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Cedric Benson has passed away - RIP ๐Ÿค˜โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹โ€‹

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1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:


Well, Ced destroyed Mike Williams on a fucking int return and missed the rest of the game with a neck stinger or something I think that night. Iโ€™ve got it on VHS somewhere.

I think he hurt his knee on one of the first series in that Rose Bowl. I donโ€™t think he missed the rest of the game. I remember him being out there but ineffective.
I remember reading or watching Mack talk about Cedric after that game.

RIP #32.

I think Cedโ€™s stinger in that BigXiiCG really hurt his sophomore production. He was a different back after that injury. Still great, but I believe he could have been even better had that injury not occurred.

ย 

one of my favorite Horns, ever.

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Pretty sure I remember benson making an important play right before Mangumโ€™s field goal.

Damn, can't believe it has been that long already...RIP CB.

Bumping to page 14ย  ย ๐Ÿค˜

ย 

19 minutes ago, MAUFRAIS said:

Pretty sure I remember benson making an important play right before Mangumโ€™s field goal.

The kick doesnโ€™t clear the crossbar if Ced doesnโ€™t fight through contact in the backfield. I can make myself tear up on cue by telling the story if Cedโ€™s final game and final carry as a longhorn. RIP

14 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Man, we have had some running backs at Texas.ย  I know USC gets the "Running Back U" publicity, and theirs have been awesome, but . . . Earl, Ricky, Cedric, D'Onta, Bijan, Jamaal, Chris G, Roosevelt . . . holy shit.

Donโ€™t forget Eric and the oft-injured Priest.ย 

Edited by ImissWallyPryor

12 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

He did hurt his knee early in the Michigan Rose Bowl, but he kept playing and had 20+ carries. ย He wasnโ€™t as effective as usual that game, but he was tough. ย I think he had injuries his sophomore year, too (plus recovering from the neck injury at the end of his freshman year) but still had 300+ carries that season.

He was a uniquely tough runner. ย I remember all the stats they would show at Texas and how heโ€™d get like 60% of his yards after first contact. ย He had one of the highest career carry totals in NCAA history, and pretty much all of those carries were violent.

That was what struck me the most while watching him his freshamn year on the 40 - the way he finished runs. I've never seen anyone finish runs the way he did, before or since, at any level.ย 

And re: the collision with Mike Williams, I have always thought he was never quite the same after that.ย 

18 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Man, we have had some running backs at Texas.ย  I know USC gets the "Running Back U" publicity,

probably not for literal decades.ย  prior to bush and lendale white was...ricky ervins?

in 21st century, texas has as much right to that title as alabama

4 hours ago, 52-80 said:

probably not for literal decades.ย  prior to bush and lendale white was...ricky ervins?

I was thinking all time.ย  Mike Garrett, OJ, Marcus Allen, Charles White, Sam Cunningham, Frank Gifford, Ricky Bell, Anthony Davis, plus Bush and Landwhale.ย  Pretty stout list.

  • 8 months later...

Ced was the reason I got into recruiting. I don't remember where I heard it, but as a kid I vividly remember telling a friend that he was coming to UT, and I was fucking amped. That was the first time I had ever heard of "5 star" or whatever. I just remember how stoked I was. He delivered in every way imaginable. Ced, Ricky, and Bijan is just absurd. Then add in Jamaal, Priest, Metcalf, D'Onta, Brooks, and so on.

Texas is RBU. Fight me.ย 

  • 11 months later...
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๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผ

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15 minutes ago, Derka said:

๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผ๐Ÿค˜๐Ÿผ

ย 

I'm thankful for Mack Brown, but I'm not his biggest fan. He's just not my kind of guy. But I will say he is very effective in these kinds of moments, and I'm very appreciative of him sharing this story.

I was, however, a HUGE fan of Cedric Benson. I remember watching him play for Midland Lee, particularly in the state championships. I didn't see all three, but I saw two of them. Remember that during their entire history Midland Lee had always been overshadowed by Odessa Permian. But Midland Lee was a powerhouse for Benson's 3 years on varsity, and Benson was a huge reason for it.

We all remember Benson as this big hulking back, but he wasn't that at all at Midland. I don't want to say he was skinny, but he was certainly lean. I don't think he ever got above 195 lbs. while playing varsity. Especially as a sophomore. He was deceptive in everything he did. He didn't look like he had a lot of wiggle. He never looked like Barry Sanders or Bijan Robinson. And yet, defenders could never seem to get a clean shot at him. He could make people miss in the hole as well as any running back I ever saw. He never had breakaway speed, but he often seemed to run just fast enough to score. He had the most incredible forward body lean I've ever seen in a running back. I felt like he lost a little bit of that as he bulked up, but maybe that was an optical illusion. He definitely had it as a freshman at Texas when he was still a little leaner compared to how he looked later on.

