Forty Acres Insider: November 22

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Chris Del Conte head shot

Longhorn Nation,

How 'bout our Longhorns?! Whether we were raisin' the roof right here in the friendly confines of Austin, or heating up the frigid air of the high plains in Kansas, we reveled in one heck of a week from tipoff to kickoff, and a title trophy celebration! It started in a raucous Moody Center with a resounding Men's Basketball victory over No. 2 Gonzaga, stampeded northward with Bijan and our ground attack with a Football triumph at Kansas, then culminated in No. 1 Volleyball's Big 12 Championship-securing Senior Day win over No. 15 Baylor at The Greg. I'll tell you what, no matter the venue, y'all brought the heat, and our Horns responded with some big-time Texas Fight!

Wow, November is rollin' right along, and it's hard to believe we're already into Thanksgiving week. And with that in mind, I've got to share a huge thank you to all of you — our loyal, dedicated and passionate fans and supporters — our incredible Longhorn Family. Y'all certainly do bring it each and every week, are the absolute best, and we are forever grateful for all you do for Texas Athletics! Together, we continue to strive for greatness and are driven and determined to get better each and every day. As I've said many times, I'm honored to serve you, so fortunate to be part of the Longhorn Family and am extremely thankful for that. With that said, let's take a minute to look back and smile as we head in a week with plenty of Texas Sports action to be thankful for. There's one thing we know for sure, we'll be competing, and y'all will be cheering right alongside us. So, here's to turkey, stuffing and all the fixins of a holiday week overflowing with loved ones, friends, food, festivities and many opportunities to hold those Hook 'Em Horns high, while giving thanks during this very special time of the year!

Speaking of getting those Horns Up, let's start by saying, "Light the Tower Orange," as Coach Elliott and our No. 1-ranked Volleyball squad clinched a record-setting sixth-straight Big 12 Championship with a win over Baylor in sold-out Gregory Gym on Saturday. It was Senior Day, so we celebrated an outstanding group of student-athletes, including one of the greatest in our program's history in Logan Eggleston. There's a lot of Volleyball still ahead, and it's impossible to put into words what Logan has meant to our program and The University of Texas as a whole, but suffice it to say, she is one phenomenal person, and we are so, so grateful that she's a Longhorn! We've got one final regular season match at West Virginia on Wednesday (1 p.m. CT) before we take dead aim on the NCAA Championship as we head into December. When tournament seeds are announced on Sunday (6:30 p.m. CT/ESPNU), we know we'll be starting that postseason run right here in The Greg, so stay tuned for all of those details.

Saturday was a SUPER one indeed as on a cold and windy afternoon in Lawrence, Coach Sark and our Horns jumped out to a 41-0 lead, routing Kansas, 55-14, to remain in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game next week. Bijan did his thing, rushing for a career-high 243 yards and four TDs, the defense held a vaunted Jayhawk offense in check, and special teams were on point, too. It was total domination and a complete team effort as we got the road win to make our way back into the top-25 rankings. Now it's on to a post-Turkey Day outing with Baylor coming to town for Senior Day on Friday (11 a.m. CT/ESPN) at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium. Coach Sark says it all the time, we feed off your energy, so come early, be loud and cheer on our Longhorns. It will be the last time an outstanding group of nearly 30 seniors plays in front of y'all, so load up on your turkey, ham, yams, pie, and whatever you fancy on Thursday and burn it off bringin' your boisterous Texas Fight to DKR on Friday! We need you to help us secure a victory, and then root for a Kansas State loss on Saturday night versus Kansas to earn a spot in next week's Big 12 Championship Game. Let's do this my friends!

And how about that roundball thriller at Moody Center to start our action last Wednesday?! Coach Beard and our Longhorns were ready, riled up and took it to one of the nation's perennial powers in Gonzaga, 93-74. From the minute y'all packed the house for another sellout crowd to the team taking the court, the Mood was raucous, roaring and rockin' & rollin'. As y'all cheered your hearts out, flashed your Hook 'Em Horns and brought your Texas Fight, our Horns were scorching the nets with threes, alley-oop dunking, patrolling the paint and locking it down on D. It was a magnificent sight to see and certainly a sign of great days ahead. We can say that about both of our Basketball programs as Men's Basketball and Women's Basketball each secured road victories on Monday to launch us into this week, the Men in the Rio Grande Valley and the Women in the Bahamas. There are many more to come for both of our Basketball squads, so let's keep Blessing the Mood with our passion, pride and presence each and every game!

