We’re 41 days from the biggest opening game in the last quarter-century for the Texas Longhorns.
That’s not a hyperbole, it’s fact.
Not since the Longhorns took on child abuse enabler Joe Paterno and his Nittany Lions in State College back in 1990 in what would turn out to be the “Shock The Nation” campaign has the Texas program played in a season-opening game of this magnitude and with this much on the line. Just like Charlie Strong, former Texas head coach David McWilliams entered the season with his job hanging in the balance after posting a 16-18 record in his first three seasons as coach and the result of that season-opener against Paterno and Co. would either serve as a springboard or a hangman’s noose.
Of course, the Longhorns won that game, had a historically memorable season and then watched McWilliams give all of the goodwill away in his final season a year later when the Longhorns went 5-6. Who knows? Maybe history will show that the importance of this game was overplayed, but there’s no questioning the optics of this game entering the season.
Only once in the last two decades has Texas even played a ranked team to open the season and that was last season’s disaster in South Bend, so it’s not like there’s a crowded competition in this discussion. Yet, more than the ranked opponent are the stakes involved in this one.
Everyone knows that Strong has failed in his first two seasons. F-A-I-L-E-D.
“There is no reason for us to go 6-7 and 5-7,” Strong said this week in Dallas on Tuesday of the Big 12 Media Days.
Strong knows. This isn’t rocket science.
While Strong might not be coaching for his job this season, he is coaching for the right to control the narrative moving forward. If he skates by with another .500ish record this season, he’ll return for another year because of the $10 million left on his contract as much as any other reason and every recruit in the nation will know that he’s walking on thin ice.
All of the recruiting momentum Strong and his staff have cultivated in the last 18 months has a chance to turn sideways if real progress on the field isn’t made this season and that starts with the game against the Irish. With games in Stillwater against Oklahoma State and in Dallas against Oklahoma lurking in the next four games, it’s critically important that Texas gets off to a good start this season so the negative narratives stay grounded in the dungeons from which they come.
With the Marvin Wilsons of the world watching intently, Strong’s program has a chance to shoot itself into the stratosphere with a win. Win that game, win one of two against the Oklahoma schools and a 4-1 record in the first five games of the season would likely see Strong’s rear end removed from the hot seat.
In a 12-game season, some games matter more than others and I can make the case that the Notre Dame game ranks as the most important game of Strong's coaching career to date. On paper, he’ll have a team that should be able to stand toe to toe with the Irish in a way that it never could a season ago.
With less than six weeks to go until kickoff, the size of the stakes involved seem to get bigger with every passing day. The program might be stocked with some of the best young talent that it has seen in its history and Strong deserves an immense amount of credit for that truth, but at some point the apologies have to stop and the program-lifting wins into the stratosphere have to begin.
Go ahead and buckle your seat belts now because one way or another, what happens in 41 days is going to send us on a ride.
As far as season-openers go, it’s kind of a big deal.
No. 2 – Breakdown: Under the Lights a solid success ...
In the days of Mack Brown, the Orangebloods universe would have melted down over the fact that the Longhorns didn’t come away with any commitments from their biggest recruiting event of the year, partly because under Brown we were all conditioned to believe that such things mattered.
Optics were critically important. Public perception mattered more than nailing evaluations. Comparing recruiting scoreboards against Texas A&M would have been the story of the day.
Well, Charlie Strong doesn’t care about your old, conventional recruiting prisms and the results of the last two recruiting classes are the biggest examples why events like the one that took place in Austin on Saturday night can be successes without all of those things that Mack used to crave. Strong doesn’t care if he lands a commitment in July because that means he has to babysit him for the next seven months and I didn’t get the sense that anything A&M was doing on the same day mattered to Strong at all.
Charlie’s way in recruiting works and when viewing the event through his non-conventional prism, there are a number of reasons to feel very good about the night … commitments be damned.
