Strong's 'we just didn't play hard' comment is hard pill to swallow

By foxsports
Published

Coaches hate to lose. But they can at least stomach it better when they know their team gave it their all and simply came up short.

So it must have absolutely pained Texas coach Charlie Strong to say what he did about his team's effort in Saturday's 50-7 shellacking at the hands of the now-No. 2-ranked TCU Horned Frogs.

"We came out today and just didn't play hard," Strong, who described himself as "totally frustrated and disappointed," told reporters following the mammoth mismatch.

Just didn't play hard? A coach can not say anything more of incriminating about his team.

But why is it happening?

Why aren't a group of 18- to 22-year-olds bouncing off the walls to play a football game against a top-five team, a team once happy to accept morale victories against a power like Texas, and in a game that could have solidified Strong's rebuilding efforts?

All Saturday's "just didn't play hard" showing did was further question the direction Strong's program is headed now 18 games into his tenure. Texas is 7-11 in those games with blowout losses (20 points or more) chalked up in seven of them.

"We knew this was a good team," said Strong, who also said his club doesn't know how to compete. "We knew this is the No. 4 team in the country. But still, though, that should not stop us from going out and playing our best."

In fact it should only bring out the best in Texas. At Florida, where Strong was once the defensive coordinator, first-year coach Jim McElwain has the Gators undefeated and coming off a monstrous upset of then-No. 3 Ole Miss on Saturday.  

Strong is now playing more of his own recruits rather than Mack Brown's holdovers, but it certainly isn't apparent. In fact, star recruit Kris Boyd embarrassed Strong and the entire program by responding to a tweet at halftime that suggested he and prized linebacker recruit Malik Jefferson transfer to Texas A&M. The Aggies, mind you, are undefeated and ranked No. 9 in the nation while becoming a bona fide threat in the tough SEC West division.

Don't mess with Texas? Right now Texas is just a plain mess.