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The extra time off was crucial for a few Texas players that were dealing with nagging injuries.
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Texas head coach Tom Herman provided an injury update for several key players during his media availability on Monday. Continue reading “Texas HC Tom Herman provides injury update ahead of Iowa State”
The extra time off was crucial for a few Texas players that were dealing with nagging injuries.
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Texas head coach Tom Herman provided an injury update for several key players during his media availability on Monday. Continue reading “Texas HC Tom Herman provides injury update ahead of Iowa State”
The Texas Longhorns have released their two-deep depth chart against the Kansas Jayhawks. Jordan Whittington was added back.
The Texas Longhorns are just a few days away from heading to Lawrence, Kansas for a Big 12 matchup with the Jayhawks. The team has released their two-deep depth chart ahead of the game. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns Two-Deep Depth Chart vs Kansas”
Two players joined the injury report during Texas’ third scheduled bye week.
Texas unfortunately added players to their injury report during their third scheduled bye week. Continue reading “Texas HC Tom Herman provides injury update on several key players”
With the Texas and Texas Tech game just under 24 hours away, we look at who are three offensive key players in the game.
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There was a lot made about this offense this offseason. Tim Beck was demoted prior to the Valero Alamo Bowl and now he is calling plays for North Carolina State. In comes former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator and Ohio State passing game coordinator Mike Yurcich. Historically his offenses thrive with both the pass and the run.
For any offense the quarterback is the most important player. While you can get by with adequate QB play, Ehlinger is much more than adequate. He is the active leader in yards and touchdowns. For the Texas offense to get off humming, Ehlinger will be at the forefront of it all. Against UTEP, it only took one pass to Joshua Moore to get this team moving in the right direction. What will Ehlinger have for an encore?
The defense for Texas Tech couldn’t have looked any worse against Houston Baptist. Even when dropping eight defenders into coverage, the Red Raiders still allowed receivers to beat them deep. With Joshua Moore and Tarik Black ready to take the field again, Ehlinger could look to continue where he started with UTEP.
For the Longhorns, the running game has been a staple in their offense. This goes back to even before Tom Herman left Houston to take over at Texas. D’Onta Foreman was the latest back to get the run game going. This year’s team doesn’t have that Foreman like player, or at least not one we have seen yet. Houston Baptist may have abandoned the run game but the Longhorns have a plethora of backs that can make a difference.
Against the Miners, Texas didn’t stick with the run game. Instead they decided to air it out and get some of these new faces some key in game reps. Five different receivers scored touchdowns on Sam Ehlinger throws. Look for Keaontay Ingram, Roschon Johnson and Bijan Robinson to get more looks this week. With the Red Raiders inability to tackle a week ago, the trio could be in for big games.
With Jake Smith and Jordan Whittington out for this game, we could see a lot less of the three wide receiver sets against Tech. Brenden Schooler and Kai Money are listed on the depth chart in the slot but they could use more multiple tight end sets. Jared Wiley, Malcolm Epps and Brayden Liebrock are all capable receivers at the position.
Cade Brewer could be a factor in this game. Against UTEP, Brewer was one of the receivers who caught a touchdown pass from Ehlinger. With the concerted effort to get the tight ends more involved, the senior could be a weapon if the Red Raiders defense decided to lock onto the receivers and backs in this one.
The Texas Longhorns and Texas Tech Red Raiders will kick off their Big 12 play on Saturday. Here are three storylines to observe.
The Big 12 will kick off conference play on Saturday with five games on the slate. The Longhorns and Red Raiders will start their battle in the. middle of the afternoon. This is the first opportunity for the Texas defense and Chris Ash to be tested with an offense that averaged over 30 points per game in 2019. When it comes to offense, Texas Tech is known for that going back the better part of the last two decades.
For Tech they need to come out early on and put points on the board. The key is not to fall behind early on. If Texas gets a lead early on in this game, it will only help the defense in that regard. Joseph Ossai, Ta’Quon Graham, Keondre Coburn, T’Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins and Moro Ojomo will pin their ears back and hunt the quarterback.
The Red Raiders allowed three sacks in their game against Houston Baptist. The Texas defense has better talent so you should expect to see a lot more pressure than was put on display against UTEP. Ash will likely dial up the pressure in this game as they look to slow down an offense that put up 600 yards of offense in their season opener.
As kickoff sits just over 24 hours away, we examine three storylines to watch in this game.
