i should've know better than to let my hopes get up after the great start to the season. looks like we'll at least make the tourney (knock on wood), but sliding down fast.
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team is once again trending down, most recently due to blowing what was a solid 19-point lead on Sunday to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Disappointing indeed, after it seemed as though the Longhorns were trending up last week at No. 12, only to fall back to No. 14 in this week’s AP Poll, released earlier this morning.
Texas is now 13-6 overall, and sitting at 7-5 in Big 12 Conference play.
It’s perhaps needless to say that the season is spiraling into something of a head-scratcher.
Elsewhere in the Big 12, the Baylor Bears are sticking at No. 2 nationally, reliably behind the leading Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Oklahoma Sooners are trending up, now ranked No. 7. As are the West Virginia Mountaineers after their win over the Longhorns, at No. 10. The Kansas Jayhawks are also No. 17, and the Texas Tech Red Raiders are just behind Kansas, at No. 18.
Texas take on Kansas at home in the Frank Erwin Center on Tuesday.
just like every metal band's next album is their 'heaviest yet'. gtfo with this stranger things garbage.
The stars of “Stranger Things” often hype up the latest season of the series by proclaiming it the “darkest” and/or “scariest” to date in interviews with the press, and Finn Wolfhard is well aware that such things have become common and downright repetitive at this point. But that’s not stopping him from making sure you know Season 4 is indeed going to be a dark one.
Recently speaking with CBC Listen, brought to our attention by Complex this week, Wolfhard teased that the upcoming new season of the show yet again amps up all possible stakes.
“Every season it gets darker. Really, I will say with Season 3 I was like, this is the darkest season that there’ll ever be, like the exploding rats and everything. But really, Season 4 so far, it’s the darkest season there’s ever been,” Wolfhard explains. “Every year, it gets amped up. Every year it gets funnier and darker and sadder, and everything. Every year, they amp it up.”
Co-star Gaten Matarazzo had similarly told US Weekly, “I think most would probably say it’s the scariest [season] out of the previous three, which I love because it’s very fun to film.”
What we know of Season 4 thus far is that Hopper is still alive, “imprisoned far from home in the snowy wasteland of Kamchatka, where he will face dangers both human…and other.”
“Meanwhile, back in the states, a new horror is beginning to surface, something long buried, something that connects everything….”
“Season 4 is shaping up to be the biggest and most frightening season yet, and we cannot wait for everyone to see more,” the Duffer Brothers had said back in February of last year.
The season’s cast includes Robert Englund, who will play Victor Creel, a disturbed man who is imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital for a gruesome murder in the 1950s.
Yahoo Sports reports that the Texas Longhorns are expected to hire offensive analyst Brandon Harris, a former quarterback with the LSU Tigers, as the program’s director of recruiting, replacing Bryan Carrington after his departure for a gig with the USC Trojans.
More from Yahoo Sports:
Sources: Texas is expected to hire Brandon Harris as the school’s director of recruiting. He replaces Bryan Carrington, who left for USC. As a player, Harris was a highly recruited quarterback in the class of 2014 who played for LSU and UNC.
In non-Longhorn related news, former Auburn Tigers head coach Gus Malzahn has been hired to lead the UCF Knights in 2021. Most folks grade it as the best coaching hire to date.
"I truly believe this is the program of the future in college football ... our goals are to get in the College Football Playoff and play in New Year's Six bowl games."
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian is pleased with National Signing Day.
“I thought we accomplished kind of what we thought we could accomplish getting into the second signing day of the signing period,” Sarkisian said, according to 247Sports. “When I came on board with 19 players already signed, we really tried to do a thorough job of trying to assess our roster as best we could in looking at the game tape of currently what we had, getting an idea of the movement skills of our players on the field and maybe where they would fit scheme-wise now that we have our coaching staff on board, and then identify the players that were available that we felt like could help the University of Texas, not only on the football field, but in the classroom and from a character standpoint of what they meant moving forward to represent the university.”
The photograph is of my great-aunt who died two decades before I was born. She is holding her not yet four year old son. It was taken by her lover, Lucia Larranga. It is, all at once, triumph and love and dignity.
