FW: True Orange E-Mail/Fax #82

----- Forwarded by David M Gagliardi/TTG/HouInd on 08/20/01 08:25 AM -----

"Gagliardi,
Michael" To: "'dgagliardi@reliantenergy.com'" <dgagliardi@reliantenergy.com<,
<mgagliardi@u "'tony.a.rogers@fritolay.com'" <tony.a.rogers@fritolay.com<,
nocal.com< "'david.ricks@spotplus.com'" <david.ricks@spotplus.com<,
"'wrferguson@duke-energy.com'" <wrferguson@duke-energy.com<
08/20/01 cc:
07:22 AM Subject: FW: True Orange E-Mail/Fax #82

< -----Original Message-----
< From: TruOrange@aol.com [SMTP:TruOrange@aol.com]
< Sent: Sunday, August 19, 2001 6:10 PM
< To: TruOrange@aol.com
< Subject: True Orange E-Mail/Fax #82
<
< True Orange E-Mail/Fax Service
< Volume 9, E-Mail/Fax #82, Sunday, August 19, 2001
< Jerry Scarbrough's True Orange, P. O. Box 26530, Austin, Texas 78755 -
< Phone
< 512-795-8536
<
< Brown Says Benson "Even Better Than We Thought He Was"
<
< Texas coach Mack Brown has been cautious about putting extra pressure on
< RB
< Cedric Benson, but he apparently has discovered the heralded freshman
can
<
< handle it because he had lots of praise for him Sunday during the team's
< annual media day.
< With reporters from several other Big 12 cities in the audience, Brown
< said,
< "Cedric Benson has a real flair with his vision, quick feet, power and
< determination. He's probably even better than we thought he was."
< And Brown and his staff thought Benson was so good last year when he led
< Midland Lee to its third straight Class 5A championship and scored five
< touchdowns in the title game for the third straight time that they made
< him
< their No. 1 recruiting priority.
< Offensive coordinator Greg Davis said the Longhorns will go into the
< season
< with junior Victor Ike as the starting tailback, and sophomore Ivan
< Williams
< and Benson splitting time with him on about an equal basis.
< The Longhorn coaches have always stressed that their tailback must be
< adept
< at pass protection, but they haven't had a freshman with talent like
< Benson,
< and they appear ready to make some adjustments to get him on the field.
< Davis said Benson is behind Ike and Williams on pass protection because
he
<
< has only been in the UT system a few days. "But Cedric has great
< maturity,"
< Davis said. "He has special talents and we will not let pass protection
< keep
< him from playing if he is the best back."
< West Texas football is pressure packed, particularly at the Class 5A
< level.
< When Benson scored five TDs in the state title game for the second year
in
< a
< row as a junior, it looked impossible for him to do it for a third time
< because Midland Lee's great offensive line graduated en masse. TE Eric
< Winston, a top recruit this year, did start some as a sophomore, but the
< other guys, from tackle to tackle, were all seniors.
< The coaches of other Class 5A powers knew all they had to do to beat
< Midland
< Lee was stop Cedric Benson because the Rebels had no other offensive
< weapons
< of note. With a green line, it seemed like a simple chore.
< The Rebels did lose a couple of early season games, but the line kept
< getting
< better week by week and he led them to a third straight title, scoring
< five
< TDs again as a senior, this time against a powerful Austin Westlake
< defense
< that had shut out two straight foes to get to the championship game.
< Excuse me for that history lesson, but Benson is a special kind of
running
<
< back, and the UT coaches, who already knew it, are not too shy now about
< saying it because he has already shown he's ready for big-time college
< football.
< Davis also said the Longhorns have a great group of receivers,
< particularly
< when the wide receivers and tight ends are lumped together as a group,
and
< he
< said QB Chris Simms gained much needed experience last year, "and he is
< much
< more mature this year. He has had a great camp and has shown he is much
< more
< mature and much stronger."
< He also said the offensive line will be much better this season because
< four
< of the five starters return and all of them are healthy for a change.
< Defensive coordinator Carl Reese says he is still looking for a defensive

< tackle, but he said the Longhorn defense "should be pretty good." Pretty
< good, by Reese's standards, means one that will rank in the top 10 again.
< He said Marcus Tubbs is solid at one tackle spot, and said Maurice
Gordon,
<
< Adam Doiron and Stevie Lee will all split time fairly equally until one
of
<
< them emerges as the starter at the other tackle spot.
< Reese said defensive ends Kalen Thornton and Cory Redding "are bigger and

< stronger and more determined this year." Since Thornton made the freshman

< All-America team last year after starting nine games as a true freshman
< and
< Redding is being touted as a pre-season All-Big 12 choice, that is bad
< news
< for the oppostion.
< * * * *
< RECRUITING NOTES: For those of you who are wondering who will be the line
< backers next year, true freshman Derrick Johnson looks like a guy who
< will play a lot on the weakside this year and then start and star for
< three
< more years, and fellow freshman Aurmon Satchell is looking very good as a

< future strongside backer. The middle is a little more unsettled for the
< future, but Aaron Harris of North Mesquite likes the Longhorns and he so
< good
< at flying to the ball and making bone-jarring tackles that I wouldn't be
< surprised to see him be a guy who will contend for the job in a hurry if
< he
< signs with the Horns.
< * * * *
< My next e-mail/fax will be whenever events warrant.
< * * * *
< The True Orange E-Mail/Fax Service includes at least 99 fax/e-mails a

< year and costs $99 ($79 by E-Mail). The True Orange Newsletter includes
< 26
< newsletters and is published weekly during football season and twice
< monthly
< during most of the other months. It costs $45. Save by subscribing to
both
<
< for $130 (or $110 if you take the faxes via E-Mail or $99 if you take
< both
< services via E-Mail). Send check to address at the top of page. I also
< update my 900 number - 1-900-288-8839 - daily with recruiting news. My
< E-Mail address is: truorange@aol.com.