Tag: Big 12 Football

Texas sends two players home before Alamo Bowl

Texas has sent home two players ahead of tomorrow’s Alamo Bowl. LBs David Gbenda and Byron Vaughns violated team rules and will not play.

Texas has sent home two players ahead of tomorrow’s Alamo Bowl against Utah. Linebackers David Gbenda and Byron Vaughns violated team rules and will not be playing in tomorrow’s game.

Both freshman, Vaughns has played in seven games this season. Recording 14 tackles in those games, he was a key contributor to the win against Kansas earlier this year. Of his eight total tackles that day, six of them were solo. Vaughns also forced a fumble in the loss to TCU.

Gbenda has played in four games, but only recorded a tackle against Kansas.

For a Texas defense that has struggled this season, losing depth at the linebacker position will not help. They will face off against Utah tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN.

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List of Big 12 players that have declared for the 2020 NFL draft

As the CFB season comes to an end, players will be declaring for the draft. We will be updating this list as players start to declare.

As the college football season comes to an end, a lot of players will be declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft. We will be updating this list all the way until the deadline for underclassmen to declare which is January 20.

The Big 12 historically full of talent and this year is no different. Talented players will come throughout the entire league. Texas is expected to have a few names on this list, but nothing is official as of yet.

Here are the Big 12 players that have declared for the 2020 NFL Draft:

(updated as of Dec. 29)

Ross Blacklock: Defensive Tackle, TCU

Jalen Reagor: Wide Receiver, TCU

CeeDee Lamb: Wide Receiver, Oklahoma

Texas officially hires Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator

After a couple weeks of reports, Texas put an end to their OC search. The Longhorns have officially hired Ohio State PGC Mike Yurcich.

After a couple weeks of reports and speculation, Texas finally put an end to their offensive coordinator search. The Longhorns have officially hired Ohio State passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich. He also spent six seasons with Oklahoma State as their offensive coordinator.

Here is the official announcement from the Texas football Twitter account:

One day after Yurcich’s Buckeyes lost in the College Football Playoff semi-final to Clemson, he is hired by the Longhorns. Texas removed Tim Beck from the OC position after the season finale against Texas Tech. Also hiring Chris Ash as the defensive coordinator, the Longhorns will have new guys running both sides of the ball next season.

Before the season ends, Texas will face off against Utah in the Alamo Bowl on New Year’s Eve.

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Alamo Bowl Quarterback Comparison

This year’s Alamo Bowl has the chance to be high scoring with Tyler Huntley and Sam Ehlinger. Here is the QB comparison between UT and Utah.

This year’s Alamo Bowl has the chance to be an offensive shootout with quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Sam Ehlinger under center. With Texas scoring 35 points a game and Utah scoring 34 points a game, both quarterbacks are accustomed to scoring.

When looking at the two, they have similar traits that make it an interesting matchup. Each player has been starting for three seasons and has been vital to their team’s success. The offenses run through their quarterbacks and if they are struggling, more than likely their team is going to have a bad day.

Here is the quarterback comparison between Texas and Utah:

Tyler Huntley: 73.7 completion percentage, 2,966 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, four touchdowns, 88 rushing attempts, 257 rushing yards, five touchdowns

Sam Ehlinger: 65.1 completion percentage, 3,462 passing yards, 29 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 152 rushing attempts, 590 rushing yards, nine touchdowns

Similarities

Both Huntley and Ehlinger are mobile quarterbacks who have the ability to make plays on their feet. While Ehlinger has the better rushing stats on the season, Huntley is a threat when running the read-option with star running back Zach Moss. Letting Huntley carry the ball is dangerous, as he has the ability to make people miss. As for Ehlinger, he has the ability to power over defenders. We saw it in the Sugar Bowl last season and throughout the year this year. Both have the ability to make big plays in the air, but their work running the ball will be key.

Differences

Of the two, Huntley is the more accurate quarterback. Both having their highest completion percentage of their careers, Huntley has slightly better than Ehlinger throughout this season. Completing 75% or better of his throws in seven out of 13 games this season, Huntley has been the most accurate quarterback in the Pac 12 this season and is only behind Joe Burrow on a national level. It will be crucial for Texas to get some pass breakups and not give Huntley time to find receivers. If they do, he is going to hit them all day for big gains.

Which team has the QB advantage?

While they are similar, Huntley is the better quarterback in this game. One of the most accurate quarterbacks in college football mixed with his lack of interceptions this season makes him reliable game in and game out. Having one of the top backs in the country in Zach Moss helps take the pressure off him as well. Ehlinger is more important to the Longhorns than Huntley is to the Utes, but Huntley’s accuracy and ability to use his feet makes him dangerous.

