Texas football will look to regroup in a stretch of non-conference games after a disappointing performance against Ohio State, starting this weekend against San José State.
The Spartans are also coming off a loss, falling to Central Michigan, 16-14, after two missed field goals late in the game.
Texas is heavily favored by 35.5 points, but how the Longhorns win and progress matters most, as they must sharpen themselves for the challenges still ahead.
Exploit the weak run defense
In their loss against Central Michigan, the Spartans gave up 236 yards on the ground, surrendering 4.6 yards per carry. The unit lost key defenders in the transfer portal, leaving them vulnerable in the trenches.
The weak offensive performance from the Longhorns last week was hardly due to the running back duo of sophomore CJ Baxter and junior Quintrevion Wisner. Texas averaged 4.5 yards a rush against the Buckeyes and Wisner, in particular, rushed for 80 yards in 16 carries.
Leaning on the ground game will not only take some of the pressure off sophomore quarterback Arch Manning but also force San José to bring extra defenders to the line, opening up play-action opportunities for shots downfield.
Settle in Arch Manning
Manning’s performance last weekend was anything but perfect, marred by shaky mechanics and inaccuracy. This matchup is less about testing his ceiling and more about getting him into a rhythm.
Against Ohio State, Manning made several mistakes, missing integral throws that could’ve made the difference. However, Manning’s performance is tied to an offensive scheme that needs to be designed to play into his strengths.
Rather than forcing a pocket passing-heavy approach, head coach Steve Sarkisian needs to open up the playbook to include short, simple passing routes, giving Manning the opportunities to use his legs, while sprinkling in designed rollouts.
Manning doesn’t need to be flashy, but he does need to get comfortable, tighten his mechanics and play free.
Create turnovers
The Longhorns’ defense failed to record a single turnover or sack against Ohio State, an uncharacteristic showing. They failed to continue their 24 game streak of at least one turnover. This week offers a chance to start a new streak.
San José State runs a pass-heavy offense, allowing redshirt senior quarterback Walker Eget to show off his arm talent, throwing for 308 yards against Central Michigan. However, Eget struggles with accuracy, throwing two interceptions last weekend and going 24 of 43. Eget only completed 57.3% of his passes last season and threw 10 interceptions. The Longhorn secondary will look to exploit this.
However, the Spartans’ offense isn’t without weapons. The secondary will need to limit redshirt sophomore wide receiver Danny Scudero, who exploded for 189 yards and a touchdown in his Spartan debut, securing third in the nation for receiving yards.
