A win is a win, right?
The optics of a 28 to 21 win over Tulsa is not in the same area code as impressive, but the Horns feel as if progress was made from that week one loss in Maryland.
"Just finishing the game with our offense, I haven't seen that in a while," said Texas defensive tackle, Chris Nelson.
The Longhorns' offense finished with 478 total yards of offense against the Golden Hurricane.
"As a team we were a little more relaxed, had fun, that was kind of the emphasis during that week of practice," said Texas tight end, Andrew Beck.
Some Texas fans believe that the Longhorns play to the level of their competition. So, I asked the Horns if there is any truth to that. They said, "no." According to the Longhorns, they are simply improving in several aspects of their game.
"From a motivational standpoint, I don't think so. I think that every week we should have enough intrinsic leadership to motivate us for whoever we're playing," said Texas quarterback, Sam Ehlinger.
Who the Horns are playing this week is a significant step up in competition. The University of Southern California Trojans are headed to Austin Saturday.
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One year ago, it required a pair of overtimes for the men of Troy to defeat Texas in Los Angeles with a score of 27 to 24. It's proof that big games with marquee opponents can speed up the maturation of a team.
"People are going to find this as a game to step up. If that's the case, then that's what we need," said Texas defensive end, Charles Omenihu. "Some games like that, it ends up happening, it's weird."
A Longhorn win over USC one week after hanging on for the win against Tulsa, now that's truly keeping it weird in Austin.