Photo via HookEm.com
It is hard to think about the upcoming Texas football season without acknowledging an offseason that was derailed four months ago.
Every college football team in the nation is facing challenges. However, Texas has seven new coaches have never seen their guys in a full-speed practice setting since spring football was cancelled. They have no idea how their players will react in a non-walk-through atmosphere. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash installed a new system. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has made a few offensive adjustments. Mandatory workouts will begin on July 13, an enhanced training schedule that starts July 24, followed by a traditional four-week preseason camp starting Aug. 7. Considering the last two weeks of training usually focuses on the season opener, Texas does not have time to waste when practice begins.
Every Longhorn observer expects this to be the year of Sam. Texas will lean on Sam Ehlinger as a four-year starter. He enters this season as arguably the Big 12’s best quarterback. Ehlinger is a future NFL draft pick. If Ehlinger consistently plays at a high level, Texas will easily win the conference championship this year – and it ain’t even close.
However, in a year when the run game might determine this team's success, Texas will need more productivity its rushing offense.
Let us take an objective look at this Texas offense.
Ehlinger’s top receiving weapons last season were Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson. Duvernay was simply a good college football player until being moved into the slot as a senior. Duvernay finished with 106 receptions for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns, and was a third-round selection by Baltimore. Johnson was productive when healthy.
Right now, Ehlinger’s top receiving weapon is Brennan Eagles, who finished with 32 receptions for 522 yards and six touchdowns. Eagles started in seven games and must emerge into Ehlinger's top option.
Sophomore receiver Jake Smith finished with 25 receptions for 274 yards and six touchdowns, but will compete against Jordan Whittington for playing time this season. That leaves an unproven Josh Moore as a potential starter, while tight end Cade Brewer missed a portion of last season due to an ankle injury.
In other words, there are a lot of question marks at receiver.
If I asked Texas football coach Tom Herman in a press conference about scaling back the offensive playbook due to those obstacles, he would give me a blank stare before dismissing the question.
However, it is hard to deny how much an improved run game could help Texas this season.
Keaontay Ingram is currently the No.1 running back at Texas. He rushed for 853 yards and seven touchdowns (5.9 yards per carry) last season. He has compiled 1,561 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns (5.5 yards per carry) in two seasons.
The addition of Bijan Robinson should help Texas have a bigger impact on the ground.
Over the past three seasons, Texas’ rushing offense has never finished higher than fifth in the Big 12.
2019 – 5th/176.54 yards per game (Oklahoma was first with 240.21)
2018 – 8th/153.07 YPG (Oklahoma was first with 247.43)
2017 – 7th/139.62 YPG (Oklahoma was first with 217.79)
Ehlinger was the team’s leading rusher in 2017, followed by Tre Watson in 2018 (786 rushing yards and three touchdowns), and Ingram last season.
One area Texas struggled in last season was long run plays. The offense just lacked explosive firepower on the ground, and here are the numbers to back it up:
2019 Big 12 Long Rushing Plays
10-19 yards
1 Oklahoma 116
2 Texas 85
3 Oklahoma State 84
4 Baylor 75
5 Kansas State 72
5 TCU 72
7 Iowa State 60
8 Kansas 57
9 Texas Tech 56
10 West Virginia 33
--- Ehlinger led the team with 33, followed by Ingram’s 27
20-29 Yards
1 Oklahoma 37
2 Oklahoma State 33
3 Baylor 26
4 TCU 23
5 Kansas 21
6 Kansas State 16
7 Iowa State 14
7 Texas 14
9 Texas Tech 10
10 West Virginia 6
--- Ingram led with six, followed by Ehlinger (four) and Roschon Johnson (four)
30-39 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 19
2 Oklahoma 19
3 Baylor 11
3 Kansas 11
5 TCU 9
6 Kansas State 6
6 Texas 6
8 Iowa State 3
8 Texas Tech 3
10 West Virginia 2
--- Ingram led with four, followed by Ehlinger (one) and Johnson (one)
40-49 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 10
2 Oklahoma 8
3 TCU 6
4 Kansas 5
5 Baylor 4
6 Kansas State 3
6 Texas 3
8 Iowa State 2
8 Texas Tech 2
10 West Virginia 0
--- Ingram led with two, followed by Johnson (one)
50-59 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 8
2 TCU 4
3 Baylor 3
3 Kansas State 3
3 Oklahoma 3
6 Kansas 2
6 Texas 2
6 Texas 2
9 Iowa State 1
10 West Virginia 0
--- Ingram and Johnson each had one
60-69 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 6
2 TCU 3
3 Baylor 2
3 Kansas 2
6 Iowa State 1
6 Kansas State 1
6 Texas 1
6 Texas Tech 1
10 West Virginia 10
--- Ingram had the run
70-79 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 3
2 Baylor 1
2 Iowa State 1
2 Kansas 1
2 Oklahoma 1
2 TCU 1
7 Kansas State 0
7 Texas 0
7 Texas Tech 0
7 West Virginia 0
80-89 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 2
2 Kansas 2
3 Baylor
3 Iowa State
3 Kansas State
3 Oklahoma
3 TCU
3 Texas
3 Texas Tech
3 West Virginia
90-99 Yards
1 Oklahoma State 1
2 Baylor
2 Iowa State
2 Kansas
2 Kansas State
2 Oklahoma
2 TCU
2 Texas
2 Texas Tech
2 West Virginia
In an ideal world, Yurcich’s Texas offense resembles one of his best seasons as an offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State.
