Double Coverage 2013-08-05

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the daily texan presents

August 5, 2013

Vol. 8, issue 1

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monday, august 5, 2013

thelineup 4 Lawrence Peart | Daily Texan file photo Kendall Sanders makes a leaping catch in the end zone at a practice this offseason. The junior wide receiver should get plenty of opportunities to prove himself this season with Cayleb Jones deciding to transfer. The rest of his teammates also have a lot to prove after a 9-4 campaign in 2012.

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Horns take aim at national championship

The last time Texas played for a national title, Colt McCoy was taking the snaps. David Ash is no McCoy, but with the Longhorns returning 19 starters, he’ll have plenty of help this upcoming season.

TEXAS GETTING BETTER ACROSS THE BOARD

No one returns more starters than the Longhorns this year, meaning that youth and inexperience will no longer be valid excuses. Check out how Texas grades out at each unit.

Cover photo: David Ash | Photo by Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan Staff

previews&Notebooks 8 9 10 10

big 12 power rankings heisman hopefuls

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projected depth chart

For the first time in his Texas career, David Ash enters the season as the unquestioned starting quarterback. With 18 starts under his belt, he’s already the most experienced quarterback in the Big 12.

tough nonconference schedule

Texas hits the road to face a solid BYU team before hosting a talented Ole Miss squad, giving the Longhorns two of the most challenging nonconference contests in the Big 12.

notable games

the daily texan presents

August 5, 2013

6

DAVID ASH ASSUMES LEADERSHIP ROLE

Vol. 8, issue 1

Double Coverage Editor.....Christian Corona Design Editor......................Natasha Smith Photo Editor.......................Elisabeth Dillon Writers.............................Diego Contreras ...........................................Brittany Lamas .........................................Drew Lieberman ..........................................Sara Beth Purdy

This issue of Double Coverage previews the Longhorns’ upcoming football season. The next Double Coverage issue will print Aug. 30, the Friday before Texas’ opener against New Mexico State.

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2013 SEASON SCHEDULE Texas vs. New Mexico St. Saturday, August 31 7 p.m.

Austin Texas at BYU Saturday, September 7 6 p.m.

Provo, Utah

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Texas vs. Ole Miss Saturday, September 14 7 p.m.

Austin Texas vs. Kansas State Saturday, September 21 Time TBA Austin Texas at Iowa State Thursday, October 3 6:30 p.m.

Ames, Iowa Texas vs. Oklahoma Saturday, October 12 Time TBA Dallas

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Monday, august 5, 2013

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan Staff Longhorns head coach Mack Brown addresses reporters at Big 12 Media Days last month. While acknowledging that Texas’ 22-16 mark over the last three seasons was unacceptable, he expressed optimism about the Longhorns’ improvement and his team’s goal of running the table this year—a goal he said it had last season.

Texas has legitimate shot at national title

By Christian Corona Double Coverage Editor

The Longhorns’ last two mottos have been “Brick by Brick” and “R.I.S.E.”, both signifying a rebuilding process that began after a disugstingly disappointing 5-7 campaign in 2010.

That process is over.

Texas has won 17 games, two of them in middle-tier bowl games, in the last two years but has yet to fully distance itself from the 5-7 debacle.

But this year could be the year. The year the Longhorns cast aside inexplicable deficiencies in tackling. The year they consistently establish an effective running attack. The year they capitalize on a weak Big 12 – and win a national championship.

“Nine’s not enough at Texas,” Brown said, referring to the Longhorns’ 9-4 record in 2012.

“Other teams win nine and they’re pumped.

They’re giving the coaches raises and having parades. That doesn’t happen at Texas. We’re the reason it happens. We created it. I understand that. I like it… Let’s win them all.”

For the first time in the conference’s history, no Big 12 team was among the top 10 teams in preseason polls.

The Longhorns checked in at No. 15 in the coaches’ poll, one spot behind Big 12 presesaon favorite Oklahoma State, who comes to Austin this year, along with Kansas State and Ole Miss.

