UT Polishes the Dream Machine

Photo courtesy of UT

I’ve been thinking a lot about Sam Bradford and Fred Akers as the Longhorn dream of another national title goes into Week 2.

You heard me right. The injured Oklahoma quarterback and the forgotten coach who came after the legendary Darrell Royal have more in common than you might think. It’s about almosts.

Bradford’s senior season is decidedly almost. That spearing helmet to the shoulder from a BYU defender last week melted a lot of fantasies: a repeat Heisman, a Bob Stoops-coached national title, a major NFL signing bonus. Poof.

Ask Akers about it. Coach Royal had another heir apparent in mind, but goofy looking Fred was the man, and Darrell had to choke it down after barely avoiding a losing season (5-5-1) in 1976. With Fred’s Hanna-Barbara smiling mug running the show and senior Earl Campbell powering the ball through defenders on his way to his own Heisman, Akers’ first-year Horns were a thing of beauty. Every Saturday night was a full-tilt party on the Drag. The season opened with back-to-back shutouts over Boston College and Virginia. Texas slipped by OU 13-6 and Arkansas 13-9 in consecutive weeks and ended the season with a 57-28 walloping of the Aggies. Undefeated. Just like old times. Then came the Cotton Bowl where a Joe Montana-led Notre Dame manhandled Texas 38-10. Poof.

Akers had a second chance in 1983 with an undefeated season and a No. 2 ranking (the same one the team now sports), followed by a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to Georgia in the Cotton Bowl. The thrill was gone and soon so was Fred. A few dismal years at Purdue and he faded from sight, only to reappear last week on the Lake Travis High School sidelines cheering his grandson, defensive back Hunter Akers, and Michael Brewer, the son of Akers’ former UT QB Robert Brewer, who threw for 414 yards and four touchdowns in a 42-21 win over Westlake to keep the Lake Travis dream torch glowing.

It’s always about the dream, but not every team or player gets to grab for it. Think about this, Texas, on Saturday as you play Wyoming — the team Akers coached for two years before coming to Austin — and, probably, pound the 33-point underdogs into submission.

You can bet that Bradford’s injury will be on the Longhorns’ collective minds each time (and there probably won’t be many) that Colt McCoy tucks the ball and scampers around Cowboys defenders for a 49-14 win. More likely is additional fleet footwork from D.J. Monroe, more catches from 19th-year senior Jordan Shipley and a lot of Texas offense. Louisiana-Monroe proved that the Longhorns’ worries are mostly the same old, same old — at tight end and giving up the big pass play. This week is all about polishing the dream machine.

Which is to say the dream remains for at least one more week. As much as Wyoming Coach Dave Christensen would like you to believe otherwise. The real test begins in Week 3 when Texas Tech comes to Austin. For now I’ll be dreaming about a satellite company that actually includes the Versus channel, the only place to find the Wyoming game outside of Wyoming. Hello, in-laws.