If you’re hurting for some pregame smack (ouch) before No. 2 Texas takes on No. 10 Texas Tech this afternoon, you’re shit out of luck writes the Dallas Morning News’ Chip Brown.

Last year, Tech was a popular choice to knock off Texas in Lubbock, after the Red Raiders trounced Nebraska, 70-10. The Longhorns were coming off an unimpressive 28-20 victory over Missouri in which Young again was replaced by Mock.

The Longhorns, however, throttled Tech, 51-21, in what was Young’s coming-out party as the quarterback he has become today.

“That was the first game where I got to be me,” said Young, referring to a meeting he had with Brown that week. In the meeting, Young asked Brown to run more plays that he preferred in the offense and for permission to unleash his personality around his teammates.

“Vince has been a different player since,” Brown said.

Last year, Young also had the benefit of bulletin board motivation provided by the Red Raiders. Not this year. Leach muzzled his players after last year’s loss to Texas, allowing only two players to talk to the media during the week “ a policy that is still in place.

So instead of pregame trash talk, there was only glowing praise from both sides this year.

Asked if Texas could shut out Tech’s offense, which leads the nation in passing and scoring, UT safety Michael Griffin said, “I can’t imagine it. I believe they’re going to put points on the board.”

Said Texas Tech defensive coordinator Lyle Setencich, a coach for 27 years, including stints as an assistant at California and Arizona State: “I think Texas is the most talented team I’ve seen in coaching,” he told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. “I think they’re more talented than Oklahoma the last two years.

“I’ve played [Southern Cal] and Ohio State, and I think [the Longhorns] are the most talented team I’ve ever seen. I think Vince Young is the best big athlete that I’ve ever seen in college.”

With all due respect to Setencich and Young, how can the Tech assistant so easily forget the exploits of Michigan’s Rick Steiner (shown above, left, with Varsity Club cohorts Kevin Sullivan and Mike Rotunda)?

As your intrepid reporter will be covering today’s Longhorns/Red Raiders battle for Big 12 supremacy, a potentially more entertaining contest in ‘Bama/Tennessee will be unfolding on screens big and small throughout the South. Darrell K. Royal Stadium regulations prevent me from bringing a television and satellite dish into the buidling today, which I’m sure you’ll agree is a little draconian in this day and age.