Strong in limbo in aftermath of Texas’ collapse at Kansas

By Jim Vertuno, Associated Press

Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016 | 11:06 a.m.

The next time Texas' football coach is scheduled to speak with reporters is Monday afternoon. As of Sunday morning, that coach was still Charlie Strong.

The Longhorns are about to embark on what is poised to be an awkward and unusual game week as they prepare for a season-finale on Friday at home against TCU.

Saturday's 24-21 overtime loss to lowly Kansas left Strong looking distraught, without much to say. The Longhorns are 5-6 in his third season at Texas and his chances of remaining head coach are so bleak that it raises questions about whether the school would provide some clarity on his future before Strong's regularly scheduled Monday media availabilities.

Athletic department spokesman John Bianco said Sunday that Strong was back to his normal routine, meeting with staff, watching film and preparing for the Horned Frogs.

But the stunning collapse at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas, seems to have pushed Strong to the point of no return at Texas.

His wife was weeping outside the Longhorns' locker room after it was over.

His boss walked by with nothing to say.

Asked whether he knew what the loss meant, Strong replied: "No, I don't. No idea."

He refused to say much more. His players were just as silent.

"I love Coach Strong. That's my dog," Longhorns safety DeShon Elliott said. "I love him, but like I said, that's not our decision. We can't make that decision. It's the AD and all the men up there."

Texas athletic director Mike Perrin, who said earlier this season that he will evaluate Strong only after the finale, looked away and did not stop to speak to reporters after the game.

Strong is in the third year of a five-year contract, but not even a $10 million buyout could be enough to save him. He has failed to take the program to the same heights he took Louisville, going 16-20 overall, and is in danger of finishing with his third straight losing season.

His only bowl appearance came in 2014, when he lost to Arkansas in the Texas Bowl.

"You're upset. You never want this to happen," said Texas quarterback Shane Buechele, who threw an interception on the first possession of overtime that allowed Kansas to kick the winning field goal.

"You have to get everyone to rally back. We're a family in there," Buechele said, before adding of Strong: "We're going to fight for him this next game."

The Longhorns (3-5 Big 12) have shown some fight this season, beating Notre Dame in double overtime to open the season, ever-so-briefly giving Strong a reprieve from all the critics.

But close losses at California, Oklahoma State and in the Red River Rivalry against Oklahoma put an end to any fuzzy feelings. Another close loss to Kansas State a couple of weeks later combined with last week's 24-20 loss to West Virginia put his job in peril.

Nothing could be more damaging than a loss to the Jayhawks, though.

Kansas hadn't beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision school since 2014, and hadn't won a conference game in 19 tries. The Jayhawks' only win in nearly two seasons under coach David Beaty was against lower-level Rhode Island in the season opener, and the Longhorns had handled them in their last 13 meetings.

Yet four turnovers in the second quarter got the Longhorns in trouble, and more missteps down the stretch allowed Kansas to overcome a 21-10 deficit and force overtime in the final seconds of regulation.

Matthew Wyman's 25-yard field goal sent Strong striding off the field.

"This one hurts," Texas wide receiver Jacore Warrick said. "Everyone is disappointed. We wanted to come out. We wanted to play well. Ultimately, no matter what happens throughout the game, the end result, we want to be a W. And it's not. We could have put the game away early."

Asked about his coach's future, Warrick replied simply: "Trying not to think about it."

AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Lawrence, Kansas, contributed to this report.