Their only true road test comes in late October against TCU, when Texas will be coming off a bye week.

Gone are feared gunslingers Landry Jones, Nick Florence, Geno Smith and Seth Doege

– four of the nation’s top five passers last year.

And that illustrious list doesn’t even include Heisman finalist Collin Klein, who is also gone.

Not only will its competition be worse but Texas is much better now than this time last year. The Longhorns’ 19 returning starters are tops in the nation and a defense that gave up more yards in school history will get a muchneeded boost from the return of Jackson Jeffcoat and Jordan Hicks.

“There’s a different swagger and a different confidence than there’s been the last couple of years,” Brown said. “And there should be.”

More importantly, Texas brings experience and stability to the quarterback position for the first time since Colt McCoy was behind center. David Ash has been inconsistent over the past two years, but the junior has blossomed from a wide-eyed fourth-stringer to a bona fide starter.

“As a freshman, 30 percent of the time you don’t really know what you’re doing,” Ash said. “As a sophomore, it’s like 15 percent. As you get older and older that time you don’t know what you’re doing goes down.”

The Longhorns are improving upon a team that was a few plays away from going 11-2 last season. A few yards here or there in narrow home losses to West Virginia and TCU and Texas would’ve had double-digit wins before its Alamo Bowl triumph over Oregon State.

“Coach Royal said you gotta be good and you’ve gotta be lucky,” Brown said. “We haven’t been lucky the last few years. We haven’t had much luck. I’m ready to have some thrown our way.”

McCoy broke records en route to leading Texas to its national title game appearance in

TITLE continues on page 11

5 Monday, august 5, 2013

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Strong offense spearheads Texas attack A-

A

A

D

B+

QUARTERBACK

RUNNING BACK

WIDE RECEIVER

TIGHT END

OFFENSIVE LINE

Assuming David Ash stays healthy and effective in every game this season, he will be a top quarterback in the Big 12. If Ash misses an extended amount of time, the Longhorns will probably struggle to replace him with only Case McCoy or a raw Tyrone Swoopes the only realistic options, with Connor Brewer transferring.

All four of Texas’ running backs could start at nearly every other school in the country and throughout the Big 12. Johnathan Gray should lead the unit, but Malcolm Brown and Daje Johnson will get touches between the 20’s with Joe Bergeron being used in goal-line situations.

The Longhorns have two studs at receiver in Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley, with a lot of possible breakout guys available to be the third or fourth receiver. The loss of Cayleb Jones hurts, but John Harris, Kendall Sanders, Marcus Johnson, Duke Thomas or Jake Oliver should be able to fill the void.

The tight end position at Texas hasn’t done too much since Jermichael Finley in 2007. The potential of that changing this year isn’t very high, unless M.J. McFarland’s play takes a giant leap. This is by far the weakest group on Texas’ roster, but is also the least important on either side of the ball.

This unit, led by seniors Trey Hopkins and Mason Walters, returns all five starters and is arguably the most experienced offensive line in the country. Impact additions include Darius James and JUCO transfer Desmond Harrison, both of whom could make a name for themselves early. This line has as much potential as any team in the country, but no one knows if they will reach it.

B+

B+

B+

D

C

DEFENSIVE LINE

LINEBACKER

SECONDARY

SPECIAL TEAMS

COACHING

Texas’ defensive line will be fine despite losing Alex Okafor and Brandon Moore. If Jackson Jeffcoat can stay healthy, Cedric Reed or Shiro Davis should hold down the other end. Malcom Brown, Ashton Dorsey and Desmond Jackson will lead another deep tackles unit oozing with NFL-caliber talent.

The return of Jordan Hicks should drastically help a unit that struggled in 2012. With more experience, expect upcoming star Peter Jinkens to reach his potential alongside Dalton Santos, Steve Edmond and Kendall Thompson.