It is a celluloid talisman against the vampire of lesbian erasure that seeks to bury and discard the corpses of their lives and each time I let my eyes fall upon it I can conjure the power of their lives beautifully led. pic.twitter.com/HZyIm8Y630
Leslie is her name. She was born in 1895 in San Francisco and her mother died before her first birthday. Her mother was Einnim Tucker Miller and she is, I kid you not, interred in a fucking pyramid. pic.twitter.com/MOPeCDZPTD
Einnim was named after (you will not see this coming) her mother Minnie by spelling the name backwards. I had suggested this tactic to my wife Kiki who violently opposed the idea of children named Kram and Ikik. Yet she is considered to be *fun* at parties and people *like* her.
By 22 (1917) she had met Lucia Larranga who was ten years older. She fell harder than an inebriated first-time snowboarder. They wanted a child...badly. There was no reciprocal in vitro fertilization or artificial insemination. After what must have been unimaginably agonizing
deliberations, they decided Leslie must marry a <shudder> man. They settled on Kenneth Moore, a friend and junior army officer getting ready to go fight WWI in France. Leslie laid out the deal: They would marry and once she was pregnant they would divorce. And that’s exactly what
crazy how much longer "half a decade" sounds than "five years."
This week New York Magazine featured a new article by journalist David Wallace-Wells about the state of the fight against global warming.
He warns that "Already, the planet is warmer, at just 1.2 degrees, than it has ever been..." But there's also some good news:
Just a half-decade ago, it was widely believed that a "business as usual" emissions path would bring the planet four or five degrees of warming — enough to make large parts of Earth effectively uninhabitable. Now, thanks to the rapid death of coal, the revolution in the price of renewable energy, and a global climate politics forged by a generational awakening, the expectation is for about three degrees. Recent pledges could bring us closer to two. All of these projections sketch a hazardous and unequal future, and all are clouded with uncertainties — about the climate system, about technology, about the dexterity and intensity of human response, about how inequitably the most punishing impacts will be distributed. Yet if each half-degree of warming marks an entirely different level of suffering, we appear to have shaved a few of them off our likeliest end stage in not much time at all.
The next half-degrees will be harder to shave off, and the most crucial increment — getting from two degrees to 1.5 — perhaps impossible, dashing the dream of avoiding what was long described as "catastrophic" change. But for a climate alarmist like me, seeing clearly the state of the planet's future now requires a conspicuous kind of double vision, in which a guarded optimism seems perhaps as reasonable as panic. Given how long we've waited to move, what counts now as a best-case outcome remains grim. It also appears, miraculously, within reach....
The price of solar energy has fallen ninefold over the past decade, as has the price of lithium batteries, critical to the growth of electric cars. The costs of utility-scale batteries, which could solve the "intermittency" (i.e., cloudy day) problem of renewables and help power whole cities in relatively short order, have fallen 70 percent since just 2015. Wind power is 40 percent cheaper than it was a decade ago, with offshore wind experiencing an even steeper decline. Overall, renewable energy is less expensive than dirty energy almost everywhere on the planet, and in many places it is simply cheaper to build new renewable capacity than to continue running the old fossil-fuel infrastructure. Oil demand and carbon emissions may both have peaked this year. Eighty percent of coal plants planned in Asia's developing countries have been shelved... [I]n the fall, the U.K. pledged to ban nonelectrics by 2030 — a once-unthinkable law coming both too slow and much more quickly than seemed possible not very long ago. Similar plans are now in place in 16 other countries, plus Massachusetts and California. Canada recently raised its tax on carbon sixfold. Italy cut its power-sector emissions 65 percent between 2012 and 2019, and Denmark is now aiming to reduce its overall emissions 70 percent by 2030...
[F]or all their momentum, renewables still only make up 10 percent of global electricity production. But alarmists have to take the good news where they find it....
The author also spoke to Pulitzer Prize-winner environmentalist author Elizabeth Kolbert about her new book Under a White Sky:
In her book, Kolbert sketches a spectrum of interventions, from electrifying rivers to using CRISPR to save endangered species to solar geoengineering, often called "solar-radiation management," by which aerosol particles are suspended in the stratosphere to deflect some sunlight back into outer space and artificially cool the planet. "There is a slippery slope here, you know?" she says. "And where does that end?
