e ended up winning that week.In 2008, Walker called and asked Sanders to jo

AUSTIN, Texas -- After two losing seasons and with the pressure of an entire program bearing down, Charlie Strong turned his team over to a freshman quarterback for Texas opener, something no Longhorns coach had done in more than 70 years.He even called Shane Buecheles mom the night before to say her son would start against No. 10 Notre Dame. She started crying.I told him dont let her down, Strong said.Buechele didnt, and instead delivered big time with 280 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns before Tyrone Swoopes, the senior he beat out for the job, punched in a lunging 6-yard touchdown in the second overtime for a thrilling 50-47 win Sunday night.I said a year ago we probably would have lost that football game because we didnt know how to finish, Strong said.Buechele was the first freshman quarterback to start a season opener at Texas since Bobby Layne in 1944.You knew (Buechele) could handle it. You knew the stage wouldnt be too big, Strong said.Yet it was Swoopes who won it in the end. Disappointed not to start, Swoopes still played a huge role in the offense with three touchdowns and big runs that punished Notre Dame tacklers who struggled to bring him down.On the winning score, Swoopes broke a tackle, burst up the middle and stretched the ball across the line. Swoopes has been booed by Texas fans the last two seasons and was treated to a chorus of Swooooooopes from the Texas-record crowd of 102,315.With that chant and booing, I cant really tell the difference, Swoopes said.Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer rallied the Irish from a 31-17 deficit in the third quarter and finished with 215 yards passing and five touchdowns.Texas went ahead 37-35 on DOnte Foremans 18-yard touchdown run before Notre Dame blocked the extra point and Shaun Crawford returned it for a 2-point score that tied it at 37 with just under four minutes left.Strong, and Longhorn fans, had seen Texas collapse and lose games late the previous two seasons.This is a great start for us, Strong said. Our fans really needed that. Weve been down for so long. ... It was a night for us to just make it right.THE TAKEAWAYNotre Dame: Coach Brian Kelly will have to consider scrapping the quarterback rotation between Kizer and Malik Zaire that sapped momentum and helped dig the Irish into a big hole.No final decision has been made, Kelly said. Its never easy playing two quarterbacks.Texas: A huge win for Strong, who is trying to avoid being the first Texas coach with three consecutive losing seasons since the 1930s. Its been said time and again in recent years, but the Longhorns sure look as if theyve got their quarterback, despite some sputters in the second half.We needed tonight to get this program back in the spotlight, Strong said. I know one game does not make a season. We have many more to go. But its a great start.POLL IMPLICATIONSNotre Dame: A loss means a drop, but how far? The Irish sure didnt look like a top-10 team when the Longhorns were pushing them around early.Texas: Texas hasnt been ranked since late 2013 when Mack Brown was coach. Beating a top-10 opponent with big plays, tough running and late moxie probably earns a return to the Top 25.18-WHEELERSwoopes ran the 18-wheeler package -- so-named because he wears No. 18 -- to near perfection, moving the chains and punishing Notre Dame tacklers in the process. He finished with 53 yards on 13 carries and was a dynamic change of pace when he came on for Buechele.Hes 260 pounds and runs big, said Notre Dame defensive lineman Isaac Rochell.INJURY REPORTNotre Dame: Wide receiver Torii Hunter Jr. was knocked out of the game in the third quarter on a ferocious hit from DeShon Elliott in the end zone that broke up an Irish touchdown.Kelly said he had heated discussions with game officials asking why the play wasnt reviewed for a possible penalty.TEXAS: Safety Dylan Haines left the game in the second quarter with a head injury.UP NEXTNotre Dame: The Irish play their home opener against Nevada on Saturday. The Wolf Pack beat Cal-Poly 30-27 in overtime in their first game.Texas: Texas hosts Texas-El Paso, which beat New Mexico State 38-22.Cheap Jerseys From China . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Cheap College Basketball Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. http://www.cheapncaajerseysauthentic.com/ .Y. -- Injured Buffalo Sabres forward Marcus Foligno did not practice with the team Monday and head coach Ron Rolston said its unlikely hell play in Wednesdays season opener in Detroit. Cheap NCAA Jerseys . