Sep 12, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong (center) talks to his team against the Rice Owls during the first quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
AUSTIN, Texas. — Because it’s such a huge rivalry, the Red River Showdown between Texas and Oklahoma has seemed like a game where the records of each team coming into the game was not a major factor.
Texas better hope that’s the case this time around.
The Longhorns take a 1-4 mark to the Texas State Fair, where they will meet 4-0 and 10th-ranked Oklahoma on Saturday.
Even worse for the Horns, they’re still stinging from a 50-7 loss to second-ranked TCU. And the problems don’t stop there.
Freshman cornerback Kris Boyd retweeted a Texas A&M fan, who sent the message “Whenever y’all are ready to transfer … We’re ready.” Elsewhere, a Texas Rangers social media team member tweeted “Fire Charlie #bye” during the Longhorns’ game against the Horned Frogs, referring to Texas second-year coach Charlie Strong.
It’s all part of the misery that is Texas’ season so far. After a blowout loss at Notre Dame in the opener, the Longhorns defeated Rice, lost two close games to California and Oklahoma State, and then were demolished by TCU.
As the storm blowing against Texas strengthens, though, Strong remained steadfast as he faced the media during his weekly Monday press conference.
“I told our players, I said, ‘I have so much belief that we’re going to get it turned,'” Strong said. “It does look gloomy because of what happened because you go close, close and then all the sudden you get blown out. I think we can play much better than what we played.”
He’s not the only one that feels that way, apparently. An ESPN.com story on Monday quoted an anonymous source saying Texas boosters are willing to be patient with Strong.
The Horns coach also dismissed rumors that the team’s juniors and seniors have given up on the season. Strong said they told him they “Coach, I don’t know where that’s coming from. We’re not going to quit.”
If Texas manages to swing its season around and make it to a bowl game, credit Strong for staying on message. He’s said all along that the Longhorns need to win the line of scrimmage and simply correct their own mistakes in order to win.
“After watching the tape, it’s about doing the little things,” Strong said. “Once we do the little things, we know this: we can be the team that we expect to be. I know that team last week wasn’t the team we think it should be, but we’ve got to get better.”
NOTES, QUOTES
PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB D’Onta Foreman rushed for a team-high 112 yards against TCU. He appears to be pushing ahead of Johnathan Gray as the Longhorns’ go-to back, a distinction that could be even more evident versus Oklahoma this week.
–QB Tyrone Swoopes seems less like the former starting QB these days than he did a couple of weeks ago following Texas’ loss to California. He had a better game passing and rushing than fellow QB Jerrod Heard versus TCU.
–LB Peter Jinkens, a senior, had one of the best statistical games of his career versus TCU. Although the Longhorns struggled mightily to stop the Horned Frogs, Jinkens posted eight tackles and a tackle for loss.
SERIES HISTORY: Texas leads Oklahoma, 60-44-5.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s time for us to pull this team together.” — Texas coach Charlie Strong on bouncing back from a 50-7 loss to second-ranked TCU.
