Where's the beef? UT's 3-0 record not very convincing<br/><span class='hl2'>And a date with the No. 4-ranked Sooners looms</span>

AUSTIN, Texas — Colt McCoy found himself playing defense after another ho-hum victory against another rum-dum opponent.

No, things aren't that bad for the Texas quarterback and his Longhorn teammates.

His defense was strictly verbal, and still, these are odd times in Austin. The Longhorns are unbeaten and untied through three games. They are flawless when it comes to wins and losses, but they are about as far from perfect as an undefeated team can be.

"Just so much room for improvement,” McCoy said Monday during the Longhorns' weekly press conference. "Overall, the whole offense can do a better job.”

Then came the backped

al, the defense.

"But we almost had 500 yards of offense.”

Texas amassed 259 yards passing and 229 yards rushing Saturday.

Despite all those offensive yards, the Longhorns needed to recover a last-minute, on-side kick to secure a 35-32 victory against Central Florida.

It's the second time in three games that the Horns' hopes have come down to a late on-side kick.

The two opponents that pushed Texas to the brink: Arkansas State and Central Florida.

Arkansas State? Central Florida?

Texas coach Mack Brown tries to convince anyone who will listen that his team's first three opponents were better than advertised. End-of-game drama loomed against TCU, too, but a fourth-quarter rally saved Texas from more anxious moments. I'm sure Arkansas State, TCU and Central Florida have fine football teams. But this is Texas we're talking about, people.

Texas doesn't survive against Arkansas State and Central Florida. It blows them out.

Maybe this is all just a ruse.

Maybe Texas is doing just enough to get by.

Maybe it is planning a Cotton Bowl ambush of Oklahoma that first Saturday of October.

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