Texas opened last season at Notre Dame. It didn't go well.
The Longhorns lost the game, and the 38-3 final score was actually a kinder result than the actual game on the field. Texas went three-and-out in four of its first five possessions -- the other gained just 19 yards -- and eight of 12 total. The furthest drive of the game pushed just 49 yards, and the Texas offense's lengthiest stay on the Notre Dame Stadium turf spanned two minutes and 35 seconds. Total yards ended in a 527-163 Irish advantage and first downs finished 30-8.
While many, many things went wrong that night -- Strong was so impressed with his team's offensive game-plan he demoted play-caller Shawn Watson immediately after -- but part of that list, Charlie Strong said in a news conference Thursday, was the way he prepared his young team for the atmosphere in South Bend and the history of the program they faced.
Instead of psyching his young team up, he ended up psyching them out.
“I really didn't think I did a good job last year with that game because I made too much about it early," Strong said.
With Notre Dame making the return trip to Austin on Labor Day Sunday, the head 'Horn will let the game do its own hyping.
"We're just going to approach it like any other game,” Strong said. “They're going to hear so much about it, not much needs to be said.”
(HT Burnt Orange Nation)