#7 Texas (4-0) vs. Kansas State (2-1)
Time: 2:30 pm, Saturday, Sept. 29
Location: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
TV: KVUE (ABC)
Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM)

As the Kansas State Wildcats come to town this week, the Texas Longhorns insist they don't have revenge on their minds, but it would be easy to allow them that sentiment.

When the two teams met last year in Manhattan, Kansas, Texas was on top of the Big 12 Conference and eyeing an appearance in a major bowl game. The Longhorns left town with a loss, an injured quarterback, and no chance of defending their national championship.

Kansas State is 3-2 against Texas since conference play began in 1996, one of only two teams (Oklahoma is the other) with a winning Big 12 record against Texas. Also, the last three games between the Longhorns and the Wildcats have been decided by four points or less. Kansas State won last year, 45-42, and Texas won the two previous meetings, 24-20 and 17-14.

Texas is coming off a 58-14 blowout win over Rice where the Longhorns were dominant in every phase of the game against a weaker opponent. Quarterback Colt McCoy threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns, receiver Limas Sweed caught five passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and running back Jamaal Charles scored three TDs.

Kansas State had a bye week last week, giving them two weeks to prepare for the Longhorns. In the Wildcats' last game, they romped over Missouri State, 61-10. Receiver Jordy Nelson was the standout, catching 15 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown, and throwing a TD pass as well.

Video from YouTube

Former Longhorn receiver Roy Williams, now with the NFL's Detroit Lions, is pulling down $1.5 million in salary this season, but he talked a Detroit radio station about what a lady might expect on a date:

I am cheap, I’m a cheap date. Get you some McDonalds, with some cheese on it and I’m just really cheap, man. I’m very low key, I like to stay home. I like to go bowling on Monday nights and I go to the casino every once and awhile. Other than that, you won’t see Mr. Williams out at all.

I might just take [a date] to the casino and get her a free buffet. If I did take a date out to a nice place, I’d take her to a nice place, like a Red Lobster or something. It wouldn’t be Morton’s or nothing like that.

Also, if you're delivering pizza to the Williams residence, you should be prepared:

There’s no such thing as a tip. But I am really polite and I say ‘Thank you sir.’ … The pizza man knows, when he comes to my address, he’s coming for free.

Photo of Roy Williams from Wikipedia

#7 Texas (3-0) vs. Rice (0-3)
Time: 6 pm, Saturday, Sept. 22
Location: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM)

There have been more than enough distractions to keep Texas coach Mack Brown occupied this week. Word that a sixth Longhorn had been arrested in the past four months set off allegations that the program is out of control. And even though they've won their first three games, the Longhorns have not dominated lesser opponents, which also has set off alarm bells among some Texas fans.

Brown is hoping that Saturday's home game gives his program a chance to get back on track and put the focus back on the field. It should be an easy one for the Horns -- Rice is winless this year and given up an average of 50 points in each of the last two weeks.

Three Longhorns are back from serving three-game suspensions. Linebacker Sergio Kindle and defensive end Henry Melton return after DWI arrests this summer and are expected to provide much-needed depth at those positions. And wide receiver Billy Pittman is back after the university determined he had received improper benefits over the summer. Pittman should provide a deep threat for the Longhorn passing offense.

Photo by Life As Art on flickr

Longhorn football player James Henry has been suspended indefinitely from the team after being charged with felony counts of retaliation and tampering with physical evidence. Police say the charges are in connection with the alleged armed robbery involving former Longhorn football player Robert Joseph.

Court records indicate that Henry, 19, confronted witnesses on behalf of Joseph, who was arrested June 27th on aggravated robbery charges. Police say that Joseph called Henry from jail the next day and that the call was recorded.

During that call, police quote Henry as saying, “I went over there and whooped all them niggas last night, fool.”

According to the Statesman's story, the victims told police that Henry had come up to them and asked, “Who narked on us?” They said that Henry tried to get into a fight with one of the men, 18-year-old Andre Swain, and told him, “Bitches deserve to get kicked, so that’s what I am going to do!” The witnesses said that Henry then kicked Swain six or seven times in the head and punched him repeatedly.

Henry, a redshirt freshman running back from Schertz Clemens High School who has played on special teams this season, is the sixth Texas football player to be arrested since June.

• June 1: Junior defensive end Henry Melton arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Melton was suspended for three games. He is eligible to return to action Saturday against Rice.
• June 9: Sophomore safety Robert Joseph arrested and charged with burglary of an automobile. Joseph is dismissed from the team. He's arrested again in July and charged with aggravated robbery. Joseph remains in the Travis County Jail.
• July 28: Sophomore linebacker Sergio Kindle arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Kindle was suspended for three games. He is eligible to return to action Saturday against Rice.
• Aug. 3: Freshman defensive tackle Andre Jones arrested and charged with aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon for a July 27 robbery along with Joseph.
• Sept. 13: Senior safety Tyrell Gatewood was arrested and charged with two counts of possession of a dangerous drug. Gatewood has been suspended indefinitely. Freshman defensive back Ben Wells was a passenger in the car and was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and released.

