Longhorns to be serious about "bowling" this year

By CHIP BROWN / Associated Press

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns are hoping a hard-line approach to this year's Fiesta Bowl will bring them a better outcome than last year's Sugar Bowl.

The Longhorns headed to New Orleans last year just five days before their New Year's Eve matchup against Virginia Tech and ended up losing 28-10. Players acknowledged a lack of focus, aided by a controversy surrounding a defensive back who was exposed as a 30-year-old impostor.

This year, No. 20 Texas (8-4) is planning to begin workouts in Tempe, Ariz., 11 days in advance of its New Year's Day showdown against No. 7 Penn State (10-2). The Longhorns leave for Arizona on Friday and will spend Christmas in the desert.

"Last year, we were just kind of happy to be in an alliance bowl," center Ryan Fiebiger said Monday. "This year, we have a must-win attitude. I think going out early shows that our only focus is to win the bowl game."

Fiebiger said this will be the longest road trip he's ever taken.

"I've never stayed in a hotel longer than six days," he said. "I hope I don't end up like Jack Nicholson in the movie 'The Shining,' getting all stir-crazy and stuff."

Texas coach John Mackovic told his team that they would have fun on their bowl trip, but added that there would be plenty of hard work, including two-a-day practices for most of Christmas week.

"I told them after we won the Big 12 championship that we would do what it took to be ready for our bowl game," Mackovic said.

The thought of two-a-days on Christmas Eve didn't sit well with senior linebacker Tyson King.

"Two-a-days don't help me focus on anything," King said, smiling. "I thought I was done with those things."

Players said they would need to tap into the confidence and momentum that helped them beat Texas A&M 51-15 and topple Nebraska 37-27 in the Big 12 title game.

"Everybody knows it's going to take the same mind set we had at the end of the season to beat Penn State," said All-America tight end Pat Fitzgerald. "I think everybody's going to do what it takes to make sure we don't have a repeat of last year's Sugar Bowl."

And what about that Ron Weaver ordeal last year? On the day before the game against Virginia Tech, a defensive back the Longhorns knew all season as Ron McKelvey was exposed as Ron Weaver, a 30-year-old who used someone else's Social Security number to change his identity and extend his college football playing days.

"I've been checking around to make sure we don't have any impostors on this year's team," Fitzgerald said. "It was weird and it definitely was a distraction for the team. There were reports that he was going to write a book, and everyone was trying to remember what they had said to the guy."