Texas Longhorns

Every year, there's lots of turnover and change for every college program. What do the Big 12 teams need to do before next fall? Let's continue our look with the Longhorns down in Austin.

1. Figure out the offensive identity. Bryan Harsin is gone, and he's probably taking most of his pre-snap shifts with him. Will Major Applewhite still look to run a power offense? Texas has recruited and developed its offensive line really well lately, but David Ash has matured, and even with a wealth of backs in Malcolm Brown, Johnathan Gray, Joe Bergeron and Daje Johnson, Texas hasn't been able to keep them healthy or get consistent production out of one for an entire season. Will Applewhite put more responsibility in Ash's hands? He was good at times last season, but the rising junior was inconsistent. His ceiling is probably a legitimate Heisman campaign. His floor is probably getting benched in favor Connor Brewer or Jalen Overstreet -- or maybe even incoming freshman Tyrone Swoopes. Where will he fall on the spectrum? Will Texas continue to try to pound the trenches?

2. Plug up the middle of the defense. Texas' defense made no sense last season. The personnel is absolutely there to be great up front. The defensive tackles are deep and talented, led by guys like Malcom Brown, Ashton Dorsey, Desmond Jackson and Chris Whaley. The linebackers were solid, even without Jordan Hicks, who should be back next season. Peter Jinkens is a rising star and a few others have potential. Coordinator Manny Diaz didn't take another job, electing to stay in Austin and attempt fix the most underwhelming unit in the Big 12. It all starts with the ability to stop the run, something Texas never did consistently last season. Fix that, and the rest of this defense comes around, I say.

3. Discover and develop leadership. Texas was still a pretty young team last season after rebooting on both sides of the ball after the 2010 season. The freshmen and sophomores who contributed in 2011 are juniors and seniors now, but the team is losing guys like Alex Okafor and Kenny Vaccaro, players who had been around awhile and served as role models for younger guys. Look for Jackson Jeffcoat and David to fill the role this year, but other players, like Malcolm Brown or Jaxon Shipley, might emerge, too. We'll see who steps up in the spring.

More offseason to-do lists:

• Texas Tech
• West Virginia

STILLWATER, Okla. -- Texas coach Mack Brown was curious to see how his team reacted against a solid Big 12 team. In the first half, the answers were mixed. Offensively Texas was solid. Defensively the struggles from Ole Miss continued.

Stat of the half: After scoring a combined 35 points in the first quarter, all these two teams could only manage three points in the second quarter. Oklahoma State clearly struggles in second quarters. The Cowboys failed to score against Arizona in that loss and only scored three against Texas. This was the first time that Texas has failed to score in the second quarter.

Player of the half: Oklahoma State running back Joseph Randle has devastated Texas in the run game. The junior took his first handoff and went 69 yards for a touchdown. Randle had 103 yards in the first quarter and continued to carve up Texas in the second, finishing with 147 yards and a touchdown. Oklahoma State had 168 rushing yards in the first half.

What's working for Texas: David Ash has continued to play with poise. The sophomore has directed two scoring drives and been accurate on most of his downfield passes. Ash, who has two touchdown passes, should have had another, but a 40-yard toss was dropped by Mike Davis in the end zone.

What's not working for Texas: The Longhorns are once again failing to tackle. Both of Oklahoma State's first half touchdowns came as a result of missed tackles by safety Adrian Phillips. The first was the 69-yard run by Randle. Phillips had Randle wrapped up at the 48, released hum and watch him run the next 52 yards. On the next touchdown, Phillips hit receiver Josh Stewart at the 23 but bounced off, getting injured on the play. Stewart scooted into the end zone from there.

What Texas needs to do to stay ahead: Continue to get a rotation of fresh players in on defense. The Longhorns are down four potential starters on that side of the ball. Defensive tackle Brandon Moore (virus) and linebacker Jordan Hicks (hip) did not make the trip. Phillips was hurt in the game. Defensive tackle Desmond Jackson also was hurt. Texas has had to use true freshman Malcom Brown at defensive tackle and little-used junior Kyle Kreigel.

HornsNation's William Wilkerson hosted our weekly chat on Tuesday afternoon. Here's some of the best from Tuesday's chat:

Dave (MD): Is it just me, or did Malcolm Brown look a half step faster than he did last year? It was the first time I really thought he looked like a 5 star stud.

William Wilkerson: He did to me as well. I wouldn't say this was the first time I thought he looked like a 5-star recruit because I thought he showed glimpses of that last season. But he's healthy now, the offensive line is healthy. That makes a huge difference and it showed on Saturday.

Anthony Bailey (San Antonio): How much is Texas hype versus Texas good on this year's defense overall?

William Wilkerson: Good question. Look, there is plenty to like about this defense. Two stud DEs, at least three players in secondary that will play on Sundays and as athletic a group of LBs as Texas has had. But there are some concerns. For as athletic as the LBs are they are replacing two of the most productive LBs in Texas history in Acho and Robinson. That's a lot of ground to make up. And for as unpopular as Blake Gideon was around here he still started four years. That's a lot to lose. I think Texas underestimated Wyoming a bit in the early going. But I think it has a great chance of reaching its potential as the season progresses.

Adam (Ann Arbor): William,Does it mean anything that Desmond Jackson jumped up B. Moore on the depth chart, or does it even matter with how deep we our. Seems like his value will be measured more on how others do vs. his stats just based on the sheer amount of space he takes up.

William Wilkerson: You hit it dead on Adam. i wouldn't read too much into it. Jackson is called "Tank" for a reason and showed it with really solid play against Wyoming. He earned the nod over Moore for that reason. It really doesn't matter who starts on the line because they are so interchangeable.

Read the full chat transcript here.

Colleague Travis Haney continued our series at ESPN.com on college football's best position units by ranking the nation's top 10 defensive lines.

Only one Big 12 team made his list, and it's the Texas Longhorns.

No question here. Texas is in a league of its own in the Big 12 when it comes to the defensive line. Ends Jackson Jeffcoat and Alex Okafor are the league's two best, and Okafor was named Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the media.

The Longhorns checked in at No. 3 on Haney's list, behind only Florida State and LSU.

The kicker for Texas? Jeffcoat and Okafor get plenty of attention, but the depth at defensive tackle might take this line to the next level.

Ashton Dorsey returns along with sophomore Desmond Jackson, but juco transfer Brandon Moore and incoming freshman Malcom Brown could have a big impact. If that rotation starts collapsing pockets up front, flushing quarterbacks into the flats, Jeffcoat and Okafor are going to be racking up big, big numbers this year. Look out for former running back Chris Whaley on the line, too.

Texas is going to have a fearsome front four all season, regardless of who's on the field, well-deserving of a spot in the national top three.

TCU and Oklahoma may have the next-best defensive lines in the league, but nobody's got one like Texas does this year. We'll see how much damage the Longhorns do.

For every returning starter and proven commodity who will take the field Thursday for Texas’ first spring practice, there’s another who needs these next five weeks to prove himself.

From the backups to the redshirts to the newcomers, spring ball can mean the difference between a fall spent under the bright lights or on the bench. And in a program with the recruiting tradition of Texas, no starter should get too comfortable.

Here are the position battles we’ll be keeping an eye on during the Longhorns’ first 15 practices of the 2012 season. We all know what No. 1 is on this list, but don’t ignore the openings at these other spots. What goes down in the next month will have significant implications on what kind of team will take the field Sept. 1 against Wyoming.

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