Forty Acres Insider: December 3

Chris Del Conte head shot

Longhorn Nation,

Talk about an incredible environment for college football and ALL EYES ON TEXAS, that was absolutely the case on Saturday night. It was a showdown for state supremacy, the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown! College Station was rockin', the atmosphere hoppin', and ever since my man Justin Tucker's kick back in 2011, the Aggies have been gettin' amped up for this one. Welp, they found out what this No. 2-ranked Longhorn squad was all about as Coach Sark had us ready. Facing a hostile crowd and packed house, our guys were calm, cool, and collected no matter the adversity they faced in delivering a Texas Takeover packed with potent Texas Fight. Y'all showed up and showed out too and what a glorious time we had belting out the Eyes of Texas that echoed across the Brazos and all the way back to Austin! We waited 13 years for this one and what a tremendously memorable triumph it was. Filled with physical dominance, ferocious effort, big-time plays, goal-line stands, and fired-up sidelines (and Coach Sark!), our Horns took down the Aggies, jammed to Texas Fight and punched our ticket to the SEC Championship in our maiden voyage through our phenomenal new conference where it just means more! Now it's on to Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium and a rematch with the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m. CT/ABC).

see y'all in ATL next weekend? 🤘#HookEm | @SEC pic.twitter.com/m9ok6BuVVm
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) December 1, 2024

Coach Elliott and Volleyball closed out the regular season on a victorious note as well, winning our last six matches including the final two at home versus Tennessee and Ole Miss. Now it's on to the NCAA Tournament for our two-time defending National Champs and our quest for a three-peat will begin right here in the friendly confines of Gregory Gym. It all starts on Thursday night with a round one matchup against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6:30 p.m. CT), and we'll look to survive and advance to play the winner of the USC/UT Arlington match on Friday (6:30 p.m. CT). We need y'all there, so let's pack The Greg and RAISE THE ROOF like you always do!

the stage is set 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Y9xexh7Sbg
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) December 1, 2024

So now that we've said GOODBYE TO A&M and the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown trophy is secured, it's time to move ahead — back to that SEC Championship that's on the line this weekend. We get another shot at Georgia, are taking dead aim on the cherished SEC crown and we'll do it with the nation laser-focused on this incredible game. GameDay will be on site (the fourth time this year they'll broadcast from a game that we're a part of, the most-ever for our program), we'll have wall-to-wall coverage from our friends at SEC Network with SEC Nation and Marty & McGee setting up shop leading up to the game for the second time in three weeks, and of course, y'all will be painting the ATL burnt orange and white. It's going to be a raucous time, so let's bring that energy to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and help our Horns put over one more win! Let's do this folks, get those Horns Up!

For the SEC Championship 🤘

🏈 Texas vs. Georgia
📅 Saturday, Dec. 7 | 3 PM CT
📍 Atlanta, GA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
📺 ABC pic.twitter.com/rInJML7J4M
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 2, 2024

Back to last week as there was plenty to be thankful for during the Thanksgiving Holiday. Our Men's and Women's Basketball, Football, and Volleyball squads combined for a PERFECT 7-0 RECORD over the holidays which I'm sure had all of you flashing those Hook 'Em Horns and sharing in the Texas Fight. Here's to hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends, family and loved ones. We have so much to be thankful for here on the Forty Acres with our awesome group of student-athletes, coaches, staff and leadership across our great campus. Along with all of you, we are all rallying as one and we say it all the time, a united Texas is a reckoning!

Coach Schaefer and No. 4 Women's Basketball kept the GOOD TIMES ROLLIN' with three wins in claiming the Gulf Coast Showcase Championship in Florida over the holiday weekend. We'll take our 7-0 record on the road for a top-10 showdown at No. 10 Notre Dame on Thursday night (6 p.m. CT/ESPN) followed by a game at James Madison on Sunday (1 p.m. CT/ESPN+).

bringing a trophy back to ATX 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/tySDh3jC4r
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) December 2, 2024

Coach Terry and Men's Basketball are riding a SIX-GAME WINNING STREAK as they hit the road for a big-time clash with NC State in the SEC-ACC Challenge on Wednesday night (8:15 p.m. CT/ESPN2). RT and the guys then host the two-time defending National Champions UConn on Sunday afternoon (4 p.m. CT/ESPN), so join me as we pack The Mood and cheer on the Longhorns!

Before we get to all the notes, this is an incredible and heartwarming MUST-READ from one of our outstanding student-athletes, CJ Baxter. This will absolutely make you oh-so proud to be a Longhorn and is such a tremendous representation of the culture Coach Sark has built in our Football program and we not me attitude we have across all of Texas Athletics!

