For a coach who preaches hard-line discipline off the field, Charlie Strong’s Longhorns sure look messy on it.
Texas has practically no margin for error against anyone. Facing a fundamentally sound team like 11th-ranked Kansas State, victory requires darn near perfection.
Strong’s bunch drew two false-start penalties on its opening drive. A pass interference call led to K-State’s first points. Then punter Will Russ shanked one 12 yards, giving the Wildcats good field position to get a field goal.
All these mistakes add up quickly. And when the offense struggles “handling just base defense,” as quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson called it, the end result is a frustrating 23-0 rout at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
“One week it’s the offense, one week its the defense and one week it’s the special teams,” said Strong, who was shut out for the first time in his five-year head coaching career. “We had our chances today, but we just didn’t take advantage of them.”
