Texas’ players met with the media on Tuesday evening in advance of the Longhorns’ upcoming battle with winless Baylor. The Longhorns enter the matchup sitting at 3–4, 2–2 Big 12, and are looking to rebound from a 13-10 overtime loss to Oklahoma State last week. Here’s what the Longhorns had to say:

Dickson reflects on stellar season

One of the upsides for the Longhorns following Saturday’s tight defeat was the continued excellence of punter Michael Dickson. The junior from Sydney, Australia, booted 11 punts against the Cowboys, averaging 51 yards per punt. He’s also now skied a 60-plus yard punt in five of seven contests, including a 66-yarder on Saturday to pin Oklahoma State deep within its own territory.

And Dickson received some recognition for his efforts, too. The burnt orange crowd began streams of cheers for Dickson after his frequent appearances on the turf, heaping praise usually reserved for standout quarterbacks and defensive stars.

“I heard some of the chants, I love it,” Dickson said. “It means a lot to get a chant for just punting the ball. It makes me smile, makes me feel confident when I go out there.”

Dickson said his goal heading into the season was to average over 50 yards per punt. Heading into week eight, he’s just under that mark, averaging just over 49 yards per attempt. 

Crowded receivers room stays competitive

We are now seven games into Texas’ season, and seven Longhorns have tallied over 10 catches this season. With so many contributors to the unit, the burnt orange receivers know they must be ready to enter the action whenever their name is called.

“We’re a very competitive group,” senior wide receiver Lorenzo Joe said. “But we know when we get in the game, whoever’s in there, we’re going to be encouraging each other. Nobody’s getting down, it doesn’t matter who gets the most reps.”

One receiver who has been noticeably absent in recent weeks is Armanti Foreman. The senior tallied 34 catches and three touchdowns in 2016 but hasn’t appeared in a game for Texas since its battle with Iowa State on September 28. 

Head coach Tom Herman addressed Foreman’s lack of playing time, noting that poor practice performance has caused the Texas City product to remain on the bench. But Joe believes Foreman has turned a corner and will be on the field in Waco on Saturday morning.  

“I know it’s hard but (Foreman’s) handled it well,” Joe said. “He’s come out to practice the past couple of days, he’s been working really hard … We see what he’s done in the past, so when he gets out there, he’s going to make plays.”