Greatest Longhorn Football Teams of All Time - No. 7, 1968

James Street and Darrell Royal teamed up to lead the Longhorns to a 9-1-1 record

It’s never how you start, rather, it's how you finish. This was the storyline of the 1968 season. Following three straight four-loss seasons, it was time for the program to bounce back. The comeback season didn’t start out too hot, as Texas tied No.11 Houston then lost to Texas Tech 31-22, losing hope for titles.

After the slow start, legendary head coach Darrell Royal and quarterback James Street led the horns to nine straight victories to finish out the season. Other than the one close game against Oklahoma, beating them 26-20, Texas seemed to cruise through every other team, including an impressive 36-13 win in the Cotton Bowl against No.8 ranked Tennessee.

One key change that changed the tide, was the move of Emory Bellard to offensive coordinator. Bellard revolutionized the game when he invented a formation involving three running backs that came to be known as the wishbone. From that point forward, the Longhorns became unstoppable, with running backs Gilbert, Ted Koy and Steve Worster rushing for over 3,315 yards and 37 touchdowns that season. Texas finished the season with only 154 passing attempts, 17 of which ended up in turnovers.

"Not only was he an outstanding coach as far as X's and O's were concerned, he taught well... he was an excellent teacher of the game” Royal said in a statement. “To say he was an important member of our staff at that time is an understatement”, Royal continued.

The Horns ended the season at 9-1-1, winning their last nine games and first of six consecutive Southwest Conference titles. 

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