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Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

College Football Preview: No. 25 Texas

Joey Kaufman |
June 26, 2011 | 10:27 p.m. PDT

Contributing Writer

(Neon Tommy will be previewing the 2011 College Football Season throughout the summer. You can find links to each of our Top 25 previews here. Our first preview is of the team ranked 25th, the Texas Longhorns.)

Head Coach Mack Brown looks to lead Texas back to the postseason. (Andreanna via Wikimedia Commons)
Head Coach Mack Brown looks to lead Texas back to the postseason. (Andreanna via Wikimedia Commons)

Head Coach:

Mack Brown (219-108 career, 27 years)

Texas' 2010 season: 

5-7 overall, 2-6 in Big 12 play

Offensive Analysis:

-- Six returning starters

-- Impact Players - QB Garrett Gilbert, RB Foswhitt Whittaker, C David Snow

-- Key 2010 Stat - 23.8 points per game (10th in Big 12, 88th nationally)

You can talk about stats all you want. You can talk about points per game. You can talk about passing efficiency. You can talk about third-down conversion rates.

But one glaring number trumps them all: five. A season ago, Texas won a mere five games - its lowest total since the 1997 season, when John Mackovic paced the sidelines in Austin. It was coach Mack Brown's first losing season since 1989. It was unquestionably a steep drop-off for a program that had just appeared in the BCS title game the year prior. As a result, 13-year offensive coordinator Greg Davis resigned in December, and offensive line coach Mac McWhorter opted for retirement.

Brown, in the hopes of rejuvenating one of the Big 12's most dismal offenses in 2010, installed running backs coach Major Applewhite and former Boise State offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin as co-offensive coordinators. In guiding the Broncos to a 12-win campaign in 2010, Harsin's offense finished first nationally in scoring and total offense with 45.1 points per game and 521.3 yards per game.

The hope is that offensive prowess will rub off on the Longhorns, particularly on junior quarterback Garrett Gilbert, who threw 17 interceptions and just 10 touchdowns last season. Many anticipate Gilbert, who maintained his grip on the starting role despite pressure from redshirt freshman Connor Wood in the spring, to have some sort of a bounce back season in 2011. However, Gilbert doesn't have a ton of playmakers to work with outside of sophomore wideout Mike Davis, who finished with 478 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 2010.

Defensive Analysis:

-- Six returning starters

-- Impact Players - MLB Keenan Robinson, OLB Emmanual Acho, S Kenny Vaccaro

-- Key 2010 Stat - 300.2 yards allowed per game (first in Big 12, sixth nationally)

Despite all the criticism from a season ago, despite all the obituaries, the Longhorns' defense was rather formidable. But as with the offense, the defense has undergone some changes on the coaching staff after defensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp left to become the head coach at Florida.

In his place, 37-year-old Manny Diaz, formerly of Mississippi State, takes over to run things on the defensive side of the ball. The change does not warrant a makeover, though, as the Longhorns finished sixth nationally in total defense and return their top two tacklers in linebackers Keenan Robinson (113 tackles) and Emmanual Acho (87). Robinson and Acho make up a stifling linebacker core, along with sophomore Jordan Hicks, who will start full-time in 2011.

While the secondary is not expected to experience much of a dropoff, the defensive line remains problematic to some degree. The Longhorns must replace their top two pass-rushing defensive ends in Sam Acho and Eddie Jones, who finished with nine and six sacks respectively in 2010. If they can do as much with sophomore Jackson Jeffcoat and junior Alex Okafor starting at both ends, UT should not anticipate a serious drop in production.

Strength:

The defense should carry the Longhorns in 2011, but the schedule should provide a lift, at least early on in the season. With an all-important Red River Rivalry contest against preseason No. 1 favorite Oklahoma scheduled for Oct. 8 in Dallas, Texas gets a chance to break in its offense early with games against Rice, BYU, UCLA and Iowa State in the initial weeks. UT should be favored in those four contests.

Area of Concern:

Continuity. The Longhorns have a new offensive coordinator, two actually. A new defensive coordinator. A new special teams coordinator. New position coaches. Three new starters on the offensive line. A new punter. As a result, there could be some growing pains early on. With all that said, there is no guarantee that some of the returners such as Gilbert, who arrived in 2009 as a five-star quarterback recruit, actually live up to the hype. If he struggles, UT could have a quarterback controversy brewing.

Final Thoughts:

You might hear the word "reinvent" a few times this summer in regards to Texas, which is looking to bounce back after its sub-.500 finish a year ago, losing five of its final six games. If the Longhorns can find some consistency on offense and avoid turnovers (it had a -12 TO margin in 2010, 116th in the nation), they have a chance to win 8-9 games, get back on track and possibly end up in a New Year's Day bowl game.

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Joey Kaufman is the sports editor for the Daily Trojan. You can follow Joey on Twitter, or contact him by email.



 

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