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Date/Time: Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
2014 Record: 6-7
Projected Returning Starters – Offense: Six
Projected Returning Starters – Defense: Five
Head Coach: Charlie Strong (second-year, 6-7)
2014 Points Scored: 21.4 (No. 106)
2014 Points Allowed: 23.8 (No. 31)
2014 Review
Charlie Strong’s first season in charge of Texas was a bumpy one. The Longhorns went 6-7, struggled offensively and lost starting quarterback David Ash for the season after a 38-7 opening win over North Texas. Sophomore Tyrone Swoopes took over and the season fell apart from there.
Texas ranked 106th-nationally in scoring offense, 110th in total offense and 98th in rushing offense. Five players return on offense, but four are linemen and there’s still a chance the fifth—Swoopes—won’t be the starting quarterback on Sept. 5. Strong and the Longhorns did piece together a three-game winning streak in November to become bowl eligible. But losses to TCU (48-10) and Arkansas (31-7) capped off the season on a sour note.
Expected Strengths
Texas lost six of its seven top tacklers from 2014, but defense remains its strength. Texas boasts a deep defensive line led by senior Desmond Jackson and junior Hassan Ridgeway. There are big shoes to fill without defensive tackle Malcolm Brown and defensive end Cedric Reed, who both went to the NFL. But there is enough depth to plug those gaps for now. This will be the second season together for safeties Dylan Haines—a former walk-on who led the team with four interceptions—and Jason Hall. There is still a question mark surrounding redshirt freshman John Bonney, who will start at nickelback.
Johnathan Gray is in his first and only year as the featured back. He rushed for seven touchdowns as a junior and recorded 20 catches out of the backfield. Gray is joined by former four-star and redshirt freshman Duke Catalon and true freshman D’Onta Foreman. At 6-foot-2, 231 pounds, Foreman is the Longhorns’ power back. The offensive line returns four starters and should be improved, but the major question mark surrounds the person who will line up behind it.
Possible Weaknesses
Can Swoopes find his groove in a new-look, up-tempo Texas offense? Or is redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard, who, “closed the gap,” between him and the starter Swoopes, the Longhorns’ answer at quarterback? Strong’s second year at Texas will go far more smoothly if he finds an adequate quarterback. If he can’t, 2015 won’t look much different than the previous year.
The fact Texas loses its two top receivers doesn’t help the situation under center. The departures of John Harris (68 receptions; 1,051 yards; seven touchdowns) and Jaxon Shipley (59 receptions; 577 yards; one touchdown) means senior Marcus Johnson—who posted numbers comparable to Ben Koyack as the No. 3 receiver—leads the receiving corps. The remaining group of returning receivers combined for 25 receptions last year to make up one of the team’s least experienced position groups.
It’s difficult to categorize the Longhorns’ linebackers. Its two starters are gone, and waiting in the wings are two groups: two talented underclassmen—including five-star early enrollee Malik Jefferson—or junior Tim Cole and senior Peter Jinkens.
While its linebacker unit may be more of a question mark than a possible weakness, the consensus on Texas’ kicking game is more clear-cut: there needs to be improvement. Senior Nick Rose made 14-of-21 field goal attempts last fall, and walk-on Mitchell Becker will handle punting duties.
Key Players
Tyrone Swoopes/Jerrod Heard; QB: The Longhorns success depends on its quarterbacks. Last season’s struggles will return unless one finds a way to put points on the board. Keep an eye on how the new up-tempo offense plays into the hands of these dual-threat quarterbacks.
Jhonathan Gray; RB: A strong running game can take some pressure off the quarterbacks. And with the struggling quarterback play is already highly scrutinized, Gray’s ability to take over as the featured back is more important than ever. He rushed for 637 yards on 147 carries as a junior. Can he crack the 1,000-yard mark without another running back ahead of him on the depth chart?
Desmond Jackson; DT: The fifth-year senior has appeared in 41 games for the Longhorns. Jackson saw action in the first three games of 2014 before a Lisfranc injury ended his season. Now he’s tasked with filling the role of first-round draft pick Malcolm Brown. He’s an imperative part of the defensive line.
Marcus Johnson; WR: Texas’ quarterbacks will need some help on the perimeter if 2015 is going to be any brighter. Johnson, a senior, is the leading returning receiver and needs to kick his game up a notch as the new go-to target.
Notre Dame Matchup
Maybe this game would play out differently in mid-November after Texas has an opportunity to sort out its quarterback situation. But as a season-opener and night game at Notre Dame Stadium, this game sets up well for the Irish. Sept. 5 will mark junior Malik Zaire’s first start at home, but it will take more than a stout defensive performance from Texas to earn the win. Notre Dame’s defense should be much improved. In a similar setting against Michigan last September, the Irish defense looked exceptional in a 31-0 win. This won’t be another cakewalk, but Texas will struggle if its offense can’t get going. And the longer Texas struggles, the louder Notre Dame Stadium will become.
Early Prediction
Strong and the Longhorns should fare better in 2015. But Notre Dame wins this game largely because of one major factor: Texas doesn’t have a quarterback.
