Charlie Strong has taken a lot of flack recently.

Many have called for the third-year head coach's job in recent weeks after the team dropped three-straight.

But the team made a statement on Saturday in its 27–6 win over Iowa State: the Longhorns still support their head coach.

"I think we were playing for Charlie and each other," sophomore linebacker Breckyn Hager said. "We're tired of all the crap. We love that man and we want to keep him in house."

Strong made a crucial decision before last week's game against Oklahoma, taking over the defensive play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Vance Bedford. The defense struggled while giving up 672 yards to Oklahoma. But the unit showed some much-needed progress against the Cyclones with eight sacks and just six points allowed.

"We scored and we didn't allow them to go score — [that's] what's been happening," Strong said. "We can build from this one."

While Strong's job security has come into question recently, the team insists that there's still time to turn the season around; Hager said the team will go "undefeated" the rest of the way.

Strong said last Monday he's not worried about the outside criticism — he just wants to see the team win. Still, the Longhorns know each victory will make a difference for their head coach.

"Every night we're playing for that man," freshman quarterback Shane Buechele said. "Everybody on our team, all the coaches, love coach Strong and we try to show it every time."