STAFF TAKEAWAYS
Our thoughts from Monday’s UT press conference:
Brian Davis: Probably the best news from Monday was that nobody seemed to be too dismissive of Iowa State. The Cyclones should be treated like a dangerous team. Any time players know a coach’s job is at stake, anything can happen. The fact that Iowa State’s Paul Rhoads canned offensive coordinator Mark Mangino says he’s looking for a spark. And Iowa State will go with a new quarterback against Texas, too. Look at what UT did when it changed play-callers and quarterbacks. Road trips on Halloween are always dicey. The Cyclones feel that they’ve been jobbed in the past against the Horns. They’ll be ready on Saturday night.
Ryan Autullo: By rehiring John Bianco as Charlie Strong’s media liaison, interim athletic director Mike Perrin is showing unwavering support for his football coach. The first sign of a crack in the relationship of Strong and Perrin’s predecessor, Steve Patterson, came to light several months ago when Strong admitted he was not consulted before the firing of Bianco, whom he called “my guy.” Perrin’s decision to bring Bianco back is a tangible sign that the new AD has his coach’s back.
Kirk Bohls: Charlie Strong is on a roll. With the victory over Kansas State, he’s won two in a row; he got his favorite publicist hired back, John Bianco; and now he’s getting peppered with questions about another school wanting to hire him instead of his own job security. Life is good for the Texas head coach these days, and nobody deserves some good fortune more than Strong.
Cedric Golden: Soft-spoken defensive tackle Paul Boyette Jr. spoke the truth.“Iowa State is not a very good team,” he said, adding that one week they can play well, and the next week they can be flat. His comment didn’t exactly break Twitter, but some fans in Ames, Iowa, were surely taken aback. My question: Why get offended by the truth? PBJ was right. The Cyclones aren’t very good. The good news is they will have ample opportunity to prove Boyette, the oddsmakers, me and anyone who has followed college football for more than five minutes wrong with a win Saturday.