Texas experienced a week of pure joy to open the season after knocking off No. 23 Louisiana, but had it pulled out from under them when Arkansas blew them out of the water in Week 2.
The team was exposed beyond belief in every aspect of the game, and head coach Steve Sarkisian has to look to make some changes prior to beginning conference play. On Monday, Sarkisian announced that Casey Thompson will be the starting quarterback for their matchup against Rice rather than redshirt freshman Hudson Card.
Thompson was one of the few bright spots of the loss against Arkansas, as he was able to consistently go off script and make plays with his feet. Usually you would not want a quarterback to always have to be on the run, but due to the inferior play of the Longhorns’ offensive line, both Card and Thompson were on the run seemingly every play. The difference being, that Thompson was more comfortable being uncomfortable, which is a testament to his experience and confidence.
The defense was nothing to write home about either, as they were shredded by the Arkansas ground game. Some have pointed out that defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski was not stacking the box and forcing a very shaky passer in K.J. Jefferson to beat them with his arm, but rather allowed him to use his legs whenever he pleased. The Texas defense was getting no pressure on the quarterback, nor were they able to tackle anyone.
The great performance we saw in the season opener from Texas looked like a distant memory, but the staff is confident that they can turn it around.
Here are three things that the team needs to improve upon in the game against Rice in order to shake off the loss and charge forward.
First, the wide receivers