Where's the beef? UT's 3-0 record not very convincing
And a date with the No. 4-ranked Sooners looms
Where's the beef? UT's 3-0 record not very convincing

By Jenni Carlson

Published: September 18, 2007

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.

Maybe the Longhorns are playing possum.

Hey, Mack's a politician, not an actor

These Longhorns just aren't as good as the pundits and the prognosticators thought they'd be before the season.

Everyone knew there were questions, especially in the rebuilt defensive secondary and on the inexperienced offensive line, but no one suspected the answers would be so elusive.

That was never more evident than at Central Florida.

After halftime, the Golden Knights had eight plays that went for 180 yards. Running back Kevin Smith and his buddies sliced through the defense like they were actually wielding swords. Smith finished with 149 yards and two touchdowns.

Listen, this guy might be underrated as Mack, of course, suggested, but is he better than Allen Patrick? DeMarco Murray? Chris Brown? Doubtful.

At the very least, OU's offensive line has to be better than Central Florida's. Want to know what the Golden Knights did against the Longhorns?

They held all-everything defensive tackles Frank Okam and Derek Lokey to a grand total of two tackles. The guys who were supposed to be the strength of the defense were hardly a factor.

The offense had its foibles, too. Six times on Saturday, the Longhorns drove inside the Golden Knights' 20-yard line. They managed just one touchdown, eking 15 points out of a possible 42.

There were big mistakes at bad times, too. Early in the fourth quarter, McCoy threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown giving Central Florida the lead. Then after Texas recovered, building a double-digit lead and starting to milk the clock, Jamaal Charles fumbled the ball.

That led to a Central Florida touchdown and a Texas nail-biter.

"It wasn't that we didn't play well on defense and offense,” Brown said. "It's that we were inconsistent at key times as a team. That kept the game close. That's happened two of our three games.

"These are all things that can be fixed.”

Texas expects a boost this week with the return of receiver Billy Pittman, linebacker Sergio Kindle and defensive end Henry Melton. Each has been serving a three-game suspension, Kindle and Melton for summer drunk driving arrests, Pittman for receiving improper benefits for the use of a friend's car.

But really, it will take more than three role players to drastically alter this squad.

"Things haven't been pretty,” McCoy admitted. "But each game there's more positives, and that's a good thing. If we keep continuing to get better, we'll find ourselves where we want to be.

"We'll get better.”

In the meantime, McCoy might just get pretty good on defense.

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