Fans filling the stands in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, wearing boots and burnt orange. The Texas summer heat beating down in a midday game. Texas football attempting to repeat history.
If the Longhorns were to create a trailer for their season and home opener against Colorado State on Aug. 31, these would be the highlighted scenes.
The first and only time Texas faced Colorado State, Texas legend Earl Campbell was on the field and Darrell K Royal was coaching on the sidelines.
Playing on artificial turf at what was then called Memorial Stadium, the 46-0 victory in 1975 headlined a dominant performance by the Longhorns.
Campbell carried the ball 13 times for 103 yards and scored the first touchdown of the game. The rest of the offense did their part, rushing for an overall total of 320 yards and seven touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Texas defense intercepted four passes, had three sacks and five tackles for loss.
Since this historic game, both programs have changed a lot.
Last season, Colorado State went 5–7, an improvement from the 2022 3–9 season. Three of the games Colorado State lost were a one-score loss and the majority of those were away games.
It’s been seven years since CSU has made a postseason appearance, so the team and fans alike are ready to end the bowl drought.
“We go to Texas (in Week 1), which is going to be a great challenge for us,” CSU head coach Jay Norvell said in an interview with DNVR. “I really think we have a football team that’s about our team. We’ve got to go out every week and do the things we need to do to win football games.”
The Rams’ offensive strength in the previous season lay in their passing game, ranking 13th in passing yards per game. The Longhorns were in the 12th spot with sophomore quarterback Quinn Ewers throwing around one more yard per game than freshman quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi.
Their defensive and running games did not fare as favorably, and they will most likely continue to be a weaker point for Colorado State, especially after losing defensive lineman Mohamed Kamara to the Miami Dolphins in the 2024 NFL Draft.
CSU also lost 18 players through the transfer portal in the offseason, including two of their top three receivers from last year. However, the Rams were able to find their replacements, reaching double digits with portal transfers.
For Texas, this season is the chance for the team to prove themselves in the SEC. Coming out of last season with a Big 12 championship and a College Football Playoffs spot, the team has a lot of momentum and potential.
Despite losing 11 players to the NFL draft, Texas still possesses the second-most returning production for the 2024 season in the SEC at 70%, according to SP+ Rankings.
A win by Texas in the first game of the season, which will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 31, will allow them to repeat history and start their season off on the right foot.
