AUSTIN, Texas -- Coach Charlie Strong has taken control of the Texas Longhorns' defense, including playcalling duties.
Strong demoted his longtime defensive coordinator, Vance Bedford, on Monday and assumed control of the struggling defense. Bedford will remain on the staff and help coach the secondary.
"I know this: I've done it before. I can see where I can help us," Strong said. "Sometimes you feel like you need to bring new energy into some of these guys and just hoping this will be a good move for them, which it will be."
Texas ranks last in the Big 12 in scoring defense at 38.3 points per game after giving up more than 47 points in three of its first four games. Strong defended Bedford last week after a 50-43 loss at Cal, but the Longhorns' defense responded with a 49-31 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday to open Big 12 conference play.
After the loss to Cal, Texas had a bye week, and Strong said he would get more involved with the defense and evaluate his coaching staff. A week later, he backed Bedford and said he didn't believe staff changes would help.
"I have a lot of confidence in Vance Bedford, and I know Vance is going to do a good job," Strong said last week.
Texas (2-2) installed four new starters against the Cowboys but gave up 555 total yards, including 392 passing yards, in a performance plagued by missed tackles. The Longhorns now rank second from the bottom nationally in takeaways, having forced only one turnover in 228 plays.
"I just felt like, at this time right now, it was just a move that needed to be made," Strong said Monday when asked about the timing of Bedford's demotion.
Strong also addressed the pressure he's now facing after a 2-2 start. ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported Saturday that Strong will not be fired during the season.
Strong said he doesn't need any votes of confidence from his bosses.
"We're 2-2, four games into the season. We still have eight games left," Strong said. "I told our players yesterday, 'Guys, y'all go play. You just go play. Let me handle everything else. It doesn't matter to me anymore. What's going to be said is what's going to be said. I say we were in a similar position last year, we went through the same things last season. Don't worry about it. You guys handle the business on the field and let us get you coached up.'"
Bedford served as Strong's defensive coordinator at Louisville from 2010 to 2013 before joining him at Texas, Bedford's alma mater. They also coached together at Florida for two years and helped the Gators win a national championships in 2008, when Strong served as defensive coordinator.
This is the second straight year Strong has made a coordinator change during the season. Last year, he demoted co-offensive coordinators Shawn Watson and Joe Wickline after the first game of the season, a 38-3 road loss at Notre Dame.
Bedford and linebackers coach Brian Jean-Mary are the only assistants remaining from the first Texas staff Strong hired in 2014. Strong praised Bedford for being a "professional" during the change and said Bedford understood the move when they sat down to discuss it.
"He saw it himself. He saw it," Strong said. "He felt that way himself. He took it well."