Some interesting notes from the weekly Mack Brown press conference. Let’s dig in.
Brown opened with prayers for Jermichael Finley, who was injured and spent some time in the hospital after a scary injury in Green Bay’s victory over Cleveland.
Brown said the off week was good for the team, players came back with a lot of confidence. He also said it was good for the players to see all the upsets, how much parity was in the sport, and how anyone can lose at anytime.
Brown said the season was reset today, explaining the first three games were one season, then the bye, then the next three games were another season, ending with Oklahoma. The team now enters the third season of the next four games, and ends with season four being the last two games.
Brown said it was a great weekend of recruiting, with all the coaches out on the road, and much being accomplished. He then spoke on how helpful the social media rules are pertaining to being able to tweet with kids all day.
Brown said he was excited to face TCU in their new stadium. He called the Horned Frogs a  great challenge and complimented TCU Coach Gary Patterson’s defensive abilities. Brown recited the stats from last year, including being out rushed 277 to 86, and turning the ball over four times while only forcing one. Also complimented the TCU rush offense.
When asked, Brown said the team enjoyed the Oklahoma win a bit longer than the 48 hour window, but again said the practices have been good. Said “they” have always treated Oklahoma like a bowl game, and always tried to reset afterward.
Spoke on how senior quarterback Case McCoy has established himself as the starter and how well McCoy played in the Oklahoma game. Updated things with David Ash, saying he was at a team meeting and has been to practice but not practiced. Went on to state Ash is still not ruled out for the year at this point and that Ash says he expects to return before seasons end. Brown then laid out the pecking order at quarterback, saying if Case McCoy does go down freshman Tyrone Swoopes will be the starter with Jalen Overstreet as the third team quarterback. Brown said Overstreet is still learning the position, but has play packages. He went on to say Overstreet’s running is ahead of his throwing and that would be why Swoopes is the number two.
Brown then spoke further about Case McCoy, calling him a leader and talking about how the team responds to him. Brown attributed much of his confidence to his family lines, but made it clear he has matured and learned to manage the game better.
Brown said the Oklahoma game was the first time the staff/team was able to do what they wanted to on the defense. He was happy with Daje Johnson on punt returns but again spoke of the need to be better on kick off returns. Brown also talked about how well the other three defensive coaches took to Robinson after Diaz was fired, specifically citing how Duane Akina and Robinson are working closer now than in 2004.  Said overall the team and both staffs are close.
Brown said the game planning is more difficult not knowing who TCU will have at QB. (For those unaware, the Frogs should have Casey Pachall back this week, but could play him, Boykin, or Matthews).
Brown talked about selling the team on getting four yards a rush, with no plays for a loss and no plays for no gain. He had also previously spoken about the need to be physical against TCU like they were against Oklahoma. He also noted TCU is a better defense.
Brown spoke on how the team and staff has taken the negative from the 1-2 start and made it positive. He is still confident the Longhorns can win out and win the Big 12 Conference.
Brown closed by addressing a comment from Chris Fowler, who said Texas has too many “nice smart kids”. Brown said that was wrong, and those kind of kids get “it” better than “troubled†kids. Brown went on to say he told the team the only way to stop negativity is to win, specifically saying while other things were important to the staff and the university, most just care about wins. “Its all about winning.” (Personally, I think it is good to hear this coming out of Brown, especially after the “bad friends” stuff from the past).
The Texas Longhorns (4-2, 3-0) face the TCU Horned Frogs (3-4, 1-3) this Saturday night in Fort Worth. Kick off is set for 6:30 and will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
