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Standing firm: Texas coach Mack Brown says Longhorns won't change their approach to counter OU's three-title run

Texas coach Mack Brown, shown during the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State, said his team's goals remain the same. "Our goals are to win the opening game, win the Big 12 South, win the conference championship and win a bowl game every year," he said. Ross D. Franklin/AP file

 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 4/26/2009  2:27 AM
Last Modified: 4/26/2009  3:37 AM

 Texas coach Mack Brown says he and his staff didn't change the way they do things this spring just because rival Oklahoma last season continued to build on its Big 12 Conference dominance.

The fact that the Sooners have won three consecutive Big 12 crowns — no other team has won it twice in a row — doesn't exactly cast doubt in Austin.

"Our goals are to win the opening game, win the Big 12 South, win the conference championship and win a bowl game every year, and hopefully that would be the national championship," Brown said last week during a media teleconference with Big 12 head coaches. "So our goals really haven't changed since we've been here."

Last season, the Longhorns came as close as they have to winning the league since Vince Young was a UT action figure back in 2005.

Texas finished No. 3 in the post-bowls poll — two spots ahead of OU — but had been denied a shot at playing Missouri for the Big 12 title because Texas lost at Texas Tech and because the Sooners finished strong and climbed ahead of the 'Horns in the BCS standings. That late BCS push broke a three-way tie between OU, Texas and Texas Tech and sent the Sooners to Kansas City, where they crushed the Tigers for their third straight championship.

OU, not Texas, played in the Big 12 title game. OU, not Texas, played in the BCS championship game. This despite Texas' 45-35 win over the Sooners in October.

If not for an early meltdown and a late defensive error in Lubbock, the Longhorns might have been playing Florida for a shot at an undefeated season.

That's why Brown insisted on few changes during spring practice. In 11 years, Brown's Longhorns are 115-26. (In 25 seasons overall, Brown's career record is 201-100-1.) He's also 5-6 against OU.

OU's Bob Stoops enters his 11th season as a head coach with a 109-24 record and is 6-4 against Texas.

Brown's 'Horns, though, have beaten Stoops' Sooners in three of the last four Red River Rivalries. This year's game, Oct. 17 in the Cotton Bowl, could be the year's most anticipated game. Either OU (four) or Texas (one) have won the last five Big 12 titles.

Like Brown, Stoops didn't make many changes this spring. Why would he? OU is the only team in college football to play in four BCS title games. But the Sooners are also the only team to lose five consecutive BCS games — three straight in the title game.

This fall, Stoops figures he'll be able to count on his defense a lot more than last year, when the Sooners allowed 367.7 yards per game. In over a hundred years of OU football, only the 1969 team's average of 369.2 was worse. With nine full-time starters back on defense, Stoops sounds unusually confident in this year's defense.

"It has a chance of being a really good one, or one of our better ones, possibly, if they have a big summer and get prepared for it," he said.

The Sooners' greatest area of concern this spring was offensive line, where five seniors and four starters graduated. It was a group that produced a significant portion of Sam Bradford's Heisman. Trent Williams is a three-year starter, but the other four positions in 2009 will have just two career starts.

"The offensive line had a good spring," Stoops said. "We were thin, so probably 7-8 guys got the bulk of the repetitions, so hopefully that'll make them better as well, just with all the work. Now we'll see if they can have the kind of discipline and determination here in the out-of-season to improve. They need it. They're not where they need to be yet, but they could be a good group if they have the right attitude and right work habits."

Like OU, Texas knows it has plenty of holes to fill in 2009. And like OU, Texas knows it will lean heavily on its quarterback, Heisman runner-up Colt McCoy, this fall.

What Texas doesn't know is how new players will react to the pressure cooker of prime-time college football and another Big 12 title chase. Five starters need to be replaced on defense, three on offense. Those kind of answers don't come in the spring.

"We feel like you have to wait until the game that you're in trouble and you're behind and you've got to compete and fight and come back and then play well," Brown said. "We lost some great team leaders last year.

