Don't Do Mess With Texas.
I know I have a lot of fun with
the Aggies and Johnny Goofball. But go ahead and enjoy this Texas A&M, because suddenly the University of Texas is the state's biggest football joke.
While CBS prepares a "
Johnny Cam" to train solely on Manziel during Saturday's mondo-anticipated showdown against Alabama in College Station, the Longhorns are reeling in the wake of a humiliating loss to BYU. Mack Brown's Band-Aid: Fire Manny Diaz. Hire ... Greg Robinson?
What. The. What?!
The same school that botched the recruiting of Robert Griffin III, Manziel and Florida State emerging star "Famous" Jameis Winston is now so panicked about its defense that it's turning to a guy in Robinson who went 10-37 as head coach at Syracuse, coached Michigan's defense to consecutive rankings of 82nd and 110th, and this year has merely served as a TV analyst for the Longhorn Network.
Yep, when you're overpowered and embarrassed by a bunch of Mormons heads must roll.
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A week after being held to 16 points by a mediocre Virginia defense that subsequently allowed 59 to Oregon, BYU rolled Texas to the tune of 40 points and a school-record 550 rushing yards. Five. Fifty! Over and over again BYU quarterback Taysom Hill - not to be confused with Vince Young - kept the ball and simply ran, often untouched, for 259 yards and three touchdowns, one of them a 68-yarder.
Hours after watching their defense get physically dominated and repeatedly gashed, a group of influential UT boosters - alums, politicians and the like - held an emergency late-night bitch session at Barton Creek Resort. I'm not suggesting who runs the show in Austin, but less than 12 hours later Brown announced the firing his defensive coordinator.
"Our performance on defense last night was unacceptable, and we need to change that," Brown said in a statement.
We all know Brown is the problem. A master recruiter once upon a time, he's now lost his grip and influence on a program poisoned by talented underachievers. And in a year in which the Big 12 is down and it appeared UT actually had a chance to stay on the field with OU in the Cotton Bowl next month, nope. Notsamuch.
Brown is signed through 2020, but there is a buyout of his contract at around only $3 million. So it's not impossible he leaves. But I don't think the solution is Nick Saban. At least not now, as in
right now.
My old 105.3 The Fan radio buddy Arnie Spanier used to float this rumor about once a month.
The one about the Alabama coach owning hunting property near Austin and always having his private jet landing in Austin and eventually replacing Brown at Texas. It'll be rearing its ugly noggin' again now I fear.
Unless, of course, somehow Robinson regains the magic touch he possessed in 2004 when his defense - with an assist or two from Young - helped Texas win the National Championship. Until then we'll roll our eyes at Brown's program spiraling out of control. We'll wait until the big-whig Cardinals of Austin convene to name a new Pope.
And we'll bemoan the long lost glory days of college football. Because last weekend Texas, Florida, Notre Dame and Southern Cal lost together on the same Saturday for the first time since 1976.
There does not exist a bigger Horn fan on this planet than me..My Twitter is @beevomav..
ReplyDeletebut..
Texas has put us Horn fans in a place where we can do nothing but take it. How can you defend 500 yards rushing from BYU? Plus, a lot of it was a white guy with a knee brace.
It's our day in the barrel and time to man up and ride it out.
Robinson isn't going to be the answer, but he does also have two Super Bowl rings as a defensive coordinator.
ReplyDeleteThey named an interim DC from within and Akina will be sharing most of the responsibilities too . Lets not act like they won't be flying in anyone they want to after the season (hopefully new head coaches...)
Correction..Robinson is not interim coach. Mack said today he is the DC and not interim.
DeleteSo you think Texas isn't going to interview other DCs in the off-season? Of course he won't say the word interim that means he would have no faith in it working out.
DeleteI think Mack will be gone in the off season, but I was just correcting what the poster said about Robinson be an interim coach. Mack said he was not.
DeleteI'm no fan of UT, but I do wonder what is REALLY going on down there. They have, for years, consistently been in the top 10 in recruiting rankings (most years top 5), they have facilities that are above and beyond nearly everyone and they have a rabid fan base, including the t-shirt nation. Mack has won only TWO conference titles and has suffered some of the most embarassing losses in program history but DeLoss and the school prez seem to love him. Is it really only about the money at UT? Why else would the higher-ups tolerate this nonsense? If they get their head handed to them again in Oct. at the Cotton Bowl, it may finally be over for MB.
ReplyDeletegerald..I am a Horn fan and I will give you a quick capsule of what has gone wrong.
DeleteFirst recruiting has taken a hit, especially in the lines. Mack either doesn't recruit the right guys or is out recruited for the right guys.
The tailspin started with the recruitment of Garrett Gilbert. He was a bust and UT has looked for the next guy ever since.
Mack is there for one reason and one reason only. He is a cash cow. The big money donors love the guy. They like his integrity and he says the right things. I also think this will change. From what I hear, the money faucet is about to dry up. When the money stops flowing, Mack is a goner.
