Texas president Greg Fenves and athletic director Mike Perrin are probably thinking the same thing right now: It’s time for a coaching change.
Charlie Strong made that path painfully obvious with the Longhorns’ 24-21 overtime loss to a 1-9 Kansas team Saturday night. The embattled head coach’s time at Texas is likely coming to an end.
Fenves and Perrin badly wanted Strong to succeed. They respect him and believe he does things the right way. They believed he could get Texas turned around. They must know now that he can’t.
Strong seemed to recognize this, too, in his emotional and brief postgame news conference. He was asked if he knew what the loss meant for his long-term future. He said, "No, I don't. No idea." But he knows.
Moving on from Strong won’t be a painless procedure by any means. He’s worked hard and recruited well. His players love him. And he’s owed a $10 million buyout. But at least now Texas leadership can move swiftly with some peace of mind that they’re doing what must be done.
Because Texas cannot lose to Kansas. Texas hasn’t lost to Kansas since 1938. And Texas, 23-point favorites this time around, needed to beat Kansas to clinch a bowl bid. The Longhorns knew exactly what was at stake. And they blew it.
There’s no need to dive deep into the particulars of Strong’s 20th loss at Texas, because we’ll really remember this night only for the utter astonishment and the unthinkable numbers.
D'Onta Foreman, Strong’s Heisman-candidate running back, carried the ball 51 times. He ran for 250 yards. He fumbled twice. The Longhorns had six turnovers, the final one an interception by freshman quarterback Shane Buechele in overtime.
A close game that unraveled on late, costly mistakes is nothing new for Strong and the Longhorns. He's now lost 10 games by one-score margins. And the other 10 were blowouts by 18 points or worse. Victories over Notre Dame, Baylor and Oklahoma in the past two seasons inspired hope. Losses at Iowa State and now at Kansas were brutal reality checks.
Strong restocked the cupboards with talent at Texas. He assembled a group of good, young players. He found a quarterback. This season, Strong needed to prove he was the coach capable of winning big with those players. The bar after 6-7 and 5-7 seasons wasn’t even that high; eight wins would’ve been plenty. He couldn’t reach it.
Texas’ president and AD almost certainly have to go all-in on Houston coach Tom Herman now, offering him anything he wants in the belief Herman can take this team to that next level.
There’s a good chance Fenves and Perrin might’ve arrived at that conclusion anyway, even if Texas had survived in Lawrence, Kansas, on Saturday. But Kansas 24, Texas 21 is a rock-bottom moment for the program, one that shatters any belief Strong can still save the day.
Change appears to be coming in Austin, and it'll be tough for all involved. But there's no other choice.
About the Author
0 comments: