Texas Christian 50 - 7 Texas (Final)

I tuned into this game about 20 minutes after it started, but it was already obvious that the Horned Frogs were on their way to a blowout victory.  The Frogs led 37-0 at the half, and cruised home from there.  Texas Christian is now 42-19-6 in UCFC games, and they have now defended the title 10 times in a row since they took it from West Virginia last November.  Next week, the Frogs will go to Manhattan, Kan. for a game with Kansas State.  I expect that game to represent much more of a challenge.

As for Texas, it's hard to see how things could get much worse for the Longhorns.  As we pointed out, from 1968 to 1991 Texas beat Texas Christian 24 times in a row.  Now in the last two seasons, the Horned Frogs have outscored the Longhorns 98-17.  Even more worrisome, the Longhorns seem to have given up -- they showed absolutely no fight yesterday despite having the chance to turn their season around by upsetting an in-state rival.

I have sympathy for Texas coach Charlie Strong, who did a great job at the University of Louisville, where he went 37-15 and beat Florida in the 2012 Sugar Bowl.  You would think that a coach who won at the University of Louisville would do even better at Texas, and that is certainly what the Longhorns thought.  But some coaches do better in a situation where they can play the role of scrappy underdog.  At Louisville, Strong took less talented players and got them to play over their heads.  But Louisville fans don't expect you to contend for the national championship more often than not.  You can't achieve the type of success they want at Texas by getting your guys to play like scrappy underdogs.  You need great players, and then you need to get those players to do what you say.  Through 18 games at the University of Texas, there is simply no evidence that Coach Strong can do either of those things.

On the other hand, Texas fans should not despair.  The Longhorns' 1-4 start is the worst since Texas went 1-9 in 1956.  But after that 1956 season, Texas went out and got a new coach.  His name was Darrell Royal.  Sometimes an athletic department has to get desperate before it's willing to do what it takes to get a big-time winner.  From that perspective, this loss to Texas Christian -- humiliating though it was -- may be a turning point.