Texas Longhorns FanSided Expert Answers Questions on Red River Showdown
By Chip Rouse
Earlier this week, I posed a series of five questions to Texas Longhorns’ FanSided expert Tyler Brett about the Longhorns and Saturday’s Red River Showdown with archrival Oklahoma. The questions and his responses follow:
Q: Is Charlie Strong’s coaching job in serious jeopardy if the Longhorns lose to Oklahoma on Saturday?
TB: For the immediate future, probably not. According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, Texas has no interest in firing Charlie Strong midseason. So, no matter the outcome of this game, you can expect to see Strong on the sidelines in Week 6 against Iowa State.
For 2017, though, this game matters. There is growing sentiment around the program that Strong needs to go. In Year 3 they expected more out of this team and the defense, in particular. If Texas puts up another embarrassing defensive performance, that chatter around the program could get louder, especially since Strong is the one calling the defense. Last year’s win took a lot of heat off Strong after the 1-4 start, and this game could have a similar effect if he pulls off the upset.
Q: From the Texas perspective, what are the key factors in Saturday’s game?
TB: It’s all about the defense. Namely, will there be any. Offensively, the Longhorns look great (which is a weird thing to say), but the defense is historically bad. Poor tackling, blown coverages, and a complete lack of big plays from the defense have killed this team. Texas needs to improve on about every aspect if it wants to contain the Oklahoma offense. That means getting pressure on Baker Mayfield, bottling up (Joe) Mixon and (Samaje) Perine, and tackling people in the open field.
Also, a turnover of some sort would be nice. The Longhorns are second to last in the nation in turnovers with one, and are the only team in the Big 12 yet to record an interception.
Q: What is the playing status of D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren for the game on Saturday?
TB: Both Foreman and Warren had to leave the game against Oklahoma State with injuries. Foreman gave himself up as he broke into the open field in the third quarter with an abdomen injury, and Warren was taken into the locker room with a knee injury before halftime. Their status is a bit of good news, bad news for the Longhorns.
Good news: Foreman should be a go, which is huge for Texas as he is averaging 145.3 yards per game, tops in the Big 12. Bad news: Warren is out. Charlie Strong confirmed on Monday that he would not play against Oklahoma, and said only that he “didn’t know” when he would be back. Now, reports are saying that he could be sidelined six-to-eight weeks, so the Horns will be down a “Bash Brother” for the foreseeable future.
After both players left the game last week, it was freshman Kyle Porter who got the call. He was the only other running back to record a carry in the game, finishing with 30 yards on seven carries.
Q: What kind of difference will Charlie Strong taking over the defensive coordinator responsibilities have in shoring up the Texas defense. Can the necessary remedies be accomplished in that short of time?
TB: As Charlie Strong put it during his press conference on Monday, calling a defense is about “finding a rhythm” while disrupting the rhythm of the offense. Apparently, Strong believes that there was an issue with the flow of the defense under Vance Bedford, and getting a new perspective can fix it.
The biggest change he (Strong) wants to see is for players to be in the right position and to communicate with each other. Too often, Texas has let receivers run free because nobody is certain who is supposed to be covering them.
Against California, Chad Hansen (then the leading receiver in the nation; currently No. 2) had a play where he released free off the line of scrimmage and ran right past the cornerback like the corner was expecting a safety over the top. The only problem was, the safety was still in the middle of the field. That’s pretty indicative of the way this Texas team has played, particularly in the secondary. Hansen (who everyone knew was going to be featured) finished the game with 12 catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
Having Strong take over the defensive play calling will hopefully help the players go out and player rather than thinking so much about what they’re doing. Can a change in the flow of play calling fix that in just a week? I guess we’ll find out.
Q: What is your prediction for the game? How many wins do you project for the Longhorns this season?
TB: Despite the struggles during the last two games, I’m cautiously optimistic for this game. Since 1989, the Red River Showdown has featured a ranked Oklahoma vs. an unranked Texas eight times. Texas is 6-2 in those games.
Last season, Texas came in as a 17-point underdog and won 24-17. With the way the offense has been playing, they have a puncher’s chance of winning any shootout they get into. And with everything that’s gone on around the defensive coaching staff this week, I can see the D rally around each other and ride an emotional high to make some big stops early.
So my prediction (because I’m an optimist) is Texas 49-45.
As for the rest of the season, outside of Iowa State (who, thankfully, comes to Austin) and Kansas, every game is essentially a toss-up. Getting Baylor, West Virginia and TCU at home is helpful, but road games against Kansas State and Texas Tech will be tough. At the end of the year, I see this Texas team as a seven-win program (eight with a bowl win). Winning record at 8-5 with a bowl win is enough for Strong to stay at Texas and rev up the hype train for 2017.