I just researched the efficiency ratings for both programs (Texas and Houston), and they help to further solidify my opinion about Herman being the right man for this job and Strong being the wrong one.
For those unfamiliar with efficiency ratings, they are based on the point contributions of each unit (offense, defense, special teams) to the team's scoring margin on a per-play basis. The values are adjusted for strength of schedule and for points scored during "garbage time" (based on the win probability percentage at the time the points were scored). 50 represents the average rating. For reference, the top 4 in overall team efficiency ratings this year are currently Alabama, OU, Clemson and Baylor.
In 2013 (Mack's final year), Texas had an overall ER (efficiency rating) of 66.8, which placed us 29th nationally. In other words, our ER wasn't atrocious, but it certainly was not the standard for Texas (2010 was the only other year in the last 10 years under Mack when we finished outside the top 25 in ER). Not surprisingly, the 2013 offense's ER (54.9) was dramatically lower than the defense's rating (70.2).
This year, Texas' overall ER has plummeted to 53.8, good for 63rd nationally. The offense has a rating of 42.8 and the defense has a rating of 59.4. In other words, when comparing the 2015 Strong-led Longhorns to the 2013 Mack Brown Longhorns, there has been a DOUBLE DIGIT drop in ER on offense, defense, and overall.
Now, let's look at Houston...in 2014, the Cougars had an overall ER of 45.1 (76th nationally). This included an offensive ER of 42.5, a defensive ER of 50.4, and a special teams ER of 48.1. In Herman's first year, each of the three units saw a double-digit increase in efficiency rating across the board, with the offense jumping more than 20 points to 62.8, the defense increasing to 62.5, and the special teams increasing to 59.0. Overall, this generated a jump in ER from 45.1 to 67.2, which is one of the largest single-season jumps of any program in the country.
My friends, that's what you call making a difference. Unfortunately, the only thing we seem to be making under Strong is excuses.
