AUSTIN, Texas -- So far, the most difficult adjustment for Chris Simms, the New Jersey high school star quarterback turned Texas freshman, has been the language.

	Chris Simms threw his first college touchdown last week against Stanford.

Like many Yankees, Simms has no concept of that mainstay of Southern dialects -- fixin'.

"I say I'm going to the movies. They say they're fixin' to go to the movies," Simms said, laughing. "I just do not understand what that word means. What are you fixin' to do?"

Simms, the son of former New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms, got to play for the first time last week in Texas' 69-17 romp over Stanford.

After throwing for 27 yards and a touchdown in mop-up duty, he could play again when Texas (1-1) faces Rutgers (0-1) Saturday in Piscataway, N.J., just 40 miles from his home in Franklin Lakes.

Under Texas rules, freshmen can't talk to the media until they have played in a game. Finally allowed to speak, Simms' rolled off stories about how an Easterner with NFL pedigree and a rocket of a left arm had adjusted to life in the Lone Star State.

For the record, he loves barbecue, his teammates tease him about his clothes and he digs watching his old man sweat it out in the stands in the Texas heat.

His most embarrassing moment was his first on campus. After spending the night at the posh Four Seasons hotel, he was ready to move on campus when freshmen were due.

Having no car in town, he asked the hotel for help. It sent the hotel limousine service, a garish white van with leather seats and a wet bar. The van, and the two women attendants dressed in black suits and ties, left Simms feeling a bit sheepish.

"I told my mom I'm not riding in that. I knew I was never going to live it down," Simms said.

Longhorns players took one look at that on the evening news and dubbed Simms "Limo."

"As soon as the varsity got here, they had seen it on TV, they were like, 'What are you doing?' he said.

Simms loves the Italian food back home but is enamored of Texas barbecue.

"I can't recall one barbecue joint (in New Jersey)," Simms said. "I love barbecue. They make fun of me because I go out to dinner a lot and I eat barbecue almost every night."

Crawfish are another story.

"They've got like tentacles ... I'll never eat the stuff."

His New Jersey accent and clothes -- lots of blacks and grays and jeans slung low on his hips -- sometimes prompts jokes from teammates who have never been east of the Mississippi.

"A lot of my friends call me the Italian Stallion," said Simms, who with a shock of blond hair and blue eyes looks about as Italian as Boomer Esiason.

"They're used to more happier colors here."

The trip home will mean another chance for his dad to watch him play. ABC cut away to Phil Simms watching from the stands during the Stanford game, looking very hot in the 94-degree weather.

"It's fun watching him sit in the stands and suffer in the heat having to watch me," Simms said. "I had to do it for him the for first 13 years of my life."

Simms was 3 of 7 passing in the fourth quarter when the game was all but over. After the touchdown, he spread his arms and ran around as if he were flying.

"I was like a kid in a candy store the first time," he said. "I couldn't get the smile off my face."

The debut wasn't perfect. His first two passes were batted down at the line.

"I'm 6-foot-5 and couldn't get it over the line. I couldn't believe that," Simms said.

Simms' toughest challenge may be living up to the expectations. Even with the return of quarterback Major Applewhite, the 1998 Big 12 freshman of the year, some fans speculated he could contend for the starting role.

Although coach Mack Brown has never indicated that's even a possibility, Applewhite has seemed to respond to Simms' presence. He's thrown for 669 yards and four touchdowns in two games.

Applewhite, one of the first to congratulate Simms on his touchdown pass, says the two have worked well together.

"It doesn't bother me," Applewhite said. "The backup QB is probably the most popular guy on the team.

"I don't feel a push from Chris. I need to help him or whoever it might be become a good backup," Applewhite said.

Simms wants no part of a quarterback controversy but can thank himself for fueling one.

He initially committed to Tennessee, where he could have fought to replace senior Tee Martin next year. He then chose Texas, where Applewhite is only a sophomore.

"I think everyone knows Major is the starter," Simms said. "I haven't done anything yet."