Strong avoids query on Bedford
Answers make it hard to decipher if demotion is in play.
Charlie Strong has already rearranged offensive play-calling duties. Might he be ready to do the same on defense?
Strong danced around a direct question Monday about demoting defensive coordinator Vance Bedford, whose unit slipped to No. 120 nationally after Saturday’s 50-7 debacle at TCU.
Bedford has two things going for him that former offensive player-caller Shawn Watson did not. A day before Watson was demoted, Strong revealed ominously that Watson was being “evaluated.” Asked about Bedford’s security Monday, Strong was not responsive and rambled about defensive players neglecting gaps, not getting off of blocks and committing too many penalties. It was the ultimate juke move.
Unless Strong makes a midweek change, Bedford will call plays against Oklahoma, which will be Texas’ final test before a bye week. Keep in mind, though, that Strong waited until Tuesday before pulling the plug on Watson.
Strong, who has fired two assistants and demoted two others while at Texas, put his coaches on notice Monday when he said, “We have the players. It is about us coaching.”
Kicking change? There is at least one person who could lose his job by Saturday — Nick Rose. Strong said he informed Rose that his job is up for grabs after the kicker missed field goals of 40 and 39 yards at TCU.
“I told him we’re going to open it up,” Strong said. “Not very pleased with what we’re doing there.”
Rose is 4 of 7 on field goals and missed an extra point, resulting in a onepoint loss against Cal.
The roster shows three backups: Nick Jordan, who made 9 of 15 field goals in 2012, and freshmen Jon Coppens and Evan Moore. Moore, of Aubrey High, made a 53-yard field goal in 2013, according to his Texas bio.
Under Armour meeting canceled: Texas officials canceled a planned Sunday meeting with Under Armour executives, and all signs indicate the school will sign a longterm extension with Nike, a source close to the negotiations told the American-Statesman.
Nike, which has been a partner with UT athletics since 2000, has a contractual right of first refusal in its current deal. That means if Under Armour offered a sky-high deal, Nike officials would have the opportunity to match.
Short yards: Strong said receiver Daje Johnson was expected to undergo his second test of the week Monday for an apparent concussion he sustained at TCU. “We’re not going to put him out there unless he’s ready to go,” Strong said. ... Defensive end Shiro Davis (knee) is expected to play against OU, and right tackle Kent Perkins (knee) is still day-to-day. Linebacker Breckyn Hager suffered a high ankle sprain late in the game and figures to be out for a while. ... During a morning interview on 104.9 The Horn, former Texas coach John Mackovic said if he could give Strong a piece of advice, it would be: “And this too shall pass.”