But in high school his torso looked like it was literally parallel with the ground as he ran. And he always went forward. He showed that too, at Texas, but in high school it was even more remarkable. I cannot tell you how often it looked like the defense had him tackled, and he'd somehow squirt through with that forward lean of his, and somehow make 5, 6, 7, 8 yards out of the carry. Sometimes more. It wasn't just once. He seemed to do that every time he carried the ball.

And he saved his biggest moments for the big time. He scored 5 touchdowns in each of those 3 state championships (13 runs and 2 passes). I loved watching Benson play in high school. One of my favorite players I ever got to see.

I wanted to pull my hair out with his recruitment. He wanted to go to Texas. Everyone knew he wanted to go to Texas. But Mack Brown didn't like his measurables. At a time when Texas was often offering kids earlier than anyone else, he wouldn't extend an offer to the most celebrated back in the state, even with a lot of alumni pressure to do so. Mack just didn't feel like Benson was good enough. It wasn't like Mack offered him right before signing day or anything. I believe Benson came to a camp to prove himself, even though he was a little indignant that was necessary. Finally Mack Brown reluctantly offered the guy that summer, bowing to pressure and the knowledge if he didn't offer him and Benson went on to be a star somewhere else there would be hell to pay. Benson immediately accepted.

Then he gets to campus and Mack Brown does his usual deal of not playing freshman. He often did the same thing. I remember pulling my hair out with Derrick Johnson when he got the same treatment. The famous 2001 game against OU Cedric Benson didn't get a single carry. We had Ivan Williams as our starting running back. It's the only game that season where he didn't have a carry. The next week against Oklahoma State he ran the ball 31 times for 131 yards (he'd run for 100 yards or more in the next 4 games, too) before finishing with his first of 4 1000 yard seasons.ย 

I'm not saying Cedric Benson was the greatest human being on Earth. I didn't know the guy personally. I know there were issues there. But he loved Texas, and he was a gamer. That guy could smell the end zone, just like Ricky Williams could. I'm glad I got to watch him both in high school and at Texas. I'm grateful he's a Longhorn.ย 

I'm nowhere close to being a recruiting fanatic, but I knew about Benson in the day.ย  I went to see that Lee VS Westlake game at DKR.ย  Benson trucked Huston Street about 20 times but Huston always seemed to hang on for dear life.ย  Both were impressive.

30 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

Then he gets to campus and Mack Brown does his usual deal of not playing freshman. He often did the same thing. I remember pulling my hair out with Derrick Johnson when he got the same treatment. The famous 2001 game against OU Cedric Benson didn't get a single carry. We had Ivan Williams as our starting running back. It's the only game that season where he didn't have a carry. The next week against Oklahoma State he ran the ball 31 times for 131 yards (he'd run for 100 yards or more in the next 4 games, too) before finishing with his first of 4 1000 yard seasons.ย 

the younger fans who didnโ€™t live through this have no idea how infuriating this was. iโ€™ll 100% echo your sentiments from earlier- iโ€™m thankful for Mack, and iโ€™ll always be blown away by the way he treated me and my boy Sean, for those who remember that thread on TOS. still, he is not my kind of guy, and his whole โ€œscared to deathโ€ persona drove me batshit crazy, and prevented a lot of talented players and teams from winning more. bob stoops couldnโ€™t have asked for a better rival- we were always loaded, often favored, but just softer than shit, which started and ended with mack brown and all of his fears. i still cringe and get a little ragey every time i hear him talk about how he was like, โ€œoh no, donโ€™t say that Vince!โ€ when Vince said, โ€œweโ€™ll be back.โ€ he had a demigod for a quarterback and he was scared of his confidence. asinine.

26 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm nowhere close to being a recruiting fanatic, but I knew about Benson in the day.ย  I went to see that Lee VS Westlake game at DKR.ย  Benson trucked Huston Street about 20 times but Huston always seemed to hang on for dear life.ย  Both were impressive.