Date/Time: Sept. 5, 7:30 p.m. (ET)
2014 Record: 6-7
Projected Returning Starters – Offense: Six
Projected Returning Starters – Defense: Five
Head Coach: Charlie Strong (second-year, 6-7)
2014 Points Scored: 21.4 (No. 106)
2014 Points Allowed: 23.8 (No. 31)
2014 Review
Charlie Strong’s first season in charge of Texas was a bumpy one. The Longhorns went 6-7, struggled offensively and lost starting quarterback David Ash for the season after a 38-7 opening win over North Texas. Sophomore Tyrone Swoopes took over and the season fell apart from there.
Texas ranked 106th-nationally in scoring offense, 110th in total offense and 98th in rushing offense. Five players return on offense, but four are linemen and there’s still a chance the fifth—Swoopes—won’t be the starting quarterback on Sept. 5. Strong and the Longhorns did piece together a three-game winning streak in November to become bowl eligible. But losses to TCU (48-10) and Arkansas (31-7) capped off the season on a sour note.
Expected Strengths
Texas lost six of its seven top tacklers from 2014, but defense remains its strength. Texas boasts a deep defensive line led by senior Desmond Jackson and junior Hassan Ridgeway. There are big shoes to fill without defensive tackle Malcolm Brown and defensive end Cedric Reed, who both went to the NFL. But there is enough depth to plug those gaps for now. This will be the second season together for safeties Dylan Haines—a former walk-on who led the team with four interceptions—and Jason Hall. There is still a question mark surrounding redshirt freshman John Bonney, who will start at nickelback.
Johnathan Gray is in his first and only year as the featured back. He rushed for seven touchdowns as a junior and recorded 20 catches out of the backfield. Gray is joined by former four-star and redshirt freshman Duke Catalon and true freshman D’Onta Foreman. At 6-foot-2, 231 pounds, Foreman is the Longhorns’ power back. The offensive line returns four starters and should be improved, but the major question mark surrounds the person who will line up behind it.
Possible Weaknesses
Can Swoopes find his groove in a new-look, up-tempo Texas offense? Or is redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard, who, “closed the gap,” between him and the starter Swoopes, the Longhorns’ answer at quarterback? Strong’s second year at Texas will go far more smoothly if he finds an adequate quarterback. If he can’t, 2015 won’t look much different than the previous year.
The fact Texas loses its two top receivers doesn’t help the situation under center. The departures of John Harris (68 receptions; 1,051 yards; seven touchdowns) and Jaxon Shipley (59 receptions; 577 yards; one touchdown) means senior Marcus Johnson—who posted numbers comparable to Ben Koyack as the No. 3 receiver—leads the receiving corps. The remaining group of returning receivers combined for 25 receptions last year to make up one of the team’s least experienced position groups.
It’s difficult to categorize the Longhorns’ linebackers. Its two starters are gone, and waiting in the wings are two groups: two talented underclassmen—including five-star early enrollee Malik Jefferson—or junior Tim Cole and senior Peter Jinkens.
While its linebacker unit may be more of a question mark than a possible weakness, the consensus on Texas’ kicking game is more clear-cut: there needs to be improvement. Senior Nick Rose made 14-of-21 field goal attempts last fall, and walk-on Mitchell Becker will handle punting duties.
Key Players
Tyrone Swoopes/Jerrod Heard; QB: The Longhorns success depends on its quarterbacks. Last season’s struggles will return unless one finds a way to put points on the board. Keep an eye on how the new up-tempo offense plays into the hands of these dual-threat quarterbacks.
Jhonathan Gray; RB: A strong running game can take some pressure off the quarterbacks. And with the struggling quarterback play is already highly scrutinized, Gray’s ability to take over as the featured back is more important than ever. He rushed for 637 yards on 147 carries as a junior. Can he crack the 1,000-yard mark without another running back ahead of him on the depth chart?
Desmond Jackson; DT: The fifth-year senior has appeared in 41 games for the Longhorns. Jackson saw action in the first three games of 2014 before a Lisfranc injury ended his season. Now he’s tasked with filling the role of first-round draft pick Malcolm Brown. He’s an imperative part of the defensive line.
Marcus Johnson; WR: Texas’ quarterbacks will need some help on the perimeter if 2015 is going to be any brighter. Johnson, a senior, is the leading returning receiver and needs to kick his game up a notch as the new go-to target.
Notre Dame Matchup
Maybe this game would play out differently in mid-November after Texas has an opportunity to sort out its quarterback situation. But as a season-opener and night game at Notre Dame Stadium, this game sets up well for the Irish. Sept. 5 will mark junior Malik Zaire’s first start at home, but it will take more than a stout defensive performance from Texas to earn the win. Notre Dame’s defense should be much improved. In a similar setting against Michigan last September, the Irish defense looked exceptional in a 31-0 win. This won’t be another cakewalk, but Texas will struggle if its offense can’t get going. And the longer Texas struggles, the louder Notre Dame Stadium will become.
Early Prediction
Strong and the Longhorns should fare better in 2015. But Notre Dame wins this game largely because of one major factor: Texas doesn’t have a quarterback.
