Longhorns Update: True Colors

I think that the true colors of the 2011 Longhorns made an appearance in Waco this past weekend.

First of all, the harsh reality: Baylor 48, Texas 24. Ouch. Baylor now has a two game winning streak against the Horns. Double ouch.

Perhaps it is fitting that the Horns ended the season at 7 – 5, just two games better than the nightmare of last year. Maybe they were “better enough” to keep the Longhorn Nation in suspense throughout the offseason and to keep Mack Brown off the hot seat. Maybe.

This game was, in fact, a pretty fair barometer of the season – even if they were beaten by a should-rightfully-be Heisman Trophy winner.

The defense picked a lousy time to play its worst game of the year. They gave up 511 yards to the Bears. Robert Griffin III made the Horns look porous at best. When the defense had to play a good offense like Oklahoma or Oklahoma State or Baylor, they wilted. That didn’t change over the course of the season.

True colors.

Offensively, many would be pretty happy with a 557 yard performance. Unfortunately, you really cannot be happy when 557 yards of offense amounts to just 24 points. Seriously?

Case McCoy passed for 356 yards, which has to be a good thing, right? Not when you give up 4 interceptions and a fumble. Not when he can’t stop to plant both feet and has to put all of his effort into a 40 yard pass completion. Oh, and those 6 total turnovers amounted to 24 Baylor points.

True colors.

The Longhorns were killed by penalties: 12 for 105 yards. This isn’t the first time we have seen this phenomena rear its ugly head this season. Discipline was lacking. Drive killers were prevalent.

True colors.

But let’s also talk about more true colors – those of Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. If Griffin doesn’t win the Heisman Trophy, something is seriously wrong with college football and its voters. Oh, wait, we already know that something is wrong with college football – it is called the BCS. But I digress.

Griffin has all the statistics a voter would need. He survived ACL reconstruction surgery and put this team on his shoulders on their way to a 9 – 3 record and Alamo Bowl bid. He has sliced and diced his way through many a team this year, with 600+ yards of offense in at least 6 games. He has had a greater level of importance to his team than any of the other Heisman candidates. And, even better still, he is bright and well-spoken, confident yet not arrogant, a sight to behold in college sports these days.

The Heisman Trophy should be coming back to the Big 12. Green and gold should be the true colors this Saturday. There is no doubt in my mind.

Photo credits: speedye