Gauntlet No. 2
"I feel like every week we have something to prove."
Guess who said that? No, not Colt McCoy ... although since the Tech loss, I have a feeling that's what he's thinking.
Everyone's made a big deal out of the "gauntlet" of four tough games that Texas came within one second of navigating sucessfully.
But upcoming is a two-game gauntlet that takes on even more importance than that previous stretch.
Kansas is not going to go quietly into that good night. At home, pride wounded, the Jayhawks could salvage a bit of their season by beating UT.
And the Aggies, of course, would gladly lose every other game if they could just beat the Longhorns. Injuries and bad luck have prevented Colt from experiencing the sweet smell of success over those malodorous farmers, but third time is the charm.
And just in case the stars align so that Texas is in the Big 12 Championship game, guess who's going to be there waiting for them? An improved Missouri team that is now much better than the 56-31 whipping they got from Colt and company. And no surprise that the Tigers would have revenge on their minds if that meeting takes place.
So the gauntlet is not over, and judging by what Colt said earlier in the week, he knows that and he's ready:
"We have to put the whole game together. I feel like we were up and down in the first half (against Baylor). We had some things go wrong. We didn't execute like we should have. I felt like we played really well the second half, across the board, offensively and defensively. We are going to come out strong and play both halves like we did the second half last Saturday."
Oh ... and who said the quote at the top of this entry? That was Michael Crabtree, probably one of the most despised players by Burnt Orange Nation right now. He continued that train of thought with, "Week after week, they seem to come up with something about us not having a this or a that."
Sounds like what Texas has been through most of the season - they don't have a running back, secondary is too young, etc., etc.
The best news for Texas fans this week is that Colt will indeed play like he has something to prove even though by this point he really doesn't.