The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Saturday night trivia with Michael Huff
10.25.2005 | Football
Trivia Question #1: What is the difference between 53.7 and 17 points?
Answer: Two are acceptable -- 36.7 or the Texas defense.
This Saturday, in a dominating victory over Texas Tech, which helped Texas climb to No. 1 in the BCS rankings for the first time, the Longhorns held college football's leading scoring offense entering the game to only almost 60 percent below its season average of 53.7 points per game.
Trivia Question #2: How did they do it?
Answer: Preparation.
Michael Huff, a fifth-year senior and safety for the Horns, explained that a majority of Saturday's win against the tenth-ranked Red Raiders was a result of endless hours of film-watching and pregame strategy.
"This week, we had to focus more on details specific to Tech's offense," Huff said of his defense's groundwork leading up to the match-up. "After watching a lot of film, we knew which two or three plays came from each of Tech's formations."
Looking forward to facing Texas Tech's reputed offensive corps, who had already recorded almost 3,500 total yards after only six games, Huff and the defensive unit practiced the fundamentals.
"Of course, we focused on tackling," Huff explained. "This year they have thrown a lot more vertically than in past years, but we knew that in order to stop them, we were going to have to focus on tackling."
As a veteran strong safety, Huff was able to share his valuable knowledge of the Red Raiders' offensive schemes with the younger members of Texas' secondary.
"I've seen Tech's offense for five years now, so I was able to help out the guys who didn't know what to expect," Huff noted. "I told them there would be a lot of running around.Focus on the little things and stick with your assignment because it is going to be a long game with a lot of plays."
Huff, who recorded 13 tackles and three pass break-ups in the win, utilized his veteran knowledge during the course of the game by sharing his observations with the secondary and adjusting accordingly.
"When I saw things on the field, I told the other guys what I was seeing and what was going on," recalled Huff. "The older guys do that a lot. Since we have been around for a while, the younger guys trust our advice. You have to do that to make your defense stay strong as the game goes on."
Trivia Question #3: What's in store for the Longhorns?
Answer: Oklahoma State, Saturday, Oct. 29, 6 p.m.
What Texas does know for sure is that they are sticking to their slogan, `Take Dead Aim.'Though Saturday's victory puts them one step closer to their ultimate goal, the Horns are still taking it one game at a time.
"Coach [Gene] Chizik and Coach [Duane] Akina always remind us not to get distracted," Huff said. "We will watch film, evaluate all of our performances and keep our heads on straight. After that, the focus goes to next week's game against Oklahoma State.We have a long way to go."
Huff and the Longhorns' defense answered the questions with their play against Texas Tech. But, with four Big 12 games yet to play, the questions will keep coming. It will be up to Huff and his teammates to come up with the right answers.