In 2018, Oklahoma State's offense ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring offense (13th, 38.4 ppg), total offense (10th, 500.2 ypg), passing offense (10th, 309.8 ypg) and total first downs (7th, 339). The Cowboys also ranked second in the Big 12 in rushing offense (190.3 ypg) and rushing touchdowns (30).
It is hard to ignore a difficult offseason and challenges for the Longhorns.
Ehlinger is expected to carry this team.
An improved rushing offense could help Texas take the next step.
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1. One interesting component of the upcoming season is going to be how much reign Mike Yurcich will be given to run his offense. For instance, running backs coach Stan Drayton was allowed to insert his guys at will when Tim Beck and Herman ran the offense. In addition, Herman viewed play-calling as a collaborative effort. I think the success of this offense hinges on Yurcich having complete control on his side of the ball and calling the shots, including personnel decisions.
2. Juwan Mitchell went into the transfer portal and took his name out. He tweeted his dissatisfaction about UT, but attended the team’s Zoom meeting the next day.
Brennan Eagles expressed his frustrations with UT, but attended a Zoom meeting the following day.
Denzel Okafor went into the transfer portal and withdrew his name
Anthony Cook transferred, but his challenges were not associated with the program.
As it relates to DeMarvion Overshown, Longhorn fans should wait until a player actually follows through with a threat on social media threat before reacting.
3. It is safe to say ProFootballFocus has a man crush on Sam Ehlinger
4. The verbal commitment of Jamier Johnson on Friday sounds great. However, I am a little concerned about Texas receiving a commitment from an out-of-state player who has never stepped foot on campus. Considering there are other schools closer to Johnson, Jay Valai cannot pump the breaks with Johnson.
5. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy’s recent mess might be enough to convince me his team will not finish second in the Big 12 this season. The university knocked a year off his contract, plus $1 million, and concluded Gundy needed to build a strong relationship with his players. It is hard to imagine players rallying behind Gundy after what they learned about their coach the past few weeks, including the accusation he used the n-word against an opponent as a player. One thing I do not like is a team facing distractions prior to its season. Gundy may have dug a hole too deep to climb out of this season.
6. Yahoo’s Pete Thamel recently suggested the start of football season should be pushed back to the spring, and I actually agree with Bob Bowlsby, who said that should be the last resort:
“Talk about moving football to the spring has picked up momentum in the past week, but Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby summed up the tenor when he told Yahoo Sports that it’s “probably [the] last resort.”
“Dominoes are beginning to fall around the country that hint at the long odds of a season starting and finishing in the fall. Arizona officials announced on Monday night that the school has paused bringing athletes back to campus, as that state is one of many seeing positive test numbers spiking precipitously. (Arizona plays Week 0 and is scheduled to start formal workouts July 6 while the schools on conventional schedules have their first formal activities scheduled for July 13.) Other bellwethers worth noting are a report by TMG sports that the Ivy League is considering playing in the spring, Division-II Morehouse canceling fall sports and D-III schools like Williams and Bowdoin canceling fall sports.
“For Riley, he said the option to play in the spring is becoming “more real,” while his preference remains playing safely in the fall. Riley and OU officials have been cautious about players returning to campus, as the Sooners report July 1 for voluntary workouts. (Big 12 teams were eligible to return June 15.) Riley points to the potential of medical advancements such as treatments and vaccines as a primary reason to consider waiting.
“It’s very doable,” Riley told Yahoo Sports about playing football in the spring. “This can happen. We’ve been a part of putting together models of what that would potentially look like. This season is going to be different, we might as well come to terms with that. If we do decide that the spring is the best option, if we get to that point, we shouldn’t be scared of it. It’s very doable.”
Riley acknowledged some of the adjustments that would have to be made playing in the spring. That includes elite players skipping the season for the draft, a shorter schedule and potentially a later start in the fall. “If we reduce the number of games and give enough time off, I think it’s doable,” he said. “I really do.”
7. The NFL is not going to alter its offseason schedule to accommodate college football. Heck, coaches probably love the possibility of drafting healthy players instead of guys who have been banged up.
8. This is far from ideal, but probably the best option. Let us a football season on every level this season.
9. Joey Chestnut is the GOAT
10. Alexis Arguello was one of the best boxers in his era. He held the featherweight, super featherweight, and lightweight titles during his career. Sadly, he took his life on July 1, 2009. Arguello remains an all-time great.
