40 Acres Sports

Mack Brown fired Manny Diaz to try to fix the defense. So… now what?

This is the second time in less than a year that you will not see the normal WTH article this week. The loss to Ole Miss 44 – 23 is another step in the decline of the program. The first time I did not write a weekly WTH article was after the shellacking by OU last year. I need to explain why I am not writing my usual article, and I also want to tackle the coaching situation at UT.

The reason that I did not give a moment by moment account is because I left the game after the third quarter when Ole Miss took a punt to the house to make the score 37 – 23. I did not know what was going to happen next, but I assumed that the team had given up any hope of winning and so did I. You have every right to rip me for not staying until the end of the game to sing the “Eyes of Texas” win or lose. To let you know my track record, I have never left a game (season ticket holder) win or lose except for one other time. I left at halftime of the 66 – 3 rout by UCLA. The 1997 season was John Mackovic’s last year when the team went 4-7. I have the same feelings now as I did 16 years ago about this team and their head coach. I will continue to support the team by attending and cheering the Longhorns at the very next game. At that moment when Ole Miss went up two scores, I felt the only real message I could send to the administration, coaches and the media is to leave the game and have them see the empty seat. I hope the message that was interpreted from the empty seats was this is not the type of effort or standard to be played at DKR. I can deal with losing to a better team or the team having an off day. This team has lost its edge and confidence in the present coaching staff. The fan base has a sense of apathy towards this team and its coaching staff which is deadly for a program. I welcome your thoughts if I totally missed the mark on my exit.

In regards to the coaching situation at Texas, Coach Mack Brown has eliminated any chance of getting another good assistant coach to ever come here because of what he did by firing (excuse me… reassigning) Manny Diaz. I am not going to argue the point if he should have gone or not, but no self-respecting coach is going to be on a program that has no stability and is not a cohesive group. I have to imagine that the other coaches are getting their resume together because they know that Mack is not long for this job. I will be totally shocked if Mack Brown does not step down after this season. My biggest concern is that the Regents, President Powell, and the new Athletic Director try keep all the assistants together by hiring Major Applewhite to coach this team. We all understand that change is evident, but do not try to lessen the change in order to keep the status quo.

I hope they clean house and return an edge to the program that is lacking. Oh yeah, the edge should come from the Head Coach not the assistants or the star players.

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against BYU.

QB David Ash was hounded and pounded by the BYU defense all game long

1st Quarter (15:00) WTH Lightning?! Is it me or did every college football game have a weather delay. Just wish Mother Nature would have made this game unplayable. Texas handled that part of the plan pretty well.

1st Quarter (5:04) WTH 3 & OUT?! How many of these do want to start in a game? (three consecutive 3 & out) Did anyone tell the offensive coaching staff that there were second string defensive backs in the game?

2nd Quarter (9:30) WTH Special?! Texas you are on the road. The defense just stopped the BYU offense. Texas you are ahead in the game 14-10. Why did you call for a blocked punt? Stupid is as stupid does. Three plays later after the roughing the punter penalty, BYU goes up for good.

2nd Quarter (7:26) WTH Stat Line of the game?! 6 plays (includes the punt), -5 yards of offense and 22 seconds of possession time. Welcome to the up tempo offense we were promised.

Halftime (:00) WTH Charmin?! ESPN halftime crew back in Bristol was dying to say it on television. The Longhorns are “SOFT”. I think the Big Blue Stop Sign that showed up on 3rd down affected the Longhorn offense.

3rd Quarter (9:57) WTH Manny?! I can still hear Mack Brown yelling at Coach Diaz about getting the defense to stop their quarterback. QB Taysom Hill of BYU ended up with 259 rushing yards & 3 TD’s.

3rd Quarter (:00) WTH Gashed?! The most rushing yards ever given up by a Texas defense which was 550 yards and they gave it up before the fourth quarter ever started. I predict that Lee Corso will never pick the Longhorns to win the rest of the season. Guess my prediction for the season is in grave jeopardy.

4th Quarter (15:00) WTH Luke Bryan?! ESPN chose to open the fourth quarter with a Luke Bryan country song. They should have used the song “Wasting Bullets!”

Next up for the Longhorns is a game at home against the Ole Miss Rebels on September 14th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

Many fans want the head coach, Mack Brown, to step down at the end of the season. The 2011 turnaround was ushered in with a host of new coaches and a rejuvenated Mack Brown. This 2012 season is under scrutiny because of the horrible loss against OU, the lack of defensive presence and the perceived lack of fight with this team. Mack will eventually leave, but he plans to stay as long as he can while posting winning campaigns. (what is a winning campaign?) Mack Brown says that he has the support of the administration, the athletic department and most of all the big money boosters. Problem is that the people that need to work on this situation may not be on the 40 acres right now. Mack Brown will be the head coach at least until after 2014 season. Let me count the ways:

DeLoss Dodds – Will not end the Mack Brown era because he wants to end his legacy with hiring the second greatest coach in the program history. DeLoss has a $1 million buyout that goes into effect after August 2014. The next AD, which will not be Mack Brown, will have to make the call on the next coach.

