RELAXED LONGHORNS READY FOR BIG GAME BROWN TURNS PROGRAM AROUND WITH FUN NEW ATTITUDE.

Byline: Walter Hammerwold Staff Writer

Winning seasons at Texas never have been an issue under head coach Mack Brown. But winning games when they've counted most has.

Brown's Longhorns never have won fewer than nine games in a season since he took over the program in 1998. But key losses during that stretch gave pause to even the most faithful members of the 40 Acres campus.

There was a 39-37 upset loss to Colorado in the 2001 Big 12 championship game that sent Texas from probable BCS No. 2 to the Holiday Bowl; a 28-20 loss to Washington State in the 2003 Holiday Bowl that kept the Longhorns from their second top-five finish in 20 years; and a five-game losing streak against rival Oklahoma.

In most games, the Longhorns played fine. In big games, they played tight. And Brown's teams developed a reputation for choking whenever the pressure got to be too much.

To change that, Brown set about altering his coaching mentality. The results have Texas a win away from its first national title since 1969.

``I was raised hard,'' said Brown, who will lead the Longhorns against USC in the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. ``My coaches were not lighthearted when I was playing. They wouldn't let us laugh and speak. When you're on the bus on Friday, you were told to keep your mouth shut and be focused on the game, and on Saturday you did. And that was the way it was with our age group, and pretty much that way throughout.

``I think probably this team has played with more confidence and therefore had more fun, and so they're saying I'm having more fun. And when you're 11-0 you can have more fun than when you're 9-5. I've tried it both ways, and it's a lot easier to be relaxed around a team that is doing what you ask it to do.''

The Longhorns are on a 19-game tear that includes a 38-37 Rose Bowl victory last January over Michigan, a 25-22 comeback win at Ohio State in September, a rout of dreaded Oklahoma and the school's first Big 12 Conference title since 1996.

As a result, the Longhorns are loose heading into their first Bowl Championship Series title game.

``Coach Brown is probably the best in the country at making his players feel comfortable,'' defensive lineman Larry Dibbles said. ``Maybe he has lightened up. But this is a different team. And we're feeling good. We're all smiles. We've got smiles on our faces, songs in our hearts.''

Brown said his decision to mellow out came after studying USC coach Pete Carroll, who displayed an ability to diffuse the pressure on his team through humor and hijinks.

``Pete really set the example for the rest of the teams in college football, because coming out of the NFL, he's made it fun for the kids and fun for everybody,'' Brown said. ``Honestly, I took a little lead from him.''

Brown's pranks include dressing up like rapper 50 Cent at a practice and wearing a rat trap around his neck the week before a potential trap game against rival Texas A&M.

``He's got everybody singing and dancing and having a good time,'' Texas offensive lineman Jonathan Scott said. ``Everybody's just loose knowing they can play this game, and you no longer worry about anyone being uptight about anything.''

The Longhorns also are feeling more connected to one another. Whereas players saw one another as teammates in seasons past, they feel like a family now.

``One thing you said was it was like a big group of friends,'' Texas receiver Limas Sweed said. ``It's more like a big group of brothers, just having fun. And to do something like this, I think it's something that's indescribable. And it means more when you do it with people that you get along with and you're having fun with.

``That has a lot to do with all the winning that's been taking place - having all of these guys out there having fun. As late as it is in the season, we're still having fun at practice every day. And that's a big part of why we're going to the Rose Bowl and a big part about why we're going to play well in the Rose Bowl.''

Walter Hammerwold, [phone]

walter.hammerwold(at)sgvn.com

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Texas' victory in last year's Rose Bowl helped Mack Brown and Vince Young feel more comfortable heading into their return trip to Pasadena.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press