Oh, and while Mack has only won the conference twice. He won a national championship and play in another championship game. Plus his team do well in bowl games.
Hey Richie,
ReplyDeleteRobinson left in 2004, Texas won the NC in 2005. Chizik and Akina were co-D coordinators.
I laughed when Arnie would talk about Saban coming to Texas, but it does have some legs.
Mack is and always has been an overrated joke. He caught lightning in a bottle with the magical run with V Young and almost again with Colt McCoy. I'll give him props on being a good recruiter 10 years ago but that well dried up long ago. Bottom line is that he had brought in 5 star recruits but given them 2 star coaching in return. Mack IS the problem.
ReplyDelete-Ryan
Lol. So any success automatically gets dismissed? How many other schools went after Colt. Sounds like Aggie logic.
DeleteI'm not dismissing the success but merely pointing out those successes were in spite of Mack's "coaching". When you look at the other good programs out there you can see the head coach's fingerprints on the program. But what about UT? What can you point to and day that is Mack's fingerprint? I doubt you can, unless you want to point to overhyped, overrated and selfish entitlement oh his players. And I am not an Aggie.
Delete-Ryan
All the other good programs seem to be in the SEC. Texas was the last team to win a BCS Championship that wasn't from the SEC.
DeleteI know how radical and insane this is (big shock I'd say something like that, right?) but what if the problem is the Longhorn Network? UT football isn't the only one with problems; if memory serves me right, UT basketball AND baseball both failed to make the NCAAs last season. The entire athletic department is a wreck right now. And no one is considering that maybe the problem might be putting so many resources into a cable network that might actually be turning OFF recruits because 1. it's viewed as the ultimate example of a school profiteering off of student athletes, and 2. It's useless because it took three years to get just one major provider to carry it?
ReplyDeleteComplaining about the Longhorn Network. Guarantee you that's an Agie. Recruits are being drawn to the SEC because they pay better.
Delete1. LHN was picked up by Verizon Fios right away and AT&T a year later. Now TWC has it (only 2 years btw for TWC).
Delete2. Players don't care about profits being made off of them when they have brand new gear every ear and world class locker rooms and facilities.
Robinson was not the DC the Nat champ year, and it was 2005. Hard to get radio ratings when you're constantly barking incorrect information at ppl. It's ok to be wrong, just admit it and don't be suck a d*** about it.
ReplyDeleteHilarious. Richie can't even have a UT article without mentioning Manziel. Hey Richie UTA isn't UT!
ReplyDeleteGod forbid Richie make a joke or make a relevant sports reference.....
DeleteWhy am I defending RW?
Oh yeah, I like him better than aggy trolls.
In Mack's defense, he did bring Texas back from a decade or more of mediocrity and made the program relevant again nationally. The mere fact that he's played for two national titles and won one of them when Texas hadn't had a national championship since 1970 proves that. They've also done well in bowl games under Mack winning two other BCS bowl games other than the two title games they played in.
ReplyDeleteThat said, the last few years have been disappointing to say the least. This year's juniors were a highly regarded class, but the results have yet to bear this out, just another example of either recruiting the wrong guys or coaches not getting the most out of the players they have. Probably a combination of the two.
If Saturday in Provo was a mirage and Texas is able to bounce back (which is doubtful given the character of the team) to perhaps a 10-win season, the Mack will more than likely save his job. But if they have another mediocre season and/or get embarrassed one more time this season regardless of the opponent, then I think Mack is gone. Just a hunch, but I see Major Applewhite as the heir apparent.
-JC
Major isnt ready and wont have the support of the big money donors. Texas will go after a big name. It remains to be seen whether or not they will land one or not. Money whipping will certainly help.
DeleteYou're probably right about the big name, but I think that is the wrong move. Major is young, very smart, driven, energetic, an alum, has roots, totally dedicated to the program and the university and as a former overachieving QB, has a great head for the game.
DeleteIf Kingsbury got the green light at Tech and is creating all this excitement, why not Applewhite in Austin? They're the same age and have similar experience as coaches and players.
-JC
JC...the traits you list for Major are the same ones that got John Blake hired at OU. Look how that worked out. Major is in charge of the offense, which hasn't figured out which way it wants to go. I would be horrified if OU hired Josh Heupel to succeed Stoops. He lacks the "it" factor, just like Major. With the UT and USC jobs possibly coming open, there might some interesting movement on the coaching front.
DeleteI see your point, Gerald. However those big name hired guns don't always work out either. Remember Howard Schnellenberger? John Mackovic? There were a couple of young coaches named Royal and Switzer hired by their respective universities who fared quite well and were about the same age Major is now when they became the head coach.
DeleteIf a change is made, perhaps they will go with the big name since that is all that will satisfy the big money boosters. Though I know you don't, I do believe Applewhite does have head coach potential (something John Blake never had) and deserves at least some consideration.
-JC