the bell this weekend, and hopefully Ohio State will play great, and everybody will get the treat they're looking for."
Of the 36 previous meetings between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, 20 have come in the regular season and 16 in bowl games. The No. 1 team is 23-13 in those contests.
Despite winning the national championship, Texas began the season No. 2 in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 3 in the AP poll mainly because of the loss of quarterback Vince Young.
"In our hearts, we feel like we're the No. 1 team," Texas tailback Selvin Young. "We've got to win every game to prove that."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel agrees. He said he had Texas ranked No. 1 on his ballot this week.
"We think they deserve that top-to-bottom," Tressel said.
The game will be a rematch of last year's game, won by Texas 25-22 when Young connected with Limas Sweed on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 left. Before that, the two storied programs had never met.
"We can't get caught up in it. We have to treat this game like any other game," Ohio State defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock said. "I try to block out it's No. 1 vs. No. 2. I try to just think of it as Ohio State vs. Texas."
Texas players, including redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy, said they have been watching game tape of Ohio State since the spring.
Rankings or not, Brown said the game carried huge importance in the national title picture before the Longhorns moved up to the No. 2 spot.
"I don't think the fact we moved to No. 2 will make any difference, because it was like that anyway," Brown said.
From the Houston Chronicle:
by Joseph Duarte
AUSTIN - No. 1 vs. No. 2.
It's the dream showdown college football fans go crazy for and coaching staffs and players live to see but rarely do.
It's so rare it's happened only 36 times in NCAA history, and not in the regular season in nearly a decade.
Come Saturday, Ohio State will be only the second top-ranked team to come to Austin. The other was SMU nearly more than a half-century ago, when then-No. 7 Texas beat the Mustangs 23-20 on Nov. 4, 1950.
The stakes got a little higher when the Longhorns moved up one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 in the Associated Press poll released Tuesday, creating the earliest meeting for the nation's top two teams. The Buckeyes are No. 1 in every major poll.
It will mark the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the regular season since 1996, when No. 2 Florida State beat No. 1 Florida 24-21.
"I think it will be one of the most exciting games in the history of this school," Texas coach Mack Brown said.
For the Longhorns, it will mark the second meeting against a top-ranked team in their last three games. In January, No. 2 Texas beat top-ranked Southern California 41-38 in the Rose Bowl.
A sellout crowd of 85,000 is expected for the game, which is drawing the type of hoopla and attention reserved for a national title game. The city is bracing for an invasion of Buckeye fans that have reserved the Erwin Center on campus for a pep rally this weekend.
"This game will be hyped like the national championship game," Brown said. "Only it will be a week instead of a month."
Texas is 4-0 all-time in No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchups, with all four coming en route to the national championship. The other previous meetings were in 1963 (No.2 Texas beat No. 1 Oklahoma 28-7), the 1964 Cotton Bowl (No. 1 Texas beat No. 2 Navy 28-6) and 1969 (No. 2 Texas beat No. 1 Arkansas 15-14).
Ohio State is 2-0 in games featuring the top two teams, the last coming when the then-No. 2 Buckeyes beat top-ranked Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to win the 2002 national title.
"Right now, I would have to think these are two of the best teams in the country," Brown said. "I hope the game is as good as the buildup. The last couple we've played like this have been, so hopefully our guys will answer the bell this weekend, and hopefully Ohio State will play great, and everybody will get the treat they're looking for."
Of the 36 previous meetings between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams, 20 have come in the regular season and 16 in bowl games. The No. 1 team is 23-13 in those contests.
Despite winning the national championship, Texas began the season No. 2 in the USA Today coaches poll and No. 3 in the AP poll mainly because of the loss of quarterback Vince Young.
"In our hearts, we feel like we're the No. 1 team," Texas tailback Selvin Young. "We've got to win every game to prove that."
Ohio State coach Jim Tressel agrees. He said he had Texas ranked No. 1 on his ballot this week.
"We think they deserve that top-to-bottom," Tressel said.
The game will be a rematch of last year's game, won by Texas 25-22 when Young connected with Limas Sweed on a 24-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 left. Before that, the two storied programs had never met.
"We can't get caught up in it. We have to treat this game like any other game," Ohio State defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock said. "I try to block out it's No. 1 vs. No. 2. I try to just think of it as Ohio State vs. Texas."
Texas players, including redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy, said they have been watching game tape of Ohio State since the spring.
Rankings or not, Brown said the game carried huge importance in the national title picture before the Longhorns moved up to the No. 2 spot.
"I don't think the fact we moved to No. 2 will make any difference, because it was like that anyway," Brown said.