DALLAS — Unlike the folks throwing softballs at weighted-down milk bottles or those shooting basketballs at narrow rims, Mack Brown and his No. 11 Longhorns are guaranteed to have something meaningful to take home from their trip to the State Fair of Texas this weekend.
Should Texas beat No. 3 Oklahoma in the 106th Red River rivalry, it would be the ultimate sign of progress for Brown’s rebuilding from a 5-7 season.
Yet, even if the Longhorns lose today at the Cotton Bowl, Brown and his staff will find out a lot more about their squad by seeing them play the best team in their conference, and one of the best in the country.
Brown will learn whether his 4-0 team is really as good as the scoreboard indicated after the last two games — lopsided road victories over UCLA and Iowa State — or whether it is closer to the team that opened the season with a slow start against Rice and needed a late rally to beat BYU by a point at home.
“I want to see us respond,” Brown said.
Coming off a year that began with big hopes and wound up being his first losing season at Texas, Brown saw turnover at both coordinator positions, then changed quarterbacks early this season. That much change could leave a guy queasy, but it’s quite the opposite. The stomach-churning came during the collapse, leaving Brown pretty relaxed now that things are starting to fall in place.
His calm approach to this game is especially noteworthy considering its importance. Here’s how season-defining it can be: Back when the Big 12 was big enough to have divisions (1996-2010), Oklahoma or Texas won the South all but twice, including the last 11 years.
“There’s no doubt the pressure’s also on them more than us,” Brown said. “I mean, they’re supposed to win and we’re getting better. That’s fact, whether you like it or not.”
Given those options, Sooners coach Bob Stoops likes it.
Besides, Stoops knows an impressive win might be exactly what Oklahoma needs to regain the No. 1 spot it held in the preseason poll. The Sooners have been passed by SEC heavyweights LSU and Alabama.
