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Tuesday, September 16, 1997

Texas searching for answers; Mackovic takes blame

By CHIP BROWN AP Sports Writer

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - It's being called "Rout 66" and the "Massacre at Royal-Memorial Stadium."

Two days after the Texas Longhorns were humiliated 66-3 by UCLA in their worst home loss ever, coach John Mackovic didn't know whether to show the game film to his players or burn it.

"There are times you want to show the players and say, 'Here are your mistakes,' " Mackovic said Monday.

"Other times you just want to throw the film in the wastebasket and say, 'We can't learn anything from this.' "

One thing's for sure, all the teams left on Texas' schedule will want the film of the second-worst loss in the 105-year history of Texas football, and Mackovic said he would send it out.

"We'll continue to trade films with teams as we always do," he said.

Answering critics who are blaming Mackovic for failing to motivate the team for Saturday's game, the coach said, "I try to share as much, when we win, with other people, but the bottom line is the buck stops here. That final responsibility always rests on the shoulders of the head coach.

"I think others are responsible to the head coach, the assistant coaches and players. They are responsible to carry out their part of it. But the highest responsibility is always the head coach, and I accept that. I'm very disappointed. It hurts personally."

Mackovic said he told the team all week that UCLA was much better than its 0-2 record and he had made a priority of winning all the team's games in September.

The Longhorns (1-1) have been early-season disappointments in six years under Mackovic, going 10-10-3 in nonconference games.

"It was a point of emphasis for our team this year to play well in our first three games, our nonconference games," Mackovic said. "We talked about it."

Several players defended Mackovic.

"I don't think blame can be put on any one person," said linebacker Dusty Renfro. "We all want the same thing, and we all blew it this time."

Texas players wouldn't say so, but there was a sense among UCLA players that the Longhorns were overconfident.

"They didn't seem to think we were any good," said Bruins linebacker Danjuan Magee.

Once UCLA (1-2) turned two Texas turnovers into touchdowns in a 20-second span and went up 24-0 early in the second quarter, the Longhorns went into shock, said senior center Ryan Fiebiger.

"All the guys on this team came from good high school programs, and no one is used to falling behind so badly in a game," he said. "I think things got out of hand, and then we couldn't turn things around because everyone was in a state of shock."

Renfro compared the loss to losing a fist fight.

"You get up, shake their hand and go on," he said. "There's not a lot you can do about it."

Linebacker Dwight Kirkpatrick said the team's confidence is shaken.

"How can it not be?" he said. "I think it will remain shaken until we come out and play again and show we can play better than we did."

The Longhorns now have two weeks to think about the school's worst loss since a 68-0 defeat by the University of Chicago in 1904, when touchdowns counted for only five points.

Texas has an off-week, then plays at Rice on Sept. 27.

When the two last met, in Houston in 1994, Rice beat then 12th-ranked Texas 19-17. It was the Owls' first victory over the Longhorns in 29 years.

"The good news is, when you play as bad as we did, it can't get any worse," Kirkpatrick said. "It has to get better from here."Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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