Yet another crossroads game looms
Texas and Strong would be wise to take a page out of Baylor’s defense.
— It’s become a cliché to say that Saturday WACO is a crossroads game for Texas.
But we’re at that point where every game takes on added significance as Charlie Strong’s seat gets hotter. But amid the Longhorns’ overall struggles comes some real compliments. From Waco, of all places. The Horns are fresh off their latest road disappointment, but the Baylor Bears are more than respectful when it comes to the offense Texas has put on the field. Now be advised that Baylor leads the Big 12 in three of the four major defensive categories. Is that a sign of the apocalypse? Not sure, but the numbers are the numbers.
More important, if anyone is equipped to speak on the Texas offense, it’s Baylor, which provided the blueprint for Texas offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert, who served as a graduate assistant under former Baylor coach Art Briles when he was at Houston in 2005.
Briles’ replacement, Jim Grobe, didn’t go as far as to say Gilbert went “Command-C, Command-V” with this offense, but the similarities are obvious from the running game to the passing attack to the quick tempo.
“Absolutely,” Grobe said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s just Texas. I think that’s a trend at a lot of programs now is to try to pick up the pace, make defenses adjust as much as you possibly can and make them adjust on the fly. And that’s what we see out of a lot of teams now. It’s not just the Bears running this stuff, the teams we play against, and we’ll see it throughout the rest of the season, teams that like to get the pace going.”
The biggest difference has to be the overall disparity in win-loss record, some of which can be attributed to Texas playing a much stronger nonconference schedule along with its obvious struggles on defense.
You don’t hear this every day, but the Horns need to be more Baylor-like on defense Saturday. Watching the Kansas State game on a flat screen didn’t give me the same perspective as being there live, but the frustration of the fan base is oh-so understandable through any lens.
I guess Strong’s biggest problem is this as his team readies for Baylor, Texas Tech and West Virginia, you just don’t get the feeling that it will all be fixed one day. It’s like that old jalopy in the front yard. Fix the brakes, then the transmission goes out. Fix the transmission, then you need new tires. Get new tires and it starts leaking oil.
As someone who has always believed that patience should be preached with Strong, I can truly understand the frustration
after watching the Horns stumble over themselves for most of Saturday.
Take that Devin Duvernay play, for instance. The kid looked like a smaller Usain Bolt blowing past Kansas State’s cornerback on that 80-yard touchdown catch, but then he wasn’t targeted after that play. Not once. This isn’t basketball, but I have always subscribed to the hot-hand theory. If someone has it going, then feed them the ball.
Running back D’Onta Foreman hardly ever has to worry about totes — the last two minutes at Cal withstanding — so why should it be any different for a wideout?
Always something. Texas A&M gave Alabama all it could handle for nearly three quarters. Does that mean the Aggies are still in the College Football Playoff chase?
Sure they are, even though they missed out on a chance to make the biggest statement in college football this year.
If the Aggies can run the table and Alabama finishes 12-0, A&M can make a case for itself. The schedule is friendly with home games remaining against New Mexico, LSU, UTSA and Ole Miss. That’s not exactly a murderer’s row. They would need help, of course, because there are several unbeatens remaining, including Clemson, Nebraska, Baylor, West Virginia and Michigan.
Can the Aggies run the table? It’s possible, since they really stood up to the nation’s best program, at least for a little while. Contact Cedric Golden at 912-5944. Twitter: @cedgolden