Someone look up the Statute of Limitations in the state of Texas cause we were robbed!ย 

2nd winningest UT coach and the only championship in my lifetime. i'm a mack brown fanย 

ย 

ย 

1 hour ago, Derka said:

the younger fans who didnโ€™t live through this have no idea how infuriating this was. iโ€™ll 100% echo your sentiments from earlier- iโ€™m thankful for Mack, and iโ€™ll always be blown away by the way he treated me and my boy Sean, for those who remember that thread on TOS. still, he is not my kind of guy, and his whole โ€œscared to deathโ€ persona drove me batshit crazy, and prevented a lot of talented players and teams from winning more. bob stoops couldnโ€™t have asked for a better rival- we were always loaded, often favored, but just softer than shit, which started and ended with mack brown and all of his fears. i still cringe and get a little ragey every time i hear him talk about how he was like, โ€œoh no, donโ€™t say that Vince!โ€ when Vince said, โ€œweโ€™ll be back.โ€ he had a demigod for a quarterback and he was scared of his confidence. asinine.

He and Deloss totally enabled and culturally epitomized the "country club atmosphere" we became known for. If it hadn't been for striking gold with VY and Colt I think his legacy would have been very, very different and the trajectory of the program would have been quite grim.

3 minutes ago, chainsaw said:

He and Deloss totally enabled and culturally epitomized the "country club atmosphere" we became known for. If it hadn't been for striking gold with VY and Colt I think his legacy would have been very, very different and the trajectory of the program would have been quite grim.

While I doubt we'd have won a national title by 2005, we did go 11-2 in both 2001 and 2002.ย  Vince didn't kick ass in 2003, either.ย  Don't overstate it.

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I'm nowhere close to being a recruiting fanatic, but I knew about Benson in the day.ย  I went to see that Lee VS Westlake game at DKR.ย  Benson trucked Huston Street about 20 times but Huston always seemed to hang on for dear life.ย  Both were impressive.

Didnโ€™t Huston say playing against Benson was a big reason he chose to play baseball?

Take the Mack hagiography conflict to the Mack thread and leave us to remember Ced here, please.

38 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

While I doubt we'd have won a national title by 2005, we did go 11-2 in both 2001 and 2002.ย  Vince didn't kick ass in 2003, either.ย  Don't overstate it.

it took mack like 20 years to win his first ever title of any kind, and it took him having VY (whose way mack had to get out of) for him to do it. mack is the epitome of a coach who turtles when the lights are brightest. if he didnโ€™t have VY and Colt for 7 consecutive years his career resume screams โ€œmassive underachieverโ€.

every mack brown title: 2005 and 2009 conference titles (VY and Colt) and the 05 national title (VY). heโ€™s never won without a generational QB who could overcome his abject fear and loser mentality. mack cared waaaaay more about good kids and good families and all that than he did winnin, and thatโ€™s admirable as a human being, but it frankly made him uniquely bad at winning at the highest level.

Edited by Derka

3 minutes ago, Derka said:

it took mack like 20 years to win his first ever title of any kind, and it took him having VY (whose way mack had to get out of) for him to do it. mack is the epitome of a coach who turtles when the lights are brightest. if he didnโ€™t have VY and Colt for 7 consecutive years his career resume screams โ€œmassive underachieverโ€.

I don't disagree, but Phil Fulmer has a title.ย  At some point talent can win out, even w/o a transcendent QB.

1 minute ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't disagree, but Phil Fulmer has a title.ย  At some point talent can win out, even w/o a transcendent QB.

ย but not for Mack. heโ€™s been a HC for three decades and heโ€™s only won when heโ€™s had a transcendent qb.

21 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't disagree, but Phil Fulmer has a title.ย  At some point talent can win out, even w/o a transcendent QB.

Phil Fulmer. Lloyd Carr. Gene Chizik. Ed Orgeron. Jimbo Fisher. There are several mediocre coaches I'd take Mack Brown over when it comes to running a program that also won a national championship.ย 

Before Mack Brown came along I thought the administration might be indifferent to Texas football for the rest of my life. Whatever faults Mack Brown may have, he is one heck of a salesman. He galvanized the campus and got all the BBs in one box. The other candidate at the time was Gary Barnett, who was demanding autonomy from the athletic department because the environment was toxic and not conducive to a winning program at all. Which was true, but would not have created a long term healthy environment.ย 

And for all his faults he brought Vince Young to campus and gave us 2005. That Rose Bowl will forever be my favorite moment as a sports fan. Regardless of Mack Brown's faults, I do not believe that moment occurs with someone else in charge.ย 

In any case, he did make the decision to recruit Cedric Benson, even if it was reluctantly. He did eventually play him, and Benson had a great career. And Mack Brown did share a special story about Benson's grief after the Rose Bowl win against Michigan, when he voiced the tearful realization he would never put on the Longhorn uniform for a game ever again. There's a lot of things to like about Mack Brown. I can feel two emotions simultaneously. I can feel gratitude mixed with some irritation. If I don't share the gratitude I'm being churlish, and if I don't share the irritation I'm inauthentic, so I share both. I am sorry it caused the thread to be about Mack Brown versus being about Cedric Benson, but Mack Brown can be a polarizing figure on this board in some respects, and that's just the way it is.ย 

In any case, here's to you, Cedric Benson.ย 

3 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

ย 

I'm thankful for Mack Brown, but I'm not his biggest fan. He's just not my kind of guy. But I will say he is very effective in these kinds of moments, and I'm very appreciative of him sharing this story.

