The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Ready 'four' action
08.23.2005 | Football
For four years, there were no questions or concerns about the Texas Longhorns' receiving corps. The Big Three of B.J. Johnson, Sloan Thomas and Roy Williams roamed and ruled the field every Saturday.
Going into the 2004 season without the Big Three was new territory for a group of young Longhorns. Sophomore receiver Limas Sweed was just a redshirt freshman and still had a lot to learn. But, now, in 2005, there is a different look in his eyes -- confidence.
"I've been through it all," explained Sweed, a 6-5, 219-pounder out of Washington, Texas. "We played at Arkansas and in the Rose Bowl. The stages don't get much bigger than that. All the nerves and anxiety are out the window. That's all water under the bridge."
At Brenham High School, Sweed was a star. He earned all-district honors on both sides of the ball for coach Glen West and second-team all-state honors on offense as a senior. On defense, Sweed played free safety and, on offense, he played quick end. In the Brenham High offensive system, the quick end position is more closely akin to a tight end.
After completing a stellar high school career, which included 31 touchdown receptions, an average of 23.4 yards per catch and a trip to the Texas 4A Division II Championship game in 2002, Sweed was primed and ready to take on big-time college football.
After arriving on campus and starting two-a-days in August 2003, Sweed realized that this was no longer high school football. Texas football is in a class of its own. Early in the fall, Sweed learned that quick end and split end are two very different positions.
"I wasn't ready," Sweed said. "I didn't know anything and I was still adjusting. When I first got here, I had to learn the little things about being a receiver like the stance, the release versus press, running receiver routes and defensive schemes."
"We felt like when Limas first got here he would go through some growing pains," Coach Mack Brown said. "He had a lot to learn."
After a year of learning all the particulars of the position, getting adjusted to college life and with the departure of The Big Three, Sweed was poised to play a significant role in the Horns' offense in 2004. He even chose to wear No. 4, the same number current Detroit Lions WR Roy Williams wore while at Texas.
"I felt like he put a lot of pressure on himself picking No. 4," Brown said. "The last guy here who wore No. 4 just made like $13 million. But, I thought that was a good sign that he wanted to stick his neck out there."
Entering the 2004 season, Sweed was listed second on the depth chart at split end. Even with a year of work under his belt, he still didn't feel confident, he felt not quite ready.
"When you redshirt you can only simulate the game to a certain level, and when you actually get out there, it's a different thing and everything is going 100 mph," Sweed explained.
However, near the midway point of the season, he caught up. He started in the final seven contests of the season and finished with 23 receptions, good enough to rank third on the UT all-time freshman list.
"Limas played well during the year for a redshirt freshman," Brown said.
If you ask the sophomore receiver, he tells a different story.
"I sort of had a chip on my shoulder last year," Sweed recalls. "I felt like I had a lot to prove. I was one of the younger guys and it was up to me. I felt like a lot of the negative attention the receiving corps received was directed more towards me."
He realized after the Rose Bowl, as sweet as the victory was, he still had a lot to prove. That's when the work and the practice hit another gear.
"We felt like in the last five days of spring ball, Limas made a decision that he was going to be a difference maker," explained Brown. "We saw a different person beginning to emerge."
Sweed's inspired workouts continued over the summer in the weight room and on the field for voluntary 7-on-7 drills. Every time he began to let up, he remembered all the critics from last season. The doubters became his motivation.
"Everyone gets criticized and I use criticism as motivation," Sweed said. "You have to take the criticism constructively, take it for what it's worth, learn from it, grow from it and move on."
Sweed received an added inspiration when Williams, the player he studied and watched star during his redshirt season, joined him for some of UT's voluntary workouts. Williams worked with Sweed on the intricacies of the receiving position and gave him tips on everything from positioning his body to running crisper routes.
"Having Roy around this summer was a great opportunity," Sweed said. "I don't think I was ready for all of the stuff I was seeing him do when he was here, but now I am. We talked a lot and he showed me some tricks of the trade. I think combining that with everything I've learned from Coach (Bobby) Kennedy the past year, has really helped me become a more confident receiver."
The growing confidence continued to push Sweed late into the night this summer at Denius Fields, even after most of the players had gone home. Junior quarterback Vince Young and several of the wide receivers often stayed behind to continue working on routes.
"This summer helped Limas out a lot," Young said. "The thing I wanted him to do was be more physical. Going against our defensive backs all summer and catching balls has made him a better receiver."
The hard work is apparently paying off. Coach Brown and offensive coordinator Greg Davis continue to offer glowing reviews on a daily basis about the learning, growth, progress and new-found chemistry that has emerged between Sweed and Young.
"From spring training to the summer off-season work that Vince and the receivers did, it was obvious they have great chemistry and a good understanding of where each other are going to be," Davis remarked. "I feel like they are way ahead of where we started last year."
After all the hard days of spring, the long nights of the summer, and the grueling practice in the heat of the August sun, come September 3, all Limas Sweed can think about is being ready. Just about every other word he utters is ready. This time there is no question.
"I am just ready to go," Sweed exclaims. "I'm so ready."