"But there are not a lot of great choices. We're not returning to a preindustrial climate — not in my lifetime, not in your lifetime."
Plus: Texas basketball reschedules Iowa State matchup
The Austin American-Statesman reports that Mike Stoops, who was most recently was an analyst for the Alabama Crimson Tide, will not coach linebackers for the Texas Longhorns after all. The Statesman, which spoke directly to Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian, followed up on reporting from AL.com that claimed the former Oklahoma defensive coordinator was set to join the Forty Acres. Stoops is the brother of former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops.
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian tells me this morning the Horns are not hiring Mike Stoops. He does have someone else in mind for LB coach, hopes to finalize later today. “I’m really excited about who we’re talking to.”
SB Nation: Baseball icon and Braves legend Hank Aaron passed away at the age of 86
NEWS ACROSS THE LONGHORN REPUBLIC AND BEYOND
Texas basketball’s postponed game against the Iowa State Cyclones has been rescheduled for Feb. 18, per Big 12 officials. The Dallas Morning News reported it earlier today.
New: Texas basketball’s game against Iowa State, which was originally scheduled to be played this Wednesday, has been rescheduled for Feb. 18 at 6:00 CT.
Texas baseball will open the 2021 season against a tough slate of SEC teams, including the Arkansas Razorbacks, the Ole Miss Rebels and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at the 2021 Starm Farm College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Steve Sarkisian spent the last two seasons working with Stoops at Alabama.
Throughout the days since Steve Sarkisian was named the new Texas Longhorns head coach on Saturday, there’s been plenty of news swirling about potential coaching hires for the 31st head coach in Longhorns history.
Here’s the overview of where things stand with Tom Herman’s coaching staff and news about Sarkisian’s targets and hires.
Friday 1:43 p.m. Central
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian tells me this morning the Horns are not hiring Mike Stoops. He does have someone else in mind for LB coach, hopes to finalize later today. “I’m really excited about who we’re talking to.”
In the aftermath of Steve Sarkisian’s hire at Texas, there was some buzz about Alabama analyst Mike Stoops joining Sark in Austin as his defensive coordinator. But with one staff position remaining open, Stoops emerged as a strong candidate to coach the linebackers under Sarkisian. As the younger brother of former Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops who was fired by the Sooners after the Cotton Bowl loss in 2018, it would be remarkable to have a Stoops brother coaching on the Forty Acres. The bigger question though is whether Stoops can coach the position well — it’s been 30 years since he coached that position group.
Valai’s quick rise in the coaching industry took a hit with his dismissal from Texas, but he’ll have a chance to get back on track at Houston, it appears.
Monday 6:02 p.m Central
Can confirm that Kwiatkowski is leaving for Texas. UW needs a new DC https://t.co/OlTlc51d56
Looks like Pete Kwiatkowski to Texas is all but official. Expect him to coach the outside linebackers in his 2-4-5 defense.
Monday 11:58 p.m. Central
Sources close to Texas Football say they have zeroed in on Pete Kwiatkowski, Defensive Coordinator for the Washington Huskies, as the next Texas DC.#HookEm
After pursuing a number of current or former SEC coordinators, Washington defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski emerged as the leading candidate late Monday evening.
A former Boise State defensive lineman, Kwiatkowski got his first coordinator job at Montana State in 2000, returned to his alma mater and earned the coordinator title in 2010, then followed Chris Petersen to Washington in the post-Sark era and kept that job since 2014.
His defenses are known not only for limiting scoring, but also for producing a consistent streak of NFL talent.
Monday 2:17 p.m. Central
On Monday, Tennessee fired Jeremy Pruitt for cause due to recruiting violations in the program.
Chancellor Donde Plowman said Tennessee's internal investigation unearthed "Significant number of serious NCAA rules violations."
Pruitt’s Alabama ties immediately sparked speculation about what Tennessee’s decision might mean for Texas and its pursuit of a defensive coordinator. Given the apparent recruiting violations committed by Pruitt, it seems unlikely that he would emerge as a candidate for the Longhorns.
