The Daily Texan Double Coverage 2020-09-11

miner bump in the road

T H E D A I LY TEXAN PRESENTS

Double Coverage VOL. 15 ISSUE 1 | SEPT. 11, 2020 joshua guenther

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built different: recounting ehlinger’s high school dominance Former coaches and high school opponents saw Ehlinger’s Texas-sized potential.

By Stephen Wagner @stephenwag22

B

efore Sam Ehlinger was beloved by Texas fans for his heroics on the biggest stages, the Longhorn quarterback was a 6 foot, 1 inch, 207-pound high school kid who broke Drew Brees’ and Nick Foles’ records at Westlake High School.

But what made Ehlinger the high school star who broke the records of two Super Bowl MVPs? His size?

His natural leadership? His physical and mental toughness? His former teammates, coaches and opponents all noticed these traits, but said that, above all, they recognized Ehlinger

was just “built different.”

Urban studies senior Barrett Chambers is one of Ehlinger’s childhood friends and former teammates. He said playing tackle football against the Texas quarterback was only fair until about the fourth grade. The moment Chambers noticed Ehlinger was not just physically but mentally tough was when Ehlinger’s father passed away.

“When his dad passed away when we were in middle school, we kind of noticed that this dude was a leader, and he was just built different,” Chambers said. “You hear his mom describe him as her rock throughout the whole thing. I rarely saw him shed a tear over it. He didn’t want to show any weakness for his family.”

Former Westlake coach Jeff Rhoads

noticed Ehlinger’s talent and natural leadership ability months later when he scouted him for the first time at Hill Country Middle School.

“

(Ehlinger) was a beast, and it was his perfect element. You see good football players, and then you see guys that are just different.”

AUSTIN ALEMAN rhetoric and writing senior

Two years later, Rhoads, then the head coach at Anderson High School, experienced just how special Ehlinger proved to be when he game-planned against the teenage quarterback. Even after coaching Ehlinger for a season at Westlake, Rhoads said he didn’t feel like he had any sort of competitive advantage going against him.

“He played the game like a linebacker, he could run the ball like a running back and he could drop the ball downfield,” Rhoads said. “One thing you might try to do is get him on the ground, but that’s about the only way you’re going to slow Sam Ehlinger down, is when he’s laying on the ground. And that’s hard to do because he’s going to get back up.”

Westlake beat Anderson 48-7

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

joshua guenther

and 73-10 in Rhoads’ two years coaching against Ehlinger.

But Anderson wasn’t the only team the future Texas star beat up in his high school career. He crushed the dreams of United High School from Laredo, Texas, in the third round of the playoffs

a year later, something rhetoric and writing senior Austin Aleman still remembers.

Aleman, a defensive end for United in 2016, said he probably spent at least 15 hours watching film on Ehlinger that week and immediately compared him to

Tim Tebow. United held Ehlinger and Westlake to 10 points for a quarter before the game got out of hand. United ultimately lost 55-15 and allowed 38 points in the first half. “(Ehlinger) was a beast, and it was his perfect element,” Aleman

said. “You see good football players, and then you see guys that are just different. And he was obviously having fun with it. I remember trying to rush up to him to tackle him, and I just saw him smile and just run down the field.”

/ the daily texan staff

But for Aleman, he had some solace in knowing that bigger and brighter football stages awaited Ehlinger.

“Overall, it was just fun to see that I could compete with Sam,” Aleman said. “At least this guy is going to Texas.”

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DOUBLE COVERAGE

By Matthew Boncosky

|

@mboncosky

1. Oklahoma Sooners Oklahoma has won five straight Big 12 championships. Until the Sooners are dethroned, they’re a lock to sit atop the preseason power rankings. The biggest question mark for the Sooners is redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler. Although with how accurate recruiting rankings are these days, there is little doubt the top quarterback of his class will flourish in head coach Lincoln Riley’s system.

2. TEXAS LONGHORNS If not now, when? That’s the big question for the Longhorns as they enter 2020. The quest for relevance continues, and this season seems to be the best shot yet for the Longhorns to recapture the Big 12. Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger has the experience and toughness to lead the Longhorns. With a reworked coaching staff under Tom Herman and recruiting depth stacking up, both sides of the ball should be improved this season.

3. Oklahoma state cowboys After a headline-filled offseason resulting in some locker room tension between the players and Mike Gundy, the 16-year head coach is simply ready to play ball. Redshirt junior running back Chuba Hubbard, an early Heisman candidate, is back for another season after holding off on pursuing his eventual NFL career. Sophomore quarterback Spencer Sanders has a year of development under his belt and a strong receiving core around him. This offense, like always, is prepared to fly.

4. Iowa state cyclones If you watched College GameDay last Saturday, you would’ve seen Chris Fallica name Iowa State as his long shot to make the College Football Playoff this year. While I may not be quite so bullish on the Cyclones, I believe in junior quarterback Brock Purdy.

Keep an eye out for the Cyclones.

