NCAA College Football Preview: Texas Longhorns
In his 12 seasons as head coach of the Texas Longhorns football program, Mack Brown has led his team to top 25 finishes every year (including six top 10 finishes). As he enters his 13th season as head coach, Brown has every reason to believe his team can continue their tremendous success and his Longhorns are strong candidates to play in the National Championship game.
The National Championship game is a destination not unfamiliar to the Longhorns. The 2009 runner-ups went undefeated until losing to Alabama in the championship game. They have lost a good deal of talent on both sides of the ball from that squad, but coach Brown and company have done a good job recruiting to fill those holes.
The biggest hit for Texas from last year to this year is the departure of quarterback Colt McCoy, college football betting odds star to the NFL. Over his four years with the team, McCoy won more games (45) than any quarterback in NCAA Division I history.
Fortunately for the Longhorns, they will be replacing Colt McCoy with a quarterback who already has experience on college football’s biggest stage. Garrett Gilbert was McCoy’s replacement when he was injured in the first half of the 2010 BCS National Championship game. Although his stat line wasn’t great (15-40, 186 yards, two TDs, four INTs), he showed poise for his age and should benefit from that experience.
Texas’s defense, which was ranked third nationally in total defense in 2009, lost some key defenders in April’s draft. Defensive end Sam Acho will be back after recording nine sacks in his junior season. Texas boasts arguably the best secondary in the nation, with CBs Chykie Brown, Curtis Brown and Aaron Williams.
The consistently brutal Big 12 will make it anything but easy for Texas to repeat as conference champs. Key matchups include September 18 at Texas Tech, October 2 versus Oklahoma, October 16 at Nebraska (a rematch of the 2009 Big 12 Championship Game), and November 25 versus Texas A&M.
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