I was, however, a HUGE fan of Cedric Benson. I remember watching him play for Midland Lee, particularly in the state championships. I didn't see all three, but I saw two of them. Remember that during their entire history Midland Lee had always been overshadowed by Odessa Permian. But Midland Lee was a powerhouse for Benson's 3 years on varsity, and Benson was a huge reason for it.

We all remember Benson as this big hulking back, but he wasn't that at all at Midland. I don't want to say he was skinny, but he was certainly lean. I don't think he ever got above 195 lbs. while playing varsity. Especially as a sophomore. He was deceptive in everything he did. He didn't look like he had a lot of wiggle. He never looked like Barry Sanders or Bijan Robinson. And yet, defenders could never seem to get a clean shot at him. He could make people miss in the hole as well as any running back I ever saw. He never had breakaway speed, but he often seemed to run just fast enough to score. He had the most incredible forward body lean I've ever seen in a running back. I felt like he lost a little bit of that as he bulked up, but maybe that was an optical illusion. He definitely had it as a freshman at Texas when he was still a little leaner compared to how he looked later on.

But in high school his torso looked like it was literally parallel with the ground as he ran. And he always went forward. He showed that too, at Texas, but in high school it was even more remarkable. I cannot tell you how often it looked like the defense had him tackled, and he'd somehow squirt through with that forward lean of his, and somehow make 5, 6, 7, 8 yards out of the carry. Sometimes more. It wasn't just once. He seemed to do that every time he carried the ball.

And he saved his biggest moments for the big time. He scored 5 touchdowns in each of those 3 state championships (13 runs and 2 passes). I loved watching Benson play in high school. One of my favorite players I ever got to see.

I wanted to pull my hair out with his recruitment. He wanted to go to Texas. Everyone knew he wanted to go to Texas. But Mack Brown didn't like his measurables. At a time when Texas was often offering kids earlier than anyone else, he wouldn't extend an offer to the most celebrated back in the state, even with a lot of alumni pressure to do so. Mack just didn't feel like Benson was good enough. It wasn't like Mack offered him right before signing day or anything. I believe Benson came to a camp to prove himself, even though he was a little indignant that was necessary. Finally Mack Brown reluctantly offered the guy that summer, bowing to pressure and the knowledge if he didn't offer him and Benson went on to be a star somewhere else there would be hell to pay. Benson immediately accepted.

Then he gets to campus and Mack Brown does his usual deal of not playing freshman. He often did the same thing. I remember pulling my hair out with Derrick Johnson when he got the same treatment. The famous 2001 game against OU Cedric Benson didn't get a single carry. We had Ivan Williams as our starting running back. It's the only game that season where he didn't have a carry. The next week against Oklahoma State he ran the ball 31 times for 131 yards (he'd run for 100 yards or more in the next 4 games, too) before finishing with his first of 4 1000 yard seasons.ย 

I'm not saying Cedric Benson was the greatest human being on Earth. I didn't know the guy personally. I know there were issues there. But he loved Texas, and he was a gamer. That guy could smell the end zone, just like Ricky Williams could. I'm glad I got to watch him both in high school and at Texas. I'm grateful he's a Longhorn.ย 

Ivan was pretty damn good in 2001.ย  And it is not like Cedric lit up OU running in the dumbfuck and predictable scheme Greg Davis employed.ย  I don't think that had anything to do with the outcome of the game.ย  I think Ced averaged about 2 yards per carry the next two OU games.

Ced really took off once we went to a zone read with VY.ย ย 

Ivan averaged 5.1 per carry in 2001 compared to Cedric's 4.7.ย  The week prior to OU he lit up Tech for 150+ yards at 5.8 per carry.ย  He was not exactly chopped live.ย  He ran 12 times for 30 yards against OU.ย  Which Ced did not do any better the next two years against OU.ย  I always thought the idea we would have beaten OU if Ced has played is not really supported by sound reason.ย  Yes, Mack was a pussy not to play him.ย ย 

The next week Ced did run 31 times for 130 yards.ย  Ivan ran 9 times for 78.

