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↵One of the benefits of following a team for two straight weeks is that you get to know the players a bit more. I like to consider myself a fairly competent college football fan, I read websites and troll message boards, have purchased every version of EA Sports’ NCAA Football since Danny Wuerffrel was on the cover, and even decided to quit my job and drive around the country to watch football for a season. ↵↵But the great thing about college football is that no matter how closely you follow things, you’re going to learn about someone new. And while someone like Chase Daniel is on everybody’s radar, when he was coming out of high school he was just a guy the Longhorns spurned for Colt McCoy and Ryan Perrilloux. And Jordan Shipley, the state of Texas’ all-time leading prep receiver, was a guy most people didn’t know existed until last week, when he shredded the Sooners in both the return game and at wideout. That performance, along with his solid first half, push him ahead of Minnesota’s Eric Decker for the official 1st Half White Guy Receiver of Road to Game Day. And while Decker might have the statistical nod on Shipley, he doesn’t share a first name with a New Kid. (And he never punched an opposing D-Back in the nuts.) ↵
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↵Mizzou’s loss to Oklahoma State last week took a little buzz from this game, but there is still plenty to be excited about. It should be a track meet, with the over-under opening at about 70 points. The revenge factor is also in play, as Daniel looks to make the Horns pay for picking McCoy over him. And here’s a quick aside: How come no one has started a Jared Lorenzen-like nickname for Chase Daniel? The “Hefty Lefty” was an all-time favorite, and watching the soft as pudding Daniel “fill up” his uniform, I keep waiting for the story to break that he has exercise-induced asthma or something. For the record, you can officially consider me on the UT bandwagon. (And now that I said that, you can officially consider the Longhorns dead men walking.) But I think this is going to be a close one. People seem to forget that the Sooners threw for 5 TDs against UT, and last I checked Mizzou didn’t forget how to play offense. And, as a rule, you never really want to mess with a chubby kid. If Gary Pinkel was smart, he’d keep the carbs out of the QB meetings this week.↵
↵↵Spending a week in Austin has given us a chance to take a break and do … well, nothing. There is a comfort found within the walls of a Ramada hotel room, where you can just sit and watch sports, play videogames, and read up on football. (And I’m making fun of Chase Daniel …) Even though it’s been rainy all week, and our ambition to see new things is running low, Austin is a pretty amazing place. 6th Street is as close to booze heaven as it gets, with a gauntlet of bars and live music blasting every night of the week. We had a first class burger at an Austin classic called Hut’s, and then washed it down with a few $2 bottles at Annie’s West, which was easily the best value on our trip thus far. And as luck would have it, the Austin Film Festival is happening this weekend. Even though I’ve worked around movies for the last few years, I’ve still never been to a film festival. So color me surprised when I found out how much it cost to go to these things. Yeah, it would be interesting to hear from “industry professionals” about how to break into the biz, but would it be $650 interesting? That said, anytime you have Tom Skerritt hosting an IMAX screening of Top Gun you have my whole-hearted approval. ↵
↵↵See you on the Highway to the Danger Zone.↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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