Football picks up where it left off in the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown

What a display Coach Sark and Horns put on in College Station! In the face of a raucous atmosphere, they didn't flinch. The defense was stout, the offense moved the ball throughout, and the result was putting over one more win against the Aggies, 17-7, in this rivalry renewal which, oh, by the way, was for the right to go play in Atlanta in the SEC Championship Game. With all of that on the line, for our lads to walk into Kyle Field and play the way they did, especially the defense pitching a shutout of the Aggies' offense, it was just awesome. Get this, our D Texas held them to 248 total yards, 102 yards rushing and 146 yards passing. It just doesn't get much better than that! Our guy Mookie Taaffe set the tone with the first turnover of the night with his INT in the first quarter, and then Trey Moore and Vernon Broughton closed the door with a forced fumble and recovery that helped lift Big Vernon to being the SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week. In between, it was a full team effort by the best defense in land with nothing more impressive than the count 'em – one, two, THREE fourth-down stops! Two of those were inside the 10-yard line, and once again, there was one to start it out on the first drive of the game, and one to help close that door on the second to last drive. I'm telling you, to see our squad put up a wall on that one with Ethan Burke bursting through for the stop at the goal line, wow, I'm still fired up thinking about it, and so was our whole sideline. On offense, what can you say about Mr. "call me Quintrevious" Wisner and the pure act of will he displayed by running through that defense? It was a performance for the history books, as all he did was put his name alongside a few other guys you may know named Cedric, Ricky and Earl. Any time you do that, it's just flat our legendary. And how did he do it? His 186 rushing yards were the fourth-most all-time in this rivalry's history to get in the rest of a top five that's made up of those all-timers I just mentioned. WOW! Now that'll get you named SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week! He was not going to be denied, and the reason why says everything about this team! And how about the guts Quinn showed? He was not going to be denied by a bad wheel whether it was in the air or so impressively on the ground, he got it done! Meanwhile Arch and Blue made sensational plays to get the ball in the end zone by inches! All around, it was a special night in College Station, and to the victors go the spoils with that beautiful Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown trophy! And it was all made possible by a culture Coach Sark has established that is second to none, and we're all so fortunate to have him leading the way! Now it's on to ATL to play for a championship in a rematch with the Georgia Bulldogs! It's right next door to Athens, so we need you all there in all your Burnt Orange glory! So listen to Mookie!

Monday Morning Highlights - Lone Star Showdown edition ☕🎥 pic.twitter.com/8GjJmsOmmf
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 2, 2024

Men's Basketball at NC State on Wednesday and hosts UConn on Sunday!

RT and the guys earned their sixth-straight victory with an impressive 90-68 win over Delaware State on Friday night in The Mood. Kadin Shedrick recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while the freshman sensation Tre Johnson paced the offense with a team-high 21 points. That's three times Tre has topped the 20-point mark in his first seven contests. I've also got to give some love for this alley-oop from beyond half-court from Tramon Mark to Arthur Kaluma (wow!), and it was awesome seeing Mr. Mark finally make his Moody debut with 15 points, five rebounds and a game-high three steals. Now we flip the page and have a huge week ahead, as the Horns first travel to Raleigh, N.C. to face NC State on Wednesday (8:15 p.m. CT/ESPN2) as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge. Then, and I know you've been waiting for this one, RT and the guys are back in The Mood to host two-time defending national champion UConn on Sunday (4 p.m. CT/ESPN). So let's all get out and pack Moody Center to support the Longhorns in one of the biggest non-conference matchups in college basketball this season!

🤘⬆️#HookEm pic.twitter.com/DiZEeCIVIi
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) November 30, 2024

Women's Basketball wins Gulf Coast Showcase!

Coach Schaefer and our ladies went 3-0 down in Florida to claim the Gulf Coast Showcase championship! Rori Harmon was voted the tournament MVP, and Madison Booker also claimed a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Perhaps the most exciting performance came from freshman Justice Carlton who scored 30 points in our victory over Butler. We started the tournament with a 90-50 win over New Mexico State. Booker and Taylor Jones combined for 41 points on 16-of-21 shooting in that game. In game two, it was the Justice Carlton show! The freshman scored 30 points on 12-of-15 shooting in a 94-59 victory over Butler. Rori filled the stat sheet with 13 points, nine assists, six rebounds and four steals, and she moved into third on our school's all-time list for career assists. The championship game featured an old Big 12 rival in No. 10 West Virginia as our opponent. The Mountaineers gave us a great battle, but we prevailed 78-73 to win the tournament title. Aaliyah Moore scored 20 and Madison added 19, including a key jumper with 18 seconds left, and Carlton again made a huge play as she stole the ball with four seconds left to secure the victory. The defense has been at another level this season as we are forcing opponents to turn the ball over 28 times per game, while the offense is averaging over 92 points per game and shooting over 50 percent from the field. There's no time to catch our breath, as up next is a top-10 showdown in South Bend as our ladies take on Notre Dame in the SEC-ACC Challenge on Thursday (6 p.m. CT/ESPN). Following that contest, the road swing continues with a game at James Madison on Sunday (1:00 p.m. CT/ESPN+).

