UPA 2003 COLLEGE CHAMPIONSHIPS
University of Texas
How they got here:
1st in South Region
Scouting Report #1
Make sure that you run harder than they do!!!! They have about 20+ people, and use all of them. They all run hard, they all can throw well, they all play balls out defense, they are well coached and schooled well in their offense, so be ready for a dogfight.
On Offense: All of Texas' players are very solid on O, but there are a couple that you need to be aware of. Scott Berens #0 is the best thrower on the team, and it is ridiculously hard to stop his IO forehand. JT Austin #1 is also one of their best throwers. He's left handed, and is very hard to mark bc he has a real quick release. Michael Natenberg #18 aka "Tank" is their best all around player who does everything on O & D. Make sure that your best defender is guarding him or he'll eat you up. Their big man, "Nacho" - David Salisbury #21, you would think is a dominant force in the air, but rarely does he go deep, but he will smoke you on his up cuts all day long bc you are worried about not getting beat deep. Chuck Tsen #23 & Brandon Hill #42 are solid forces on O that rarely turn the disc over.
Texas' offense is dependent on their athletes being better than your athletes. They rely heavily on their break throws, and the continuation up the break side. Make sure you cut off the continuation. Also, they don't put the disc deep consistently. Rather, they will work the disc up the field with dump swings, 10 yard throw up field, dump swing, throw the disc 25 times before they score. But with their athletes they have, don't totally commit to the up-cut.
On Defense: Texas will mainly run a man defense against you, but if it's windy, they got plenty of junk D's that will confuse and frustrate anyone that goes against it. Their man D is stingy and they have lots of fresh legs that will kill you if you have a short rotation. On D, watch out for Ben Sims, in the championship game at regionals he was a beast and he is never afraid to guard the other teams best players. Also, Marcus Gavin #10 and Matt Lane #9 are guaranteed to lay out all over the field, and bound to get some D's that pump up their team. If you can get some one-on-one situations deep, this is where they have the most trouble on D, but good luck.
Where Texas is Vulnerable: They have a lot of rookies that contribute, but are vulnerable to turning over the disc. They are also not used to being in too many tight games. If the game is close at the end of the game, you might see some players nut up and make some unforced errors. Why you wont beat Texas: They are at home. They have more athletes than you. They have better throwers than you. They've played plenty of east and west coast teams, and have shown that they can hang with anyone.
Scouting Report #2
If they beat you, just don't watch the tape. You might lose some friends. "Why did we let them keep breaking us around?\"-is what you'll likely say to each other. Eventually someone will point a finger at someone else for letting the team down by getting broke so much. Then the tape will show the accuser getting broke around also. So just don't watch the tape.
If you beat them, you'll likely say, "Why didn't they just send that 6'6" guy, who'd be like 6'8" if he had a normal sized head, deep every time?" or "Why did they keep throwing the around break, we read the scouting report and D'd it up?"
Players to watch:
All of them. Yeah, they're all dorks, but they're all good too. They'd be good guys if it weren't for them all being from Texas.
Players to Check out:
Scott "Scotty" Berens #0-ruddy good looks to go with his creative nickname, big fakes, breaks, and can throw a mile. Suggested nickname improvement: Dorky McAccent
Jeff "JT" Austin #1-big butt for his size, very quick and a lefty (small note, instead of disallowing spiking in the 11th edition rules, playing lefty should be against the rules). Suggested nickname improvement: Dorky McShort Dork
Brandon "Chill" Hill #42-better looking than JT but a smaller can (pick your preference with those two), very aggressive to the disc, plays much bigger than his size. Suggested nickname improvement: Dork Extraordinaire
Michael "Tank" Natenberg #18-best looking guy on the team and the most versatile, most difficult player to defend, coming off a broken foot though. Suggested nickname improvement: Dorkimus Prime
David "Nacho" Salisbury #21-not good looking at all, but quite tall, gratuitous layouts (he is a dork remember), very good speed for his size. Suggested nickname improvement: Huge Dork (said with Triumph the insult comic dogs voice)
Don't pay too much attention to the players above for two reasons: 1) they're enormous dorks from Texas, so you'll just encourage them 2) they've got about 15 other dorks just as capable of beating you.
Nationals aren't being held on their campus for nothing. They're tired of just being big brothers of the South Region. Don't drink the water.
Self-reported stats
Big season wins:
-Beat Brown @ Easterns (15-13)
-Beat W&M @ Easterns (14-9)
-Beat UPENN @ President's Day (13-4)
-Beat Ohio State @ Mardi Gras (15-13)
-Beat Michigan @ Mardi Gras (13-11)
-Beat Illinois @ Mardi Gras (12-11)
-Beat Iowa to win Mardi Gras (15-10)
-Beat Arizona to win Centex (15-8)
Big season losses:
-Lost to UPENN @ Easterns (10-15)
-Lost to Cal @ President's Day (10-12)
-Lost to Oregon @ President's Day (6-13)
-Lost to A&M @ Texas Sectionals (15-16)
Players to watch on offense:
0 - Scott Berens Senior 5'11"
1 - JT Austin Junior 5'10"
2 - Matt Natali Sophomore 6'2"
4 - David Melancon, Junior 6'0"
7 - Andrew Foederer Freshman 6'2"
13 - Patrick Christmas Grad Student 6'0"
14 - Huay-Zong Law Sophomore 5'10"
18 - Mike Natenberg Senior 6'1"
19 - Matt Clark Freshman 6'2"
20 - Stefan Lindsay Junior 6'2"
21 - David Salisbury Grad Student 6'6"
23 - Chuck Tsen Senior 5'10"
Players to watch on defense:
5 - Aaron Smith Sophomore 5'9"
8 - Jason Deblois Grad Student 5'8"
9 - Matt Lane Grad Student 6'1"
10 - Marcus Gavin Senior 5'11"
11 - Kyle Wittenberg Freshman 6'0"
12 - Peter Lewis Sophomore 5'11"
22 - Ryan Mclearen Freshman 6'0"
27 - Ed Yoo Senior 6'0"
35 - Benjamin Sims Senior 6'1"
42 - Brandon Hill Senior 5'8"