Mack Brown met with the media for his usual Monday press conference ahead of the 23rd ranked Longhorns visit to Floyd Casey Stadium to face the 9th ranked Baylor Bears. Despite several rumors to the contrary, no retirement was announced.
On player updates, Brown stated Steve Edmond will not play in bowl game, but will return for spring practice. Daje Johnson is back from suspension and will play Saturday. Also announced LB Kendall Thompson had concussion symptoms is day to day. Later said guys like Peter Jinkens would need to step up.
On the Thanksgiving win against Texas Tech, Brown thought the crowd was great, better than last year. Brown also stated he likes the timing of the game as it gives his players more time with their families.
Brown talked about title games this weekend, and said the Big 12 has two title games this weekend, one being Bedlam and the other being our game. Later, Brown said he told the team yesterday, if they win the game Saturday, they will be Big 12 Champions.(Would technically share with Oklahoma State should the Cowboys win). Said the team cant worry [about Bedlam], and must focus on this game. Said he told the team in 2001 they would play Miami for a the National Championship with a win in the Big 12 Championship, Â and the response was the team not playing well. [Did not want that to be an issue here]
Brown says this will be a fun game, and credited Baylor as a senior led team, with a great offense, which will be a great challenge. Brown was proud of his team for fighting to be in this position. He later said he was not surprised at this result, thought the team would be good this year, and thanked fans for sticking with the team. He categorized the BYU and Ole Miss disasters as “a collapse”.
On injuries, Brown stated you cant explain it, but it is just part of the game. He did note the injuries this year seem to be an issue across the country. Said the Longhorns will not use it as an excuse, and credited the staff for excellent recruiting the last three years to build depth.
Brown said Baylor has had only three close games this season, all on the road. On playing at Floyd Casey, he mentioned the last trip facing RG3 and turning it over 6 times. Brown said the team must protect the ball better. He later stated QB Case McCoy  is in a much different spot experience wise than his last trip to Waco where he fell flat. Says he wasnt a real starter then, now takes better care of the football and runs the ball better. Says we need to start better on offense, need to get something going early.
Later, Brown said he felt our offensive line has not got the credit it deserves, saying the team has ran the ball well every week, though this weekend will be a challenge.
Brown praised Baylor RB Lache Seastrunk and QB Bryce Petty. He also complimented the Baylor offensive line, which he called “underrated”. Went on to say the Baylor defense is older and more aggressive. On how Baylor has developed, Brown says two years ago the Bears could not do the things they do now.
Brown later stated that in order to have a chance to win, Texas must make Baylor one dimensional and stop their run. Says Baylor is excellent at spreading teams out with speed and then uses their underrated line and backs to pound them.
Brown again called the loss to Oklahoma State a missed opportunity, but said the team is very confident. Unlike other years, Baylor has their attention this time around. They are challenged by what they see, but looking forward to the game. He also mentioned he thinks his team is much better on the road when the opposing stadium is full.
On scheduling, Brown said Dodds used to want to get one easy win, one you should win, and one great team each year in out of conference. Said now with playoff looming need to look at schedule and see how things are going forward, as well as how the committee will value out of conference schedule strength.
The Longhorns face the Bears Saturday afternoon in Waco, in what will be the final game at Floyd Casey Stadium. The Bears are currently a 14 point favorite.