Saturday’s win was memorable for Texas, despite the opponent. Here are five plays that stood out from the win against UTEP on Saturday:
Texas’ season-opening victory against UTEP was the most impressive throughout the Big 12 on Saturday, if not the entire country. Both offensively and defensively, the Longhorns looked as if they were on a different level than years before.
Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich exploded in the first half, scoring points on seven of the eight offensive first-half possessions. Sam Ehlinger set records, throwing for five touchdowns. To make matters better, Yurcich stated he would run a “vanilla” offense before Big 12 play.
Texas’ defense also tried not to show too much but still played at an elite level. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash switch to the 4-3 base defense while running a lot of nickel is taking shape. Now, it will be time to test it against Big 12 offenses.
It was a memorable win for the Longhorns, despite the opponent. Here are five plays that stood out from the win against UTEP on Saturday:
The countdown to Texas football continues as Longhorns Wire remembers the best to wear number 80.
Longhorns Wire is continuing the series of jersey numbers to match the days until the Texas kicks off the season. On Tuesday we find ourselves remembering number 80. Continue reading “Countdown to Texas Football: Best to wear No. 80”
Cade Brewer will lead the 2020 Texas Longhorns at tight end heading into the spring but who could be on the horizon?
The tight end position hasn’t been one that has been used much in Austin over the past several years but his year under Mike Yurcich could be different. In the past, Yurcich has used them on offense to help spread out a defense. For the Longhorns there are several to keep an eye on this spring as they battle it out for playing time.
Cade Brewer:
Brewer comes into 2020 as the incumbent starter, he required ankle surgery during the 2019 campaign. Brewer would appear in seven games with 11 receptions for 159 yards and a touchdown. With so much uncertainty surrounding the wide receiver position in 2020, Brewer could be in for a big senior campaign in 2020.
Malcolm Epps:
For the Longhorns, Epps could make an impact in multiple spots on offense. Epps was recruited as a tight end but made the switch to wide receiver last season. With Yurcich’s affinity for multiple tight end usage on offense he could find himself back at his original position in some capacity for the Longhorns.
Reese Leitao:
Leitao found his way into two games during the 2019 season, mostly due to the injury to Brewer. Much like Epps, Leitao could work his way onto the field in 2020. Brewer will be a season in 2020 and the Longhorns need to have some development into the next tight end in Austin.
Jared Wiley:
Wiley is a young tight end who signed as part of the 2019 recruiting class as an early signee. The 6’6″ tight end caught one pass against Texas Tech in 2019 for 15 yards. He will likely battle it out with Leitao and Brayden Liebrock for backup duties to Brewer in 2020.
Brayden Liebrock:
Liebrock should be the dark horse of the entire group. He has all the makings of a great tight end at the University of Texas. The four-star prospect was named to the USA Today All-American second team and participated in the Under Armour All-American game. He appeared in the Rice and Texas Tech games but did not register a reception. Liebrock is the one player outside of Epps who could really give opposing defenses fits in coverage and the tight end to watch this spring.
With new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich coming in could Cade Brewer see a rise in production?
The tight end position has become one that has become a lost art in the college game. Without the player being a freak athlete used as a big slot receiver, the days of using one in the offense are all but dead. Just look at the entire college football landscape, but will the Texas Longhorns be any different with Cade Brewer?
Brewer is your prototypical size at the position standing 6’4″ and 250 pounds. Given his size, Brewer is a perfect candidate to play a big slot receiver or line out wide for Texas. Especially given what the team is losing at wide receiver due to the seniors who are graduating. Texas has talent but Brewer has experience.
In the run game, Brewer is a good physical blocker so getting him involved in the run game is relatively seamless. He can block on the edge or as inline tight end even though that isn’t the best spot for him on the field. He is more of the spread offense type.
The key for Brewer is getting the ball in his hands and allowing him to use his athleticism in space. In high school, he showed off his leaping ability to showcase that he can be a handful in space. On top of the athleticism, Brewer’s size makes him an attractive redzone target for the offense. He can win the jump balls in the endzone to give Texas another option when trying to score and that makes the Longhorns that much more dangerous on offense.
The question remains on if new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich will use Brewer in 2020. At Ohio State, the Buckeyes used two tight ends but it was more about the running back and wide receivers for Ryan Day’s offense.
While at Oklahoma State, Yurcich used current Dallas Cowboys tight end Blake Jarwin in a way that could be similar for how they deploy Brewer in 2020. During his time in Stillwater, Jarwin secured 41 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns. His yards per receptions were 15, which is a number very feasibly obtained with an athletic tight end in Cade Brewer.
