Editor's note: Texas released its depth chart Monday morning and there was plenty of movement across the board. The Longhorns will take the field with six new starters, three on offense, two on defense, and one on special teams.
Up:
Marquise Goodwin
When the depth chart was released last Monday, Goodwin’s name was nowhere to be found. His intentions to remove his redshirt and return to football were not officially announced until late that evening. This week, the junior wide receiver and long jump extraordinaire finds himself atop the depth chart as both a starting receiver and kick returner.
“It was great being out there, doing the little bit that I did to help the team get the W,” Goodwin said. “It was great. I feel complete. It’s just great to be out there and back with the guys.”
Ashton Dorsey
Dorsey also did not see the field when Texas faced Rice as he was suspended due to a violation of team rules. But the sophomore defensive tackle came back with a vengeance in the Longhorns’ latest contest against BYU. Dorsey notched two tackles, both for loss, and a sack, Texas’ first of the season. The performance earned him a starting spot beside senior defensive tackle Kheeston Randall.
“Ashton played great,” Randall said. “He’s a force down there. He plays with great pad level. He brings it every single play.”
Quandre Diggs
Texas led BYU for only nine minutes and when they did it was by just one point, 17-16. But the Longhorns defense held their ground and on the Cougars’ last drive, it was Diggs that put the nail in the coffin, picking off BYU quarterback Jake Heaps for his first career interception. Now Diggs tops the depth chart at cornerback.
Down:
Garrett Gilbert
To say that Gilbert had a tough night against BYU would be a gross understatement. The junior quarterback from Lake Travis completed as many passes to Texas receivers as BYU defenders. In five possessions, Gilbert’s offense produced only one first down — on a 14-yard run by freshman Malcolm Brown — and no points.
“What Garrett will do is work really hard to get his job back and he’ll compete,” said head coach Mack Brown. “He is a great young man who’s tough and smart. He’ll do everything right to try to help this football team and obviously to help this team win.”
Calvin Howell
With Dorsey’s resurgence, Howell finds himself on the outside looking in as he is no longer listed as a starting defensive tackle. The sophomore, now Dorsey’s backup, has made only one tackle, a second-quarter stop against BYU, in two starts. Howell should still see the field occasionally with the way defensive coordinator Manny Diaz likes to rotate his defensive linemen, but Dorsey has quickly established himself as the team’s second-best defensive tackle.
John Harris
Harris took a step back in the Longhorns lineup after Goodwin’s return from the IAAF World Championships in Korea. Harris, a redshirt freshman, was listed as a starting wide receiver each of the last two weeks and made catches against both Rice and BYU, registering two receptions for 13 yards on the season. With Goodwin back, however, Harris will likely play a diminished role the rest of this season.
Printed on September 13, 2011 as: Choaches shake up depth chart