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Texas Longhorns Look To Get Big 12 On Bowl Win List

For the Big 12 Conference, it might come down to the Texas Longhorns to get them in the win column after a 0-3 start.

So far in the young bowl season the Big 12 conference is batting zero for three. In the Camping World Bowl, Notre Dame took Iowa State apart with a 33-9 victory. In the Texas Bowl, the Aggies were able to outlast the Oklahoma State Cowboys 24-21 to give the Big 12 their second loss in as many chances. Then in the biggest bowl game on the Big 12 schedule, the Oklahoma Sooners got throttled by the best team in college football 63-28. Louisiana State proving that the Big 12 isn’t on the championship level right now.

On Tuesday afternoon the Kansas State Wildcats will take their shot a getting the first bowl win of the season, followed by the Longhorns bid versus Utah. Of the three remaining games on the Big 12 bowl schedule, they will be the underdogs in all three. It very well could mean that it will be left to Texas to pull off the upset for the conference to get a win.

When it comes to the bowl season, the Texas Longhorns under Tom Herman come prepared to play. In the 2017 Texas Bowl, the Longhorns defeated Missouri 33-16. The following season they took their fight to the Gerogia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, 28-21. Now Texas looks to take down another top ranked opponent.

For Tom Herman and the offense, the opportunity is there but the question remains will they seize the moment?

Alamo Bowl Offensive Key: Sam Ehlinger

For the Texas Longhorns to pull off the upset over the 11th ranked Utah Utes, Sam Ehlinger needs to carry the offense.

As the Texas Longhorns prepare for their matchup with the Utah Utes, we highlighted the big key on defense for the Longhorns to win. For the offense it all falls on the shoulders of quarterback Sam Ehlinger. He has been on this stage before, backs against the wall needing a big performance in a bowl game as the underdog.

Sugar Bowl MVP, Ehlinger rose to new heights and gave this team confidence that they were on the right road heading into the offseason. Even though this season hasn’t been the year that many were hoping for, it is important for the team to end the year on a high note. With the wide receiver availability for this game, Ehlinger needs to big game.

Statistically Ehlinger is coming off a slightly better season than he had in 2018 but two of their losses this year, Sam wasn’t at his best. Against the Horn Frogs he completed just 45.8% of his passes with four interceptions. That kind of performance against the Utes would put a damper on their thoughts of an upset. Those kinds of efforts for Ehlinger have been few and far between.

What Ehlinger has done is show poise and moxie on the bigger stages. Against the LSU Tigers, he went punch for punch with the Joe Burrow and if it hadn’t been for getting down early, that 45-38 loss might’ve swung the other way with how Ehlinger kept his team in the game. Down 20-7 at halftime and they came back strong in the second half. The Longhorns offense grinded out a couple 10-play drives including a 19 play methodical drive to start the second half.

It won’t be Sam the passer that will be the only cause for concern for Utah. Sam the rusher will also be a key with injury to Keaontay Ingram. Ehlinger has shown the ability to kill defenses when he escapes the pocket or on designed runs. The dual-threat is what will be the biggest reason why Texas could pull of this win to give head coach Tom Herman his third-straight bowl win at Texas.

 

Alamo Bowl Defensive Key: Slow Down Zack Moss

If the Texas Longhorns want to leave San Antonio with a win it will be vital for them to slow down Zack Moss.

No question that one of the big reasons that the Utah Utes have had success this season is their starting running back Zack Moss. He comes into the Alamo Bowl matchup with 1,359 yards rushing, 374 yards receiving and 17 total touchdowns. The Texas Longhorns defense has to be up to slow down Moss and the Utes offense.

In the Utes’ lone regular season loss before the Pac 12 Championship game, Moss was sidelined for most of  that game with a shoulder injury against the Southern California Trojans which resulted in a 30-23 defeat. For Texas, slowing Moss down is their best path to success. Longhorns need to get ahead of Utah to remove the threat of the run game.

Moss is likely heading to the NFL next year so he is talented. His ability to get involved in the passing game as well makes him a big threat, the task of slowing him down will be a tall one but a necessary one. For Texas they have struggled with slowing down the run game this past season. With the dismissal of Todd Orlando, can Texas step up their efforts?

In the Longhorns last four losses they have given up an average of 178 yards on the ground against Oklahoma, Texas Christian, Iowa State and Baylor. The run defense has been a detriment at times for the burnt orange. For Moss he has eclipsed 100 yards rushing in eight of their 12 games and twice rushed for more than 180 yards in a game.

If the Utes get their run game going  and are able to control the line of scrimmage and the clock then that will prevent Sam Ehlinger and the offense from having much time to get their offense going and plays into the hand of Utah. The Longhorns big key for the Alamo Bowl victory is keep Moss at bay.

