Longhorns Next Two Opponents: UTEP and Inertia

Kindle crushes Potts Photo courtesy of UT

The Texas Longhorns woke up from their early season daze against Texas Tech, but can they defeat their biggest foe? No, not the Sooners. We're talking inertia. Reigning fastest man in the world, Jamaican sprinter Usain “Lightning” Bolt, doesn't train for the Olympics by embarrassing junior high track stars by running backward while smoking a cigar.

He runs against the second-fastest man in the world, Tyson Gay or Asafa Powell, depending on who's talking. Need to figure out if you can cover the pass? Play against pass-happy Texas Tech for a 34-24 win. Check. Follow it with contests against UTEP and Big 12 cellar-dweller Colorado. Check minus.

Coach Mack Brown readily admitted at his Monday morning press conference that the Horns, who mixed excellent defense with an inept offense in the first half against Tech, aren't yet earning their No. 2 ranking. “We're trying to play to a standard of the best team in the country, and we're not close,” he admitted. “We're lucky in that we haven't played great yet and we're 3-0 and No. 2 in the country because we've got things to fix. If we were playing as good as we could, then we'd be in trouble.”

The good news is Texas is showing signs of fixing its problems. Dan Buckner is filling the “flex” tight end hole well, and pulled in six passes for 75 yards against the Red Raiders, including a key 25-yarder in the third quarter that set up a touchdown. Tre' Newton has come on as the Horn ball carrier of choice and came close to topping the 100-yard mark Saturday, but Texas still has to figure out how to best use speedster D.J. Monroe. Converted quarterback John Chiles is making waves in the Q Package turned Wild Horn – aka Who's Got the Ball? – but is still finding his way as a receiver. The porous Texas pass defense of the past has been replaced by one that held Tech to a field goal in the first half and gave flu-ridden Colt McCoy a chance to shake it off before he and Tech QB Taylor Potts both began to air it out in the second half.

The biggest sign of a rosy future? No question it was in the fourth quarter when Sergio Kindle leveled Potts, who promptly fumbled the ball. Should it have been a penalty for helmet-to-helmet contact? Uh uh, says Brown. “You've still got to play football,” he said “It's a very physical game; it's a vicious game. There are hard hits, and you can't take hard hits out of the game.” Kindle made those hits Saturday. So did Roddrick Muckelroy. So did Lamarr Houston. So did Emmanuel Acho. The Texas defense is, mostly, playing at the national championship level. Special teams looks respectable, particularly when you factor in Jordan Shipley's 46-yard punt return that kept Texas ahead in the first half.

It's the offense that still has to gel. Can they rise to championship level with gimme wins over schools like 1-2 UTEP? Brown has to put a good face on it: Donald Buckrum of Copperas Cove has rushed for 254 yards in three games for the Miners. QB Trevor Vittatoe gave Texas fits as UTEP had more yards on the ground and overall, while beating Texas in time of possession last year. But, uh, the Horns won 42-13. And UTEP has already lost this season 34-7 to Kansas. Call this upcoming 56-10 win another scrimmage and hope everyone stays healthy.

Brown called the Tech contest a “showcase game” that the team and its 101,000-capacity shiny new stadium needed. He's right. Now he can only hope a weak schedule has the Longhorns fresh for Oklahoma in a few weeks, and that wins count more than strength of schedule with pollsters and computers come November.