 "Photo: Jeff McWhorter")
 "Photo: Rice sports information")
In his brief coaching career, Major Applewhite has been more like Johnny Appleseed, throwing his football knowledge around the country, but not sticking around long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
And those fruits are typically powerhouse offenses, which Texas will see firsthand this Saturday against Rice.
Since graduating from Texas in 2002, the former Longhorn quarterback has enjoyed a rapid rise through the coaching ranks.
Starting out as a graduate assistant coach for Texas from 2003 to 2004, Applewhite served as quarterback coach at Syracuse in 2005 and as offensive coordinator for Rice and Alabama in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
Quite the resume for a 30-year-old.
Now, Applewhite is back to the place where he compiled a 25-2 record as a starter, serving as running backs and assistant head coach, and he could be the ace up Mack Brown’s sleeve in preparation for the Owls. He coached most of the Owls’ older players and helped recruit a lot of the younger ones.
“Major has been able to go back and talk to us about the mentality and personnel of Rice,” Brown said.
Applewhite tipped off Brown about Rice free safety Andrew Sendejo’s ball-hawking skills, adding that he was a “karate expert.”
A player’s martial arts skills generally don’t show up in the film room or in a scouting
report.
“Sometimes things go unnoticed on film because they just don’t happen,” offensive coordinator Greg Davis said. “It’s different if you’re there and you stood on the grass with them.”
Applewhite did stand on the grass with the majority of the Owls’ upperclassmen, including the dynamic pitch-and-catch duo of Chase Clement and Jarrett Dillard. The pair have connected for 37 touchdowns and are on pace to break the all-time record for touchdowns for a passer-receiver combo of 39.
Under Applewhite’s tutelage, Clement developed into a solid starting quarterback and Dillard into an All-American.
“They’re disciplined with their eyes,” Applewhite said. “They’re disciplined with their assignments. That’s what makes those two guys so tough to defend.”
And he’s familiar with the Owls’ psyche.
“They carry a chip on their shoulder because what people talk about first is their character and their intelligence and not their athleticism,” Applewhite said. “They’re a ball club that’s very dangerous.”
While at Rice, Applewhite helped a 1-10 team win seven games and earn its first bowl berth since 1961. The offense improved 109 points to a school-record 350 from 2005 to 2006 and gained the third-most yards in Owls’ history with 4,486.
The next year at Alabama, he helped the Crimson Tide improve from 22.9 points per game to 27.1 and from 335.9 yards per game to 373.8.
It has yet to be seen what long-term effect Applewhite will have on the Longhorns’ offense, but if history is any indicator, expect those rushing yards to go up.
And maybe expect another high-profile job to be waiting for him in the near future.
After all, there’s always more fertile ground to be sown.
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