5. baylor bears It’s no question that the loss of former head coach Matt Rhule is a big one. However, this is a team that made the Big 12 championship game last year and still has the pieces to be successful. If senior quarterback Charlie Brewer can stay healthy behind an offensive line that returns a pair of starters, it could be another good year for the Bears.

6. TCU HORNED FROGS With the Horned Frogs’ annual Iron Skillet matchup against SMU being postponed due to COVID-19, we won’t get the chance to gauge TCU’s talent in Week 1. Could quarterback Max Duggan take a step forward in his sophomore campaign? Sure. Could he also throw a ton of picks? Also sure. We’ll see what happens.

7. KANSAS STATE WILDCATS Kansas State did a lot of things well last year. They controlled the clock and limited turnovers. One thing they couldn’t do enough of was score. Kansas State is still a work in progress under head coach Chris Klieman, but there is a solid framework from which to improve upon.

8. WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS Like Kansas State, the Mountaineers are rebuilding. They looked decent toward the end of last season, particularly on defense, but they need further improvement for anyone to be excited about the Mountaineers. The running game is poor and the offensive line is still a question mark.

9. texas tech red raiders Name a relevant football player from Texas Tech over the past few years other than Patrick Mahomes. I had trouble thinking of any. It could be another rough year for the Red Raiders on the gridiron this fall. Keep your hopes on the hardwood for now, Raider fans.

10. kansas jayhawks Seeing head coach Les Miles take on the rebuild of perennial Big 12 bottom-feeder Kansas has been nothing short of entertaining.

I was tempted to raise them up a spot on the rankings, but just couldn’t do it. Junior running back Pooka Williams Jr. is a great player with a great name, but don’t expect Kansas to win much this year.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

DANIELA’S DIGS

College football’s new normal is here.

By Daniela Perez @danielap3rez

one are the days of the three d o w n linemen and thirdd o w n blitz for Texas. But so are days of the 12-game college football schedule and packed bleachers that envelop Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in the fall.

Sing-alongs to “Don’t Stop Believin’” in the sea of Longhorn fans won’t be the same. The fans dancing without care around DKR has been traded in for a burnt orange face mask.

The mile commute from West Campus to the stadium has been replaced with a quick crawl from bed to the TV. College athletes will now play in empty or nearly empty stadiums, while non-football fans must hear the screams and groans of fans passing through their apartment walls.

The 25,000 fans spread throughout DKR this season will have to fill a space that once overflowed with over 100,000 people.

For players, it’s about holding teammates accountable to follow COVID-19 protocols that could jeopardize an entire season if violated. For senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger, the accountability is simple.

josh guenther

“I think just stressing the importance of what could happen if one person were to slip up on the protocols or go out when they shouldn’t have and bring (the coronavirus) back to the team,” Ehlinger said in a teleconference Tuesday. “Luckily for us, we haven’t set the example of what that looks like. I think just staying consistent and keeping our heads down; I think it’s a great way to keep guys focused on getting better.”

Once upon a time, players’ stress came from a demanding fanbase, coaches and internal monologue — not to mention the academic rigor that plagues every UT student. But now, a trip to the store or walk around campus can result in any player’s worst nightmare: a positive coronavirus test that could have catastrophic implications for their health and the season.

It’s a heavy burden for any 18-to-22-year-old college student to carry, especially when millions of dollars and a conference title are at stake. Their displicine is for their season and for their teammates, but it’s also for the thousands of fans who will gather at DKR on Saturdays.

“The things these young

/ the daily texan staff

men are having to do just to play and just to compete in the sport that they love is monumental and is an extremely tall task, a task that nobody in organized sports has ever been asked to do before,” head coach Tom Herman said.

Herman’s statement rings true for all UT students. Nonathletes are dealing with tall tasks that carry heavy implications as well; a wrong move could infect roommates, family members or immunocompromised members of the community.

Now more than ever, Texas’ 1–0 mentality reigns supreme, as players don’t know if a game could be their last. Texas football facilities are littered with the mantra, a saying that has taken a new form this season. For now, the COVID-19 pandemic will play out alongside Texas’ season, continuing a “new normal” that can only be eclipsed by one thing for these players: football.

“The outside things aren’t going to go away. we just have to figure out a way to deal with them and still get the job done,” redshirt senior safety Chris Brown said. “We’ve done our best as a team to do that.”

Head-to-head history history

By Nathan Han @NathanHan13

The last time the Texas football team played UTEl Paso, Charlie Strong was in his final year as head coach, Shane Buechele was set to make his second start at quarterback as a true freshman and the Longhorns were riding high off of an overtime win over thenNo. 10 Notre Dame on national television.

Much has changed for Texas since that game on Sept. 10, 2016, but one thing that hasn’t is the Longhorns’ dominance over the Miners.

In each of the five UTEP matchups, all played in September, Texas has won by an average margin of over 30 points. The 41-7 win in 2016 was, similar to this year’s matchup, a result of a last-minute schedule change after a home-and-home with Minnesota fell through the cracks.

In 2008, the teams scheduled a home-andhome, with the Longhorns visiting El Paso for a 4213 win the first go-around before beating the Miners again 64-7 the next year.