Longhorns Wire Alamo Bowl Predictions

Texas has a tough road ahead of them. The Utes are still one of the best teams in the nation. Here are some predictions for the Alamo Bowl.

No. 11 Utah will face Texas in the 2019 Alamo Bowl. Only the second-ever meeting between the two schools, this is a huge game for both teams. If Texas is able to pull off a victory, they will have momentum swinging into the 2020 season with a bunch of returning talent. If Utah wins, it will be the program’s first 12 win season since 2008.

It will be the third appearance in the Alamo Bowl game for the Longhorns, coming in with a record of 2-1. Playing Iowa in the first, Texas has played other Pac 12 schools Oregon and Oregon State in previous years. Utah will be similar to the Oregon game in 2013, with highly-skilled offensive weapons ready to make some plays.

Texas has a tough road ahead of them against Utah. Coming in as underdogs, Vegas this Texas will end up on the losing side. While the Longhorns have a chance, they may just come up short. Here are some predictions for the Alamo Bowl:

Final Score: Utah wins, 31-24

Picking against the Longhorns is tough, but Utah is still one of the best teams in the country. If they had beaten Oregon, they would be in the College Football Playoff more than likely as the four seed instead of Oklahoma. Zach Moss is going to be an issue for Texas and I expect him to have a stellar night. The Ute defense is legit, letting up less than 300 yards a game. Texas will come out of the gate fast, but Utah will pull away late in the second half.

Best Texas player: Sam Ehlinger

As usual, if the Longhorns want any chance of winning, Sam Ehlinger is going to need to have a big day. The worst game Utah played all year was against USC when third-string QB Matt Fink came in threw for 351 yards. Part of that was due to the Trojans’ excellent receivers. The Longhorns will need to replicate that, using Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay as threats. Ehlinger should be able to find those two guys all night, making a few big plays to keep Texas in the game.

Best Utah player: Zach Moss

Texas has given up a lot of yards on the ground this year, nearly 150 yards a game. Chubba Hubbard, Pooka Williams, and a collection of Oklahoma players have done really well against Texas this season. Moss is up there as far as talent with the rest of those players and will have a big day for Utah. Mix in the threat of quarterback Tyler Huntley and guarding Moss will become even more of a challenge.

What determines the game?

Both of these teams have a good turnover margin, with Utah at +8 and Texas at +6. If either team is able to force a turnover, they must capitalize on them. Neither quarterback in Tyler Huntley or Sam Ehlinger are prone to throw an interception, so if given the opportunity, scoring points off it is a must. Look for the Utah defense to find a way to force a Longhorn turnover in the fourth quarter and capitalize on it to put the game out of reach.

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Best Moments of Cedric Benson’s Career

Today would have been the birthday of Cedric Benson. To celebrate him, we are going to look at his best moments as a player at Texas.

Today would have been the 37th birthday of the late Cedric Benson. One of the greatest Longhorns to ever put on the uniform, Benson passed away earlier this season in a motorcycle accident.

To celebrate him, we are going to look at some of his best moments as a player at Texas. Not only is he considered a Longhorn great, but he is one of the best to ever do it in the history of the Big 12 conference.

A four-year starter, he was the main running back for the Longhorns the second he stepped on campus. Never rushing for less than 1,000 yards in a season, he reached as high as 21 touchdowns in 2003. His best season came in 2004 though, as he won the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation’s top running back.

Here are the best moments of Cedric Benson’s Longhorn career:

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A Top Receiver Should Return For Alamo Bowl

Texas Longhorns’ wide receiver Collin Johnson should be good to go for the Valero Alamo Bowl

It has been a long time since Longhorns fans saw number nine suit up in burnt orange for Texas. Collin Johnson has been out since the Kansas State game on November 9th. In that game Johnson hauled in seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. According to head coach Tom Herman, Johnson has been running around great according to Jeff Howe of 247.

Despite the fact that Johnson has only played in six games this year, he has caught 35 passes for 497 yards and two touchdowns. The hamstring injury has really hampered his senior season for Johnson. It is important for Johnson to suit up on Tuesday, not only for the offense’s success but the fact that this will be his last game as a member of the Longhorns.

The Longhorns will need Johnson to help them pull off the the upset over the number 11 ranked Utah Utes. The Utes will be missing Jaylon Johnson who skipped the bowl game in preparation for the NFL Draft. The Utes secondary will also be depleted with the injury to Julian Blackmon who is a key starter for the Utes at safety.

Having both Johnson and Devin Duvernay will be huge for the offense led by Sam Ehlinger who will need to be on their “A” game to pull of this win in the Longhorn’s home state. This is also the last game for Johnson before he and teammates Duvernay and Brandon Jones switch focus to the NFL Draft and the Senior Bowl. This is their chance to end their season on a high note.