Big Money Booster – Will not fire Mack Brown because of all the relationship building and the good will that he has established. They want Mack to retire when he is ready. The word around the program is that the 2013 season is supposed to be the year for a BCS trip for the Horns. A total collapse (another 5-7 season) is the only scenario for them to act.

President Powers & the Regents – Read the latest edition of Texas Monthly and you will see that these two entities have plenty to deal with that has nothing to do with football.

Longhorn Network – This entity does not have control over the coaching decision, but they can certainly influence it. The network would not be here unless Mack Brown was present. Even though, the coach is quick to criticize the amount of time he spends with LHN.

Mack Brown – He is too much of a competitor to leave the ship. He wants to fix this more than anyone, but unfortunately his desire to go out on top may further erode the program. The spirit is willing for Mack but the flesh is weak which means he does not have the energy to reach the high standards that he has set to turn this program around.

Side Note: If Gene Chizik is fired from Auburn, get ready for him to join the defensive staff to try and correct the ills that many people blame Manny Diaz.

I agree with every one that says if you are going to point out the problem you better have a solution. Everyone has names that they want to throw out. I have to give credit to my friend Country Ham that came up with this coach as we were brain storming for a possible candidate for next year or more likely in 2014 if the luster has not left this coach. My suggestion is Dan Mullen who is the head coach for Mississippi State Bulldogs. He has a .622 winning percentage in the SEC over the past four years. He currently has an undefeated team which he will eventually secure his third winning season at MSU. The 40 year old coach will bring the edge, youth and program selling approach like Mack. He has a no nonsense approach with the media, and I think he would gravitate to the big stage which includes LHN. Mack has set the tone by recruiting coaches from the SEC, and Dan Mullen fits right into that direction. Dan does have credibility with 2 National Championship rings and comes from the Urban Meyer coaching tree if that does anything for you.

Mack will eventually leave because he will not want to pass Darrell Royal’s all time record for wins which is at 167. (Mack has 142 wins to date). The biggest issue is where is the program headed more than what is Mack Brown want to do.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on Twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas game against the Baylor Bears.

QB David Ash had a solid performance for the Longhorns against Baylor.

1st Quarter (14:43) WTH Lighting?! Mack Brown needed a quick start to avoid most of the 101,353 fans turning on him and the team. Well, Daje Johnson took care of that with an electrifying 84 yard touchdown run on the FIRST play of the game.

1st Quarter (2:42) WTH Williams?! The Big XII leading receiver took the defense to task especially on a simple stop and go for an 80 yard touchdown to give the Bears their first lead of the game. Manny Diaz does this count as an explosive play?

1st Quarter (0:00) WTH Students?! Well, if you ever wondered where the student section is at DKR, you found out before the 2nd quarter. All the students broke out black Livestrong shirts to support the 15th anniversary of the organization. It’s interesting the salute with all that is swirling around Lance.

2nd Quarter (6:18) WTH 50 Shades?! Could not pass up the chance to report on the first touchdown of the season for one Johnathan Gray. He put a move on safety Sam Hall that left the defenders clothes on the ground. At this point in the game, BU Coach Phil Bennett and Manny Diaz were getting ready to work on their resume at halftime.

3rd Quarter (12:55) WTH Okafor?! Alex Okafor called out the defense to play tougher after last week’s game. He needed to be called out for a crucial offside on fourth down that would have ended the Baylor touchdown drive.

3rd Quarter (6:31) WTH Black Swan?! The highlight of the night on the Godzillatron and the television broadcast was a shot of Natalie Portman. Wonder why she was there… who cares!

3rd Quarter (5:56) WTH Sooners?! OU fans in the stands wearing a Beat Texas shirt. Looks like these two guys forgot that the Red River Rivalry was last week in Dallas. Longhorn fans are still trying to forget.

3rd Quarter (2:17) WTH Mad Hatter?! Art Briles threw his ball cap so high in the air in disgust over the late Texas timeout on fourth down that WR Tevin Reese had plenty of time to make the fair catch signal when he caught his hat.

4th Quarter (2:34) WTH Mulligan?! The head referee announced to the crowd that Texas would get a “Do Over” to match up with the substitutions that Baylor was implementing. Mack Brown hopes next time a “King’s X” will be called when he needs to surrender.

