2010 Texas Longhorns Football Preview

2009 Results: 13-1, Lost National Championship vs. Alabama

Head Coach: Mack Brown (13th year, 128-27 @ UT, 208-96-1 Overall)

Home Venue: Texas Memorial-Darrell K. Royal Stadium (93,553), Austin, Texas

The 2009 season was one of the most fulfilling yet disappointing seasons in the history of Texas football. Under the guidance of the NCAA’s all-time leader in wins, Colt McCoy, the Longhorns completed the regular season 13-0 and played for their 2nd BCS Championship in five years. However, the season took a heartbreaking turn when McCoy got hurt on the first series of the championship game and Texas found themselves in the unenviable position of playing a true freshman quarterback (Garrett Gilbert) with the National Title on the line. Despite a brutal first half, Gilbert led the ‘Horns back to within a touchdown with less than five minutes left before falling short. Texas fans have a very strong argument that the outcome would have been completely different had McCoy played the entire game and that loss will stick with the Horn faithful for a very long time.

But the new season brings new hope to the Longhorns. While there are significant losses, especially on offense, this is a program that always reloads. With a great head coach in Mack Brown and an elite staff led by Head Coach in Waiting Will Muschamp, expectations are just as high as ever. Can the Longhorns win the Big XII Championship for the second straight season?

OFFENSE

Texas had the most productive offense in the conference last season, averaging over 39 points per contest. The biggest reason for their greatness was McCoy’s excellent passing as the running game has been disappointing in the last two seasons. However, McCoy is gone, so can the ‘Horns maintain their excellent production with a large group of new faces?

Replacing McCoy will be sophomore Gilbert, who only played extensively in the championship game last season. However, he was the #2 rated quarterback in the country in his recruiting class and was clearly the starter coming out of spring. With his obvious physical talents, I fully expect Gilbert to immediately become one of the league’s best quarterbacks. While he will make some mistakes due to inexperience, there is little doubt that he will be a very good player in 2010.

He also has a lot of talent returning in the passing game. At wideout, seniors James Kirkendoll (48 catches, 461 yards, 6 TDs) and John Chiles (34 catches, 319 yards, 3 TDs) and junior Malcolm Williams (39 catches, 550 yards, 2 TDs) are a talented trifecta. However, they will miss the production of 1 st Team All-American Jordan Shipley and there is no doubt that the other wide receivers need to step up their play this fall. If a true #1 target can emerge from this group, the Longhorn passing game might not miss a beat.

Gilbert is far less mobile than McCoy, so the running load will fall to a deep but inexperienced group of tailbacks. Sophomore Tre’ Newton (552 yard, 6 TDs) led the team in rushing as a freshman last season, senior Vondrell McGee (300 yards, 2 TDs) should be solid backup and junior fullback Cody Johnson (335 yards, 12 TDs) established himself as the go-to-guy on short yardage. With a shift to more running plays out of the I Formation, expect this group to see big increase in production this fall after underwhelming the last two years.

Finally, the O-Line is going to be retooled this season. Texas loses three multi-year starters from 2009, though none were NFL draft picks. In all honesty, that makes me wonder exactly how much the Longhorns will miss them considering the weak state of their rushing game since 2007. As always, talent is not the concern, it is the inexperience of the new starters. The good news is that seniors Kyle Hix and Michael Huey should provide plenty of veteran leadership this fall and I would not be surprised if the new generation of talented Texas linemen didn’t come through with a more productive campaign than the unit that protected McCoy en route to the National Championship Game.

Overall, I have zero doubt that the Longhorn offense will once more rank amongst the best in the Big XII. They have a deep stable of tailbacks that seems primed for a breakout campaign with a renewed focus on running the football. That should take some of the pressure off of Gilbert, who I believe will have a very productive season this fall with a great group of receivers, especially off of play action. While I don’t think that this offense will be as explosive as it was under McCoy during the last four years, there is no question that Texas will score a lot of points in 2010.

DEFENSE

The Longhorns are far more experienced across the board on defense. While the four departed starters from last season’s team were all drafted, three in the first two rounds, there is a great deal of experience and elite talent remaining. Last season (16.7 points per game allowed) produced the best defense in Austin since the 2005 National Championship campaign and future boss Muschamp is widely credited for improving a Texas defense that was quite average in the season before his arrival. Can he work his magic again and field a defense that ranks once more among the best in the country?

Amazingly, the position that Texas loses two 2nd round draft picks is also a position that will be a major strength this season: The defensive line. Senior D-Tackle Sam Acho (63 tackles, 10 sacks) will pair with massive Kheeston Randall (23 tackles, 2 sacks) to form a vicious tandem inside and they will be stalwarts against the run. While the DE position is a bit up in the air, the Longhorns have recruited some of the best linemen in the country and I have no doubt that they will reload quickly. Keep an eye on sophomore Alex Okafor (22 tackles), who played extensively as a true freshman last fall.

The linebackers also look to be an elite unit. Juniors Keenan Robinson (74 tackles, 1.5) and Emmanuel Acho (49 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT) are both excellent players that should make a lot of plays behind a great line. While the production of 4th round pick Robert Muckelroy will be missed, senior Jared Norton was granted a 6 th season after missing 2009 due to injury and should make plenty of tackles this fall after playing extensively from 2006-2008.

But Texas is also loaded at defensive back. While Earl Thomas was a 1st Team All-American and 1 st round draft pick last year, the other three starters and numerous depth players return in 2010. First of all, junior safety Blake Gideon (62 tackles, 6 INT) is a ball hawk in his own right and should be one of the best in the country. Second, Texas returns three excellent corners as seniors Curtis Brown (53 tackles, 1 INT) and Chykie Brown (48 tackles, 2 INT) will pair with junior Aaron Williams (44 tackles, 3 INT) to form a shut down aerial defense. I don’t think it is hyperbole to say that Texas might have the best secondary in the entire country.

In short, this is one of the country’s best defenses. The D-Line is full of beasts that will absolutely choke opposing running games, the linebackers are experienced and savvy and the secondary is so talented that it is almost unfair! I think that Texas has the best defense in the entire conference and should finish among the national leaders in virtually every defensive category this fall.

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SCHEDULE

The schedule isn’t particularly difficult for the Longhorns this season. Outside of Big XII play, they host Wyoming, Florida Atlantic and UCLA while playing Rice at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Needless to say, Texas will be heavily favored in every one of those games and it would be shocking if they didn’t emerge 4-0.

As for the Big XII, the ‘Horns only have three true conference road games and host rival Texas A&M this season. They also have a much easier lead up to the Red River Shootout than Oklahoma as the Sooners’ non-league schedule is significantly tougher. On the other hand, their three road games won’t be cake walks as they go to Texas Tech, Kansas State and mortal enemy Nebraska. After the offseason of expansion and dissention in the league ranks, the game against the departing Huskers might be the most charged atmosphere of any game in the country this fall. Overall, this is not a significantly challenging schedule but there are a few games that will go down among the biggest in the nation in 2010.

OUTLOOK

The Longhorns are one of the elite few in the country that never rebuild: They simply take their elite talent and reload. That exceptional talent level combined with an excellent coaching staff is why they are riding a nine season streak of winning ten or more games heading into this season. With a loaded defense and a talented offense, it seems very likely that streak will continue in 2010.

However, I am less optimistic when it comes to Texas repeating as Big XII Champions. First off, the Longhorns have the misfortune of drawing the only elite team from the North, Nebraska, while rival Oklahoma avoids the Huskers this time around. As Nebraska’s long-simmering anger towards Texas burst through this past summer as they jumped ship to the Big Ten, I fully expect that the ‘Horns will be walking into a lion’s den when they head up to Lincoln this fall. That will be a really tough game for UT to win and I’m giving the ‘W’ to the revenge-minded Huskers, who haven’t forgotten last season’s crushing 13-12 loss in the Big XII Championship Game.

That means that the Red River Shootout will mean more than usual this season, because a loss virtually eliminates the Longhorns from the division chase. After all, Oklahoma doesn’t have to go to Nebraska this year! The Sooners are also significantly improved from last season and their offense is going to be one of the best in the country. With more experience at quarterback with Landry Jones and a very good front seven, I think that Oklahoma will beat Texas for the first time since 2007 and take the South Division. That means that another ten win season is in the cards for Texas, but it also means that the Longhorns are probably going to the Holliday Bowl instead of a BCS tilt this winter. The Texas Longhorns are my choice to finish 2nd in the Big XII South Division in 2010.

PREDICTED RESULT: 10-2 (6-2 Big XII)