"I think those are the question marks we'll have. It will not be ability. We've still got some question marks with youth in a couple of places, but I do feel like until you get behind in a ballgame in that fourth quarter, you really don't know who your team is."
John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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17 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!
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Report Comment
Dad, Up North (4/26/2009 8:43:27 AM)
Who cares.........

BOOMER!
Report Comment
Rand-O, (4/26/2009 8:59:42 AM)
6+4=11? Way to keep up with the flawed math Oklahoma.
Report Comment
shytnik, Colorado Springs (4/26/2009 9:18:09 AM)
It says Stoops is ENTERING his 11th year Rand-O. That means they have played 10 games 6+4=10 and this year will be the 11th. Way to read and comprehend like a Longhorn. It also says Mack has been at Texas for 11 years and is 5-6 against OU. 5+6=11. See how that works.
Report Comment
Graybeard, Tulsa (4/26/2009 9:23:14 AM)
Amazing! Mack didn't whine about the Big 12 Championship selection method or the BCS.
Report Comment
ram14, (4/26/2009 9:39:37 AM)
Can't wait for October to get here.....Boomer Sooner!!!
Report Comment
bruinsooner, (4/26/2009 1:15:56 PM)
Why would Mack consider changing anything? He has a plaque to prove his team won the league championship. What else would a coach want?
Report Comment
stuie33158, Tulsa (4/26/2009 1:49:13 PM)
Hey Rand-O....it said he is ENTERING his 11th season. Moron. Way to keep up with the flawed math Randy!!!
Report Comment
TMS, (4/26/2009 2:08:32 PM)
OU fans sound jealous.
Report Comment
OSUfanCliff, Broken Arrow (4/26/2009 2:45:40 PM)
Just like last year, Texas has about an even chance of beating OU. A break here and there or a favorable call here and there and they win by 10 points. Of course, if the breaks go the other way, they can just as easily lose by 10 points. Texas and OU are obviously the two best teams in the conference and about as evenly divided as it is possible to get.

The only real difference between this year and last is that it appears now that OSU will replace Tech as the third contender in the south and with a little luck could beat one or the other--or both.
Report Comment
Jimm, (4/27/2009 12:26:00 AM)
Texas beat OU, Texas also finished above OU in the finals standings, I would say that makes them better than OU.
Report Comment
beaux, Tulsa (4/27/2009 1:59:55 AM)
Jim Purdy,

As an alum of OSU I love & support that prediction 100%

That being said, Mack Brown is an idiot and I do enjoy watching OU steamroll them (when they do).
Report Comment
MaintenanceMan, Tulsa (4/27/2009 3:22:24 AM)
Jim,

Time to wake up. Your going to be late for the bus. The short bus, its headed to Stillwater with your football dreams....Boomer!!!!
Report Comment
SoonerDJ, Lisbon, Portugal (4/27/2009 4:47:57 AM)
Jimm: UT did finish ahead of OU, BUT OU played in the NCG and thier opponent was way better than the UT played in post season. Oh and OU won the Big 12. This is a new season though. We'll see how things pan out, but I hope OU and OSU beat UT.
Report Comment
Arbythree, Tulsa (4/27/2009 11:48:22 AM)
Smack Brown, looking forward to a wonderful weekend as the SOONERS kick a little cow, then roll on up to Norman and listen to U2.

BOOMER SOONER!!
Report Comment
okcthunderrolls, (4/27/2009 4:33:34 PM)
Yes! The fact that they won't change means our dynasty of championships will not change. we win again!
Report Comment
IraqVet0608, tulsa (4/28/2009 9:29:37 PM)
Im actually expecting a dark horse to come in and rock the boat a bit. Dont be suprised if the Cornhuskers sneak in and crush somebody's hopes of winning the big12. Im hoping Texas loses to the Huskers and not OU. But whatever happens dont count out Nebraska for the big 12 title.
Report Comment
Orange Tower, Victoria (5/4/2009 1:15:27 PM)
IraqVet, Just curious, when were you thinking the Horns would play NE this year? Only time that could happen is in the Big 12 champ game.
 

 
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