Football rolls to 55-14 win at Kansas
I tell you what, when we got off the buses at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Saturday it was cold, and it was windy. In fact, it was so windy it took the hat right off my head! When we walked off the field a little over five hours later with our Horns having charged to a 55-14 romp, it was a tad less windy, but there was no doubt it was even COLDER! However, my friends, in between those times I can assure you nobody gave it a thought because our man Bijan was so en fuego it felt like a Texas summer! I think the Kansas sunflowers were even fooled into blooming! Leading us to 55 points, No. 5 sliced, diced, pounded and sprinted his way into becoming one of the top-5 all-time rushers in the storied history of The University of Texas. I'm going to leave that there for a minute so you can take it in like the fine aromas of grandma's Thanksgiving dinner. Ricky, Cedric, Earl, Jamaal…and now Bijan is tied with Chris Gilbert with 3,231 career rushing yards. I promise you this, I'll take that group of RBs over anyone's. The only thing icy about Bijan that day was that classic white uniform as it streaked up and down the field to the tune of career highs of 243 rushing yards and four rushing TDs, and all the more extraordinary was he did it on 25 carries. For those counting at home, that's 9.7 yards per! Wow! He almost ran for the equivalent of a first down every time he touched the ball! The only thing that cooled him off was having to stop running when the game was over (and then leaving the locker room for his live postgame interview with the crew at LHN, ha, my man was shivering then). He now leads the Big 12 and is among the top nationally in rushing (1,401/6th NCAA), scoring (108/7th NCAA), total touchdowns (18/4th NCAA), rushing touchdowns (16/5th NCAA) and tandem yards (1,714/2nd NCAA). There's no question in my mind he deserves to feel the chill of New York in December, and the folks in Dallas with the Doak Walker Award (nation's top running back) are taking notice, as well. However, one thing I'm sure he'd tell you, and I'm right with him, is that it all starts up front, and those big humans did one heck of a job paving the way for not only Bijan, but all 427 yards rushing, including our sensational frosh Jonathon Brooks who tacked on 108 and two TDs of his own, making more UT history with just the third time ever of having a Longhorn duo rush for 200 and 100 in the same game. The last time? That would be 1968, and it happened twice in three games, whoa. You know the number one hit then? The incredible "Hey Jude" by The Beatles! But back to the game – so we might not have scored on our first drive and might not have scored on our last, but in between? Nine straight scoring drives. All the while, the defense was doing its thing, too, opening the game with seven straight scoreLESS drives. Even though the Jayhawks got on the board late, it all added up to our Horns' largest margin of victory in road game since 2007 (56-3 at Iowa State). Jaylan Ford hauled in yet another interception that killed a drive and led to Bijan levitating (I can't take credit for that line, thank you Jake Majors) at the other end of the field to strike pay dirt as the first-half clock expired. That's three picks in the last five games for Jaylan that all led to touchdowns. Talk about complimentary football! Not to mention his two fumble recoveries that ended the K-State and Iowa State games, so if he's not the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, I don't know who is. In all, that side of the ball held Kansas to half of their average rushing yards, and a lot of their total yards came after our lads had posted a 41-0 lead. It was stifling team defense all around and credit goes to more names than you can list, but kudos to all of you! Now it's time to turn our attention to Friday and the Baylor Bears making their way to Austin (11 a.m. CT/ESPN) in what will be the last game at DKR for a spectacular group of seniors who are true Longhorns through and through and have done so much for this program. Gentlemen, we can't thank you enough, and I can't wait to see you all run onto that field with your families. It gets the water works going every time and is always one of the most wonderful times of the year!

Bijan claims Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and national honors
Drum roll please! On the heels of his remarkable game at Kansas, Bijan Robinson was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week. Like Coach Sark said on Monday, if that didn't go to Bijan, I want to see the guy that got it! Our guy was electrifying on Saturday!! To add to his accolades for the week, Mr. Robinson also was announced as one of 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award (nation's top running back) and earned the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Player of the Week Award following the stellar effort in Lawrence. Well-deserved and more to come for our guy!