And Nick Saban hasn’t exactly been lenient on coaches investigated for lesser recruiting violations. Tosh Lupoi spent two years as an analyst for Alabama after leaving Washington under the cloud of NCAA investigation and Bo Davis resigned after he was dishonest in meetings with the NCAA about impermissible contact with recruits.
So could Pruitt’s termination in Knoxville open the way for Pete Golding to come to Austin and Pruitt to return to Tuscaloosa as Saban’s defensive coordinator. That seems like the best-case scenario for the Longhorns, but unlikely given Saban’s preferred methods of rehabilitating coaches.
Monday 2:17 p.m. Central
Source: Ole Miss is expected to hire Coleman Hutzler as special teams coordinator. Expected to finalized in the next couple days.
Was the co-DC and linebackers coach at Texas this past season. Was previously the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at South Carolina.
News never broke about Hutzler’s dismissal from Texas, but with the new defensive coordinator almost certain to coach linebackers, it seemed like a mere formality as Sarkisian’s defensive staff started to come together over the last two weeks.
The only remaining defensive assistant whose status remains largely unknown is defensive line coach Oscar Giles, who could remain on staff and coach defensive ends alongside Bo Davis, as he did under Mack Brown.
Sunday 4:20 p.m. Central
FootballScoop.comreports that Texas will hire Drew Hughes away from South Carolina as the Director of Player Personnel to replace Derek Chang, who was dismissed on Friday. Hughes is well regarded in the industry and will serve as a key piece in recruiting and evaluations for Sarkisian.
After a year in Austin as an offensive analyst on Tom Herman’s staff, JW Walsh is back at his alma mater in a similar role.
Friday 4:45 p.m. Central
According to Dennis Dodd of CBSSports.com, Georgia’s Dan Lanning is the new name to know in Sarkisian’s defensive coordinator search. Like Zach Arnett and Pete Golding, Lanning is a young, up-and-coming coach at 34 years old who has had tremendous success at Georgia over the last two seasons after serving as the outside linebackers coach in Athens for one year.
The process is far enough along that Lanning interviewed with the Horns this week, according to Dodd.
Friday 4:45 p.m. Central
Thank you to everyone who has made the last 4 years so meaningful. As an alum, it was an honor to return home and contribute where I could.
I leave with a lifetime of memories and an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Hook ‘Em. pic.twitter.com/tuHQMmSF0r
Sarkisian made his first big decision about the Texas support staff on Friday, dismissing Director of Player Personnel Derek Chang. A Longhorns alum, Chang worked as a recruiting assistant at Ohio State and the Director of Recruiting at Houston before joining Herman’s staff in Austin.
Thursday 5:45 p.m. Central
Have confirmed through multiple sources this afternoon that Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is interviewing with Texas this afternoon (via Zoom) for its defensive coordinator position.
It appears that Arnett is the first defensive coordinator known to interview for the position as Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Colding emerged as a candidate earlier on Thursday.
Thursday 2:55 p.m. Central
According to multiple reports, Alabama tight ends coach/special teams coordinator Jeff Banks will join Sarkisian in Austin. Horns247 reports that Banks has agreed to a three-year, $3.15 million deal. Banks has a reputation as an elite recruiter, especially in the state of Texas, so he’ll fill a big hole on Sarkisian’s staff as the new Texas head coach seeks to keep top talent from leaving the state.
Thursday 2:55 p.m. Central
Inside Texas has learned that Alabama DC Pete Golding has become prime candidate for same role at Texas. Others still in the mix.
The defensive coordinator search has been quiet this week other than Dan Quinn choosing to remain in the NFL, but there was finally some movement on Thursday morning with the emergence of Pete Golding as a target. The 36-year-old Louisiana native spent two years as the defensive coordinator at UTSA before he was hired at Alabama in 2018. He’s held the defensive coordinator title for two years under Nick Saban.
Wednesday 6:48 p.m Central
Alabama’s OL coach, Kyle Flood is leaving Tuscaloosa to join Steve Sarkisian at the University of Texas. He will be in Austin tomorrow. He was the architect of some of the best offensive lines in CFB since he arrived at The Capstone.
