2010 College Football: What's Wrong With the Texas Longhorns?

Very few people who live outside of Austin thought that the University of Texas football program was going to be fighting again this year for the BCS National Championship.

But what no one could have predicted was the total breakdown that we are witnessing in this 2010 season.

Last night's loss to Oklahoma State is just the latest home defeat for the reeling Longhorns (4-6, 2-5), who have lost six of their last seven games.

With last night's defeat, the Longhorns lost for the fourth time at home this year (UCLA, Iowa State, Baylor and now Oklahoma State) to equal the total number of home losses for Texas since 2000.

Also, with last night's defeat, Texas lost four straight home games in the same season for the first time since 1956.

How has this happened? The following may provide a little insight into Mack Brown's nightmare:

Turnovers

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 07: Quarterback Garrett Gilbert #3 of the Texas Longhorns fumbles the ball as he is hit by linebacker Eryk Anders #32 of the Alabama Crimson Tide during the Citi BCS National Championship game at the Rose Bowl on January 7, 2010 in

Currently, the Longhorns are No. 119 in turnover margin...second-to-last among all Division 1 schools.

That means they aren't forcing many, but they are giving the ball up A LOT!

You don't win many games when you give the football away almost twice as much as you take it away.

In 10 games, the Longhorns have only caused 13 turnovers, but they have coughed it up or thrown it away 25 times.

Garrett Gilbert Is Struggling

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AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Garrett Gilbert #7 of the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 25, 2010 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Sophomore QB Garrett Gilbert isn't just struggling in comparison with his predecessor, Colt McCoy—almost anyone would.

Gilbert is just struggling.

His second-half performance in last year's BCS game gave the Longhorns faithful confidence that things were going to be OK when Colt rode off to the NFL.

So far...

On the year, Gilbert has thrown seven TD passes and 15 interceptions (the Longhorns with Gilbert are No. 107 in passes intercepted).

His passing efficiency numbers are so low that he is not even listed in the Top 100 college passers.

He is averaging fewer than six yards per attempt...not good!

Not Scoring Points

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HOUSTON - SEPTEMBER 04: Running back Tre' Newton #23 scores in the first half against the Rice Owls at Reliant Stadium on September 4, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

The Longhorns are averaging just 21.7 points per game, which is No. 97 in the nation.

Last year, Texas scored 57 TDs on the season. Right now, they have found the end zone only 22 times...Ouch!

Even against Rice and Wyoming, the Longhorns only scored 34 points in each game...Maybe we should have seen this coming.

Too Many Penalties

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GAINESVILLE, FL - SEPTEMBER 11: A penalty flag is picked up during a game between the South Florida Bulls and the Florida Gators at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on September 11, 2010 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

The Longhorns are No. 83 in penalty yards.

While that is not horrible (Auburn is No. 75), when your offense is sputtering, untimely penalties simply make matters worse.

Defense Has Not Been Dominant

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AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 20: Sam Acho #81 of the Texas Longhorns pressures Chase Clement #16 of the Rice Owls during the game on September 20, 2008 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. Texas won 52-10. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Imag

While their overall defensive numbers are quite good (No. 7 total defense, No. 8 passing defense), the Longhorns defense has not been able to shut teams down when they needed to get a stop.

Offensively weak UCLA lit Texas up for 34 points.

In their four home losses, the Longhorns have given up an average of 31 points per game. If you're offense is only scoring 21 per game, the math is pretty easy.

Will the Longhorns Even Be Bowl-Eligible?

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 05: Head coach Mack Brown of the Texas Longhorns at Cowboys Stadium on December 5, 2009 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

After losing their fourth straight home game for the first time since 1956, the Longhorns must win their final two home games to avoid missing out on a bowl game for the first time since John Mackovic's final season as coach in 1997.

Actually, winning their final two games only assures them of bowl-eligibility...not a bowl invitation.