Texas finishes work in Austin, heads to Arizona

By CHIP BROWN / Associated Press

AUSTIN - The Texas Longhorns wrapped up their final practice in frosty Austin Thursday before traveling to Arizona to begin 11 days of preparation for the Fiesta Bowl.

The 20th-ranked Longhorns (8-4), who will face seventh-ranked Penn State (10-2) on Jan. 1, were perhaps the country's hottest team at the end of the season. But their final workouts in Austin have been in 30-degree weather because of an Arctic blast that has gripped the state this week.

"I'm ready to get into some warmer weather," said running back Ricky Williams, who grew up in sunny San Diego.

Texas coach John Mackovic said he hopes his team can maintain the momentum picked up during a five-game winning streak that included impressive victories over Texas A&M and Nebraska, for the first-ever Big 12 championship.

"Only time will tell," Mackovic said, after giving his players last week off for final exams. "We needed time off. Even though the team gets hot like we were, we also had to get our players ready for final exams and give them a chance to collect themselves."

Players are to report to Tempe, Ariz., by Friday night and begin workouts Saturday.

The practice schedule in Arizona includes two-a-day workouts. Mackovic said he wants his players to have fun but also know that they are there to win a game.

Last year, Texas went to the Sugar Bowl just five days before the game and lost 28-10 to Virginia Tech.

"The only thing we're doing a little differently is we're going out earlier where we can get a couple practices in before all the festivities start," Mackovic said.

The extra week needed to play the Big 12 title game put Texas coaches behind on recruiting and Fiesta Bowl preparation, Mackovic said.

"Last week, all of our coaches were on the road trying to catch up and because of that, we're just a little bit behind in some of our work on Penn State as far as watching tapes," Mackovic said.

The Texas coach said he's not worried about his team being overconfident after learning the Longhorns are a slight favorite in the Fiesta Bowl.

"We're favored?" he said. "I'll be darned. We've been an underdog for so long, we probably didn't know. We're not going to be overconfident. We have a lot of regard for them."

Players said they were almost disappointed to learn that they were favored.

"I kind of like being the underdog," said quarterback James Brown, who predicted a three-touchdown victory over Nebraska.

"I doubt there'll be any predictions from James if we're favored," joked tight end Pat Fitzgerald.