Kyle Flood’s addition to Sarkisian’s staff should become official on Thursday.
Monday 5:15 p.m. Central (updated)
Former #Falcons coach Dan Quinn spent Saturday interviewing for the vacant #Cowboys defensive coordinator job, source says. He joins #Falcons secondary coach Joe Whitt and #Panthers defensive passing game coordinator Jason Simmons as the three known candidates.
On Monday, Brian Davis of the Austin-American Stateman reported in an exclusive interview with Sarkisian that Texas wide receivers coach Andre Coleman is expected to remain on staff. Sarkisian had previously targeted Alabama wide receivers coach Holmon Wiggins for that role.
Monday 4:20 p.m. Central
Crazy Year but still a Blessed One!!Love my boys and the growth they have had on the field as players, but more importantly off field as men. Wishing all the success in the world to My “Day 1” Dudes!!
On Friday, the Cowboys reportedly discussed Dan Quinn as a potential defensive coordinator candidate following the termination of Mike Nolan. It’s been a quiet weekend for the Longhorns with Sarkisian preparing for Monday’s national championship game, but there is some thought that Quinn could decide to remain in the NFL, where he’s spent most of the last 20 years.
Sources: #Texas is hiring #NotreDame defensive backs coach Terry Joseph as its new defensive pass game coordinator. He will work with the Longhorns’ DBs. Brings extensive Power 5 experience, including at Texas A&M. Heard Joseph has been in high demand for multiple programs.
On the heels of a report from FootballScoop.com that Texas will hire Terry Joseph, ESPN reported that it’s already done. Without a defensive coordinator in place yet, that seems like strong language, but as Football Scoop puts it, Joseph has already told people that he’s taking the job.
Joseph has spent the last three years with the Fighting Irish coaching defensive backs after coaching stints at Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas A&M and North Carolina. A New Orleans native, Joseph had success recruiting Texas with the Aggies, but compared to LSU’s Corey Raymond, he’s not quite on the same level as a recruiter.
Friday 6:15 p.m. Central
There wasn’t a ton of buzz surrounding Texas and Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, but the Ohio native did decide to take the Notre Dame job on Friday, spurning LSU and other suitors. Scratch his name off any potential lists of defensive coordinator candidates for Sarkisian.
Friday 6:15 p.m. Central
FootballScoop.comreported on Friday that Sarkisian’s former head coach with the Atlanta Falcons, Dan Quinn, is a candidate for the defensive coordinator position at Texas. Like Sarkisian, Quinn has deep ties to current Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll — after holding the title of defensive line coach for three other NFL teams, Quinn joined Carroll in Seattle in 2009 when Carroll took over the Seahawks and spent two seasons as the associate head coach.
In 2011, Will Muschamp hired Quinn as his defensive coordinator at Florida, where Quinn spent two seasons before rejoining Carroll as his defensive coordinator. Quinn was in his sixth season as the head coach of the Falcons when he was fired in mid-October.
Sarkisian spent two years as the offensive coordinator for Quinn in Atlanta, so it makes sense that Sarkisian would consider his former head coach for the position. However, Quinn has only spent two of the last 20 years as a college assistant — prior to becoming an NFL assistant, Quinn was the defensive coordinator at Hofstra.
And he’s also never coached a position other than defensive line, which raises questions about his fit with Detroit Lions defensive line coach Bo Davis, who is reportedly expected to return to Texas for a second stint in that same role.
Davis is known as the type of strong recruiter that the staff needs, an area where Quinn is extremely lacking in experience — so how would that work if Sarkisian hires Quinn and Davis?
To be sure, Quinn’s bona fides as a longtime NFL head coach and assistant would surely sell well on the recruiting trail, but he would be a relatively unknown entity in that area.
According to the same report, Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett also remains a candidate.
The Longhorns pick up the first commitment of the Steve Sarkisian era.
The Texas Longhorns needed some good news on the recruiting trail after things had gone cold. That good news came Tuesday as 2022 top-100 receiver Armani Winfield committed to the Longhorns via Twitter.
