158 wins to 48 losses…
That’s Mack Brown’s record during his 16 year coaching career at the University of Texas; a coaching career that saw him go 3-1 in BCS bowls, win a national championship, play for another, win 2 conference titles, and make the University of Texas a whole lot of money in the process. And notwithstanding his recent struggles over the past four years (30-21), his consistent struggles against Bob Stoops and Oklahoma (7-9), and the general feeling that the Longhorns underachieved during his tenure, Mack Brown is responsible for the resurgence of a Texas program that lay dormant for 30+ years since its 1969 and 1970 national championships. So before I continue on to talk about the topic at hand … Charlie Strong and the future of the Horns … I want to do something that I never did enough of during the Mack Brown Tenure:
“Thank you Mack Brown for 16 solid years. With its own television network and a valuation of $139M you have created a secure foundation for the future of the Longhorns, and you are a big reason the University of Texas is relevant again in college football. You have always been a class act in the face of all the scrutiny from spoiled fans like me. I truly wish you the best in the next endeavor (hopefully a color commentary spot on Longhorn Network?).”
Today, the Texas Longhorns will “officially” name Charlie Strong their 29th coach and this appointment will mark the first time a black head coach will be in charge of a major men’s sport (football, basketball, baseball) at the University of Texas. If the reports are accurate, Charlie Strong was probably not the Longhorns first choice. But in my opinion, the appointment of Charlie Strong is the right overall move from a football X’s and O’s standpoint. He will right the defensive side of the football for the Longhorns and ultimately jump start the program back to its winning ways.
At 53 years of age, Strong’s resume speaks for itself; especially on the defensive side of the ball. While at South Carolina in the early 2000s, Strong bucked traditional defensive formations and invented the 3-3-5 stack defense. Predicated on speed, athleticism, and a “fly around a play football attitude,” the 3-3-5 stack placed a myriad of “hybrid” defenders on the field that could do multiple things to disrupt offensive schemes (especially the spread). The result of Strong’s defensive innovation was an 8 game win improvement (8-4 overall after an 0-11 season the year before) for the Gamecocks and an Outback Bowl victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
After his three year stint with the Gamecocks, Charlie Strong went on to serve as the defensive coordinator for the Florida Gators from 2002 to 2009. And as the defensive coordinator of the Gators, Strong more than proved his worth with top rated defenses in the 2006 and 2008 national championship years.
Specifically:
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2006
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2008
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Points per game:
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13.5 (7th)
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12.8 (5th)
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Yards per game:
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268.8 (10th)
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279.3 (8th)
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Total sacks:
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36 (5th)
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31 (11th)
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Total interceptions:
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21 (4th)
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26 (1st)
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Pick 6s
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1
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5
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In the 2006 national championship game against the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Gator defense held the Buckeyes to 82 yards in their 41-14 victory. In the 2008 title game against the Oklahoma Sooners, the Gators defense held the Sooners to 14 points. During that season the Sooners were averaging 54.0 points per game and had scored a FBS record 702 points. Needless to say, Charlie Strong knows what he is doing on defense.
His tenure as the head football coach at the University of Louisville has been marked by rapid success. In the three seasons before Strong, the Louisville Cardinals were 15-21 with a 5-16 conference record. Over the last four years under Strong’s leadership, the Cardinals have posted a 37-15 record with a 20-9 conference record and a 2012 Sugar Bowl win over the Florida Gators. And not surprisingly during Strong’s tenure the Cardinals have been absolutely stout on defense. From 2010 to 2013 the Cardinals ranked 7th in points per game (18.8), 6th in yards per game (308.1), 10th in yards per play (4.9) and 3rd in sack percentage at 8.3% (1).
Since the early 2000s, the trend in college football and the Big 12 in particular has been for offenses to move towards speed and spread. A consistent theme in Charlie Strong led defenses is to attack the spread with athleticism on defense. An attacking-playmaking defense is something that the current Texas Longhorns haven’t had lately (see the 30-7 Alamo Bowl shellacking they received this past Monday from the Oregon Ducks).
In hiring Charlie Strong, the Texas Longhorns are getting a proven defensive guru. Although past performance is no guarantee of future success at Texas, Charlie Strong’s track record has me convinced that he is the man to turn the Horns around, especially on the defensive side of the ball. If the old adage often rings true, Offense scores points but Defense wins Championships, Strong will be raising a crystal ball during his time in Texas. And at $5.0 million per year, for the next five years the expectation is nothing less.