Limited tickets remain for Friday's game versus Baylor
If you're not already, gather up your family and friends and join us for our post-Thanksgiving Day tilt versus Baylor this Friday at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. The party will start at 8 a.m. with Bevo marching down the Bevo Blvd presented by H-E-B, followed by Coach Sark and the team at 8:30 a.m. Limited tickets remain for the game, so secure your spot today as we send our seniors out in style and celebrate Texas Football gameday one final time at DKR this season.

Asleep at the Wheel and Django Walker wrap up a fantastic season of Longhorn City Limits
We're closing out LCL with a Texas Two Step as we welcome Asleep at the Wheel and Django Walker to the LBJ Lawn this Friday! Django's single "Texas Longhorn" is one of my favorite tracks, and I can't wait for him to kick off the party at 9:30 a.m. Make sure you stick around after the game, as lifetime Longhorn Ray Benson brings The Wheel to Longhorn City Limits presented by Still Austin Whiskey for the first time. The crowds have been amazing out there this season, and I can't wait to see Longhorn Nation tailgating one final time!

Texas-Baylor Pregame Timeline
8 a.m. – Bevo Blvd. presented by H-E-B, Smokey's Midway, and Hook 'Em Hangout open

8 a.m. – Bevo Parade presented by Texas Farm Bureau Insurance (Fans line up at 7:45 a.m. at South Entrance on Bevo Blvd.)

8 a.m. – Still Austin Music Lounge and Tito's Tailgate at Longhorn City Limits presented by Still Austin Whiskey Opens

8 a.m. – Texas Exes Tailgate opens at Alumni Center for Texas Exes members

8:30 a.m. – Stadium Stampede (Fans line up at 8:15 a.m. at north Entrance on Bevo Blvd.)

9 a.m. – Stadium Gates and all in-stadium Longhorn Foundation hospitality areas open

9:30 a.m. – Django Walker LIVE at Longhorn City Limits

10:30 a.m. – Bevo Blvd, Smokey's Midway, Hook 'Em Hangout, and Longhorn City Limits close

10:45 a.m. – Senior Day Player Recognition

11 a.m. – Kickoff vs. Baylor

2023 football season ticket deposits are moving fast!
For those looking to join us at DKR next season, season ticket deposits are now on sale! For $199 per seat, fans with a deposit will get to select seats during the official seat selection process in loyalty rank order. If you've ever wanted to lock in your spot, now is the time to do so!

Volleyball clinches outright Big 12 title
The Longhorns are Big 12 champions again! Texas downed No. 15 Baylor, 3-1, to win their sixth-straight Big 12 Championship in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,648 at The Greg, the 10th sellout of the season. The Horns celebrated their five seniors in tremendous fashion as Jenna Ewert, Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres, Zoe Fleck, Kayla Caffey and Logan Eggleston were all honored after the big win. Eggleston had 14 kills, including the final point of the match and hit .321 with two blocks, two aces and two digs. Madisen Skinner led Texas with 16 kills on the night. Ka'aha'aina-Torres picked up Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week after quarterbacking our team to the wins over Kansas and Baylor. And speaking of our seniors, Asjia O'Neal announced last week that she'll be returning for one final go-around in the Burnt Orange, utilizing her final year of eligibility … how awesome is that?! The Longhorns close out the 2022 regular season at West Virginia on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 1 p.m. CT in Morgantown.

Pack the Horns' House all postseason!
Coach Elliott and our No. 1 Volleyball squad wrapped up another undisputed Big 12 Championship this past Saturday in front of our eighth consecutive sellout at Gregory Gym this season and 10th overall! Y'all have packed the Horns' House all season long, and now it's time to get ready for the postseason. All-session tickets are now on sale for postseason matches and are going fast! Join us on the journey to Omaha and help us keep The Greg the finest home court advantage in the land!