Next up for the Longhorns is a trip to Kansas to play the Jayhawks on October 27th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at @40AcresSports or follow me at @Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Tigers.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH SEC?! Hey SEC… did you really get a look at what you just invited to the party. A stadium that has a hill set aside for MU Fans to lay blankets and pillows to watch a game?! Did you ever think that an SEC team is now going to have to play a game in the snow with this group?

1st Quarter (13:11) WTH Acho?! Clearly the leader of the defense, Emmanuel Acho, came up with a momentum changing turnover to stop a possible opening score. Acho lead the team in tackles with 12. He is one player that Manny Diaz cannot afford to lose.

1st Quarter (10:30) WTH Turning Point One?! Fozzy Whittaker was the only real option at running back with Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron nursing injuries. Captain America, Superman, MVP, whatever you want to call him; went down with a season ending injury on the 6th offensive play of the game. The emotional leader of the offense was helped off the field as well as any semblance of a running game left with him. A true warrior!

2nd Quarter (8:55) WTH Turf?! Missouri, I understand that your stadium needs to add some seats for the invasions of the SEC rednecks. You may want to improve your turf while you’re at it since your number one running back Henry Josey sustained a season ending knee injury. You claim MU that you are getting more money by moving to the SEC. Spend it wisely!

2nd Quarter (5:02) WTH Turning Point Two?! Are we moving closer to touch football? Kenny Vaccaro had the hit of the game that any coach would be proud to show his team. The refs thought he was headhunting and threw the flag. The next play the Tigers ran over the deflated Horns defense for a 35 yard score.

3rd Quarter (3:31) WTH Special?! There is nothing special about a MU punt block earlier in the quarter which led to a field goal. But when the Horns came back with their own punt block, this turned into less of a score with a safety. I guess Murphy was on the Horns sideline because everything went wrong with this game.

End of the Game WTH Scribes?! Score one for the Sportswriters school of choice which is Missouri. MU can revel in the fact that they beat the evil empire and the LHN before they go to the SEC. Good luck boys, you are going to need it. I guess the homely girl can score every once in a while.

Next up for the Longhorns are the Wildcats of Kansas State visiting Austin at 7PM on November 19th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!

WTH?! (What the Heck?) moments are attempts to find the memorable and the off-beat perspective on Longhorns sports. Here are some interesting moments from the Texas’ game against the Sooners.

Pre-Game (15:00) WTH Defer?! Is it me or do we lack that killer instinct? What a great opportunity to take a young team and attack on offensive first after winning the coin toss. Horns chose to defer to the second half. I will defer to the 96,000 plus in attendance, but I believe no one liked the choice of shirt by Mack Brown with the Longhorn on the pocket.

1st Quarter (9:30) WTH McCoy?! This would be the first of many turnovers for the Longhorns. A sack and subsequent fumble by Case McCoy was later turned into an OU field goal. I guess Case forgot his horseshoe. Great job by the defense to bend but not break in the first quarter, but that was about the change quickly.

2nd Quarter (15:00) WTH Diaz?! Understand that you were trying to play coverage most of the day, but there were no blitzes of memory that were up the middle to disrupt the timing of Landry Jones. An easy lob over the UT defense to Kenny (crazy hair) Stills was a sign of bad things to come to start the second quarter.

2nd Quarter (2:50) WTH Ash?! The Horns are a young team… young team… young team (trying to justify the mistakes). I just wish they had not made a whole season’s worth in one game. David Ash was trying to make something happen by throwing across his body to the waiting arms of OU Demontre Hurst who rambled 55 yards for the first of three defensive touchdowns to establish the Red River Rout.

2nd Quarter (2:38) WTH Cap’n America?! One of the few bright spots was Fozzy Whittaker (aka Captain America) 100 yard kickoff return to bring the north side of the stadium to its feet. Thanks Fozzy for the highlight.

2nd Quarter (:31) WTH Dagger?! After the kickoff return by Fozzy, the OU offense dialed up a quick 8 play drive to the end zone to retake the mojo for a 34-10 lead into halftime.

This year's OU game quickly slipped away from Mike Davis and Texas.

3rd Quarter (8:12) WTH One Play?! I have heard of offensive efficiency but this is ridiculous. OU Dominic Whaley takes the hand off at its own 36 and is never touched for a 64 yard touchdown. I guess every play is drawn up to score… this one did.

4th Quarter (12:29) WTH Davis?! I am sorry kid but I am going to have to bust you on this one. The OU defensive back rips the ball away from Mike Davis and takes it 56 yards to the house. I thought our problem was not catching the ball, now we have to hope you hold on to it?!

Next up for the Longhorns are the Cowboys as they host to Oklahoma State for the game on Oct. 15th.

Thanks for following my WTH articles throughout the season. I appreciate the opportunity to rant about the greatest University sports program in the country. You can continue to follow comments on all of UT sports on twitter at 40AcresSports or follow me at Horns1991. HOOK EM!!