your 2024 Gulf Coast Showcase champs 🤩🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/hbrg0TpQJh
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) December 2, 2024

Volleyball set to host NCAA First and Second Rounds on Thursday and Friday at The Greg

Coach Elliott and Volleyball finished the regular season with a bang, sweeping Tennessee last Wednesday and then winning an epic five-set match against Ole Miss on Senior Day. It was an incredible event, sending off our seniors in their final regular-season match after contributing to back-to-back National Championships. The match provided a memory that will last a lifetime, as our Longhorns showed that patented Texas Fight, grit and toughness to rally in the fifth set for the win. Our ladies are now riding a six-match winning streak heading into the postseason! And speaking of the postseason, we're ready to host the NCAA First and Second Rounds this week at The Greg and we need all of our fans ready to go! We'll get things started in the First Round on Thursday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (6:30 p.m. CT/ESPN+) and then with a win, we'll face the winner of the match between USC and UT Arlington on Friday (6:30 p.m. CT/ESPN+).

help pack our student section this week 🤘

head to the link to donate a ticket and give a student the chance to attend for free! 🎟️🔗 https://t.co/aYaJaOnLs2 #HookEm pic.twitter.com/4ENFUs9J5b
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) December 2, 2024

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

P.S. — Couldn't agree more my friend!

Having a front row seat to @CoachSark's patience, perseverance & determination to get @TexasFootball back on top has been a blessing.

Since Jan 2, 2021 he has epitomized The pride and winning tradition of The University of Texas will not be entrusted to the weak or the timid🤘🏼 https://t.co/xkwKGxF5mI
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) December 1, 2024

P.S. — We Love You Longhorn Nation!

100>109,000 pic.twitter.com/C4Lez2uxAr
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 1, 2024

P.S. — Loud and Proud INDEED!

loud and proud 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/xtTa6HlYph
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) December 1, 2024

P.S. — Well played team!

Reminder: @TheRealMoBamba went to Texas 🤘 pic.twitter.com/LJa9B0OBas
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 1, 2024

P.S. — Thank You, Seniors, truly incredible careers!

an absolutely unmatched legacy left at Texas. Seniors, thank you for everything 🫶🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/j5ejeKLxoi
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) November 30, 2024

P.S. — We here ya MOC!

.@SEC championship here we come 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/ZtJJ3eWY1g
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) December 1, 2024

P.S. — Here's hoping everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/dHTKTdcTwq
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) November 28, 2024

P.S — Absolutely LOVE THIS! Longhorn Family INDEED!!

Longhorn Family 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/iMWYymWvTx
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) November 28, 2024

P.S — Way to represent the USA Sebastian!

And still 🥇 the USA 🇺🇸 are university champion of the world 🌎
Congratulations to all the team for a 12th victory and 5️⃣ times in a row 🎾

Gavin Young Sebastian Gorzny Savannah Broadus Amelia Honer Mary Stoiana Michael Zang pic.twitter.com/yvdrSos0PK
— Master'U BNP Paribas (@masterubnpp) December 1, 2024

HEADLINES:

Video: No. 2/2/3 Football player media availability (SEC Championship)

Video: Steve Sarkisian press conference (SEC Championship)

No. 13 Volleyball's Ames named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week

No. 2/2/3 Football's Broughton, Wisner garner SEC weekly honors

No. 14 Volleyball lands four on All-SEC Teams

Video: No. 3/3/3 Football highlights vs. Texas A&M

Video: Steve Sarkisian postgame press conference (Texas A&M)

Video: Longhorn Weekly with Coach Sark presented by Texas Lottery (Nov. 29)

No. 2 Women's Dive's Fox finishes fifth at Junior World Championships

Video: The Rivalry Restored Documentary: Explore the Texas and Texas A&M rivalry

No. 3/3/3 Football's Ewers, Helm recognized as Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award semifinalists