Men's Basketball continues to execute "Unite The Family" mantra this week
This week's schedule for our Men's Basketball team features a pair of significant contests as part of the Leon Black Classic. The multi-team event honors the late Texas men's basketball player and assistant coach who also served as head coach for the Longhorns for nine seasons from 1967-76. Black passed away at the age of 89 last year. During his time as head coach, Black led Texas to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and two Southwest Conference titles in 1971-72 and 1973-74. His 1971-72 squad advanced to the NCAA "Sweet 16." Black was considered a pioneer who blazed trails by recruiting the first seven African-American student-athletes in men's basketball program history, including stars Jimmy Blacklock, Larry Robinson and Johnny Moore. He was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1989.
The Leon Black Classic began on Monday with a huge milestone. For the first time in the 117-year history of the Men's Basketball program, the Longhorns played a regular-season contest in the Rio Grande Valley. Fresh off moving into the No. 4-spot in The AP Poll, Texas claimed a 73-48 victory over Northern Arizona before a crowd of almost 7,000 passionate Longhorn fans at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg. Marcus Carr scored 17 points lead the way in that one. On Saturday, our Horns will conclude the classic with a Throwback Game against UTRGV at Gregory Gym. It marks the second-straight season the Longhorns will play a regular-season game in the historic venue on the UT campus. The game is not included in the 2022-23 season-ticket package, but we sold 3,500 tickets to the general public and are holding 500 seats for UT students. Gregory Gym served as the home of Texas Basketball from the 1930-31 season through the 1976-77 season, a span of 47 years, and our home court when Leon Black was a player, assistant coach and head coach.

Women's Basketball completes trip to the Bahamas with win over Rutgers
Coach Schaefer and Women's Basketball outscored Rutgers, 50-24, in the second half on the way to a 82-44 win in their last game in the Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament. Aaliyah Moore averaged 15.3 points and seven rebounds per game over our three games. Up next, our Horns return home to host Princeton on Sunday (1 p.m. CT/LHN) in Moody Center. The day will be extra special as we'll retire the jersey of all-time leading scorer Annette Smith-Knight! You'll certainly want to be on hand for that!

Cross Country competes at NCAA Championships
Haftu Knight etched his name into Texas history by becoming the 20th cross country All-American in school history. Haftu ran a 20-second personal best and came away with a 27th place finish in a 10K time of 29:27.9. That's a big Hook 'Em to you, Haftu! The team finished 18th overall, for their second straight top-20 finish.

Women's Soccer caps historic season at Duke
It didn't end the way we had hoped for, but I sure am proud of all Coach Kelly and our Soccer squad accomplished this year. Our Big 12 Champs came up just short in a second-round NCAA Tourney heartbreaker with a 1-0 loss at No. 8 Duke, but finished what was a historic season. Our Horns were 15-3-4, and the three losses marked the fewest in our great program's history. The memorable 2022 Longhorns registered 54 goals and 166 points, which both ranked third in school history. Trinity Byars 17 goals, and the 15 assists for Lexi Missimo set single-season school records. What a year and the future is so, so bright!

Longhorns host UT Diving Invitational
The Texas diving squad concluded the final day of the 2022 UT Diving Invitational with five top-five finishes on platform. Our Horns left the day as runners-up on both sides with Janie Boyle and Andrew Harness walking away in second place as Janie tallied 323.60 points, and Andrew posted 334.50. Swimming and Diving are now both ranked No. 1 in the nation!

Softball-Exes Jefferson and Rhodes sweep to Pan Am Championship gold
Competing in Guatemala City, Guatemala, Texas-Exes Janae Jefferson & Shannon Rhodes helped the USA Softball Women's National Team complete its dominant 9-0 run to the Pan American Championship Gold Medal with a 12-1 (4 inn.) title game win over Canada. Janae started all three playoff games in the No. 8 slot in the line-up and hit at a .444 (4-for-9) clip during the round. As one of the U.S. squad's big power threats, Shannon finished the tournament tied for second on the squad with two HR's. Well done!

Ivan Melendez tabbed AAU James. E. Sullivan Award Finalist
Following an incredible season as the consensus National Player of the Year in college baseball, Ivan Melendez has been selected as one of five finalists for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award. The award has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding athlete at the collegiate or Olympic level in the United States. Melendez hit .387 with 96 hits, 94 RBI and 32 home runs, winning the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy in 2022.

This Week's Longhorns action on The 40 and beyond

Monday:

• Men's Basketball Leon Black Classic vs. Northern Arizona at Edinburg, Texas (7:30 p.m. CT/LHN)

• Women's Basketball at Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis (Bahamas)

Wednesday:

• Volleyball at West Virginia (1 p.m. CT/ESPN+)

Thursday

• Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday

• Football vs. Baylor at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (11 a.m. CT /ESPN)

Saturday

• Men's Basketball Leon Black Classic vs. UTRGV at Gregory Gym (3 p.m. CT/LHN)