Texas lost to TCU on Friday, falling short of bowl eligibility for the second year in a row and almost definitely sending off Charlie Strong with a loss. What seemed certain a week ago is now certain again, and the postgame scene at Darrell K. Royal Stadium was about as sad as it gets, starting with Strong’s players.
After a loss in Charlie Strong’s final game, Texas’ star RB collapsed in tears on the field
Here’s a pretty sad couple of scenes after Texas lost to TCU, probably in Charlie Strong’s last game in Austin.
Texas running back D’Onta Foreman had a brilliant season, running for 2,028 yards in just 11 games, including 165 in a losing effort this week. He looked crushed.
Foreman has another year of eligibility, and it sounds like if Strong’s not his coach, he might not stick around for it.
One player was crying on the sidelines.
We already know some Texas players are pretty emotionally invested in Strong. From just the last week:
A bunch of them showed up at a Strong press conference on Monday to show their coach some support, after reports of his impending firing came down on Sunday.
Strong held it together, but he seems pretty down, too.
Here’s Strong walking off the field with his team as someone tells him, “Thank you, Charlie,” and everyone cheers in a sad, non-festive way:
Strong’s had a lot of confidence in his team, and that’s genuinely moving.
But in light of a 5-7 record and having just lost by three touchdowns at home to a five-win TCU team, quotes like this only serve to make people sadder:
Strong said he expected to meet with Texas administrators on Saturday. The resignation in his voice comes through just by reading tweets, which I didn’t even think possible. But read these and tell me it isn’t:
Some more comments from Strong, now on video:
Strong said he went to Texas to win a national championship and change lives. It sure seems like he’s succeeded in changing lives, which counts for something. But the on-field stuff simply hasn’t gone according to plan.
Something that’s never a good sign: when your athletic director skips your postgame press conference after ending all of them all year:
Strong’s left Texas, honestly, in a pretty good place. His own metaphor:
The Longhorns have a top-15 roster by recruiting-ranked talent, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite. They signed an elite class last year. They’ve got a good quarterback who was just a true freshman this year, and they currently have another four-star committed for 2017. Things might be fine.
But Strong isn’t going to get the chance to “put the icing on and slice” the cake he’s baked, which hasn’t tasted good enough for three years. Strong’s record in Austin is 16-21, and it’ll stay that way forever.
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