There are never second chances in college football. It would be nice … I’m sure Mack Brown and company would appreciate a second chance against Baylor, but that isn’t going to happen. Moving forward, the Texas coaches are probably knee deep in video footage of the Oregon Ducks in action. They will notice many similarities between Baylor and Oregon. Both have dynamic offenses that can put up points in a hurry. Both have strong-armed, mobile quarterback. Both have 3 capable running backs. [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]
“These guys are like Baylor,” Mack Brown tells Mike Finger from San Antonio Express-News.
And like the Bears, Oregon doesn’t figure to make things easy on the Longhorns’ offense. The only UT opponent this season to yield fewer than Oregon’s 4.7 yards per play was Baylor, which punished Case McCoy in his worst game of the season and held UT (8-4) to only 217 total yards.
“We didn’t finish the way we wanted to,” Brown said of Saturday’s defeat. “But we’re going to go back to work.”
Historically, Brown’s December work has led to positive results. The Longhorns are 10-4 in bowl games during his tenure, including two previous victories at the Alamo Bowl. Last year, UT beat Oregon State 31-27 in San Antonio.
But Oregon, which has won at least 10 games in six consecutive seasons, will be the Longhorns’ toughest postseason opponent since they faced Alabama four years ago for the national championship.
If UT has any reason for optimism, it might come from the way the Ducks limped to the finish. Oregon dropped two of its last four games, including a blowout loss at Arizona, and barely hung on in its season finale against Oregon State. Mariota also has been dealing with a sore knee, although he told reporters over the weekend he expects to be ready for the Alamo Bowl.
The Longhorns will counter Mariota’s up-tempo attack with a ground game led by Steele High’s Malcolm Brown, who will return to his old stomping grounds on a roll. Brown rushed for 131 yards against Baylor and is averaging 108 yards in his last five games.
“I was popping some off early,” the running back said of his big first half Saturday. “We tried to keep it rolling.”
In what has come to be an expected cliché for bowl teams, the Longhorns said they want to use the game to establish momentum for next season. But Sunday brought no clarification to UT’s coaching situation and that is to be expected. Regardless of all the chatter, Coach Brown is focused on the task at hand.
Mack Brown, who on Saturday declined to answer a question about whether he wants to return for a 17th season, was in New York for alumni functions and National Football Foundation festivities with school president Bill Powers and athletic director Steve Patterson. That trio is expected to discuss Brown’s future at some point this week.
Brown made a few remarks via teleconference during the Alamo Bowl team announcement but did not address his job status.
He at least received a compliment from his upcoming adversary, though.
Said Oregon coach Mark Helfrich: “We’re excited to take on an iconic program and an iconic coach in Coach Brown.
(Source: Mike Finger San Antonio Express News)
[/s2If] [s2If current_user_is_not(s2member_level2) OR current_user_is_not(s2member_level3) OR current_user_is_not(s2member_level5) OR current_user_is_not(s2member_level6)OR current_user_is_not(s2member_level7)]
The rest of this article is available to Digital Subscribers only. Login or Subscribe to continue reading. [/s2If]
#HookEm
Discover more from Horns Illustrated
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.