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The consensus emotion I got in e-mails from Texas fans after a convincing Holiday Bowl victory over Arizona State was: "Finally."

A 52-34 victory that wasn't even as close as the score was indeed a positive way to end an erratic season. The fact that UT earned its seventh straight 10-win season, improved to 6-1 in bowls under Mack Brown in that span and took down the Pac-10 co-champion in the process made it seem all the more impressive.

On a cool California night in San Diego, Texas seemed to put it all together against a team that probably overachieved to reach 10-3 this season based on the Sun Devils' talent. An NFL scout told me Arizona State has only one pro prospect – safety Josh Barrett – and he didn't even play because of a knee injury. Arizona State was also missing its starting middle linebacker and top two tailbacks.

But that didn't keep ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter from not-so-subtly implying the Longhorns were in over their heads during team functions leading up to the game. Carpenter ended up on his back most of the game and turned the ball over three times. ASU also had a fumble and muffed punt to bring the turnover total to five.

In true Longhorn fashion in 2007 – a distraction (Mack Brown's stepson, Chris Jessee, straying onto the field and flipping momentum for about 10 minutes) – seemed to overshadow a solid effort.

There were a lot of efforts in the game that deserved mention: Brandon Foster's quiet, great year at cornerback was capped with a forced and recovered fumble, an interception and his fourth onside kick recovery.

Brian Orakpo (two sacks), Rod Muckelroy (one sack), Drew Kelson (one sack) and Marcus Griffin (two interceptions) were outstanding. So was Derek Lokey, who had four tackles, including one for loss, and scored a touchdown on his first career play touching the ball.

On offense, QB Colt McCoy, QB John Chiles, WR Nate Jones, WR Quan Cosby, WR Jordan Shipley, RB Vondrell McGee and even LB Rashad Bobino (fake punt) made huge plays with the ball.

No one had a bigger night than Jamaal Charles, who posted 161 yards rushing with two touchdowns.

And that's where the fizz starts going out of the champagne. Charles announced Wednesday he's jumping to the NFL. He joins Vince Young and Kwame Cavil as the only Longhorns to leave early under Mack Brown.

(Cavil was forced to leave early because he failed a drug test leading up to the Cotton Bowl in 1999 that would have caused him to sit out the 2000 season under NCAA rules.)

Charles' departure changes a lot about next year's offense. He's special, with special speed. All Charles did was lead the Big 12 in rushing with 1,619 yards and 18 touchdowns.

As I write this, however, there might be interesting news brewing. Brown is in talks with Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, a 36-year-old star who coached LSU's 2003 defense that led the nation in points allowed (11.0) under Nick Saban en route to the national title.

Q: Do you think Jamaal Charles is making the right decision to leave Texas?

Tim, Austin

BROWN: According to a source close to Charles, he was told by an NFL committee that projects where underclassmen will be selected in the 2008 draft that he would be selected in the first or second round. Charles is the kind of unique talent that will test off the charts for pro scouts because of his speed. He could run a 4.28 40-yard dash. If he does, he'll be a first-round pick for sure. He reminds me of Daniel Gibson, the former UT basketball player. A lot of people said Gibson made a mistake leaving UT after his sophomore season. Now look at Gibson. He played for an NBA title last season. If Charles gets with the right team, he'll be a Reggie Bush-type weapon – capable of running outside and catching passes and returning kicks. I don't know that he could have shown the NFL much more next season. He's not considered durable enough to be an every-down back. But he's fast enough to be a weapon in a slash, running back/receiver role in an offense.

Q: Do you think Mack will hire Will Muschamp from Auburn? How much better do you think the linebackers will play with better coaching?

Danny H.

BROWN: I love that Mack Brown zeroed in on Muschamp because once again it shows Mack is willing to hire guys who have been to the promised land and have their own ideas about things. Duane Akina was learning on the fly in his first year as a defensive play-caller. It didn't work. Muschamp has called defenses for a national champion (LSU under Nick Saban in 2003). He's called defenses in the NFL (Miami in 2005), and he's a young, intense recruiting machine. I think the defense will be much improved because Muschamp has talent to work with.

