The University of Texas Longhorns have watched their season go from disappointing to dismal to downright disconcerting. The roar of the Iowa State faithful was almost loud enough to drown the loathing bellow that rumbled through Austin last night.
Almost. Most of the farmland between midland Texas and Ames, Iowa, however, still heard it.
Succumbing to Iowa State would have meant a losing record for the Longhorns for the first time since 2010, when The Boys from Austin lost to Kansas State and gained a 4-4 record. Follow-ups with ranked Oklahoma State and Texas A&M teams sealed the Longhorn’s fate to end that season 5-7.
It was understood that the Longhorn offense might lag a bit during the Thursday night game at Jack Trice Stadium; Texas announced earlier in the week that starting quarterback David Ash would not be able to play, and Case McCoy (yes, that McCoy, of the famed Longhorn McCoys, not of the Hatfield variety) had only six college starts under his belt.
Just how much did the Texas offense struggle? The Iowa State defense lost six starters last year. Even with inexperience, the Longhorns still only managed 244 passing yards and 119 rushing.
The Texas defense is under new leadership after the reassignment of former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz in September. At times, the Longhorn line scurried about, with players shouting back and forth with animated hands: the burnt-orange definition of “muddle after the huddle”. The highlight of their scatter-brained performance was the 3rd-down pick in Iowa State’s last drive with mere seconds left on the clock. It was the turnover that secured Texas’ survival.
There is a fringe of the Longhorn fanbase that is calling for immediate removal of Coach Brown, but it seems more likely that a shift would happen after the season. With Texas Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds stepping down next August after 32 years, fans are left to wonder if the new AD will be a Mack Brown supporter, or a Mack Brown exporter.
The Longhorns have a much-needed bye week before facing the Oklahoma Sooners on October 12. Beating the Sooners would go a long way to satiate UT fans, but it’s a band-aid on a gash.
Mack needs to come up with a solution; not a band-aid, but one that involves stitches and antiseptic and a myriad of antidotes. There’s only one person who’s been hooked here, and it’s Mack himself. Hooked by his success, by the way he pushed the Texas Longhorns back onto the national stage, by the way he created a dynasty from dust. Texans know a thing or two about dynasties. And average play does not a dynasty season make.
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