Yearly, Texas and Texas A&M give school soccer specialists motive to consider within the recruiting rankings. The Lonestar State helps so many applications past its two bell cows that the belief is that the colleges with the highest honors ought to be perennial nationwide title contenders. You then watch them play and surprise how a state so obsessive about soccer is so unhealthy at it.
The Longhorns have been lucky to outlive a ferocious rally from Kansas State after Wildcat coach Chris Kleiman opted to go for the win on fourth-and-goal from the four-yard line in OT and failed. Will Howard’s ultimate try got here in a second of desperation, and UT escaped 33-30.
The Aggies weren’t so fortunate and missed a tying subject objective on the whistle, which might have despatched the sport to extra time. As an alternative, No. 10 Ole Miss held on to win, 38-35, and prime 10 rankings heading into Georgia week. Now Jimbo Fisher’s group is 5-4, and the boosters in Faculty Station should pay a complete of $125 million in buyouts in the event that they wish to get out of their take care of Fisher and his very costly workers.
We’ll get to that in a second, however I wish to ask UT followers one thing actual fast: Do you assume Steve Sarkisian is the man? The Longhorns almost grabbed a 20-point lead at dwelling towards a group with a obvious expertise hole. This was only a few weeks away earlier than Houston may overcome a 21-point deficit and wish one other purple zone cease to keep away from extra time.
After the debut of the Faculty Soccer Playoff rankings this week, Sark continued to tout his group’s win over Alabama as the very best win within the nation, and I simply wished somebody to ask him about Houston. And even the Oklahoma sport, which they’d no enterprise dropping. If Kansas State did not botch an additional level and a tying subject objective (from the additional level vary) within the fourth quarter, their playoff hopes would have been ruined.
It would not matter that the Longhorns play by means of the remainder of convention play. I do not know if it is pure vanity, however I am beginning to assume it’s as a result of there is no different clarification.
As for A&M, Fisher’s group is ridiculously gifted, even by SEC requirements, however fails to execute the fundamentals each fourth time. Sure, Max Johnson is the son of a sport supervisor in each doable approach, however there have been a number of second halves this season the place Mark Sanchez’s unborn youngster may have led the Aggies to victory.
That does not excuse Fisher, as he simply instills confidence within the speaking heads. All I am mentioning is that Texas A&M has one way or the other “examined” Alabama, Tennessee, Miami and now Ole Miss with out actually making them sweat. (Lane Kiffin actually sweated Saturday, however that is as a result of he is unaware of his confession and speaking a lot trash to Fisher that he would have wanted a go away of absence if they’d misplaced.)
I am unable to stress sufficient how a lot I’ll benefit from the Texas-Texas A&M reunion subsequent season. These two deserve it. They’re mirror disappointments whose weekly flirtation with greatness and catastrophe is matched solely by one another.