HornsNation: Texas Kicking Dilemma
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QB could have been a Horn
Max Olson
When Hugh Freeze met with Dan Werner this winter, the new Ole Miss head coach was in search of the right man to run his offense. He needed a new quarterback, too.
So Freeze broke out some film. He told Werner these were a few guys he'd considered pursuing.
When they started rolling tape of a familiar junior college kid, Werner stopped the search.
"I saw his film and said, 'Let's go get him,' " said Werner, the Rebels' offensive coordinator. "He didn't tell me who any of them were."
Freeze agreed, and he had an in. A year earlier, the kid was his third-string quarterback at Arkansas State. Werner got the job, and together they set their sights on their new signal-caller.
Ole Miss wanted Bo Wallace more than anyone else. That's why he chose the Rebels over Mississippi State, Indiana and Baylor.
Had Texas wanted him, there's a chance Wallace could've been a Longhorn this weekend in Oxford. For one week in January, that was at least a distinct possibility.
Texas' unsettled quarterback situation prompted offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin to make the call.
Read the rest of the story here.
HORNSNATION PREDICTIONS
Max Olson: Texas 28, Ole Miss 17
Carter Strickland: Texas 35, Ole Miss 14
William Wilkerson: Texas 27, Ole Miss 17
Read the staff's full predictions here. 
STAT to watch
By Carter Strickland
Texas has been efficient on third downs on both sides of the ball.
On defense, Texas has only allowed 27 percent of third downs to be converted.
On offense, Texas has converted 61 percent of its third downs. That ranks at No. 5 nationally. A big reason for the high conversion percentage, aside from the opponents, has been Ash's arm.
Ash is 7-of-8 on third-and-6 or more and averages more than 10 yards on those throws. That's a huge turnaround from a year ago, when he completed just 51 percent of those same passes for an average of 6.1 yards.
Read our stats that matter here.
FOUR DOWNS: Taste of the SEC
By Sean Adams
Mack Brown said that he wanted to build his teams more like the SEC teams that have won every national championship since Texas won in 2005. He hired offensive line, defensive coordinator and defensive tackle coaches all from SEC schools. Throw in the fact that Major Applewhite came back to the University of Texas from Alabama and you see an overt attempt to get closer to the SEC in every way shape and form.
Are Texas fans barking up the wrong tree assuming that the latest iteration of the Texas offense can ever resemble the smash-mouth play of an SEC offense?
Read Adams' four downs here.
Stories Of The Week
Some of the top Texas stories from HornsNation in case you missed them:
• Versatility is the name of Adrian Phillips' game
• Long snapper Nate Boyer fueled by life experiences
• Longhorns finding balance between run, pass
• Texas hybrid back D.J. Monroe is team player
• Texas trying to limit Ole Miss' big plays
• Five storylines: Texas vs. Ole Miss
• Sean Adams: QB David Ash needs all the reps he can get
• The Longhorns' crowd isn't loud?
• Three questions on Texas vs. Ole Miss
• Texas' Dalton Santos plays through pain
For more discussion, check out The Tower
The Recruiting Trail
Longhorns recruiting tidbits:
• The Heard: In-depth Texas recruiting notes
• Healthy CB Antwuan Davis making most of season
• WR Torii Hunter Jr. takes in Texas
• Q&A with 2014 Texas offer Jamal Adams
• 2014 DE Solomon Thomas likes Texas DE tradition
• 2014 OT Demetrius Knox: 'UT is my No. 1 choice'
For more, check out RecruitingNation
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