The 6’2, 180-pound receiver from Lewisville was considered a heavy Ohio State Buckeyes lean ahead of his commitment and held 39 offers, including the Alabama Crimson Tide, Texas A&M Aggies and Oklahoma Sooners. Winfield is the No. 74 recruit overall, the No. 12 player in the state of Texas, and the No. 14 wide receiver according to the 247Sports composite ranking.
Winfield came onto the scene for the Farmers as a freshman, hauling in 27 catches for 376 yards and three touchdowns on the way to being named the district newcomer of the year. He followed that up with a unanimous all-district selection in his sophomore year, thanks to his 758 yards and eight touchdowns. He drew significant attention from opposing defenses as a junior and just played seven games, but still managed to haul in 30 receptions for 538 yards and four touchdowns.
This may be the first of many commitments that come as Texas introduces its new coaching staff helmed by Steve Sarkisian. Winfield’s addition gives Texas a top-tier talent at a position that could quickly become a place of strength for the Longhorns.
One fan who continues doing a kickass job keeping the spirit of VHS alive is Josh Schafer, the man behind Lunchmeat Magazine. In his never-ending quest to make sure those video shops of our youth never truly go away, Schafer created the first “Home Video Horrors” calendar a few years back, a year-long tribute to the VHS box covers we’re all so nostalgic for.
This year, Home Video Horrors is back with the brand new 2021 calendar!
“Lunchmeat and photographer extraordinaire Jacky Lawrence are proud to present an all-new Home Video Horrors calendar featuring 12 brand spankin’ new photo tributes to some of the most iconic, incredible, and eye-popping VHS covers ever to stalk the video store!
“Home Video Horrors is a visual love letter to the greatest VHS covers in the horror genre, featuring the phenomenal photography of Jacky Lawrence. Each month of the calendar vibrantly celebrates a different VHS from the cult classics shelf, thoughtfully set in a scene reflective of the film’s signature content.
“The Home Video Horrors 2021 Calendar measures approx. 8.5 x 11 inches closed, and 17 x 11 inches opened and is printed on high-quality, full-color semi-gloss paper.”
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Texas Longhorns men’s basketball (8-1, 2-0) is hot right now.
Last week, the Longhorns blew the Kansas Jayhawks out of the water in Lawrence. In fact, it was Kansas head coach Bill Self’s worst home loss across his 18 years with the program, as CBS Sports noted earlier today. It was also enough to boost Texas to No. 4 in the AP Poll, a highlight to the fact that the 25-point win over Kansas was the Texas program’s second-largest road win over an AP top five-ranked opponent across its decorated team history.
That’s a four-spot increase after Texas was ranked No. 8 in last week’s poll.
Meanwhile, Big 12 rival Kansas dropped from No. 3 to No. 6.
The Baylor Bears are still ranked No. 2 in the latest AP Poll, while the Gonzaga Bulldogs hold the nation’s top spot.
Following last week’s win, ESPN also named the Longhorns the Team of the Week. From ESPN’s commentary: “So what has changed for Texas since last season? After all, this was a team that would have likely missed the NCAA tournament and had Smart squarely on the hot seat. If you ask Coleman, it’s simply a case of the team maturing and playing more connected, especially defensively. “It has a lot to do with everybody having the same goal,” Coleman said after the game. If Jones and potential lottery pick Greg Brown keep making strides, that goal could realistically be a Final Four appearance.”
As North Carolina faces Texas A&M in the Capital One Orange Bowl, UNC head coach Mack Brown reflects on the rivalry from when he was the coach at Texas.
"Robinson finished with ... 10 carries [for] 183 yards and one touchdown, and ... 37 yards and two scores on just two receptions
Thompson ... 8-of-10 attempts for 170 yards and four touchdowns in a little over a quarter of action"
Boy-Howdy!
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Another monster performance from Bijan Robinson and some flashes from Casey Thompson provided the Horns with another dominant bowl win.
Bijan Robinson feasted. Casey Robinson took a seat at the table and starred in his own right in place of an injured Sam Ehlinger. And what was once a mere single-score halftime edge for the No. 20 Texas Longhorns exploded after the break, as 17 unanswered points from the Longhorns effectively decided the outcome before the fourth quarter got underway.
