I don't like Mack Brown and a lot of it stems from the fact I think he has a problem accepting the fact that sometimes teams do lose and sometimes coaches do make mistakes. I think he's a cocky coach who can't shoulder any blame when his Longhorns play ill-prepared and often look lost on the college football field. So it wasn't much of a surprise that he came out and blamed the new clock rules for Texas' loss to Ohio State over the weekend. The loss ended Texas' 21-game winning streak and left Brown lost and confused over it. So instead of accepting the blame for the loss, he turns around and pawns it off on the clock rule changes.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told the media in his weekly Big 12 teleconference. Hey Macky, the game was over because your team failed to show up, not because Ohio State put up a late score to make a comeback impossible. If you wanted to wait until the final six minutes to make a comeback, you deserve to lose. Next time, score in the first 54-minutes of the game and maybe then you'll have a chance to win.
But this isn't the first time and I doubt it will be the last time Mack Brown whines over a loss, or a near loss. In 2004, after Texas barely defeated a terribly average Kansas team, he pleaded for the media to vote Texas up in the rankings for they could slip into a BCS bowl game over Cal. It worked, as Cal was left out of the BCS and Texas went on to defeat Michigan in the Rose Bowl, possibly setting up their amazing run in the 2005 season.
I wonder what excuse he'll use if Texas loses to Oklahoma this year?
And on the other side of the country, North Carolina State head coach Chuck Amato is pulling a Mack Brown and making an excuse as to why his Wolfpack team lost to Akron of the MAC. After the 20-17 loss, Amato used the excuse that Akron has non-qualifiers on their team and this is why they beat North Carolina State. He also had the nerve to call out Fresno State, Boise State and Louisville over this same issue.
Chuck Amato is off his rocker and sounds like a desperate coach trying to salvage his sinking career. And apparently Fresno State head coach Pat Hill took offense to Amato's comments and called him out today over it.
Hill told the the Herald-Sun that he would be willing to play North Carolina State anywhere at anytime, but he also reminded Chucky Cheese that the Bulldogs do not allow any non-qualifiers, so he better not use that as an excuse. I'm going to wager Hill's put up or shut up message will not elicit a response from NC State.
Amato and Brown both look like bumbling fools trying to mask their team's failures. The only difference here however is that Amato does not have a leg to stand on, Brown does. He looks like a PR nightmare and the only coaches that can get away with that are those coaches that actually succeed. I'm guessing Amato will be tossed aside by seasons end and I doubt many State fans will shed a tear over it.