Quandre Diggs could win the Thorpe Award in the next couple of seasons, and will be relied on to carry weight at either cornerback or safety. Senior cornerback Carrington Byndom and safety Adrian Philips are poised to return to 2011 form. The last starting DB spot is a question mark but “DBU” has enough talent to fill the spot.

The losses of Marquise Goodwin and D.J. Monroe leave Texas uncertain at both kick returner spots in 2013. The place-kicking job could be shared by Nick Jordan and Nick Rose, but neither will have the fans’ and coaches’ confidence until they make a clutch kick they will be remembered by. Anthony Fera, in his second season at Texas since transferring from Penn State, could handle punting duties.

Mack Brown’s inability to beat Oklahoma or win conference titles, makes 10/12/13 a must-win game if he is going to be the coach that leads the Longhorns back to prominence. Inexperience is no longer an excuse, with Brown’s time at Texas in danger of running out with another mediocre campaign.

—Drew Lieberman

Lawrence Peart | Daily Texan file photo Linebacker Tevin Jackson celebrates after one of Texas’ 10 sacks during its victory over Oregon State in the Alamo Bowl.

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photo M.J. McFarland is among a group of underachieving Longhorn tight ends that must be more productive this upcoming season.

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photo Johnathan Gray leads a trio of promising running backs that are effective when healthy. He led Texas with 701 rushing yards in 2012.

DASH INTO SPOTLIGHT

Ash perfect fit for up-tempo offense

By Brittany Lamas This fall, the Longhorn football team will look to junior quarterback David Ash for his experience, maturity and to lead Texas back to national championship contention in 2013 after two average seasons.

“The Texas standard is a championship, it’s winning all those games and to put a number on that is 13,” Ash said at Big 12 Media Days.

Ash will return for his third season, second as the starter, with a 12-6 record as a starter.

He played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2011, eventually beating out Case McCoy for the starting gig after Garrett Gilbert transferred. In 2012, he started in all but one game after suffering a broken rib in the loss to TCU. This season, he will be one of two returning Big 12 quarterbacks with considerable experience, with Casey Pachall of TCU being the only other with as many starts.

“When I came in there were a bunch of good quarterbacks that were older than me, and now I’m the older one,” Ash said. “Football kind of goes in cycles and now Texas’ cycle has come around.”

Texas is moving to an up-tempo offense to incorporate more plays, from 60-70 plays per game to 80-90, and be more competitive against fast-paced Big 12 teams.

“We think that David is ready to go uptempo now with the offense. He’s in command.

He’s very confident. He knows what we want,” Brown said. “We’re a faster team. We’re an older

team. We should be a mature offense.”

Ash said he enjoys the no-huddle, faster offense. It’s familiar to him since he ran a similar system at Belton High school and he is excited to run it for the Longhorns this season.

“It’s a lot of fun because as a quarterback and an offense guy you like throwing a lot and putting up lots of points so for me it’s just fun to be around,” Ash said. “That’s what the Big 12 has become, high-powered offenses that spread out and chunk the ball around and it’s pretty hard on defenses. I wouldn’t want to play defense in the Big 12.”

Other benefits include stopping the opposing defense from dialing up exotic blitzes while the offensive line gets simpler reads and the wide receivers can find a rhythm. Texas’ defense will get to practice against what they will see during games.

“It benefits the defense seeing an up-tempo [offense] every week,” Ash said. “It’s pretty hard to be a defense in the Big 12 right now. It wasn’t fair to our defense last season… this will prepare them better.”

Ash said he thinks with more experience on the team altogether, they will be able to get back to where Texas football is expected to be.

“I think you think back to a couple years ago and you had 10 freshmen playing on offense and a bunch of those guys are playing this year, that can only be a positive thing,” Ash said. “The guys I was playing with as a freshman, I’m still playing with, for the majority. We’re that much more together. We’ve shared the same experiences together and it makes us more hungry.”