1. Getting Kennedale (2017) linebacker Baron Browning back on campus, along with Plano East linebacker Anthony Hines and top 2017 defensive end targets Taquon Graham and Ondario Robinson was a big deal. You’re talking about the top two in-state linebackers and defensive ends on the Texas recruiting board returning to your school for another visit, so they can take in the family atmosphere of the program and all that goes along with it. Everything about Strong’s plans in recruiting is connected to planting seeds that will develop and grow in January and February. Given the importance of all four players, getting them on campus one more time before the season starts was a major positive development.
2. Along the same line of thinking, the Longhorns planted seeds with a number of four-star talents from the 2018 class, including the four in-state players from the class that received scholarship offers on Saturday night. South Grand Prairie DB Atanza Vongor, Cibolo Steele DB Caden Sterns, Marshall OL Chasen Hines and San Antonio Marshall WR Stanley Lambert all received offers and seemed to enjoy themselves quite a bit … which was largely the point of having them there in the first place. Mission accomplished.
3. The participation of so many members of the 2015 and 2016 recruiting classes, whether we’re talking about Malik Jefferson or newcomers Patrick Hudson/Devin Duvernay or frankly any number of players was a perfect display of the program that Strong is building and you better believe that all of the 2017 and 2018 prospect on hand noticed.
Perhaps it wasn’t a flashy success, but it was a success, nonetheless.
No. 3 – A kicker falls from the sky to answer UT’s prayers ...
Who cares how it happened?
Who cares if Les Miles airballed a free-throw with his own place-kicking situation?
The only thing that matters is that hours ago, the place-kicking situation at Texas was a major question mark heading into the 2016 season and after Sunday, the Longhorns have a 2015 Lou Groza Award Semifinalist handling the duties. In the blink of an eye, a profound weakness is now a strength for Charlie Strong’s football team.
In addition to being near automatic last season between 30-49 yards as a place-kicker, Trent Domingue can also handle kickoffs and fake field goals if needed.
Honestly, for Charlie Strong, this is a dream come true. When he puts his head on his pillow on the eve of the Notre Dame game, the ability to call on someone to convert a 40-yard field goal in front of 100,000 people will be among the least of his concerns. He’s got a guy who has made one from that distance at Alabama. He also suddenly has someone who prevented a run-back on more than half of his kickoffs in the 2014 season.
Oh, and about those fake field goals … enjoy.
No. 4 – Things little birdies tell me ...
Here’s a smattering things I’ve heard in the last week regarding the Texas program ...
1. Former Baylor signee Patrick Hudson continues to be the most talked-about freshman in the program. “I wish all of our linemen looked like him,” one source said this week.
2. A former NFL/Longhorns player told me this week that Collin Johnson has been the most impressive receiver he’s seen in offseason workouts this summer.
3. The same former NFL/Longhorns player told me that Davante Davis is a three-year college player. “He’s a little different than the rest of the guys they have. Tell Orangebloods to enjoy him now.”
4. Another former player told me this week that expectations for the incoming freshmen defensive tackles should be tempered quite a bit for this season. “I don’t really see anyone like Patrick Hudson (in the group),” the source said.
5. Don’t expect any movement on the school hiring a new athletic director until 2017. It’s not anything specific that anyone told me, it’s just a vibe I’m picking up. I don’t expect to see progress towards a full-time hire until after the football season.
No. 5 – Scattershooting on the Longhorns ...
… I don’t want to say that Malik Jefferson is the team’s lead recruiter for Kennedale five-star linebacker Baron Browning, but if he’s not, he’s not far behind. There can be little question who Browning’s host will be when he takes his official visit.
… The most under-the-radar important player to the 2016 season is sophomore defensive end Charles Omenihu. His play in the spring and work in the weight room give hope that he has a chance to be an impact player at end this season and if he doesn’t emerge, I’m not sure the Longhorns have an impact player at a position in which they so desperately need one.
… Getting Houston Lamar defensive back Anthony Cook on campus this weekend was another major win for the football program, especially when you consider he was the highest-rated 2018 prospect to compete at the camp (ranked No. 6 on the 2018 LSR).
… Prediction: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, unless this season turns upside down on its head, the Longhorns are going to get Temple defensive end Taquan Graham and Plano East linebacker Anthony Hines.
