The No. 11 Texas Longhorns and Rice Owls face off on Saturday afternoon to kick off the season. We expect big things from Texas in the game mostly because of what we expect this season.
The game presents different opportunities for both the offense and the defense. Offensively, we need to see consistency. For that, we need the offense to show it can execute plays over and over again. Given the talent on the offensive side and what Rice lacks defensively, it should result in a high score by halftime.
Texas does not need to press if it falls behind, but a well executed half should result in a high scoring output by halftime. If the Longhorns have executed they should have at least 28 points on the board at halftime. Again, they shouldn’t press to reach that total. It would simply reflect that the team did not execute plays offensively and needs to improve.
On defense, the team could benefit by taking more risks. Finding out what risks defensive backs can take could benefit the team when they need a play later in the season.
Earlier this week, we noted a five-touchdown line in favor of Texas. The team will look to perform up to expectations on Saturday.