Forty Acres Insider: December 10

Chris Del Conte head shot

Longhorn Nation,

Our Longhorns fought their guts out in what was an intense, hard-hitting and nail-biting SEC Championship Game. It was a back-and-forth affair filled with grit, determination, heart and tons of Texas Fight. And what a scene it was in Atlanta as Coach Sark and our Horns took center stage in advancing to the championship game in year one in the league that definitely just means more! In the end, we fought valiantly but came up one play short in a heart-breaking 22-19 overtime loss to Georgia. Though it didn't end the way we'd hoped, I couldn't be prouder of our Longhorns and the way they represented us, posting the best conference record in the regular season and getting all the way to the title game. We are so grateful for Longhorn Nation too, y'all showed up, showed out and brought the heat to Mercedes-Benz Stadium from kickoff to The Eyes of Texas.

Of course, y'all know the great news is we have a chance to bounce back and still are competing for a National Championship with Sunday's College Football Playoff announcement that we'll be the fifth seed and playing 12th-seeded Clemson right here in the friendly confines of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 21 (3 p.m. CT/TNT). That's right, a first-ever, historic playoff game on our home turf against a traditionally strong program that we'll be playing for the first time on the gridiron. We're revving up all our game day activities, will be ready for a good 'ol holidays family reunion around the stadium, then pack the house to give our Horns that great home field advantage y'all have provided all season long. And as our guys rest up for a couple days, get refocused and recharged, we can do the same. The mission continues and we'll get it started with round one on the Forty in a couple weeks. I can't wait to see everyone!

First Round in DKR 🤘#HookEm x #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/7NxW0BlYxZ
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 8, 2024

It was THRIVE AND ADVANCE for Coach Elliott and Volleyball as right here in Gregory Gym we registered a pair of convincing sweeps over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Thursday and No. 19 USC on Friday to move on to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tourney for the 19th-straight time, the NCAA's longest active streak. That makes it eight-straight wins for our Horns, and up next we travel to Penn State to face Creighton in the next round looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the fifth year in-a-row and 18th time in the last 19 seasons.

next stop, State College ✈️🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/xWBoZNEvB7
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) December 8, 2024

Coach Schaefer and Women's Basketball rebounded from their first loss of the season at No. 10 Notre Dame on Thursday with a convincing 31-point victory (93-62) at James Madison on Sunday afternoon. Now it's time to get back in The Mood on Wednesday when we host Southern University (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) before traveling to Richmond on Sunday (Noon CT/ESPN+).

Coach Terry and Men's Basketball split a pair non-conference tests last week, taking to the road as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge against NC State on Wednesday and coming home with a 63-59 win. On Sunday in Moody Center, we battled until the end before falling to two-time defending National Champion UConn, 76-65. Up next, it's a pair of home games in The Mood this week against New Mexico State on Thursday (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday (2 p.m. CT/SEC Network+).

Football season-ticket holders, we want to hear from you!

Attention all 2024 Texas Football season-ticket holders! Please check your email inbox this week for the conference-wide 2024 SEC Football Gameday Fan Experience Survey. We encourage all Longhorn fans to complete the brief survey and share your thoughts, comments, and ideas regarding your football gameday experience and areas that are most important to you including Traditions, Parking, Concessions and Overall Stadium Atmosphere. Your input is valuable to us as we Benchmark to our peers across the SEC and continue to invest our time and resources to improve the experience for all fans at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium and continue to provide a home field advantage for Texas Football.

