Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas

Texas Longhorns

2010 Record: 5-7, Tied for 11th in Big 12

Returning Starters: Offense (8), Defense (6)

Overview: Only one year after playing in the BCS National Championship Game, Texas missed out on a bowl game for the first time in Mack Brown’s tenure. The 5-7 season resulted in changes across the board on the coaching staff. Manny Diaz comes over from Mississippi State to take over as defensive coordinator for the departed Will Muschamp. But the change that most Longhorn fans are excited about is on offense. Bryan Harsin arrives from Boise State and will be splitting the offensive coordinator duties with Major Applewhite.  Harsin did not delay in showcasing the offensive creativity he employed with Chris Peterson at Boise State with a few trick plays during the Longhorns’ Spring Game.

After bringing together another top recruiting class, Texas has a number of four and five star athletes waiting in the wings to replace four departing defensive starters that were drafted in the first four rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft. Former five star recruits Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor should be the new starters at defensive end, and a number of former blue chip recruits will compete for the two newly open starting cornerback positions. On offense, quarterback Garrett Gilbert returns and will compete with sophomores Case McCoy and Connor Wood for the starting spot. Wide receivers Mike Davis, Malcolm Williams, and all around athlete Marquise Goodwin (who just broke the Big 12’s all time long jump record with a jump of 26 foot, 9 ¾ inch) all return, while the running game duties should be split among a number of players.

Key Matchup: Texas vs. Oklahoma, Dallas, October 9th: The Longhorns have one of the more difficult non-conference schedules in the Big 12, with a home game against BYU and a trip to UCLA, who beat the Longhorns in Austin last year.  However, the Red River Rivalry will once again represent the most important game for Texas if they want to make an impact on the national scene. Oklahoma is the preseason number one team in most publications, and a Texas upset would easily help erase memories of last year’s 5-7 season. A win would also put the Longhorns in the early pole position for the Big 12 title, with a home game against potential Big 12 contender Oklahoma State the next week.  Should they survive those two games, the schedule gets much easier until a season ending showdown in College Station with rival Texas A&M, another potential Big 12 contender.

Impact Newcomer: Malcolm Brown, RB: Brown is the most highly touted recruit at the running back position Mack Brown has brought to Austin since the days of Cedric Benson and Ricky Williams. At 6 feet tall and 220 pounds, and with a 4.4 second 40 yard dash, Brown can run with power and speed. He ran for over 2,500 yards and 30 touchdowns in his senior year of high school, leading Steele High School to the Texas 5A Division 2 state championship. Fozzy Whitaker and Cody Johnson return at running back for the Longhorns, but it may be difficult to keep the talented Brown off the field.

Coach’s Quotes: “I think the biggest thing (that impressed me) is the enthusiasm. We have smart players, so they have picked up the two systems to this point really well. And I think they play fast considering all the new that is out here.” - Head Coach Mack Brown

Minnesota Golden Gophers

2010 Record: 3-9, 10th in the Big Ten

Returning Starters:  Offense (6), Defense (6)

Overview: After starting 2010 with a 1-6 record, including a loss to FCS South Dakota, Gopher’s Head Coach Tim Brewster was relieved of his coaching duties. Minnesota turned to Northern Illinois’ Jerry Kill as his replacement, and the hire already seems to be paying dividends. Kill has been lauded for his ability to connect with the fans and create excitement around the program. Like many new coaches, Kill hopes to install a new culture of toughness within the Gophers’ locker room. He began that process with an extremely demanding spring schedule, even going so far as to force players who broke team rules or missed a class to wear new brown and pink “Minnesota Loafer” shirts.

Leading the offense will be former wide receiver Marquis “O.J.” Gray, who takes over the quarterback position from four year starter Adam Weber. What Gray may lack in quarterback experience, he more than makes up for in athleticism. While Kill has employed offenses that feature a heavy dose of the running game (Northern Illinois averaged 260 yards on the ground in 2010), Gray’s versatility will likely force defenses to account for him and will end up opening holes for the collection of running backs currently fighting for playing time. Leading tackler Gary Tinsley returns to help lead a defense that struggled last year with pressuring the quarterback, finishing last in Division 1 in quarterback sacks with only 9. Kill’s defenses at Northern Illinois were notoriously aggressive and defensive coordinator Tracy Claeys’s attacking schemes should improve those numbers immediately.

Key Matchup: Minnesota @ Michigan, October 1st: Minnesota faces USC in its first game, but they follow that tough matchup with three very winnable games against New Mexico State, Miami (OH) and North Dakota State, leading into this year’s battle for the Little Brown Jug in Ann Arbor. Both teams underwent coaching changes this offseason and will be eager to see how they stack up against their Legends Division rival. Playing in front of 110,000 fans at The Big House is never easy, but a win here could leave the Gophers two wins away from bowl eligibility.

Impact Newcomer: Brendan Beal, LB: Beal was forced to undergo a difficult start to his career, enrolling at Florida in 2008 before tearing his ACL and redshirting. Following his redshirt year, Beal transferred to Minnesota, sat out the year as required by the NCAA, and will now have a chance to start his career over again with the Gophers. The former five star recruit has the talent to be an impact player, and by all accounts Beal is fully recovered from his knee injury. If this is the case, the speedy Beal could have a big impact for the Gophers new, more aggressive defense.

Coach’s Quotes: “If he (Gray) had played quarterback all along, he’d be just as good as (former Ohio State quarterback) Terrelle Pryor. He just lacks experience.” - Head Coach Jerry Kill