Q: Why would Muschamp leave Auburn to come to Texas? Isn't that a lateral move?

Lukin, Houston

BROWN: Muschamp would leave for the same reason Gene Chizik left. It's easier to get a head coaching job as the defensive coordinator at Texas than it is as the DC at Auburn because the SEC carries – how should we say this – certain stigmas about the cleanliness of the recruiting. It makes presidents and athletic directors nervous. No offense to SEC fans. Just telling you like it is.

Q: What is the honest perception of Mack Brown and the University of Texas coaching staff by members of the sports media and other coaches?

Todd F., Hollywood

BROWN: The media loves Brown. Honestly. He's a great guy. Stands for all the right things. He's genuine. Sometimes, he says stuff that makes you scratch your head. This season, Brown chastised the media for being critical of his team and then later admitted after beating Texas Tech that his team spent much of the season winning without confidence. But overall, he's incredible to deal with. I think other coaches marvel at Brown's consistency, class and style. Some might think he's a little soft from a distance. But he gets results. And he has been a hard-line coach in the past. Troy Aikman says Brown "almost broke me" as Aikman's offensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 1984. So Brown is seen as a great coach, especially when he surrounds himself with great assistants because much of Brown's day-to-day operation is overseeing the whole program – not drawing up game plans. He truly trusts his coordinators to do that. More than anything, he needs assistants who make great adjustments. Coaching is all about adjustments.

Q: Is it true that Southwest Airlines is making a new "Want to get away" commercial starring Chris Jessee?

Charlie M.

BROWN: That joke started circulating in the press box the moment Jessee stepped out on the field and is still kicking around, huh? I thought it was funny at the time. Getting a little stale though. Maybe some of the readers haven't heard it yet.

Q: How good is Arizona State?

J.T., Pearland

BROWN: Arizona State wasn't an incredibly talented team. It was a team with a great schedule (only four road games) that played well in victories at UCLA and home against Cal. The losses were on the road to Oregon and home against USC. So it wasn't like Texas beat a monster. ASU was a well-coached team that seemed to squeeze the most out of its talent.

Q: Where do you see Texas as far as preseason rankings? How will Texas match up with OU in 2008?

Cole, Dallas

BROWN: Here is my top 10 as of this moment – before the Orange Bowl is even over. 1. Oklahoma, 2. Georgia, 3. Ohio State, 4. USC, 5. Florida, 6. Texas, 7. LSU, 8. Missouri, 9. Kansas, 10. Illinois. I think Texas and OU will match up really well. Both will have top, young quarterbacks and improving offensive and defensive lines. I give OU the edge right now because the Sooners have proven running backs returning (DeMarco Murray, Chris Brown, etc.) and Texas doesn't.

Q: So what made the difference in the defense: 6 a.m. practices, NOS drills, personnel changes, a different scheme, an overrated ASU team, all of the above?

Jim, Fort Worth

BROWN: All of the above.

Q: If John Chiles were to throw a pass, would it break his arm?

Dan H.

BROWN: Would like to have seen Chiles attempt more passes. He's better than his numbers (1-of-9 passing this season for 17 yards). And there is room for him to rotate into games with Colt McCoy like they did against Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl. Chiles and Vondrell McGee put on a little show late in that game.

Q: If Mack and the staff had approached the Oklahoma, K-State and Texas A&M games with the same intensity as they did the Holiday Bowl, what do you think the difference in the outcomes would have been? Why didn't they?

David, Scottsdale, Ariz.

BROWN: I think Brown kept hoping the leadership on the team would come together sooner, but the off-season problems before the season took a toll. That combined with the coaches' strange decision to platoon along class lines seemed to disrupt the chemistry between upper and lower classmen. But a boot-camp mentality earlier in the season would have helped. As Brown said, "Talent wasn't the issue. We were talented enough to win each week." Brown says he will continue to implement the changes he made heading into the Holiday Bowl. And that may be the best news for Longhorns fans. Thanks for the questions this season. We'll talk again in August. Happy New Year.