Texas kept cruising from there, even as Colorado found points of its own en route to a 55-23 Longhorns win in the Alamo Bowl to capture their fourth consecutive bowl win.
Robinson finished with mind-boggling numbers, turning his 10 carries into 183 yards and one touchdown, and adding another 37 yards and two scores on just two receptions. A right shoulder injury ended Sam Ehlinger night at halftime after he tallied 160 yards and one touchdown, and in his place, Thompson provided a possible glimpse of the future at quarterback in Austin, completing 8-of-10 attempts for 170 yards and four touchdowns in a little over a quarter of action.
As reported by Deadline, TV writer and producer William Link—co-creator of Columbo, Murder She Wrote, Mannix, and a number of other things—has died from congestive heart failure. Link frequently collaborated with fellow writer and producer Richard Levinson, with whom he co-created all three of the aforementioned…
It may be hard to believe that hit multiplayer games Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 originally took residence in the 2000s—released in 2008 and 2009 respectively. You can still anticipate finding other players online to join in on fighting hordes of zombies when you boot up each title till this day. The series’ enduring legacy is a testament to how well developer Valve had perfected the formula of chaotic, cooperative fun. Safe to say, its spiritual successor, Back 4 Blood, had huge shoes to fill—and I’m happy to report that it managed to achieve that, and more.
Turtle Rock Studios, formerly known as Valve South, has tapped into the winning formula of Left 4 Dead, offering cooperative four-player action with eight new characters (known as Cleaners), each with unique perks, as they face down the undead—now known as Ridden. Of the four characters available during the alpha, I mostly played as Evangelo—quirky and energetic as he promised not to shoot my fellow teammates in the back (again).
As I linked up with three other players to take on Evansburg, the first mission of the game, I was given the option to select one of three difficulties: Classic, Difficult, and Nightmare. Each setting toggles aspects such as how much damage friendly fire inflicts on teammates (with Classic mode nullifying all friendly fire), and the amount of continues available each time the entire team is wiped out. I opted in for Classic for a more relaxed feel as I tried out all gameplay elements.
Before jumping into the campaign, a new card-system presented itself, beckoning me to choose a “deck” and select which cards that I wanted to “play” in the match. Self-admittedly, I was a bit confused at first. The system seems a bit complicated at first glance; however, the tutorial had caught me up to speed of this new “roguelike” system that is implemented in Back 4 Blood. To spice up each campaign and make each playthrough unique, players are given the option to select specific cards with perks that they will carry with them into every campaign. Cards are organized into four categories: Reflex, Discipline, Brawn, and Fortune. Perks can be personal or for the entire team, and range from additional damage when striking weak-spots, to having more health and stamina.
That’s not all though—while players have perks, a new AI system known as the Game Director will also be playing its own “corruption cards” during the campaign, impacting each match based on the behavior of the players. These corruption cards can go as far as to spawn even larger hoards of enemies, to making ammo even more scarce.
As each of my teammates selected their cards, we spawned into the first safe room, as the rowdy Ridden growled and hissed at us from behind the door. This time around, players have the option to use in-game currency in the form of copper to purchase items like med-kits, ammo, upgrades, and more in supply bins of each safe room. I suited up with some bandages and grenades, and we quickly busted through the door, eager to knock the heads off of some Ridden.
The controls and feel of Back 4 Blood are almost completely identical to Left 4 Dead. It felt very easy to familiarize myself with the gameplay, and even if you haven’t played its predecessor, it is very user-intuitive (in addition to helpful hints when applicable). I toggled between Evangelo’s initial AK47 and machete with ease, taking down hordes of Ridden as I came across them. As to be expected, hybrid Ridden make appearances at times, with some having the ability to immobilize my character for brief periods of time, some shooting streams of vomit that impair vision, and now, some in the form of huge, formidable boss fights.
One thing that I immediately noticed as we made our way through each zone is that Back 4 Blood feels a bit more strategic and calculated than Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2. The standard Ridden are a bit slower, perhaps a bit more predictable. This isn’t to say that the chaos isn’t still present—Ridden still appear from all angles at any given time, but I found it more beneficial to focus a bit more rather on specific actions than constantly keep moving; thinking back on when I played Left 4 Dead, it often felt like constant motion and spraying at zombies, but in Back 4 Blood, I feel more inclined to take my time in certain moments and focus a bit more on team synergy. Of course, I played on Classic mode, and I expect that the gameplay is probably much more chaotic on Difficult and Nightmare mode for more hardcore players.
