AUSTIN, Texas -- Whether or not Mack Brown believes it, the Texas Longhorns coach has continued to pound home the questionable point that his defense improved in the latter half of the 2012 season.

Sure, that theory is plausible if one looks past the second half of the Kansas State game, the first half of the Oregon State game, and that 109-yard drive allowed to open the TCU game. (The Horned Frogs overcame a 15-yard penalty with a midseason replacement redshirt freshman quarterback on the aforementioned drive.)

So maybe there wasn't that much improvement as the season progressed in 2012, but there is at least now a lot of room for improvement, and time in which to do it. That is what spring is for, after all. In the march toward those much-needed improvements -- this was statistically the worst defense in school history -- Texas will have to answer a few questions. Here are the five most prominent:

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Carter Strickland | email

Reporter, HornsNation

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• Reporter for HornsNation
• Covers Texas Longhorns sports and recruiting
• Joined ESPN in 2011