Eight Thoughts on Texas and the Alamo Bowl

In less than five days, the Texas Longhorns take the field for the last time under Mack Brown. A 16 year journey filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows will come to an end as Bevo faces the Nike Duck as a heavy underdog. Â As the minutes pass until kickoff, here are a few thoughts going through my mind on the way to the Brown eras last ride.

1. Who is going to be the quarterback?Â

Not much guesswork here no matter what the practice reports tell you. In what is a rare moment of clarity for this staff as it pertains to the use and development of Tyrone Swoopes, I am pleased he is getting a heavy workload with the first team offense. You, I, and everyone in Eugene know exactly what you are getting with Case McCoy. There just isn’t a need at this point to push reps on him which can be much better used getting Swoopes ready for whatever future awaits him in 2014.

David Ash and Tyrone Swoopes will be the only quarterbacks on the roster in the spring, and there is a good chance Swoopes will be the only one. I’d like to see what Jalen Overstreet can do under a new staff, but if you can’t get it done in the classroom you can’t be depended on to lead a team. Hopefully we get to see extensive use of Swoopes in this game, but I won’t be shocked at all if Mack goes out how he “lived”……on the alleged moxie of the younger McCoy.

2. How is Texas going to slow down the Ducks passing attack?

I think you’ll see a decent game plan put together by Greg Robinson. He’s been an elite NFL defensive coordinator, and rest assued Mark Helfrich isn’t going to throw anything at him he has not seen before. Where the key lies in Texas slowing down Oregon’s attack is money. Â Yes, I said money.

Carrington Byndom has hemorrhaged NFL money the last two seasons, and Quandre Diggs is probably out the door. These two get one last showcase for the NFL, one last time to show they can play among the elite who grace the “Money Wall” at Texas. Sometimes the best motivation is self motivation, and these guys have every reason to try and cash in against the Ducks.

Past that, Robinson and Akina have to scheme around talented by inexperienced Duke Thomas, a kid who is taking his licks now to be a star later. Won’t shock me at all to see the Longhorns drop into some kind of unexpected hybrid dime package with so many injuries at linebacker. Mariota is going to offer up a couple picks, and these guys should get one. This will be a great chess match to watch play out.

3. Has Texas seen a better dual threat QB the last two years than Marcus Mariota?

No. You can point to a list of names headlined by Taysom Hill, and they were all products of the failures of Manny Diaz. Collin Klein did not have the arm of Mariota, and no one the Horns have faced is the total package like he is. This isn’t the time to be so badly injured in the linebacker corps, but at least the guys who are there can run. They’re going to need it.

4. How focused will the team be?

I’ve heard so many rumors on either side of this question, I had to really think it over. Is the team focused? I don’t think so. McCoy, the “leader” of this bunch went out and beat Oklahoma for Mack Brown, then watched as Brown’s “friends” Joe Jamail and Red McCombs threw him under the bus without nary a word from his coach. For the record, I am not a McCoy apologist and I’m disturbed the quarterback situation in Austin got this bad.

With that said, I doubt there is undying loyalty to the front man on the line in this contest. Some of these guys are trying to prop up for a shot at the NFL. Some are doing it for themselves, some are just showing up, and others are more focused on who the next guy is instead of beating Oregon. Can’t blame anyone for how they feel or what they are in it or not in it for.

Which brings me to my next thought…….

5. Could this turn into Mack’s “Rout 66”?

Yes. The Texas offense is not built for comebacks. Say the Longhorns fall into a 14-0 hole early on, who is going to rally the troops? The coach on his way out? The quarterback on his way out? The freshman who has done nothing but play in garbage time?

This team could easily shut down or get discouraged enough to make a workable deficit 35-0 in a heartbeat. We all want to see him play significant snaps, but does anyone want to see the aftermath of a stat line where Tyrone Swoopes threw 30 passes?

I feel like Greg Robinson and Duane Akina, the consummate professionals, will keep heads in check and the game somewhat in reach should disaster strike. These guys won’t allow young men under their command to lay down for Oregon like Mackovic’s group did for UCLA on that fateful day in 1997. Â I can’t say the same about Brown or Applewhite. I just wonder….. when it gets heated, will the staff follow the old man’s orders over the edge or take matters into their own hands?

6. Why does it have to be Saban?

Since everyone is looking at the coaching hire far more than the bowl game, the name Nick Saban is back to the forefront. Our own ownership group and several insiders have it pegged he will still be the guy. That would be a good thing for total eradication of the systemic culture of entitlement at Texas, but what if it does not happen?

The answer I keep getting from folks is similar to a chicken after its head gets chopped off. Total pandemonium. Folks, if for some reason it is not Nick Saban, you’ve got to chill out. Take a look around….go ahead…do it. You should see a state overflowing with Division 1 talent. You should see a decline creeping up in College Station. Squint your eyes and you’ll see TCU’s tens of fans getting restless after learning this big boy football thing is tough. You’ll see a budding bad boy in Waco, but nothing you can’t handle with the right men.

What does all this mean? It means things are not so tough at Texas it HAS to be ONLY one guy leading it. You need a tough, smart coach. You need a guy who will be disciplined and instill that in his program, and you need a great closer on the recruiting trail. Get that, the good assistants will come with the money on the table, and you’ve got an 11 win team year in and year out. 20 guys out there can do this and do it well. Remember, Pete Carroll was a down the list option for USC…….

7. Do fans feel like 2014 is a throw away year?

So it’s after the Alamo Bowl and before the coaching hire. You’re either amazed Mack pulled it out one last time or your mildly upset at what happened, but understanding of the fact it means little with a new staff coming in. So, is 2014 a throw away season?

In short, no, don’t feel like that. It will be a tall order, but this team should win nine games next year with the talent coming back and the right coaching. Everyone will be learning new systems, but the rest of the conference won’t have any film on THIS group running whatever offense and defense emerge. See what Greg Robinson did with the defense? Now imagine that kind of solid coaching applied to the offense. It’ll be fine folks, and well worth it for what comes in 2015 and beyond.

The Closer: Let the healing begin folks. Whether you are pro Mack or anti Mack, we all agree on our love for Texas. No matter what happens, no matter who the coach is, no matter who the quarterback is, on Saturday, August 30, 2014, lets show North Texas and the world just how rowdy 101,000 Texas Longhorns can be.