Bail for Henry's combined charges is set at $30,000.

Photo by Txspiked on flickr

When Will Stewart of Austin bought a ticket in the outfield seats for the Chicago White Sox-LA Angels game on Sunday, he had no idea he was about to become a part of history.

But he was in the right place at the right time as Jim Thome's game-winning home run bounced off the rows behind Stewart and into his hands. It was Thome's 500th career home run, a mark that only 23 players in baseball history have reached.

Memorabilia like that home-run ball can fetch thousands of dollars at an auction, but Stewart, 28, chose to return the ball to Thome. In return, the White Sox offered Stewart two season tickets for the 2008 season and an autographed ball and bat.

Stewart, however, chose to donate the two season tickets to the charity of Thome's choice. The tickets will be auctioned off during the Joyce Thome Benefit for the Children's Hospital of Illinois, an event named in honor of Thome's late mother.

The team said they will fly Stewart out from Texas with a group of his friends to sit in Thome's box during one of the White Sox-Cubs games next season.

In the days leading up to the record homer, Thome said he wanted the ball back and planned to drive with his father to deliver it to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Photo by biverson on flickr

#6 Texas (2-0) vs. Central Florida (1-0)
Time: 2:30 pm, Saturday, Sept. 15
Location: Bright House Networks Stadium, Orlando, Fla.
TV: ESPN2
Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM)

Texas heads to Florida for their first road game of the season on Saturday, but when the Longhorns step onto the field at Bright House Networks Stadium, they'll have played as many games there as the home team.

How's that? Central Florida rushed to build the new venue in just 16 months to get ready for its debut, and the Golden Knights only began practicing there this week. The Texas game will be the first game played in that new stadium, and all 45,000 seats will be filled -- the school has sold out a football game for the first time.

The Longhorns are coming off their first real test of the season, besting 19th-ranked TCU at home last week, 34-13. After falling behind 10-0 in the first half, Texas took control behind a stout defense that held the Horned Frogs to 251 total yards.

On offense, Texas has returned to the style that brought them success prior to the Vince Young era. Rather than line up in the shotgun and execute running plays with either the running back or quarterback, the Longhorns today are more likely to come out in multiple formations and throw the ball first to set up the running of Jamaal Charles.

This throw-first, run-second approach better fits Texas' current lineup, with an accurate quarterback, talented receivers, and inexperienced offensive line. So rather than the style of Vince Young, fans should think back to the Major Applewhite era for a comparison.

Central Florida is expected to have just the opposite personality on offense, relying on the rushing talents of junior tailback Kevin Smith. In the Knights' season-opening victory against North Carolina State, Smith gained 217 yards on 35 carries and scored twice, including an 80-yard scamper to open the game.

Photo by bomb the system on flickr

#7 Texas (1-0) vs. #19 Texas Christian (1-0)
Time: 6 pm, Saturday, Sept. 8
Location: Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
TV: Fox Sports Southwest
Radio: KVET (98.1 FM, 1300 AM)

For the past week, all signs have been pointing to "upset" in this game. Texas looked unsteady at times in its 21-13 win over Arkansas State, while TCU shut out Baylor, 27-0.

While the Longhorns' performance in the opener was shaky, at least it was not of Appalachian State-over-Michigan proportions. Coach Mack Brown and his staff were able to point to some good aspects of the game (defensive tackle Frank Okam and receiver Nate Jones had one of their best games) while zeroing in on areas that need work (running game, finishing strong).

Now TCU comes to town intent on showing that they can be this year's Boise State, an unheralded team that forces its way to a major bowl game. The Horned Frogs make their name on defense - preseason All-American Tommy Blake leads a group that ranked second in the nation in total defense in 2006 and has gone 21 consecutive games without allowing a 100-yard rusher.

Texas and TCU have been playing each other in football for more than 100 years, dating back to 1897. They were rivals in the old Southwest Conference, but have not played each other since 1995, the final year of the SWC. Texas holds a 60-20-1 advantage in the series.

Photo by MotherPie on flickr

The Houston Astros showed their appreciation for Round Rock Express manager Jackie Moore, calling the 50-year veteran up to the major leagues to serve as bench coach for the rest of the 2007 season.

The 68-year-old Moore has been in professional baseball for half a century, starting as a catcher and outfielder in the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox organizations. He played one season in the majors, spending the majority of the 1965 season with the Tigers.

Moore has been the Express manager for the past eight years, taking the team to the playoffs five times and winning the 2000 Texas League championship. He also oversaw the team's move from Double-A to Triple-A for the 2005 season. The team had less success this season, finishing with a 61-81 record.

This is the first time that Moore has coached in the major leagues since 1998. He's expected to join the team on Thursday in New York.

“It’s an absolute testament to the caliber of person Jackie Moore is,” Round Rock president Jay Miller said in the press release announcing the move. “He’s just an outstanding manager, and the kind of person that touches everyone who passes through the organization.”