Already talking a good game
Let’s see if UT is ready this fall to back up its bold words of spring.
The expectations on the Forty Acres are well north of what we witnessed last season.
Delivering upon those expectations? Different deal altogether.
Look around the country and you’ll see 120 FBS teams believing succe s s is coming . Somewhere out there, players from a 3-9 team just broke practice and jogged to the locker room with dreams of a bowl game dancing in their helmets.
Let them dream. After all, it’s spring, a time of growth and discovery.
The Longhorns, who pl ay their Orange-White scrimmage Saturday, are seeking a return to relevance. And while they’re not about to go 3-9, there is a degree of uncer-
tainty in that crucial area between 6-6 and 7-5, which is where I see them at this point.
To a man, they consider 2014 an embarrassment. Better put, they’re pretty teed off. Now when channeled correctly, anger can be a great motivator. Say this about the Horns: From head coach Charlie Strong down to mild-mannered defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway, they are carrying a few bags full of PO’d on their shoulder pads these days.
Wednesday’s practice was intense, not the-week-before-the-OU-game intense, but chippy enough. At one point, safety Jason Hall delivered a blow to the back of wideout Jacorey Warrick, who was in a vulnerable position after catching the ball.
“Stand the (inser t R-rated word here) up!” Strong yelled at Hall.
Chuck doesn’t want to lose any players to injury, espec i ally in a light contact drill. (He also likes that Hall is so willing to hit somebody).
Shoot, Strong wanted to hit somebo dy after the punch to the gut that was his 6-7 debut. After the Horns qualified for a bowl game, he said no Texas team should ever lose five games an d that it wouldn’t happen again.
Then the Horns went and dropped their last two by a combined 79-17 to finish with seven loss - es for the second time in five seasons.
So here we are, nearly four months after the loss to Arkansas, and the Horns are ready to re-
‘I didn’t come here to lose the majority of the games. I came for championships.’
Sedric Flowers
Longhorns offensive lineman
turn to the arrogance of “We’re Texas” after several seas ons of “Were Texas.”
“It still burns,” Strong sai d a few weeks ago.
The motto is No Excuses, something the fan base can surely get behind because there have been more than a few since Texas’ last national title appearance. The question is: Are the Horns just paying lip service, or is this real ly the beginning of a turnaround?
“It’s unacceptable,” sai d offensive lineman Sedric Flowers. “We’ve had conversations. That’s not why we came here. I didn’t come here to lose the majority of the games. I came for championships.”
Strong has realized that he can’t stand pat with what worked at Louisville. The pro-style offense might work with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback, but that kid is working for the Minnesot a Vikings, so Strong has finall y seen the light and come to the underst anding that offense wins in the Big 12. The new spread offense is the biggest topic of conversation besides the debate about who should be running it.
If the season started Saturday, that would be Tyrone Swoopes, who has outplayed redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard. Flowers and wideout Marcus Johnson said the up-tempo attack is a bet- ter fit for both quarterbacks, which is a good thing because the No Excuses mantra will be repeated over and over if we see another flop.
“I feel like everybody is hungry,” Ridgeway said. “When you have a seas on like that, it leaves a bad feeling in your stomach. So you always want to come back stronger.”
No championship was ever won in the spring, but taking on a championship mentality can never come too early.
We’ll get to the delivering part in due time.