Jerrod Heard’s heroics giving Texas rebuild new hope

As Charlie Strong trudged his way through the bowels of Darrell K Royal Stadium, a structure whose girders withstood the alternating weights of program-restoring elation and Texas-sized despair within a few minutes’ span Saturday night September 19, the Longhorns coach spotted the sickest man in America. One of his linebackers discussed plans to print T-shirts in honor of Texas’ breakout star quarterback, who laughed about his newfound celebrity. But the more the Horns play, the more hard they are to ignore. First on the agenda is No. 24 Oklahoma State (3-0) as the Longhorns enter Saturday’s contest in Austin (2:30 p.m., ESPN) with a defense that ranks No. 118 among the nation’s 127 FBS schools in yards allowed (512.3 per game).

But the biggest prerequisite to winning in the Big 12 is the ability to score points in bunches.

And even in the aftermath of a heartbreaking 45-44 loss, that’s giving this Texas team real hope for its future.

“We figured out what kind of defense we can be”, linebacker Peter Jinkens said.

“Hey man, Jerrod, he’s a baller”, receiver Daje Johnson said. And I think he can be a good coach at Texas.

Yup, that was pretty much my reaction.

Two days removed from Heard’s 363-yard passing, 163 yards rushing performance, Strong can better appreciate its implications. “We have the right pieces to the puzzle now”, Gray said.

But considering the defensive acumen of Strong and his staff, there’s at least a chance UT will improve on that side of the ball throughout the year. The defense that was the team’s strength last season has turned into a liability just as the offense has found some new swagger behind its new quarterback.

And if their quarterback reminds them just a little bit of Vince Young?

“I know it’s important to our fans because of some history and some things that happened 10 or 11 years ago”, Dykes said Tuesday. “It means a lot”. His skills and potential are clear, but the Longhorns are still banking on him to continue growing.

With just two starts under his belt, Heard is still bound to go through some growing pains. No biggie. Heard only needed six plays to go all the way.

“He said, ‘Don’t tell Alex, ‘” Strong answered, prompting a roar of laughter.

“Yeah. We really do”, Ford said.