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HOUSTON -- When hulking Texas defensive end Brian Robison
out-jumped everyone to knock down a 31-yard Colorado field goal
attempt, Longhorns fans weren't too surprised. They've come to expect such acrobatic leaps from the 6-foot-3,
267-pound player with a 40-inch vertical jump. He has now blocked
five kicks in his career. Robison's was the first of several big plays on special teams
for No. 2 Texas in a 70-3 win over Colorado in the Big 12 title
game Saturday. "I thought the first field goal block was a great message,"
said Texas coach Mack Brown. It was the same story later when safety Michael Griffin blocked
a punt in the third quarter. Brandon Foster recovered the ball in
the end zone for a touchdown that put Texas ahead 56-3. With that block, Griffin set a school record for career blocked
kicks with six. Maybe most surprising was that the kicking game was supposed to
be the one advantage Colorado had in this mismatch. John Torp is a
finalist for the Ray Guy Award given to the nation's top collegiate
punter and Mason Crosby is one of three players up for the Lou
Groza award, given to the top kicker. Brown said the number of kicks his team has blocked is
"amazing." "Some guys just have a knack for blocking kicks," he said.
"We work hard on it every day." Before Robison's block, Colorado had only had one kick blocked
all season. The Longhorns' 43 blocked kicks since 2000 lead the
nation.< ----------= ^FAMOUS FAN:@ Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens won a
national championship at Texas in 1983 and was on the sideline
Saturday to watch the Longhorns win a chance to play for their
first football title in more than three decades. "It's fun to come out here and watch the Horns play," said
Clemens, who added that he believes Texas quarterback Vince Young
deserves the Heisman Trophy. Anticipating a Rose Bowl matchup with top-ranked USC, Clemens
said, "That's a machine out there, too. It's going to be a
collision."< ----------= ^FRIENDLY TURF:@ Only a handful of Colorado fans traveled to
Houston for Saturday's game, leaving Reliant Stadium awash in a sea
of burnt orange-clad Longhorn supporters. Colorado returned 5,000 of the 8,500 game tickets it was
allotted for the game on Thursday. Besides the section with the
Colorado band, there was only one section of the stadium with
predominantly Colorado fans, and even that area was dotted with
small clusters of Texas fans. The announced attendance was 71,107.< ----------= ^HOT IN HERE:@ The Buffaloes probably weren't too happy when
they learned the retractable roof on the stadium would be open for
the game. Colorado players who left the frigid temperatures of Boulder had
to deal with the unforgiving Texas sun beating down on them while
clad in black jerseys. It was 75 degrees with the city's trademark stifling humidity on
Saturday, while temperatures in Boulder were in the 30s with snow
showers.< ----------= ^SECOND CHANCE:@ Kicker David Pino is the only Longhorns player
who was with Texas when the Longhorns lost to Colorado in 2001 in
their other Big 12 Championship meeting. In the 2001 game, he attempted an onside kick late in the game.
It was unsuccessful and Colorado went on to win 39-37. Brown said he didn't even remember that the fifth-year senior
played in that game until a reporter reminded him of it recently. Pino saw a lot more action on Saturday, kicking 10 extra points
in the Texas victory. He now holds the record for most extra points
made and attempted in a Big 12 title game.< ----------= ^KLATT INJURED:@ Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt was scheduled
to spend the night in a Houston hospital for observation after
suffering a concussion midway through the third quarter. Klatt got a pass off just before UT's Drew Kelson delivered a
monster hit, helmet first, directly to his chin, knocking him out
of the game and drawing a 15-yard roughing penalty. Klatt was motionless on the turf for a few seconds before trying
to get up on his own a couple of times unsuccessfully and finally
being helped off the field.< ----------= ^BEVO'S BEVY:@ The Longhorns broke a bevy of title-game records. Their 70 points set a record for most points scored in a Big 12
title game and their 67-point margin of victory was the largest.
Texas had eclipsed the previous mark of 54 that Nebraska scored in
1997 early in the third quarter. The Longhorns also set records for most points in the second
quarter (28), first half (42) and third quarter (28). Texas also had the largest halftime lead in title game history,
with a 39-point advantage. The 10 touchdowns and 10 extra points scored by Texas were both
records. The previous record was six, which was done in both 2004
and 1997. Texas also became the ninth team in the game's history with no
fumbles. Ramonce Taylor returned two kickoffs for 83 yards for a game
record average per return of 41.5 yards. The old record was 29.3
yards by the Longhorns Victor Ike in 2001.
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