Stock up:

Cedric Reed

There was a bit of concern amongst the Longhorns faithful as to how a depleted defense in 2012 would be able to replace the pass rushing ability of Alex Okafor heading into 2013. Saturday night against New Mexico State, Cedric Reed started to erase some of those fears. Reed was credited with six solo tackles, including a sack, and six assisted tackles. He controlled the line of scrimmage and was a force all night against the Aggies offensive line. If that Cedric Reed shows up every Saturday this fall, the Texas pass rush will be just fine.

Jalen Overstreet

If the Longhorns had an embarrassment of riches at the running back position heading into the season, what they have the week after New Mexico State is simply laughable. Redshirt freshman Jalen Overstreet, a converted quarterback and probably the fourth-string running back, reeled off 92 rushing yards on nine carries and tacked on two touchdowns in his first collegiate game. Co-offensive coordinators Major Applewhite and Darrell Wyatt now must figure out how to keep getting the football to its game changers, a list of players which now likely includes Overstreet.

Stock down:

Peter Jinkens

It was a quiet game for the sophomore linebacker as he registered only three solo tackles and two assisted tackles. The defense bent a little on Saturdaybut didn’t break, playing a mostly sound game. Jinkens’ night wasn’t miserable and there are still 11 games for him to make more of an impact, but for someone who is expected to bring a little crazy to the defensive side of the ball, Saturday left a little to be desired.

Mykelle Thompson

It is tough to find someone whose stock should be down after a 56-7 romp, and this is probably a reach. Thompson played a pretty solid football game on Saturday, but was responsible for the only touchdown given up against the Aggies. His coverage was tight on the pass play that resulted in the first points of the game, but he still allowed the only touchdown the Aggies would record. In a game where your offense breaks school records and your defense only allows a single touchdown, it doesn’t take a whole lot to spot a single shortcoming. Thompson was much more physical and tackled much better Saturday than he did in 2012, so even with the allowed touchdown pass, Thompson is still in great shape as the free safety for 2013.