PRESSURE: UT SHOULD WIN ITS FINAL BIG XII
Commentary by Larry Carlson ( lc13@txstate.edu )
It was hot at DKR for the Orange-White game. About 90 degrees. It'll be hot for the Rice game on Sept. 2 but let's hope LHN will get us a 6:30 kickoff. And remember, it'll be toasty in T-Town, Tuscaloosa, on Sept. 9. Gonna be pret-ty damned crowded Friday and Saturday when you get in line for those juicy ribs at Dreamland.
But back to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium for the spring game. My nephew, Chad, and I had cruised up from the Alamo City, downed some tacos and tamales at Amaya's and made our way over to the stadium, as we do each April. We strolled past all the amusements of Bevo Boulevard aimed by marketing gurus at a younger target audience, and heard rap music blasting from inside the stadium. I asked my nephew, sarcastically, "So how's your 'stadium experience?'"
Said Chad, nimbly, "What I want to experience is a winning Longhorn team again."
I knew he didn't mean a repeat of 8-5.
As we broiled in the sun in the west side stands, not early enough to have it made in the shade, I looked out at the familiar surroundings.
Ringing the north end zone are the dates of all those Southwest Conference championships. There were more than two dozen. Those were the days.
Shifting my gaze to the stadium's rim on the east side, noting the national titles -- 1963, 1969, 1970, 2005 -- I nodded affirmation to the proud list of those superlative teams. But as my eyes moved right, i faced a jarringly barren spot for recognition. Only three Longhorn squads are cited as Big XII champs. Stark reality.
One, the '96 squad, won it in the conference's inaugural season, thanks to James Brown to Derek Lewis on "Roll Left," a big, successful pass play on a gutsy, fourth-down John Mackovic call in Texas territory. Priest Holmes got the payoff TD on an eleven-yard run and Texas had the upset win of the collegiate year, downing mighty Nebraska, 37-27.
Texas earned two more conference titles in the next thirteen years, including the VY nattie in '05 and the heartbreak cold shoulder of Colt McCoy in '09. In the ensuing unlucky thirteen seasons, Texas has no conference titles. Startling. Embarrassing.
It might be even worse than it sounds. Chew on this, Bevo.
In the past three years, six different conference teams -- count 'em, six -- have played for all the conference marbles in the title game. Here's the roll call: Oklahoma. Iowa State. Baylor. Oklahoma State. Kansas State. TCU.
All six were ranked in the top ten at kickoff. Texas was never there.
That has to change. Texas got the very last Southwest Conference title in '95, beating A&M
in the regular season finale in College Station.
They'd better capture their last shot at uno mas Big XII championship in December '23. Beyond that, the SEC looms large. Scary large.
Texas has been the biggest underachiever in college football for a full quarter-century plus one.
John Mackovic saw the door, less than a year after the glory of "Roll Left," no thanks to "Rout 66," the 66-3 beatdown by a winless UCLA team in '97. Mack Brown had a good run for sixteen years but couldn't hit the curveball often enough against OU's Bob Stoops, and carried home just two conference crowns. Charlie Strong was 3-for-3 in losing seasons, Tom Herman won four bowl games in four seasons but couldn't dig up a title, and Steve Sarkisian is 13-12.
The truth hurts.
This month, a story in The Athletic punctuated UT's failure to develop talent.
The publication took raw data from an eleven-year span of recruiting and the NFL draft.
Among programs studied, those with enough highly recruited signees, Texas finished dead last.
Only four of the Horns' 17 five-star guys were even drafted, and just 17 of 46 four-star players were selected by NFL teams. The participating writers for The Athletic summed it up this way: "That's the epitome of doing less with more," Then they dropped the mic by noting that, going into this spring's NFL draft -- with Bijan Robinson selected eighth by Atlanta -- the most recent offensive player for the Horns to get picked as a first rounder was Vince Young, 17 years ago. Ouch.
Time for the Longhorns to live up to the name on their jerseys and win big in '23.
No excuses.
Look up and down the roster. Even more so than usual, Texas has the hosses.
All shortcomings of recruiting services aside, there's some truth in those star-spangled rankings of five-star and four-star potential. We've witnessed the likes of Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State
parlaying standout signing classes into multiple national championships.
Texas -- and Texas A&M -- haven't had much to show for all their touted classes.
Likely, there's been a dearth of development of the talent. And maybe, just maybe, Texas high school recruits get an extra star by their names just because they hail from the magical, mystical land of Friday Night Lights.
Still, some serious college football analysts think Texas this year has more talent than any program in its "quarterback room," with Quinn Ewers, Maalik Murphy and young Arch Manning.
The receivers? More proven and potentially excellent players than one could dream of.
Bijan Robinson can't be instantly replaced but there is absolutely a wealth of excellence available.
Defensively, the Horns have plenty of Texas-sized troops and touted ballers.
An OU team that Texas beat by a record-setting 49-0 margin will be eager for revenge.
But can the Sooners improve that much from their worst season since '98?
Will TCU ever scale the heights it did last season?
Can defending champion K-State repeat? Hey, UT beat the champions last season, anyway.
Will Mike Gundy find a QB to replace Spencer Sanders?
Texas barely escaped Baylor and lost to Texas Tech. Both should be better. But...so what?
Maybe Iowa State, WVU and Kansas will be saltier.
And then there's BYU, Houston, Cincinnati and UCF. Don't sleep on them but....
It should be interesting when this version of the conference tees it up for its only season as presently set, with Texas and OU daring to sink, swim or die in the shark-infested waters of the SEC in '24.
Fans and prognosticators have staggered in circles after almost yearly preseason shot glasses of burnt orange Kool-Aid over the years. We have been slipped "the Mickey" more than a few times. And today's handsome UT roster could get uglied a bit by the portal. Or it might get even better.
Texas football has to look itself in the mirror. Stop short of admiring how good everyone looks in the sharp threads. Don't bank on all the NIL riches just yet.
The most overrated, underachieving "blue blood" family in college ball must deliver.
Don't just play up to Alabama's talent. Don't play down to the teams that don't have your talent, your depth, your endless supply of as yet untapped potential.
So we're back to the necessity to develop the big names into certifiable pro prospects in order to keep up with the best collegiate programs.
Buckle your chinstraps, Horns. In the immortal words of the NFL commandment from the Raiders' late boss, Al Davis, "Just win, Baby."
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