There was a time when University of Texas head football coach Mack Brown was the best thing to hit the state of Texas since the discovery of oil. In Brown’s first 12 seasons at Texas, the Longhorns finished each season in the top 25. Texas had four appearances in the Bowl Championship Series which was highlighted by the Longhorns winning the national championship in 2005. The past three-plus seasons haven’t been as smooth for Brown and Texas. In 2010, Texas suffered their first losing season since 1997 and since making the BCS Championship Game at the conclusion of the 2009 season, the Longhorns record is just 23-18. At 62-years of age Brown is finding out that people can have short term memory when it comes to comparing your accomplishments and failures.
In their second game of this season Texas was embarrassed in Provo, Utah by the BYU Cougars 40-21. The Longhorns surrendered 550 yards rushing to BYU which resulted in the dismissal of defensive coordinator Manny Diaz.
Before becoming the head football coach at the University of Florida in 2011, Will Muschamp served as the Longhorns defensive coordinator from 2008-2010. In Muschamp’s last season in Austin, the Longhorns were sixth in the nation for total defense. By the end of the 2012 season Texas had dropped all the way down to 68th. This season the Longhorns are currently ranked 110th out of 125 Football Bowl-Subdivision schools in defense.
In the past three seasons Texas has sat by and watched Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State win the Big 12 Conference while they have finished no better than third. Texas’ longtime rival has been the Texas A&M Aggies as the history between these two schools dates back to the Southwestern Conference. Tired of being in the shadow of the Longhorns, the Aggies left the Big 12 after the 2011 season in favor of the Southeastern Conference. The Aggies have become a top 10 team with the help of the 2012 Heisman Trophy winner in sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel and they have taken alot of the press in the Lonestar State away from the Longhorns.
Recruiting in the state of Texas has always been the exclusive province of the Longhorns with some competition from Oklahoma, but now Texas find themselves competing with Baylor, Texas A&M, and even Oregon from the Pac-12 Conference for top-tier talent from the state.
Brown is now faced with the same problem that many good head coaches had before him; after you have established a certain level of excellence, it is extremely difficult for people to accept mediocrity.
The Longhorns have play-makers offensively in the form of junior quarterback David Ash, sophomore running back Johnathan Gray, and senior wide receiver Mike Davis, but Ash (concussion), and Davis (ankle) have already missed time this season with the status of both players up in the air for the Longhorns next game which is on October 3 at Iowa State.
Prior to the season former Texas defensive coordinator Greg Robinson was brought back to Texas as a consultant, but with the termination of Diaz he is once again the defensive coordinator in Austin. Robinson’s job is to get a defense turned around that is giving up 28 points per game as Texas is entering the heart of their Big 12 schedule with games against Oklahoma, TCU, Oklahoma State, and Baylor. Winning a national championship is out the window for Texas as I didn’t view them as that caliber of a team heading into the season, but the Longhorns still hold their Big 12 fate in the palm of their hands.
After defeating Kansas State for the first time since 2003 last week, Texas started off their Big 12 schedule on the right foot. The road ahead for Brown and the Longhorns won’t be easy as it is gut check time in Austin.
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