Our Texas Fight was on full display in the SEC Championship Game

Though we were all disappointed, my heart was full, and I swelled with pride as together we sang The Eyes of Texas after an extremely hard-fought battle with Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Texas Fight was on full display as Coach Sark and our squad left it all on the field in what was one intense, physical, and fierce contest that extended past the 60-minute mark into overtime. There's a reason these two squads were ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in the final CFP standings, as our Longhorns went toe to toe with the Bulldogs before falling in overtime 22-19. It was an epic game, a matchup of two of the nation's top teams and such a great example of why the SEC is where the best football is played. And talk about loud and proud, Mercedes-Benz Stadium was rockin', too! Our guys were ready and y'all had them charged up. We stampeded out of the gate and truly dominated the first half, though as Coach Sark said, we left a few too many points and opportunities on the table in the first 30 minutes. Behind some clutch plays and stellar defense, we took a 6-3 lead on a pair of Bert Auburn field goals into a half that ended with a big-time sack and forced fumble by Trey Moore that looked for a moment like it could have some magic when Anthony Hill recovered it, and we tried to lateral our way to the end zone. Georgia opened the second half with a TD, and it was a defensive knockdown, drag-out fight as the two teams went back and forth, including a fantastic TD from Quinn to DeAndre Moore, before a late game interception from our guy Jahdae Barron set up an efficient field goal drive that led to the Bert's game-tying 37-yard field goal which sent the game into OT. After Bert connected on another field goal to open the extra period, the Bulldogs scored a TD in an abrupt ending to a gut-wrenching but awesome game to be a part of. In year one of the SEC, we were on the crest of the mountain top, reached the championship game, came up just a little short and have nothing to be ashamed of. Our best record in the conference during the regular season and incredible effort in the title game earned us a No. 3 final CFP ranking, the fifth seed in the 12-team playoff, and most importantly, kept our goal of taking dead aim on that Natty going. On to the CFP, and DKR will be en fuego on Dec. 21! See you there!!

Fantastic week off the field for Football

Beyond the excitement of the action on the field, it's been a fantastic week for our program off the field, starting with the always anticipated National Signing Day(s)! The December window was moved up even earlier this year, and boy, did Coach Sark and our staff reel in another stellar class. Twenty-five new Longhorns came into the fold and joined our family, and even though it was a little different with so much attention on our team's practice Wednesday morning, the fruits of our staff's labor came through just the same with a strong finish! It was a top-ranked class to be sure, and we can't wait to see them in the Burnt Orange for years to come! Speaking of top-ranked, if it's December it must be college football awards season. Like Coach Sark always says, with team success comes individual accolades, and our guys are firmly in the awards mix because of their team-first mentality. They'd also be the first to credit the team for all their success, and that's what you love to see! Check out this list of finalists we've got with many winners to be revealed this week: Jahdae Barron for the Thorpe Award (top DB) and the Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player), Kelvin Banks for the Outland Trophy (top interior lineman) and the Lombardi Award (top lineman), our offensive line for the Joe Moore Award (top o-line), Quinn Ewers for the Manning Award (top QB), Jake Majors for the NFF William V. Campbell Trophy (top scholar-athlete) and Colin Simmons for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year. Whoa! So be sure to check out the ESPN College Football Awards this Thursday (8 p.m. CT) for the results of the Thorpe and the Outland! Plus all the SEC honors will be rolling out this week!

On-site for the 2024 Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet 🤘@Officia1dae x @CTouchdownClub pic.twitter.com/t99lvvIy51
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 9, 2024

Men's Basketball is home for the Holidays!

RT and our guys split a pair of games against high-major competition this past week and are now 7-2 on the season. The Longhorns traveled to Raleigh on Wednesday and came away with a hard-fought 63-59 victory at NC State as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge. By the way, how good is the SEC in Men's Basketball after its 14-2 record in that SEC-ACC Challenge?! Big Art was grabbing every board in sight to the tune of a career-high-tying 16 rebounds, the kid Tre Johnson made some big-time shots at crunch time, and how about this closing sequence with Kadin Shedrick's big-time block and Chendall Weaver's dunk to seal the win. We were back at home on Sunday afternoon and fell to the two-time defending national champs UConn, 76-65. I know RT and the guys were disappointed with our play in the first half of that game, but I have to give props to Longhorn Nation for continuing to bring great energy in The Mood throughout the game and helping our team give that patented Texas Fight in the second half. That was a big-time crowd and atmosphere in Moody! We need YOU to continue to support this team, as we're home for the next four games over the holidays and will host New Mexico State on Thursday (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+) and Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sunday (2 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). With our students leaving campus for the holiday break, please reach out to our ticket office as we'll be selling some seats in The Corral for these next four home games.