… If Shane Buechele doesn’t take off this season as the starter, I don’t think Charlie Strong will have any reservations about throwing Sam Ehlinger into the mix next season. Strong loves him some Ehlinger.
No. 6 – My nit-pickest nit-pick of the week …
I thought Charlie Strong missed a chance to fully promote his program this week by not having Malik Jefferson at Big 12 Media days. The program has no better ambassador, no better leader, no better player and no more interesting figure than Jefferson and it took three guys who aren’t in his ballpark in any capacity.
I know … I know … I know … stop nit-picking!
No. 7 – Buy or sell …
(As always, all of these questions were submitted by actual Orangebloods subscribers.)
BUY or SELL: Texas wins at least one extra game with the addition of LSU grad transfer kicker?
(Sell) I’m not sure I look at the schedule quite like that, but the good news is that Texas might not lose a game it would have otherwise won because of the kicking position.
BUY or SELL: The Big 12 expands, new members only get a fraction of the money, the others rake in the rest and a few teams (UT included) bolt at the end of the GOR?
(Buy) That’s exactly how I see it going down.
BUY or SELL: Texas will sneak into the top 25 some time during the season?
(Buy) I spent about five minutes thinking about this question and I’m very much on the fence. A win over the Irish gets Texas there pretty quickly.
BUY or SELL: UH gets into the Big 12?
(Sell) It’s going to take eight of 10 schools to vote yes and I believe there are enough schools in the conference that believe the league is already too saturated with Texas schools and doesn’t need a roadblock into Houston high schools in recruiting.
BUY or SELL: Colin Cowherd is wrong about Texas not being in "Tier 1" of the Top 6 college programs?
(Buy) Texas is first all-time in money, third in all-time wins, has played in two national title games in the last 11 seasons, has its own network and plays in one of the top three talent-beds in the nation.
BUY or SELL: With only two weeks to go, Erick Fowler is in a Texas Longhorn practice uniform on the first day of Fall camp.
(Buy) I’m all-in at this point.
BUY or SELL: While not ideal personally, the fact that you are not doing radio for the time being will be a plus for OB?
(Buy) The middle part of every day of the week for the last eight years has been hijacked by radio and suddenly that time belongs to Orangebloods, exclusively. That’s a major win for OB.
BUY or SELL: You stick strictly to OB and don't do anymore radio ....... for-ev-er?
(Sell) Forever is a long time.
No. 8 – Well done, Shaka …
Although winning gold at the FIBA Americas U18 was expected, leading the team to an undefeated record and a championship win over fellow undefeated Canada on Saturday night was still a win/win situation for second-year Texas coach Shaka Smart.
Not only did Smart get a chance to work with a couple future Longhorns in a competitive setting, but these types of events are perfect for promoting his profile on a national stage.
Still, let’s not kid ourselves. Spending a few weeks with James Banks and Jarrett Allen this summer is a pretty significant development when you consider the need for both to come in and make an immediate impact this season. Before having them in a team setting with the rest of his players, Smart has had a chance to coach both kids hard, while also building them up through the experience and environment.
Bottom line - this was a good week for Texas basketball.
No. 9 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
… I’m trying to pretend that the Chris Sale story in Chicago doesn’t even exist.
… Ken Griffey Jr. being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday is the most natural and obvious thing that has ever happened in this world. Yes, I still have his Upper Deck rookie card in a glass protector somewhere.
… I have no opinion yet on the Ezekiel Elliott situation with his ex-girlfriend, but it’s uncomfortable on a lot of levels. No matter what the investigators decide, I would suggest a restraining order between the two is needed.
… Stop slapping dudes, Draymond Green. You’ve got stuff to lose.
… Kevin Durant was booed when introduced before the Olympic team’s match-up with Argentina. Man, this year is either going to break him or take him to new heights. I can’t wait to see how he responds.
… Remember when we wanted to watch Holly Holm? OK, remember when some folks wanted to see Holly Hiolm? Yeah, 0-2 since that win over Ronda changed all that really fast.
No. 10 - And finally …
I think I might go see a movie today at 1 p.m.