The graphics are gorgeous and the Ridden are gore-incarnate. Myself and teammates were completely doused in the guts of the undead as we made our way through tunnels and backwoods. The Cleaners kick up funny banter amongst each other to fill in the quiet moments, and occasionally chastise each other for friendly fire. It completely captures the original charm of Left 4 Dead in every way that you would hope a modern edition would.
As to be expected with an alpha, a couple of bumps in the road presented themselves during my playthroughs. Even with my team of experienced players, we all couldn’t help but get wiped out frequently, specifically due to a reoccurring theme of very scarce ammo during each match. The final act of Evansburg was also a bit wonky, with a seemingly endless stream of Ridden preventing us from completing the final objectives of the mission. However, I was so satisfied with every other aspect of the alpha that these slight mishaps paled significantly in comparison to everything that Back 4 Blood does right.
Based on the alpha, I am convinced that Back 4 Blood will be a welcome addition to both Left 4 Dead veterans and those seeking chaotic, multiplayer fun. Where it could have corrupted an already effective formula established with Left 4 Dead, it instead innovated, and I’m very excited to get my hands on the final product when it’s released next summer.
Back 4 Blood preview code provided by the publisher.
Back 4 Blood will be released June 22, 2021, on PS4, PS5, Xbone One, Series X/S, and PC.
not out here trying to defend to herman -- he's continued the tradition of texas doing less with more and i believe the's not the long term solution -- BUT...
there sure do seem to be a lot of key seniors staying for another year for a coach as beleaguered as he supposedly is.
Austin American Statesman-USA TODAY NETWORK
The former safety showed some big-time flashes at Will this season.
One of the top defenders for the Texas Longhorns will be back in 2021.
On Tuesday, junior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown announced that he’ll return for his senior season.
My family and I had to overcome a lot to get where we are today, and went that being said I owe this to them and myself....Horns up 2021 pic.twitter.com/731FAaEWfn
The decision by the 6’4, 217-pounder makes Overshown the most high-profile player to announce his return for another season on the Forty Acres as five captains have opted out to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
Ranked as the No. 52 player nationally and the No. 6 safety in the 2018 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, Overshown always faced questions about his eventual position thanks to his large frame that made him something of a tweener.
Depth at safety and injuries during Overshown’s freshmen and sophomore seasons limited his production on the field — he only made one tackle in 2018 and 18 tackles last season — creating a critical offseason for the Arp product with the arrival of new defensive coordinator Chris Ash.
To be sure, Overshown had flashed some potential in 2019 with seven tackles, two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and four pass breakups, but the path towards playing time at safety was difficult with three returning players that had significant starting experience.
Meanwhile, Texas lacked depth and experience at the linebacker position.
Overshown took the initiative to ask Ash about a potential position change and was told that the staff — as well as scouts and NFL personnel types — saw his greatest professional upside at the linebacker position. The NFL has been slow to adopt college-style tactics like lighter, rangier linebackers, but the revolution has finally arrived.
The inability to go through spring practice and a full offseason of strength and conditioning under Yancy McKnight hurt Overshown’s transition, especially since he wants to play at a heavier weight than 217 pounds. Overshown eventually wants to play at 230 pounds.
But once the games started, Overshown quickly began demonstrating why coaches and evaluators were so high on him at the position.
“At first I had a little nerves, but it felt so natural once I started moving around,” Overshown said. “Just doing what I was coached over fall camp and over the little bit of spring training that we had.”
Overshown finished third on the team in tackles with 54, while adding 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries, and seven passes broken up. It was a stat-stuffing effort from Overshown despite his extremely limited experience at linebacker entering the season.
With greater comfort at the position, more familiarity with Ash’s scheme, and an offseason to gain the weight necessary to hold up in the box, Overshown has a chance to make a significant leap next season.
And that type of leap would vault him up draft boards and make him a significant amount of money from his first NFL contract.
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