24 BIG 12
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TEXAS LONGHORNS
Altitude took toll on Longhorns, McCoy
By Michael Sherfield Daily Texan
Every now and then, Mack Brown gets it wrong.
After a week spent dismissing the effects of the 7,200-foot altitude at Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium on his players, the Texas football head coach admitted they were more fatigued than expected in the early stages of Saturday's 41-10 win.
It showed on the field as the Longhorns struggled to build on an early 3-0 lead, sputtering to only 13 first-half points before finding their breath and legs in the second half.
"I did not think the altitude would bother us ... but I thought it did," Brown said. "I asked the kids yesterday, they were 100 percent [sure] that it was much tougher to play up there because you have trouble catching your breath."
While Texas has plenty of experience playing a mile above sea level, with last year's trips to Colorado and El Paso both providing experience, Wyoming boasts the highest stadium in the nation, more than 1,500 feet above second-place Boulder, Colo., where
Texas beat the Buffaloes 38-14 last season.
The thin air took its toll on quarterback Colt McCoy, who found himself missing throws to open receivers for much of the first 30 minutes.
"The ball sailed on me a little bit where I was confused, like, I make that throw every time," he said. "One time I threw the ball on a short out route to Dan [Buckner] and I completely overthrew it over his head. I looked down and my feet were right, [and] I was like, 'weird'"
Monday brought little news on the injury and ineligibility front for Texas, with linebacker Jared Norton still ruled out for Saturday's game with an injury sustained in the season opener. Christian Scott, Deon Beasley and Brandon Collins, meanwhile, are still ineligible with unresolved NCAA academic issues. There has been no word on when the matter will be settled.
As far as good news goes, guard Michael Huey, who was also hurt against the University of Louisiana at Monroe, returned to the depth chart and is expected to play. Running backs Vondrell McGee and Foswitt Whittaker are also expected to be healthy for the game after nursing injuries.
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Texas quarterback Colt McCoy scrambles out of the pocket and away from the reach of Wyoming defensive lineman John Fletcher during the Longhorns' 41-10 victory against Wyoming last Saturday, in Laramie, Wyo. The altitude in the stadium made it harder for players to make plays they normally complete easily.
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THE WAVE SEPTEMBER 18,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN