I have no doubt that Mora was in the running, but I'm just as confident that he didn't get the job. Ignoring Texas vs. UCLA as schools/football programs, I don't believe that he turned down $5 million (or more since he was presumably above Strong in the pecking order) for ~$3 million to stay at UCLA just so his dad could make it to home games. Doesn't pass the smell test. I'm thinking this is taking advantage of some good press in a fertile recruiting ground the week of a game in said fertile recruiting ground.
I think it is safe to say Strong has 3 years to turn the program into a winner. He won't get more than that at Texas. If this season turns into a nightmare and next year as well then I wouldn't be surprised if he is forced out after 2. I hope things get righted this season but Strong making comments calling out the players for "not being mentally prepared" was really weak. It's his job to make them mentally prepared (whatever that means). I don't think anyone who watched that game thought the players weren't ready to play. Bad O line, inexperienced and possibly not that talented a QB and very little WR depth. Really weak move IMO. I can't imagine the players appreciate it after running until there was blood in their urine this offseason but got to get dem boys in line! Good for nothing entitled brats!
The fact that A&M passed up Texas as the top program in the state only puts that much more pressure on him as well.
Yeah, a team about 90 miles to the north and west on 6 may have a little something to say about that.
That's actually worse. 2 teams in Texas ahead of Texas. 3 if you count OU. Which you should. 4 if you count LSU. Which you should not.
What is the definition of passing up? An extremely short-term view of W-L record during the first season of a new coach inheriting an unmitigated disaster? Then, sure, we've been passed up. Otherwise, lol.
I agree. It's short term. But as someone who was "passed up" recently by Texas Tech, TCU, etc... for a period of time - it definitely isn't fun and begins to hurt the perception of the program. If it takes another 2-3 years... it's just not a fun spot to be in.
That's fair. There haven't been many college football teams/programs that have avoided ol' man cyclicality, so history isn't on Texas' or Strong's side to turn it around in 2-3 years even. My guess is that he does, but who the hell knows.
UCLA 41 Texas 16 I just don't see how Texas can move the ball with a horrible offensive line going against UCLA's front seven. The defense will eventually break down, and Hundley will help UCLA pull away.
Given UCLA's struggles against the likes of Virginia and Memphis, I think Texas will put up a better fight than that. I don't think they'll win, but I don't think it'll be a blowout.
Why not? You have previously posted the same question. You citied Auburn as an example of a time a coach can come in and have a very quick turnaround. A&M is another example and I know there are others within the last few years. Sumlin is a great example. Do you really feel like you knew the ins and outs of all those other teams and can definitively say they were in a way better position than UT? This team was a win away from the big 12 championship and I am very confident that they would have won it if Gray didn't go down and miss the last 2 games. The idea that the program is garbage is an idea that Strong has perpetuated in the fan base in order to give himself more time and to allow him to kick off would be starters. He kicked most of them off for violating his rules and not for legal troubles. Peoples' expectations should be higher. I really really don't like the way he treats players. Blaming them after a loss for not being ready is really weak. That was his fault if it was true especially if it's the 2nd game of the season. I have no idea why any high school guy would want to play for him. For those of you who feel like these kids are entitled and they need to be roughed up: You are out of touch with college football. Fine. You have your boot camp and your 7 win seasons. Winning matters and nothing else. Mack created the expectation for himself for 10 win seasons because of his string of them (9: the most in the country at one point) and that expectation should extend to Strong. I'm not saying Mack should have been kept. Stong was a consolation hire. I doubt it was in the top 5 of the wish list. It will be on Patterson if it doesn't work out. Mack's statement about UT: http://texas.247sports.com/Bolt/Mac...ck-on-track-start-winning-some-games-31120806
Oh - immediate turnarounds are absolutely possible in general. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. But in Texas' case, you shouldn't expect it for two reasons: 1. Charlie Strong is not that type of coach. He wasn't my first choice, and I have lots of questions about his coaching ability, but I do love everything about the process Patterson used in hiring him and everything he's doing. It's all very necessary; that said, I have no idea if it will work because I don't know how good he is at the coaching part. The programs that do immediate turnarounds tend to be offensive scheme-related. They bring a crazy system in that can create immediate results. Strong is a far more conservative "build it slowly" coach. He's not terribly innovative and he didn't hire innovative offensive coaches. 2. The problems in the program run very deep - there was a culture problem from the AD to the coaches to the players. A sense of arrogance, entitlement, lack of work ethic, etc. There has been lots of info about this. Diggs and some others talked about it in the offseason and just mentioned it again this week - that people STILL haven't bought into the concept of hard work, etc. Unfortunately, the reality is that it may take some time to work that out of the system by getting new players that believe in what Strong is doing. I knew the foundation was bad, but I think I underestimated how messed up things really were. I think if they had gotten someone like a Briles or Sumlin or Kelly, you could expect a much quicker turnaround. I'm not sure they'd have addressed piece #2 as well, but only because I don't know as much about the internal workings of what they do or how they run a program compared to what have learned about Strong. They lost those conference 2 games by a combined 45 points. Gray was not the difference there. Over the course of the season, they lost 5 total games by 108 points, each one by at least 19 points. They lost them early and they lost them late. In the middle, they only beat Iowa State due to a terrible call and beat a 4-8 WVU team in overtime. That was not a good team, no matter how much you might like to believe otherwise. Except people were talking about it for years - long before Mack left or Strong ever came in. There have been endless articles over the last few years about Mack and the internal workings and failures of the program. And it's been talked about by ex-players and current players as well. Here's just one of many examples from 2012: http://www.barkingcarnival.com/2012...s-state-rising-through-the-ranks-or-fleeing-a Everything we've heard from Charlie Strong is stuff that we already knew but was being ignored for years. It's why Mack was really having no success turning things around.
