Texas senior cornerback Quandre Diggs, one of the Longhorns' best players, isn't sure some of his teammates are passionate enough about winning.
Texas has opened 1-1 under new coach Charlie Strong and was blown out 41-7 by BYU this past Saturday -- at home.
"We don't have enough guys that just will not accept losing," Diggs told orangebloods.com, a Texas-centric website, Monday during a media session with Longhorns players.
Diggs (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) is one of the best corners in the Big 12 and has been a starter since he arrived on campus. But he also has been on Texas teams that have done their share of losing: The Longhorns have lost 15 times since the beginning of the 2011 season. From 2000-09, Texas lost just 19 times.
"You should definitely hate losing," Diggs told orangebloods.com. "What's fun in being a loser? You don't want anybody going around saying you're a loser. ... With 85 scholarship guys, it's hard to get guys going with a couple of seniors. We need other guys to lead, too. It's just how it is. You're going to have to grow up one day, and I guess guys are not ready to grow up yet."
Texas could be in trouble again this Saturday against UCLA in Arlington, Texas. Texas again will be without starting quarterback David Ash, who is recovering from a concussion. The Longhorns trailed just 6-0 at halftime against BYU, but a stagnant offense led to Texas' defense being on the field for too long and BYU dominated the second half.
"I'm a guy who grew up winning. I never lost. I don't like to lose," Diggs said. "It's not something I've ever accepted. I think sometimes guys accept losing because they come from different high schools where they're the stars, and as long as they are going in and making plays, it's acceptable. That's the thing they grew up with. Me, I never grew up losing. ..."
"When you take a loss, it's something you should be disappointed about. You should go home and just think about that for the rest of the night."
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.