Texas Football: Longhorns' Home-Field Struggles Must Change

The final three-game stretch of the Texas Longhorns' season features two home games. This would seem like a favorable schedule for most football teams, but when it comes to the Longhorns, playing at home has not always equaled home-field advantage.

Playing against talented opponents at home has led to embarrassing losses.

The Longhorns are 2-2 at home this season, with the two wins coming against North Texas and Iowa State. In other words, the two games Texas was supposed to win.

The two losses were atrocious, which is putting it lightly.

BYU and Baylor totaled 818 total yards and 69 points whereas the Longhorns only managed to put up 14 points.

"We haven't played well at home all season long," head coach Charlie Strong said. "The thing we have to start doing is winning in our home stadium. We haven't done a great job on our own turf."

Strong is not pleased with the Longhorns' performances at home this season. It has upset him so much that he took away the privilege of practicing in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Thursdays before games.

"Coach Strong stopped practicing on the home field on Thursdays. He wants us to value that field, that turf," senior linebacker Jordan Hicks said. "We've got to handle our business when people come in here. We got to take it personal. There's not really that personal aspect that they're trying to come in here and kick down the door and beat you. That's not the feeling that we have and that's the feeling we've got to get."

Winning at home against solid opponents has been an issue for Texas for many years, dating back to before Strong arrived in Austin.

The Longhorns are 0-9 against ranked opponents at home, and Texas has not beaten a ranked opponent at home since 2008.

This losing streak could make some wonder why the Longhorns struggle to beat good opponents on their home turf—and how these losses look to Texas recruits.

It's the goal of football coaches to get the top-rated recruits on campus to take in a home game. Even though the coaches do not get a lot of one-on-one time with recruits on official visits, having the athletes see the game-day atmosphere and spend time around the team helps in recruiting.

But what do recruits think when they see the fans leave games early when their team is losing?

There is still a lot on the line for Texas in Strong's inaugural season. The Longhorns must win at least two of the final three games in order to make it to a bowl game. At least one of those wins has to come against a Top 25 opponent.

Texas hosts No. 23 West Virginia Saturday in another must-win game. Saturday just so happens to be one of the bigger recruiting weekends for the Longhorns.

"The first impression is to go win the football game and give them something where they can go see us play well," Strong said of the big recruiting weekend. "Our hosts are really key, which are the players. They're going to have to do a really good job of just selling the program and selling what it's all about. The first thing we need to do is go out and play well and give them something to talk about."

The Longhorns' home losing streak to ranked opponents has to end sometime. The best time for it to happen in 2014 is Saturday against the Mountaineers.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained firsthand.

Taylor Gaspar is Bleacher Report's featured columnist covering the Texas Longhorns. Follow Taylor on Twitter @Taylor_Gaspar.