Texas Longhorns fever, just an ocean away

Led by Heisman-candidate Colt McCoy, 7-0 UT is No. 1 in the polls and fans' hearts.

By ABE SELIG
Even though I'm thousands of miles away from Texas, in Israel, and football here means a sport that, as the name suggests, relies on a players' feet as opposed to the steady hands of a quarterback or the iron muscle of a defensive lineman, I'm running the highest Texas Longhorn Fever I've had in years. Growing up in Austin, Texas, the hotbed of all that is the University of Texas Longhorn Football, I was raised on a steady diet of the school's burnt orange colors and "hook 'em," hand signs [pointer and pinkie fingers raised like horns]. It was basically like a second religion for us, and the 'Horns were heroes in our home, no matter if they won or lost. That said, I was relatively resigned to the fact that I'd be missing yet another season of college football when I found myself in Jerusalem around kick-off time a few months ago, in August. But quarterback Colt McCoy and his brawny gang of defensive linemen, receivers and running backs have reached across the ocean, through the European continent and into the Middle East, and continued to touch my heart. The undefeated Horns, who put down No. 2 Oklahoma nearly three weeks ago to gain the No. 1 ranking in the national polls, and then buried No. 11 Missouri in a game many feared would be the end of their run, have infected me with the worst case of Longhorn fever I've had since Vince Young led the 'Horns to a national championship in the fall of 2006. I've pulled out my old posters, washed off my old t-shirts, and even considered purchasing a sports viewing package for cable TV, just so I can watch the Texas Longhorns play football in all of their live glory. But the glory is far from ours, just yet. While the 'Horns have impressively held on to the nation's top spot and McCoy's play is fueling a whole lot of Heisman buzz back home, tough challenges still await the team on the playing field, beginning this Saturday. Oklahoma State, UT's next opponent, is not playing bush league football and is no walkover. They're a solid Big 12 team, ranked sixth in the nation, and are chomping at the bit for the chance to embarrass their long-running rival in Texas come game day in Austin. I have faith in Colt, and, man, do I have faith in that fearsome home crowd, but the Oklahoma State players are coming to play smashmouth football as they attempt to knock the 'Horns out of the No. 1 spot. Led by Quarterback Zac Robinson and his motley crew of receivers - including Running Back Kendall Hunter who leads the Big 12 conference in rushing - the Cowboys are also undefeated at 7-0 and boast a threatening offense. While the team's defense needs work, coach Mike Gundy has been preparing his boys for war since before the season started, and past losses to Texas - both in Austin and at home in Stillwater - have made the Cowboys lust for blood run that much deeper. The fact that Texas holds the No. 1 ranking is just more of an incentive for Gundy's team to come down to Austin and try and beat up on the Horns. The mythic status currently enjoyed by the 'Horns in many ways puts the national title at stake. But the Cowboys wouldn't care if Texas were 0-for; they'd still love to come down to Austin and embarrass the Longhorns at home. Colt McCoy has played almost-flawlessly both on the ground and in the air. There's no doubt that Texas coach Mack Brown and his star quarterback clearly remember their national championship against the country's juggernaut - USC. They still know how to play that patented, in-your-face, we're-coming-if-you-like-it-or-not Texas brand of football. So when the Cowboys come out to play ball on Saturday, you can be assured that the 'Horns will be ready and remain cool and collected out on the field, because that's all they've been so far this season, up against tougher teams and less-friendly crowds. But given the blood lust in the hearts of every one of those Okies, and the supreme national importance of the game, the pressure will be higher than ever and the stakes, well, almost priceless.