Big 12 Syllabus Series: Texas Longhorns

13-12, 6-11 in Big 12 play and the lack of home field advantage isn’t sitting well with fans and it’s not like the Longhorns don’t realize this. Mack Brown revamped the coaching staff going into last season, bringing in seven new assistants including offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. While the final 8-5 record isn’t what we’re used to seeing from the burnt orange, it was improvement.

The 5-7 record in 2010 was pretty shocking. Sure, Garrett Gilbert had big shoes to fill after Colt McCoy left, but the drop-off felt in Austin was something fans were not used to. From 2004-2009 the Longhorns went 69-9 with a national championship and four BCS bowl appearances.

While much of the focus has been on who will be the starting quarterback on Sept. 1, Texas has an unbelievable plethora at running back returning. The UT running game was No. 3 in the nation last season and there is no reason why they can’t repeat the same success. How do you even break down the impact of Malcolm Brown, Joe Bergeron, Daje Johnson, D.J. Monroe and Jonathan Gray?

Basically, the power comes with Brown and Bergeron. The speed comes from Johnson and Monroe. The biggest advantage the Horns will have with so much depth at running back is they can always have fresh legs in the game and the lighter workload between the backs should limit the injuries. Brown and Bergeron figure to be to the one, two punch, but will probably get anywhere from 100-150 carries each. Then you factor in the threat of last year’s top running back prospect in the nation Jonathan Gray, and the offense may never want to pass.

3 & Out

1st Down: How good is the defense?

The word elite comes to mind when describing the Longhorns’ 2012 defensive unit. Seven starters return from the unit that ranked among the top in the Big 12 last season. The defense has only yielded just above 300 yards per game in the last two seasons, and has led the conference in total defense in the same two-year span. They also finished second in the Big 12 in points allowed per game with 23.3. The stat that shows the level the defense played at last season is they only allowed two touchdowns passes of 20 or more yards. That was right along with LSU and Alabama.

The defense has experience on its side and plenty of speed to keep up with the offenses in the Big 12. There is no reason why they can’t use the talent on defense to make it back to a BCS championship.

The Longhorns have one of the best defensive end tandems and secondary in the nation. Ends Alex Okafor and Jackson Jeffcoat combined for 35 tackles for loss, 15 sacks and six passes broken up last season. Okafor and Jackson are going to be a nightmare for any opposing quarterback and are complemented with a deep interior on the line. Corners Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs combined for six interceptions, 30 passes broken up, 12 tackles for loss and three forced fumbles.

Had senior safety Kenny Vaccaro entered April’s draft, he may have been a first round pick. Vaccaro is the perfect man to watch the defensive backfield and has proven he can dominate as a safety, nickel back and corner.

The linebacker group takes a hit losing Emmanuel Acho and Keenan Robinson who combined for 237 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, four sacks, 13 passes broken up, and three forced fumbles, but Longhorn fans can rest easy knowing the group will reload with Jordan Hicks and Demarco Cobbs. Hicks battled through a hamstring injury last season and got caught out of position more than Manny Diaz would have liked, but here is the talent word again. Hicks has plenty of talent to make an impact in 2012. He has had brilliant performances in his career as a Longhorn, but hasn’t been able to string together a consistent level. Hicks will be relied on to be the new leader of the defense.

2nd Down: The quarterback enigma

What can be said about David Ash and Case McCoy that hasn’t been already been in the minds of fans and media all offseason? Texas had been spoiled at the quarterback position with Vince Young then Colt McCoy, but no one could have predicted just how far down the productivity of a field general in Austin would fall.

The enigma of the quarterback battle doesn’t seem solved, in fact, Mack Brown could very well go with a two quarterback system just like last season. While this is speculation on my part, nothing Brown has said about the “battle” is swaying me to think any different. Brown recently stated both Ash and McCoy both know they’re going to play. That is the reason for the quotations in battle. It doesn’t seem to matter who performs better, so that’s not much of a battle.

After 13 pre-season practices and a team scrimmage, there still isn’t a clear cut starter. That’s a bit concerning because the two-quarterback system comes into play again. All signs were pointing to Ash as the one who had created some separation during the spring, but now with only 15 days until the season opener against Wyoming, the starting position seems up in the air……still.

Ash is looked at as the better athlete with a better physical build. Ash now has experience in Harsin’s system and should be able to have more confidence. Both McCoy and Ash were thrown into the fire and were forced to learn on the fly, but with the amount of talent and highly rated recruiting classes in the past few years, there is no reason why either quarterback can’t rely on the talent around them.

McCoy was better statistically, but Ash seemed more comfortable in the Holiday Bowl. Let’s not get carried away, he didn’t light it up and put to rest any debate. The problem is McCoy and Ash were both raw last season and needed a lot of work going into the offseason. Now, the problem remains, who will start?

Benjamin Klein of Bleacher Report wrote a good breakdown of the competition.

3rd Down: How about a national championship?

What’s the one thing anyone will point to when the question is brought up; do the Longhorns have a legit chance at the BCS Championship? The enigma at quarterback is immediately there to shut down any conversation about a title.

The verdict is in; Texas will have another year of great defensive play. They have a championship caliber defense that performed great against the pass. Regardless of who is behind center (my money is on Ash) they don’t have to have a career year behind center. All Ash (or McCoy) has to do is play the role of game manager. Don’t turn the ball over and the Longhorns can compete for a national championship.

The execution with the passing game in the red zone needs to improve dramatically. Last year the Longhorns finished last in the Big 12 in passing efficiency, completion percentage, passing touchdowns and yards per pass attempt in the red zone. They were also near the worst in the nation in these same categories.

Texas should get through their non-conference schedule with a 3-0 record and maybe even have the quarterback situation figured out before opening up their conference schedule in Stillwater. The Longhorns will face four 10 win teams from last season at home, but could run into some danger in Stillwater against Oklahoma State; in Lubbock against Texas Tech and in Manhattan against Kansas State (the Wildcats have won the last four meetings). It will be interesting to see if the defense will be able to contain Landry Jones in Dallas and how the secondary will handle Geno Smith and the Mountaineers’ air-raid attack. The longhorns did draw WVU at home and will need every bit of home field advantage they can get. The late season showdown with TCU in Austin is another game the Longhorns need to be careful in.

Manny Diaz won’t let the defense underestimate any offense, but again, it falls on the play of Ash and red zone efficiency.