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. Cheap NCAA Jerseys China . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said.SPRINGFIELD, N.J. -- Baltusrol now holds more than one memory for Jimmy Walker and caddie Andy Sanders.Sixteen years ago, the pair met during a practice round at the 10th tee on the Upper Course at Baltusrol Golf Course at the 2000 U.S. Amateur.Sunday night, the two were enjoying Walkers first major victory.We brought it up earlier in the week and we were hitting balls pretty much in the same spot, so we talked about it a little bit, Sanders said. Not a ton. We knew this is where it started, though. That we would end up winning a major at the first place we met is pretty crazy.Walker shot a bogey-free 3-under 67 to win the PGA Championship, becoming the fourth first-time major champion this year.Finishing with a dramatic par on the 18th hole, Walker wound up one shot ahead of the No.1 player in the world, Jason Day, who make a 15-foot eagle putt on the par-5 18th one group earlier.I said, `You hit your shot and it doesnt matter, Sanders told Walker after seeing Day make the eagle.After Walker secured victory on the 18th, he pumped his fist in the air, took off his hat and made a beeline to Sanders. There, the two embraced and shook hands on the course that now will be remembered for more than where two young golfers first crossed paths.I always knew his name, but never got to meet him until right there over there, over on the 10th tee on the Upper Course, Sanders said. But yeah, very impressed with him from the get-go and we spent a lot of time with each other from then on.At the 2000 U.S. Amateur, Walker didnt qualify for the 64-man match play, but Sanders did and lost in the first round. Bragging rights could surely have been on the table, but Sanders thinks otherwise.I think he is doing fine, Sanders said. I dont need to give him stuff about that. Hes obviously a lot better player.Walker recalls the mutual admiration society the two men immediately had when they met.I could remember thinking when I met him, I was like, `Wow, thats Andy Sanders, hes from Houston. Hes really good, Walker said. Hes really good and he tells me, `Wow, thats Jimmy Walker, he hits it really far.But this is where we met. Weve been together a long time. And to win our sixth event, first major here where we met, thats just coool.ddddddddddddSanders was a top golfer himself in college, playing in the Palmer Cup in 1999. Following his graduation from the University of Houston on a golf scholarship, he played the Nationwide Tour from 2002-04.Walker and Sanders actually traveled together on small tours, but in January 2004, Sanders got into a head-on car accident that knocked him out of his first three tournaments. In April, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.Sanders tried to go back to playing, but it was too taxing. Instead, Sanders decided to caddie for Jason Schultz in 2007.It was at a Nationwide Tour event in West Virginia in 2007 when Sanders and Walker reconnected. Walker called Sanders to ask him for a putting lesson.He asked me to come look at it on Monday, Sanders said. He had been playing decent, he said, but the putts werent going in and the balls werent rolling in like he wanted it to. And I dont know, I gave him a couple things and he ended up winning that week.In 2008, Walker called and asked Sanders to join him as his caddie on the PGA Tour.I think it was a pretty natural fit when it came time to get back out on tour and play and stuff like that, Sanders said.The two have made quite the duo over the past eight years on the PGA Tour, and Sanders said this could be just the start of an even brighter future for Walker.Its been fun, Sanders said. Who knew it would bring me right here, but it is pretty incredible. Really proud of him.After Sanders congratulated Walker by the hole on 18, Walkers oldest child, Mclain, gave Sanders an energetic high-five, and Walkers wife, Erin, gave him a hug. Erin said she had to try keeping their two children quiet as their dad was finishing up his final putt.When Walker knocked in the 3-footer, there were two winners.I think its special for both of us, Walker said. I know its special for both of us. Its pretty emotional. I mean, he grinded it out this week. He read putts great, didnt let me hit a shot until I was ready, made sure everything was good. I mean, I think we did a great job this week communicating and talking shots. Just we were in sync. ' ' '