Texas had three — count ’em, THREE! — extra points blocked in a disheartening loss to Oklahoma State Saturday at Stillwater, Okla. One of the three was returned for a two-point conversion.

The Oklahoma State PAT defense team outscored the Texas PAT kicking team 2-1.

That’s not supposed to happen in high school jayvee games, much less to the proud Texas Longhorns. If it happens once, you figure out what happened and fix it.

This might have been three strikes you’re out at Texas, where Charley Strong already was an embattled coach on the verge of losing his job.

Don’t know what it would take for Strong to keep his job, but if you can’t fix protection on extra points, you’re probably not going to do enough to save your job.

After beginning the season with victories over Notre Dame and UTEP, Texas has given up 99 points in back-to-back losses to California and Oklahoma State. Next up: Oklahoma. As Dick Enberg might say, “Oh my…”

It’s likely two of the best five or six coaching jobs in college football will be open at season’s end, maybe more. Both the LSU and Texas jobs might be open at season’s end. (Southern Cal and Penn State could open, as well).

Wouldn’t you love to be Houston coach Tom Herman’s agent? Herman likely will break the bank. You get Texas and LSU bidding over you, you are talking some serious money.

After North Carolina’s signature victory over Florida State Saturday, Larry Fedora’s name probably will come up for both those jobs. And don’t be surprised if Hugh Freeze’s name is mentioned, prominently as well.

It has been an interesting season. It might be a more interesting off-season.


We want to hear from you!

Central to our mission at Mississippi Today is inspiring civic engagement. We think critically about how we can foster healthy dialogue between people who think differently about government and politics. We believe that conversation — raw, earnest talking and listening to better understand each other — is vital to the future of Mississippi. We encourage you to engage with us and each other on our social media accounts, email our reporters directly or leave a comment for our editor by clicking the button below.


Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

Rick Cleveland, a native of Hattiesburg and resident of Jackson, has been Mississippi Today’s sports columnist since 2016. A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi with a bachelor’s in journalism, Rick has worked for the Monroe (La.) News Star World, Jackson Daily News and Clarion Ledger. He was sports editor of Hattiesburg American, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. His work as a syndicated columnist and celebrated sports writer has appeared in numerous magazines, periodicals and newspapers.
Rick has been recognized 13 times as Mississippi Sports Writer of the Year, and is recipient of multiple awards and honors for his reporting and writing.