Texas Longhorns Football: Orange-White Scrimmage Recap

Blake Hurtik by Correspondent Written on March 30, 2008
Mccoy

Ever since you-know-who (hint: he wore No. 10) guided Texas to the national championship in 2005, Longhorns fans have come to expect similar undefeated performances. But even after two more 10-win seasons, the fact remains that Alamo and Holiday Bowl wins just don't inspire quite like Rose Bowls.

But, everyone knows the saying hope springs eternal in spring, and the same adage applies to spring football and the annual Orange-White Scrimmage held Saturday.

And the Longhorns certainly have their share of question marks.

However, even after the first-team Orange squad defeated the White 14-10 at Darrell K. Royal-Memorial Stadium after a 17-yard Sherrod Harris touchdown scramble with time expiring, much uncertainty still surrounds the team.

Explosive running back Jamaal Charles and his 1,619 yards and 18 touchdowns are headed for the NFL draft along with dynamic tight end Jermichael Finely. Both bypassed their senior seasons becoming just the second and third players under Mack Brown to leave early for the greener pastures of the pros, the other being you-know-who.

So with a gaping hole now in the back field, Brown is looking for a couple of unproven players to step up.

Senior Chris Ogbonnaya, sophomore Vondrell McGee and redshirt freshman Foswhitt "Fozzy" Whittaker are the leading candidates.

Saturday, McGee got the most carries for the Orange team, but didn't wow anyone, rushing for 26 yards on 8 attempts and a 1-yard touchdown. McGee ran for 297 yards on 75 carries and eight touchdowns in limited action last season. He's your prototypical grinder, good for pounding it out in short yardage and could work better as a complimentary back to a speedster.

Whittaker displayed his speed, rushing for 43 yards on eight carries and a 6-yard touchdown for the White team, including a pair of 10-plus-yard runs on zone read plays. At 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, he could be that compliment to McGee.

The veteran of the bunch, Ogbonnaya only had one carry and one reception because Brown wanted to give the younger players more reps.

Despite Whittaker's better numbers, Brown wouldn't tip his hat to who has an edge in the competition. Odds are, the Longhorns will use the non-conference schedule to settle the situation and will more than likely end up with a situation similar to when Charles and Selvin young split carries.

Behind center, neither starter Colt McCoy nor athletic backup John Chiles looked sharp. McCoy completed just 4 of 9 passes for 20 yards and overthrew several deep passes, including one to a wide open Jordan Shipley.

Chiles made waves last season due to his running ability and, more importantly, due to Texas fans still yearning for you-know-who. When McCoy ran into struggles down the stretch in 2007, some wanted Chiles to take over.

While there's no doubt about his scrambling skills, as he displayed Saturday (75 yards on nine carries) his arm is a big uncertainty. Chiles threw balls behind receivers and into the dirt all afternoon at the scrimmage, completing just one pass in six attempts. 

G.J. Kinne and Sherrod Harris got a few reps in the fourth quarter. Kinne had the longest play of the day--a 39-yard bomb to Dan Buckner while Harris' highlight was the aforementioned touchdown scramble.

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written on March 30, 2008 Sports

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