David Ash showed flashes of brilliance as a sophomore last season, none brighter than when State last Decemeber, tossing two touchdowns in the final nine minutes. No more looking over

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photos he led a fourth-quarter comeback in Texas’ Alamo Bowl triumph over Oregon r his shoulder—this is Ash’s team. The Longhorns will go as far as he’ll take them.

Ash will prove to be Big 12’s best QB

By Sara Beth Purdy Daily Texan Sports Editor

David Ash and Kansas’ Jake Heaps were the only two quarterbacks present at Big 12 Media Days last month. It’s surprising when you think about the Big 12’s dependence on strong quarterbacks.

What is most surprising is that Ash even agreed to speak last month in Dallas. It is no secret that there’s many things he’d rather do than talk with reporters. He has made it clear that he prefers to lead by example, keep his head down and work hard. He is famous for his quiet demeanor and one-line answers, which are actually quite witty when you can hear them.

“I’m a pretty emotional guy, it just doesn’t come out all the time,” Ash joked. “I love football. My dad always taught me when I was young, always told me, ‘Calm, cool and collected, don’t get rattled.’ So I don’t get rattled.”

But surrounded by reporters and photographers at the Omni Hotel last month, Ash exhibited the growth and maturity that head coach Mack Brown emphasized. He proved that he had a lot to say, though he still doesn’t enjoy the spotlight.

“He’s leading the team much better, and they believe in him right now,” Brown said. “David has grown up. He’s learned a lot. I think he’ll have a big year.”

In a league full of high performing offenses – one that is known for its elite quarterback play, Ash is going to emerge this year as the top quarterback in the Big 12.

He is expected to be a the top. After all, he is the only returning starting quarterback besides TCU’s Casey Pachall, who is trying to earn his job back after drug rehab. However, Oklahoma and Texas Tech always seem to have a habit of pulling unknowns out of the woodwork to put up big numbers each year. Despite this, the proof is there and he’s going to surprise us all.

Ash solidified himself as the starting quarterback in the Alamo Bowl last December, probably the best thing that could have happened to his career.

“The time it became my team was the Oregon

The time it became my team was the Oregon State game. Before that it was mostly my team, as long as I didn’t play bad. I think my teammates respected it when I came back with broken ribs and won the game.

—David Ash, junior quarterback

State game,” Ash said. “Before that it was mostly my team, as long as I didn’t play bad. I think my teammates respected it when I came back with broken ribs and won the game.”

Yes, he led the Longhorns from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Oregon State to end on a good note, but he matured and earned the team’s respect with his performance.

“You could see, with him hurtling into the end zone, you could see that confidence,” senior offensive guard Trey Hopkins said. “It’s not like his freshman year, where you could see him on the sidelines with his head down. He was really having fun, it was his team.”

This confidence and belief is key. Ash no longer has to look over his shoulder and will enter the season without battling Case McCoy for the starting job. During the offseason, Ash was able to focus on improving and getting more comfortable with the offense.

There is no more doubt in his leadership role; the coaches and players have all expressed confidence in him. That confidence will be crucial this season. With Ash firmly entrenched as the team’s starting quarterback, the team can also become more focused.

“It helps your focus and it helps your respect among your teammates when your coach comes out and expresses his confidence in you,” Ash said.

According to Ash, you can also just look at the stats. Ash has shown improvement over the past two years and has said he hopes to improve on that this coming year.

It’s okay to have a little skepticism. After all, the past two seasons have been less-than-ideal for Longhorns fans. Ash and Brown even admitted that a 9-4 season is unacceptable at Texas. But I still think he’s going to surprise us.

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Power rankings

8

MONDAY, august 5, 2013

Diego Contreras daily texan staff

1

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Texas Despite not meeting expectations in recent seasons, the Longhorns find themselves among the highest-ranked Big 12 teams.

No team in college football is returning more than the 19 starters Texas brings back, including a stout backfield and quarterback David Ash. The Longhorns will be favored in most games this season, and Las Vegas is giving them 11-2 odds to win the Big 12. “The Eyes of Texas” may be upon us once more.

6

texas tech

7

iowa state

8

west virginia

9

kansas state

oklahoma state According to the Big 12 media preseason poll, the Cowboys will win the Big 12 Conference. But with question marks at the quarterback position and a new defensive coordinator, it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys overcoming the obstacles that could prevent them from winning the Big 12.

3

TCU

4

oklahoma

5

baylor

The Frogs have a good returning cast, but a starting quarterback has yet to be named, although a seemingly contrite Casey Pachall, who de-enrolled and complete a drug rehab program last year, is the favorite to win the job. If their young core can gel around a deserving quarterback, the Frogs will have a great shot at winning a Big 12 title and could compete for a national championship.

As long as Bob Stoops is holding the reins, Oklahoma will be in the hunt for a Big 12 title. Whether Blake Bell, aka “Belldozer”, can give the Sooners the passing attack that will take them over the hump remains to be seen, but expect them to be at the very top of the conference title hunt.

Bryce Petty has been receiving high praise after waiting for his chance at the starting quarterback position. And running back Lache Seastrunk, who the media picked as the Big 12 offensive preseason player of the year, believes he can win the Heisman.

But will the potential match the on-field product?

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Newly hired head coach Kliff Kingsbury is 33 years young, and this year he will be making his coaching debut. The Red Raiders will feature a new offensive system, and a new quarterback, so expectations won’t be too high in 2013. As usual, look for Texas Tech to have an upset on some Big 12 opponent like it has so many times in the past.

Head coach Paul Rhoads has had a couple of productive seasons at Iowa State. But with a younger team, it seems as if the Cyclones have a ways to go before proving they are legitimate Big 12 championship contenders. Don’t put it past them to spoil someone else’s season though.

The Mountaineers are known for fielding potent offenses, but with Geno Smith departing for the NFL, things aren’t looking as optimistic. Paired with a spotty defense, the Mountaineers will be at the bottom of the pack hoping to play spoiler for the rest of the conference.

A legitimate replacement for Collin Klein has yet to be found, and after a promising last few seasons, the Wildcats are now on the outside looking in. Look for Kansas State to begin their rebuilding process this year once their quarterback situation is resolved.

kansas The most exciting thing for Kansas sports is happening on the basketball court with future NBA product and potential No. 1 overall draft pick Andrew Wiggins. The Jayhawks aren’t traditionally known as a football school, and expectations in Lawrence are even lower coming into this season after going 1-11 last year.

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Heisman watch

9

drew Lieberman daily texan staff

Braxton Miller QB, Ohio State

Miller was stellar in his second year for Ohio State, throwing for 15 touchdowns and only six interceptions while rushing for 13 more scores. As a result of his impact, Ohio State was the only undefeated team in the FBS at year’s end, and probably would’ve played for a national title if they weren’t ineligible due to NCAA sanctions. Miller is one of the clear favorites to win the Heisman, alongside Manziel.

Jadeveon Clowney DE, South Carolina

Clowney enters the season as NFL-ready as any player in recent history. If he plays at a historic level and leads the Gamecocks to the next level of success, he has a legitimate shot to win the Heisman, having finished sixth in voting in 2012. Clowney strikes fear in all he plays against, and thanks to the media buzz from his hit in the 2013 Outback Bowl against Michigan, has become a household name to even casual football viewers.

Teddy Bridgewater QB, Louisville

Bridgewater’s best shot at the Heisman is to continue his play from the Sugar Bowl and he has all the tools do so, as evidenced by his $10 million insurance policy. Louisville’s weak schedule as a member of the hodgepodge American Athletic Conference should boost Bridgewater’s numbers, but will also make a perfect regular season imperative if he is to win the Heisman.

TJ Yeldon RB, Alabama

Yeldon is somewhat of a darkhorse pick, but should continue the line of Nick Saban coached running backs who have had stellar seasons as the featured back. As a freshman in 2012 Yeldon rushed for 1,108 yards and 12 touchdowns despite being the backup to Eddie Lacy, the 61st pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Now Yeldon is expected to more touches, which opens up the possibility of winning the Tide’s second Heisman.

Sam Richie | Associated Press

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Johnny Manziel QB, Texas A&M

Manziel, possibly reluctantly, returns to College Station after an SEC recordbreaking 2012 campaign in which he became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy. Though Manziel showed a lack of maturity this off-season and defenses will be able to better gameplan for him, Manziel could join Archie Griffin as the only two-time Heisman winners ever.

Rogelio V. Solis | Associated Press

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Sooners pose Texas’ first stiff test in Big 12 play OFFENSIVE DEPTH CHART

DEFENSIVE DEPTH CHART

QB

David Ash (Jr.) | Case McCoy (Sr.)

DE

Jackson Jeffcoat (Sr.) | Shiro Davis (So.)/Caleb Bluiett (So.)

RB

Johnathan Gray (So.) | Malcolm Brown (Jr.)/Joe Bergeron (Jr.)

DT

Ashton Dorsey (Sr.) | Malcom Brown (So.)

FB

Alex De La Torre (So.) | Chet Moss (Jr.)

DT

Desmond Jackson (Jr.) | Chris Whaley (Sr.)

WR

Jaxon Shipley (Jr.) | Bryant Jackson (Jr.)

DE

Reggie Wilson (Sr.) | Cedric Reed (Jr.)

WR

Mike Davis (Sr.) | Daje Johnson (So.)

LB

Jordan Hicks (Jr.) | Kendall Thompson (Jr.)

WR

Kendall Sanders (So.) | John Harris (Jr.)

LB

Peter Jinkens (So.) | Demarco Cobbs (Sr.)

TE

M.J. McFarland (So.) | Geoff Swaim (Jr.)/Greg Daniels (Jr.)

LB

Steve Edmond (Jr.) | Tevin Jackson (Jr.)/Dalton Santos (So.)

OT

Donald Hawkins (Sr.) | Kennedy Estelle (So.)

CB

Carrington Byndom (Sr.) | Sheroid Evans (Jr.)

OG

Trey Hopkins (Sr.) | Sedrick Flowers (So.)

CB

Quandre Diggs (Jr.) | Leroy Scott (Jr.)/Duke Thomas (So.)

C

Dominic Espinosa (Jr.) | Garrett Porter (Sr.)

S

Adrian Phillips (Sr.) | Josh Turner (Jr.)

OG

Mason Walters (Sr.) | Curtis Riser (So.)

S

Mykkele Thompson (So.) | Adrian Colbert (rFr.)/Kevin Vaccaro (So.)

OT

Josh Cochran (Jr.) | Desmond Harrison (Jr.)

SPECIAL TEAMS DEPTH CHART

This is a must-win. Period.

Texas has lost three in a row to Oklahoma, the last two being embarrassing and lopsided defeats. No Landry Jones means the Longhorns should have a much better chance at taking down the Sooners.

with a 41-36 in 2012, thanks to a late fourth-down toss

by David Ash and a gamewinning touchdown run

by Joe Bergeron in the final seconds. The Longhorns and the Cowboys are two of the favorites to win the Big 12 this year. This should be an exciting, high-scoring affair.

October 26 Texas at TCU

November 28 Texas vs. Texas Tech (6:30 p.m., FOX Sports 1)

October 12 Texas vs. Oklahoma

The toughest road game Texas will play this upcoming season comes against a team that beat the Longhorns in Austin last season, on Thanksgiving no less. And that was with a freshman taking snaps. Now the Horned Frogs have senior Casey Pachall back and a shot to hand Texas losses in backto-back years for the first time in more than half a century.

K

Nick Jordan (So.) | Nick Rose (So.)

P

November 16 Texas vs. Oklahoma State

Anthony Fera (Sr.) | William Russ (Jr.)

