Texas Football: Longhorn Seniors Look to Go Out Winners in Home Finale
It’s time for another statement game in the Charlie Strong Era.
First, it was snapping the losing streak to ranked teams at home when the Longhorns beat West Virginia. Then Texas went on the road and easily handled Oklahoma State to become bowl eligible.
Strong’s group has a chance to take another step towards redemption with a victory over the Horned Frogs. It won’t be easy, but nothing has been this year.
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“It’s going to be a big challenge for us,” said Strong during his Monday press conference. “Without a doubt we’re going to have to play very well in order to win this football game. We’re going to have to execute. It’s a great challenge for us.
Also, for our seniors, we need to send them out the right way. They’ve done a great job this season. Through everything they’ve been through with adversity, you see a group that’s really come together and played well these last three weeks. That’s the reason why we’re in the position we’re in right now.”
If Texas is going to beat TCU, it will be these seniors leading the way. That only seems fitting considering the season this class has dealt with.
When Malcolm Brown, Cedric Reed and Quandre Diggs announced they would be returning for their senior season, many Texas fans were relieved there would be senior leadership for the new coaching staff to lean on. As injuries and dismissals piled up, the trio’s leadership was tested.
Nov 8, 2014; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns assistant head coach for defense Chris Rumph (right) and defensive end Cedric Reed (88) react against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas beat West Virginia 33-16. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
A bad loss to BYU was followed by tough defeats against Baylor and Oklahoma. Through these challenging times the seniors kept grinding and pushing their teammates.
Strong saw this firsthand.
“We were sitting there at 2-4 and 3-5, and that’s not the standard of this program. [They said], “Let’s get this program where it needs to be. There is too much ability sitting there for us to be in the position that we’re in.” So I think of it as a collective group of guys with that group with [Jaxon] Shipley. Like I said, with Diggs and all those seniors, it was more them coming together and saying, hey, we’re better than this. Let’s start to play like it. Then the confidence starts growing.”
Now Brown, Reed and Diggs can close out their careers by re-establishing home field dominance with a Thanksgiving Day win over TCU. They will have some help.
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Shipley, Jordan Hicks, John Harris and Steve Edmond have made their presence felt in 2014. Hicks was finally healthy for a full season and showed off the skills that made him a top recruit in 2010. Harris has been a pleasant surprise. Strong challenged him in the offseason to make something of himself. Harris responded by becoming Texas’ most important player on offense. Edmond stepped out of the shadows of mediocrity to become a disruptive force on defense. Shipley has made all the tough catches to help sustain drives.
And let’s not forget a special player on special teams – Nate Boyer. The former Special Forces soldier traded in his rifle for a football helmet and leads the Longhorns out of the tunnel. He is an inspiration on and off the field.
Texas fans will say goodbye to a special group of athletes today. No doubt these players will want to go out on top with another victory over a ranked team.