challenge won 🫡🤘#HookEm | @SEC pic.twitter.com/kTXidYhHzu
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) December 6, 2024

Women's Basketball splits pair of games on the road

I know everyone was glued to their screens to watch our ladies take on No. 10 Notre Dame in an absolute battle on ESPN last Thursday night. Although we didn't get the victory, we showed our Texas Fight in forcing overtime and competing so hard until the final buzzer. Madison Booker scored 20 points, and Shay Holle made four 3-pointers in the loss. Shay played in her 140th game to set a new program record for games played in the NCAA era, and Taylor Jones went over 1,500 career points. We had a great bounce-back win on the road on Sunday at James Madison. Rori Harmon scored 19 points to join the 1,000 career points club and she now has over 1,000 points AND 500 assists, becoming only the third player in program history to achieve that feat. And how about freshman Jordan Lee coming in off the bench and going 6-of-6 from 3-point range! Booker did her thing and had 21 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. This week, the Longhorns are back in The Mood against Southern University on Wednesday (7 p.m. CT/SEC Network+). Be sure to bring a teddy bear or plush toy, as that's our annual Teddy Bear Toss game! Then it is back on the road to take on a tough Richmond team on Sunday (Noon CT/ESPN+).

plan accordingly 🧸🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/lCEjVIXqLk
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) December 9, 2024

Volleyball back in the Sweet 16 and looking for more!

Our Horns are moving on in the NCAA Tournament! And it's the 19th-straight season for Volleyball to advance to the "Sweet 16." How impressive is that!? Coach Elliott and the Longhorns swept both Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and No. 19 USC at Gregory Gymnasium and will now head to State College and the campus of Penn State for the NCAA Regional. It was so special to be with our fans one final time this season at The Greg, and Longhorn Nation, you were absolutely electric during Friday's win over USC. Now, Texas faces No. 6 Creighton in the Regional Semifinal on Friday (Noon CT/ESPN2) and with a win they'll play in the Regional Final against either No. 2 Penn State or Marquette on Sunday (7:30 p.m. CT/ESPN). Let's keep it going, ladies!

second time's the charm 😉🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/97QxpQbNp3
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) December 7, 2024

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — Horns Up!

🤘⬆️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/oX1dIDHl8b
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) December 8, 2024

P.S. — Appreciate you coming out and always supporting your Horns Colt!

What an awesome final week recording Longhorn Weekly with @CoachSark and closed it out with an incredible special guest & Longhorn Legend @ColtMcCoy! You can hear the show tonight on @am1300thezone & LRN affiliates and catch the simulcast on @LonghornNetwork & Sat in ATX (KBVO)🤘🏻 pic.twitter.com/wqTS0ne3dX
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) December 5, 2024

P.S. — Shoutout to Coach Clark, a Hall of Famer in every way!

you've deserved a spot since the beginning and now it's finally yours🤘

Congratulations, Coach Clark ‼️#HookEm | @CoachcClark pic.twitter.com/fXKfmtfJZx
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) December 6, 2024

P.S. — Fruits of their labor, nice bling Softball!

it's perfect 😍💍#HookEm pic.twitter.com/HXNNuYj4sl
— Texas Softball (@TexasSoftball) December 4, 2024

P.S. — What Starts Here!

The youngest RB since Saquon Barkley with 100+ catches and 2,500+ scrimmage yards before turning 23?

😤 @Bijan5Robinson pic.twitter.com/wTz950ML3v
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) December 4, 2024

P.S. — Well deserved Lexi! Let's go win it!!

you can't have a @HermannTrophy semifinal list without Lexi Missimo 😤

📰: https://t.co/Vue27zePTn #HookEm | #RunWithTexas pic.twitter.com/UodxVhUxBf
— Texas Soccer (@TexasSoccer) December 4, 2024

P.S. — Last game of the season at The Greg was an NCAA sweep!