The Texas Longhorns started the season 1-4 and Charlie Strong's seat was warming up rapidly. The Longhorns had major issues moving the football, couldn't stop teams on defense and cost themselves two games with special teams miscues. However, Texas figured things out this weekend and upset #10 Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. It is easily the biggest win in Strong's tenure at Texas. Here are three reasons why Strong may have saved his job on Saturday.
3. Pleases His Superiors
There is no better way to calm a fan base and superiors than to beat a hated rival. That's exactly what Strong and Texas did. The Texas higher ups will be happy enough with the OU win that they'll give Strong more time to continue his rebuild. Texas likely isn't going to win the rest of their games, but a Red River Rivalry win is a huge one for Strong's job security.
2. Recruiting Help
There isn't a more important game for Texas' recruiting than against Oklahoma. This is a game that Strong point to this game and tell recruits "Look, we are improving." If Strong can put together a promising class, it's unlikely that Texas will risk losing that class by firing Strong.
1. Confidence Boost
A young team needs a confidence, especially after losing four of their first five games. A win over a Top 10 team in Oklahoma is the biggest boost Texas could have possibly received the rest of the season. It's a win that Texas desperately needed. With this win and confidence boost, the Longhorns should be able to improve their play each week. If that happens, Strong's seat will cool off tremendously in the coming weeks.