AUSTIN (AP) - Texas officials said Saturday night's season
opener against Florida Atlantic will draw the biggest crowd to ever
watch a football game in the Lone Star State.
Texas has all but completed work on the new north end zone,
expanding seating and adding new luxury boxes that will push
capacity to about 98,000.
Seating has not only been expanded, it's been pushed closer to
the field, which could make the crowd much more of a factor during
games. The project cost about $176 million.
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EYE IN THE SKY:
Coach Mack Brown came up with a new tool to fight fumbles by his
running backs during training camp. He had school photographers
take pictures of them every time they had the ball in their hands.
The coaches displayed the prints on a wall so the players could
see if they were holding the ball correctly or not.
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TAILBACK TWOSOME:
It looks like Vondrell McGee and Chris Ogbannaya can plan on
spending a lot of time sharing time at tailback in the season
opener.
Brown didn't name a clear starter after a long battle for the
job in training camp to replace last season's 1,600-yard rusher,
Jamaal Charles.
McGee, a sophomore, ran for 297 yards and eight touchdowns last
season while Ogbannaya, a senior, is considered the better receiver
out of the backfield.
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STILL LOOKING:
Texas has been looking for a consistent third receiver to join
Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley. They still haven't found one.
Brown says Malcolm Williams, Brandon Collins and James
Kirkendoll all have been bedeviled by inconsistency.
Texas quarterback Colt McCoy says he expects one of them will
emerge as a playmaker on Saturday.
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STREAKING:
Texas has won at least ten games seven years in a row, the
longest streak in the nation.
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QUOTABLE:
"The real talking is going to be when you line up. We'll see."
- Defensive tackle Roy Miller on reports that FAU coach Howard
Schnellenberger said Texas isn't tough.