The Longhorns started the 2021 season as all teams want, in the victory column.
Steve Sarkisian silenced the doubters in the 38-18 victory. Many had hoped that the Longhorns, with a new squad and new players across the field, would powerfully fight the 23rd-ranked Louisiana Ragin Cajuns.
It was not like that. The Longhorns dragged a blink of an eye after a Louisiana field goal early in the first quarter. Texas took control and made a huge statement by beating a ranked team that finished 10-1 last season.
There were many positives for Texas, who started the Sarkisian era 1-0, something former head coach Tom Herman couldn’t do.
In every game, there are always people who play really well and stand out and some who don’t play to the fullest.
Let’s take a look at three doubts, those that didn’t perform as well as expected, and three tacos, players who performed well and contributed significantly to the win.
Since we only do three, a couple of tacos are not included, but they should be listed as honorable mentions: DeMarvion Overshowm, Luke Brockermeyer, and of course Steve Sarkisian for his game.
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The senior kicker began his career scoring 72% of his field goals as a freshman, then with a fantastic sophomore scoring nearly 78% of his kicks, and then saw the numbers shrink astronomically. last season with only 71%.
At first against Louisiana, with the Longhorns at the head of four, the offense entered the red zone, but could not finish. Dicker was called up for a 45-yard field goal.
Whenever you have the opportunity to score, you should capitalize mostly with a young quarterback. Dicker has struggled for a long time with kicks over 39 yards; is a 65% run of 40 to 49 yards. Viously, obviously, there aren’t many college players who do all the kicks, but their struggles from that range lengthen the ground for attack. Dicker has to reproduce the consistency he showed in his sophomore year in order to allow the Longhorns to take advantage of every scoring opportunity and simply so that staff can trust him in crucial situations.
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The Longhorns receiver body has been one of the main questions during the offseason. No one solidified as a boy. Jordan Whittington did it on Saturday. He exploded for seven catches and 113 yards and a touchdown. The rest of the receivers combined for four catches and 51 yards.
They are not the only group responsible, as the next mistake probably caused some of the struggles of the receivers. But in a very friendly offensive with the receivers, it was very disappointing to see that only one of the beneficiaries took advantage. Whether the works were not designed for them or Card was missing, he expected more from Joshua Moore and the well-known freshman Xavier Worthy. They can only control what they can control, but they didn’t look like the three-headed monster they have the potential to be.
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The offensive line easily had the worst game performance of any group of positions. It looked like Louisiana was behind every passing play and, if it weren’t for the fact that Bijan Robinson was one of the most elusive people in college football, the running game would have had problems as well.
Whether it’s false starts, keeping or just not blocking, the offensive line has a lot to work on this week. Having a young quarterback always having to worry about pressure on the face is not ideal, especially when the pressure didn’t allow the plays to unfold. The receiving group did not get large numbers in part because Card rarely had time to review his readings. The offensive line gave five sacks to a Group of Five program, which is worrisome a week before facing Arkansas. The drive has to increase, otherwise Texas will have a very disappointing season.
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The Notre Dame transfer made his presence felt a whole game and put a lot of pressure on Louisiana quarterback Levi Lewis. Some defensive players could have earned that honor, but Oghoufo’s sack towards the end of the third quarter was a fantastic play.
The Longhorns desperately needed to find someone to replace the production they lost when Joseph Ossai left for the NFL, and Oghoufo proved he could be the player to do so. The defense as a whole had seven sacks, but none came at a stronger time than theirs. The coaching staff had been talking loudly about Oghoufo recently and on Saturday showed why.
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The red freshman had a great debut as a starting quarterback. After beating young Casey Thompson for the opening concert, Hudson Card had to really go out and prove that head coach Steve Sarkisian made the right decision. He started slowly, completing a pass on his first attempts. Once he found his rhythm, it was great.
The young quarterback completed 14-of-21 passes for 224 yards, two touchdowns and ran in one touchdown. His numbers would probably have been even better if the offensive line could have blocked someone from having more time to throw, or if he hadn’t been eliminated so Casey Thompson could get playing time. He showed a good level of decision making, and it is safe to say that the Longhorns are in good hands.
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That was a gift. Bijan Robinson introduced himself as the star he is. When the offense couldn’t generate anything through the air, it helped the Longhorns get off the field. It was finally used correctly and even contributed a lot in the passing game.
Robinson finished with 103 running yards and a running touchdown, while taking four passes for 73 yards and one touchdown. It looked like Texas needed to move the ball or just needed a spark, Robinson had been forced into it. It was extremely difficult to bring down, and having him will help the Longhorns hide their other weaknesses.