Strong, Longhorns Putting Emotions Aside for Season Opener

By Steve Habel/Associate Editor

Emotions will be at a fever pitch on Saturday when the first Texas team under new coach Charlie Strong runs out onto the field at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to face North Texas.

But Strong and a handful of his players said Monday at the team’s weekly media availability that those emotions will be held in check and set behind the mantra of enthusiasm [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] and relentless energy, two attributes that the new Longhorns’ staff expects from their team for every snap of every game.

“We are excited that we finally get a chance to show what we’ve become as a team after all the hard work we’ve put into things since January,” Strong said. “Our players are anxious to hit on someone other than their teammates and to make a statement with how they can play in this first game against a quality opponent.”

The Longhorns did not release a weekly two-deep depth chart on Monday, as Strong said several position battles – mainly on the offensive front, at strong safety and at wide receiver – still remain un-decided. He promised the release of a depth chart by mid-week.

The Horns are tired of hearing that they’re a “soft” team, and have gone the extra mile this offseason to instill an attitude of toughness and accountability. The practices under Strong and his staff have been demanding and relentless, in essence making the games themselves much easier than the workout that the team uses to prepare for them.

“Coach has always said that he want practices to be hard and he’s stuck to that,” Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown said. “The label of being a soft team is unfair, maybe last year there were times that one or two players got beat or didn’t play hard and that cost us and put that ‘soft’ tag on us.

“We are ready to show that we’ve shed that label.”

Other stuff from the Monday presser:

Senior wideout Jaxon Shipley is still limited by a hamstring injury and will be a game-time decision in the opener against North Texas. “Ship went through some drills on Saturday (Aug. 23) but he’s nowhere near 100 percent,” Strong said.

Running backs Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray will split time in the backfield and should be considered the No. 1 and 1A backs. “Those guys are both competitors and have worked so hard in the offseason and will both get a chance to show what they can do,” Strong said. Brown said UT running backs coach Tommie Robinson “likes his players to play” and Brown, a preseason first-team Big 12 pick, understands that he will split time with Gray, who has been a monster in rehab after rupturing his Achilles heel midway through last season.

Expect two walk-ons (safety Dylan  Haines and wide receiver Ty Templin) and three freshmen (safety Jason Hall and wide receivers Lorenzo Joe and Armanti Foreman) to play against North Texas. “We are going to play you if you’re good enough to be out there – I could care less if you are a walk-on or a freshman,” Strong said. [/s2If] [s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] [article-offer] [/s2If]