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It would hardly seem the time to start tinkering with the offense. Yet that's exactly what the Longhorns are doing heading into Saturday night's game at Missouri (4-2, 0-2 Big 12).
The Longhorns (6-0, 3-0) are shuffling wide receivers, planning to use a tight end more often to help with the running game and expecting to call more running plays for quarterback Colt McCoy.
"We've got to help Colt more," Texas coach Mack Brown said. "We've got to be more consistent."
Marquise Goodwin and Malcolm Williams will start with Jordan Shipley at wide receiver, bumping Dan Buckner and James Kirkendoll. Buckner had been McCoy's favorite target across the middle.
The Longhorns struggled to throw in a 16-13 win over Oklahoma, but ran the ball well, grinding out 142 yards. McCoy ran for 65 yards (but also lost 25 on four sacks) in the first game this season where the Longhorns were calling multiple plays for him to run.
But it's clear the Longhorns have work to do on offense if they are going to make a charge at their second national title since 2005. Their 16 points against Oklahoma were the fewest by the Longhorns in a victory since a 16-6 win over Texas A&M in 1995.
"There were times offensively we should have put the game away, knocked the game out," McCoy said.
Texas coach Mack Brown said the Longhorns will be calling on McCoy more often to run.
McCoy was the team's leading rusher last season, but Texas stayed away from designed run plays for him because they could win without him taking extra hits and risking injury.
That will change now that Texas is deep into the Big 12 schedule.
"We were able to win a lot of games fairly easily," Brown said. "If we feel like we can win without it, what's the difference? He was excited Saturday because he knew he was going to run."
Texas leads the nation in scoring with a 42-point average that masks the Longhorns' recent struggles to punch the ball into the end zone. The offense has scored just three touchdowns in the last two games with none in the first half.
"We're not starting well," Brown said. "I can't figure it out."