1 hour ago, Derka said:

ย but not for Mack. heโ€™s been a HC for three decades and heโ€™s only won when heโ€™s had a transcendent qb.

Well, that's hardly a scarlet letter.ย  He came up fast and soon had to compete with the Bowden regime, which nobody else did, either.ย  "Couldn't beat FSU" at the time was hardly unique.

58 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

Ivan was pretty damn good in 2001.ย  And it is not like Cedric lit up OU running in the dumbfuck and predictable scheme Greg Davis employed.ย  I don't think that had anything to do with the outcome of the game.ย  I think Ced averaged about 2 yards per carry the next two OU games.

Ced really took off once we went to a zone read with VY.ย ย 

Ivan averaged 5.1 per carry in 2001 compared to Cedric's 4.7.ย  The week prior to OU he lit up Tech for 150+ yards at 5.8 per carry.ย  He was not exactly chopped live.ย  He ran 12 times for 30 yards against OU.ย  Which Ced did not do any better the next two years against OU.ย  I always thought the idea we would have beaten OU if Ced has played is not really supported by sound reason.ย  Yes, Mack was a pussy not to play him.ย ย 

The next week Ced did run 31 times for 130 yards.ย  Ivan ran 9 times for 78.

The point is not that Texas would have beaten OU if Benson had played. The point is that he didn't play at all. Not a single snap. And then he was the workhorse the rest of the season.

And no offense to Ivan Williams, but he was never in the class of Benson. He was fool's gold. If he wasn't the very picture of chopped liver as a running back, I don't think we use that term in the same way.ย 

Disregarding the scolding for references to Mack, that was back in his days when he would say "JoePa taught me you lose one game for every freshman you start".ย  (Apparently you also rape three football players accordingly.)

2 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

The point is not that Texas would have beaten OU if Benson had played. The point is that he didn't play at all. Not a single snap. And then he was the workhorse the rest of the season.

And no offense to Ivan Williams, but he was never in the class of Benson. He was fool's gold. If he wasn't the very picture of chopped liver as a running back, I don't think we use that term in the same way.ย 

Ivan did buttfuck the corn through the air at their house though. ย And, that my friend, was pretty sweet. ย Lol

12 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

Phil Fulmer. Lloyd Carr. Gene Chizik. Ed Orgeron. Jimbo Fisher.

Please don't mention Jimbo. Now I have sadz.ย 

4950523418312182062-2484301193-13-05-202

18 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

He showed that too, at Texas, but in high school it was even more remarkable. I cannot tell you how often it looked like the defense had him tackled, and he'd somehow squirt through with that forward lean of his, and somehow make 5, 6, 7, 8 yards out of the carry. Sometimes more. It wasn't just once. He seemed to do that every time he carried the ball.

Good post. Regarding the body lean thing, in college it was such a huge asset inside the 10. Go watch his Texas highlights, itโ€™s insane how many touchdowns he had where he absorbed or slips past some kind of contact at around the 5 or 6 yard line and runs through it with just enough momentum to get to the goal line. Guy was always playing downhill.ย 

He was the player that got me into recruiting. First HS player to get the cover of Dave Campbellโ€™s I believe. I was a HS freshman at Tyler Lee when he was a senior and we had Derick Farmer in the same class. Of course all the Tyler people (and Aggies) were convinced that Farmer was better. I was already a Texas homer and had endless arguments with people that Ced was on a different level. Came out pretty comfortably on the correct side of that one.ย 

  • 2 weeks later...

I just came here to post a link to that Mack clip in reference to my previous post on this thread (#655). So let's get back on topic. Here is Benson's last touch as a Longhorn. Ball is snapped at the 20, he's hit in the backfield and wrapped up by a 6'4" 230 lb consensus All-American at the 22, spun free and threw him to the ground, immediately got sandwiched by two more defenders, one of whom was coming downfield unblocked with a full head of steam. Both of these defensive backs end up hanging on for their lives as CB trampled a third guy at the 21. He probably would have dragged these dudes all the way to the end zone if not for the future Lombardi Award winner and NFL All-Pro linebacker jumping on his back at the 20 and bringing him down at the 19. This was the real life equivalent of Billy Bob's touchdown in Varsity Blues. What an absolute stud. RIP

ย 

1 hour ago, Jkwellborn said:

Those poor bastards looked miserable trying to โ€œstopโ€ that offense.

Greg Davis was unstoppable. ย 

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