The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: Jan. 8
01.08.2019 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news, interesting tidbits and exciting stories happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte. [<a href="http://texassports.com/archives.aspx?path=forty_acres_insider">Forty Acres Insider archives</a>]
Greetings Longhorn Nation,
What a "Happy New Year" it has been on the Forty Acres! Coach Herman and our Longhorns put on a show at the Allstate Sugar Bowl, both of our Men's and Women's Basketball teams have started their Big 12 seasons in victorious fashion, Vince Young was just selected to the 2019 class of the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame, and Football posted a top-10 finish. We're just one week in and 2019 is off to a terrific start.
Football finished the year ranked No. 9 in both national polls -- and how about that Sugar Bowl? It was a great week in New Orleans leading up to the game. Our Longhorns represented us well at all of the bowl events, but spending time with them you could tell their focus was laser sharp and preparation was on point. It was even more encouraging as we arrived on gameday and the Longhorns energized the Superdome during pregame. But when the game kicked off, holy cow! Our men physically dominated one of the nation's best teams and left no doubt, finishing the season on a high note with that 28-21 victory over Georgia. Our fans showed up and showed out, our team was clicking on all cylinders and the celebrations that ensued on the field and in locker room after the game were electric. It was a huge step for our program and launches us into the spring with great enthusiasm.
If you didn't see the quote from Georgia coach Kirby Smart, this is a great compliment to Coach Herman and the culture he's building for us at Texas: "Texas out-played us, out-competed us, 'out-physicaled' us, out-coached us. Their quarterback managed the game well, made some big plays. Give Texas and Tom credit."
Hearing our senior captains thanking the team in the locker room after the game gave me chills. What a truly special group, and I echo what Coach Herman's said: "This senior class is one of the most influential in the modern history of Texas Football because of the culture you upheld," he shared with the team. And to the media he said, "Anytime I'm asked about them, I'm going to thank them publicly. We would not be here if it weren't for their buy-in two years ago. Despite an up-and-down year last year, they never wavered in their commitment."
That game and those moments will forever go down among the great ones in Texas Football lore.
That Longhorns passion from the Sugar Bowl carried over into the New Year for basketball as well, as our men posted a 67-47 win at Kansas State and a 61-54 home court victory over West Virginia, while our women knocked off Oklahoma State 60-51 at home and claimed a 70-58 victory at West Virginia. That makes our Longhorns 5-0 in 2019, and that's certainly something to celebrate!
Thank you again for an awesome 2018 and I hope everyone is off to a great start in 2019. We appreciate all you're doing to help us put the "T" back in Texas.
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Hook 'em, Horns!
Upcoming home events
Now that we're all in the Longhorns spirit, let's come together and celebrate at some more events. We've got basketball home games coming up with the women hosting our Red River rivals Oklahoma Wednesday at 7 p.m. and our men taking on No. 8 Texas Tech Saturday at 1 p.m. Hope to see you all at the Erwin Center as Big 12 play continues to heat up. And keep an eye out for results from Indoor Track and Field (Jan. 12 in College Station), Men's Tennis (Jan. 11-13 in Miami) and Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving (Jan. 10 at Auburn; Jan. 12 at Georgia), who are all starting their spring seasons on the road this week.
Vince Young Hall of Fame selections
Congrats to our Longhorns legend Vince Young, who was just inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame on New Year's Eve and was announced as a member of the 2019 class of the College Football Hall of Fame on Monday. What a tremendous tribute to one of the greatest players to not only wear burnt orange, but to ever play the game and a man who will always have a huge place in the pride and winning tradition of the Texas Longhorns. Congrats, VY! Read more.
Sugar Bowl recaps
If you want to relive the Sugar Bowl, watch this great highlight video our staff put together. It still gives me chills! And you can find all of the photos from the whole week in New Orleans, as well as a collection of social media posts from the game, in this look back on TexasSports.com.
Osterman selected to 2019 USA Softball National Team
Congrats to former Texas Softball standout and two-time U.S. Olympic medalist Cat Osterman on her selection to the 2019 USA Softball Women's National Team. Longhorn Nation continues to root her on as Team USA prepares for softball's return to the Olympics in 2020. Read more.
Football history with Sugar Bowl
For those of us into history, here is a fantastic look back at the 1948 Sugar Bowl and Longhorns legend Bobby Layne's final game. He was inducted into the Sugar Bowl Hall of Fame this year. Read more.
ESPN feature on Andrew Beck
We're so lucky to have tremendous student-athletes. Check out this ESPN feature on our Football senior TE Andrew Beck and how he connected with a family using American Sign Language during a Sugar Bowl hospital visit.