Texas

escaped

Stillwater

The Longhorns looked out of sorts not playing a team from College Station on Thanksgiving last season and will look to turn their Turkey Day fortunes around when they host the Red Raiders. They’ll have a new head coach in Kliff Kingsbury and a new starting quarterback – likely local product Michael Brewer, who went to the same high school as former Longhorn Garrett Gilbert.

—Christian Corona

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TCU gets early test against LSU at Cowboys Stadium

By Diego Contreras

at the Red River Rivalry lie in South Bend.

TCU vs LSU August 31 Cowboys Stadium

Texas vs. BYU September 7 Provo, Utah

Rarely are college football fans treated to an SEC vs.

Big 12 matchup with ranked teams and this one comes the opening week of the season.

The outcome of this game will have major implications for both conferences and the national title picture. A loss for either team may mean missing out on a conference title and this game is sure to shake up early-season rankings. What better place to have a game like this than at Cowboys Stadium?

The second week of the season takes the Longhorns up to Provo against an unranked BYU squad for their first road test. The Longhorns will likely be favored in this game, so barring an unexpected loss, BYU will be a good early test for the Longhorns. This game could give Texas a foundation to build upon for the rest of the season as they look to rebound from the woes they’ve had in recent years.

Oklahoma vs. Notre Dame September 28 South Bend, Indiana Notre Dame rolled over the Sooners in Norman last year to prove their worth as a legitimate title contender.

The Sooners could return the favor this season. Oklahoma will face the national title runner-up in their fourth game of the season, and the hopes of having two undefeated teams facing off

TITLE

continues from page 4 2009. Ash is solid but he’s no McCoy. Fortunately for him, though, he’ll have a much better supporting cast than McCoy did.

Tre Newton was the leading rusher on that 2009 squad, running for just 552 yards while McCoy accounted for nearly two-thirds of the team’s total offense.

This year’s Longhorns have two tailbacks better than Netwon in Malcolm Brown

Ole Miss vs. Texas Sept. 14 Austin The Longhorns make a back-to-back appearance on our list, fittingly in the same order they are set to play BYU and Ole Miss. Texas faces an Ole Miss team it beat by 35 points in 2012, and this is the turning point for the Longhorns. This is where they encounter the meat of their schedule. Immediately following this

and Johnathan Gray, arguably three if you include Joe Bergeron.

With Texas’ newfound dedication to an up-tempo approach on offense, that should mean more touches to go around for everybody.

Brown is even counting on Ash himself to make some plays in the ground game.

“We really think he needs to make plays with his feet five or six times a game,” Brown said. “The best we’ve ever been is when Vince [Young] or Colt on a 3rdand-4 pulls it down and runs it or he pulls it down

game Texas faces Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma. If the Longhorns have any serious shot at winning the Big 12, this point in the schedule will make or break their season.

SMU vs. TCU September 28 Fort Worth These two schools reside next to each other in the Metroplex and thankfully the rivalry has been able to stick around after all of the realignment we have seen in college football. The game, otherwise known as the “Iron Skillet,” will provide Texas football fans with a spirit-filled grudge match that will be sure to please.

Former Longhorns Garrett Gilbert and Traylon Shead making up SMU’s starting backfield only adds to the intriguing storylines this game provides.

Honorable mentions Oklahoma State vs. Mississippi State (August 31, Reliant Stadium), Texas Tech vs. SMU (August 30, Dallas), West Virginia vs. Maryland (September 21, Baltimore)

toward the line of scrimmage, they all come toward him like David flipping it over his head in the Alamo Bowl.”

Everything has aligned itself for Texas to capture not just a Big 12 championship but a national championship. The conference is weaker while the Longhorns are stronger. They finally have a seasoned starter under center and the defense can only improve on last year’s performance.

It’s time for Texas to contend for—and win—a national title.

Elisabeth Dillon | Daily Texan file photo Steve Edmond tracks down an Ole Miss ballcarrier during the Longhorns’ 66-31 win over the Rebels.

Texas hosts Ole Miss on Sept. 14 in what is a highly-anticipated nonconference game.

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