The first two matchups in 1930 and 1933 occurred

when the University of Texas at El Paso was named the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy.

It was the Longhorns who handed the Texas School of Mines their only loss in 1930.

THE GAME TO REMEMBER: As for the most memorable game between the Longhorns and Miners, the obvious choice is the 2008 matchup.

The two teams hadn’t played since 1933, and HISTORY

PAGE 10

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DOUBLE COVERAGE

No. 1 clemson @ wake forest Sept. 12, 6:30 p.m. CT, ABC College GameDay and No. 1 Clemson will be making the trip to Winston-Salem, this time without fans in attendance. While the Tigers lost seven of their national championship squad to the NFL Draft, Clemson will look to senior wide receiver Amari Rodgers and Heisman favorite junior quarterback Trevor Lawrence to make up for the loss of Tee Higgins to the NFL and Justyn Ross to injury.

After projected starter Jamie Newman transferred to the University of Georgia this offseason, the Demon Deacons will start redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman. Hartman spent the majority of the 2019 season backing up Newman but showed promise during his starts in the 2018 season.

By Brittany Archer

|

@brittanyarcher_

duke @ no. 10 notre dame

Coastal carolina @ kansas

syracuse @ no.18 unc

Sept. 12, 1:30 p.m. CT, NBC

Sept. 12, 9 p.m. CT, Fox Sports 1

Sept. 12, 11 a.m. CT, ACC Network

Notre Dame finds itself in a new position this season as temporary football members of the ACC for the first time ever instead of operating as an independent. The Fighting Irish are led by senior quarterback Ian Book, who led the Irish to a 2018 College Football playoff berth.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils travel to South Bend after a frustrating 2019 season, going 5–7 and missing a bowl for the first time in two years. On Sunday, head coach David Cutliffe named former Clemson quarterback Chase Brice the starter for Saturday.

The Kansas Jayhawks will be looking for redemption as they face the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday.

Last season the Chanticleers defeated the Jayhawks in Lawrence 12–7 for their first win ever over a Power 5 opponent. Second-year head coach Les Miles has kept mum on whether senior Thomas MacVittie or junior Miles Kendrik will be the starting quarterback, but the Jayhawks return junior all-conference running back Pooka Williams Jr. Much like last season, the Jayhawks are the slight favorites going into the game.

Former Texas head coach Mack Brown enters his second season with the No. 18 Tar Heels against Syracuse. The Tar Heels return 10 starters from last year as well as sophomore quarterback Sam Howell.

Syracuse looks to bounce back after a disappointing season with only two ACC wins. Leading the Orange is redshirt junior quarterback Tommy DeVito, who tied Donovan McNabb and Ryan Nassib for the most touchdown passes by a sophomore Syracuse quarterback last season. They also return junior AllACC defensive back Andre Cisco.

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Louisiana @ no. 23 iowa state Sept. 12, 11 a.m. CT, ESPN The No. 23 Iowa State Cyclones will open the 2020 season without fans, for their first game at least. Iowa State returns a stacked roster including junior quarterback Brock Purdy and sophomore running back Breece Hall. Last season the Cyclones finished 7–6 overall and fifth in the Big 12.

The Ragin’ Cajuns finished 11–3 overall and 7–1 in the Sun Belt Conference and capped off the 2019 season with a win over Miami (Ohio) in the LendingTree Bowl.

Louisiana is led by senior quarterback Levi Lewis and senior running backs Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas.

missouri state @ no.5 oklahoma Sept. 12, 6 p.m. CT, Pay Per View After a COVID-19 outbreak on the team and many big name starters opting out of the 2020 season, four-year head coach Lincoln Riley will be looking at underclassmen to fill the void. The Sooners will also have their fourth quarterback in four years as redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler succeeds Jalen Hurts. The Sooners return 2019 Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year, senior LaRon Stokes, and redshirt junior wide receiver Charleston Rambo.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

COACH

NOTES ON THE

By Brett Hintz @BHintzUT

Saturday will be Dana Dimel’s first visit to Austin as head coach of the University of Texas at El Paso Miners, but he is no stranger to walking the sidelines at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Dimel served as the offensive coordinator for Big 12 foe Kansas State from 2009 to 2017 before taking over as head coach at UTEP, signaling that the third-year head coach should be quite familiar with the prospect of game planning against the Longhorns.

And if there is one thing Dimel has proven throughout his 32-year coaching career, it’s that he can scheme effectively against Big 12 defenses.

Under head coach Bill Snyder, Dimel was the mastermind behind an extremely successful Kansas State offense that averaged 33.4 points per game and 6.2 yards per play, helping vault the Wildcats to eight straight bowl appearances during his tenure.

From 2011-2017, Dimel had the most wins of any active coordinator in college football with 61. His most notable accomplishment

as a playcaller was the development and usage of Heisman finalist quarterback Collin Klein.

Starting during the 2011 campaign, Dimel adjusted his pass-heavy philosophy to allow Klein — a threestar quarterback who was recruited as the 655th-best player in the country — to thrive. Klein proceeded to break the NCAA record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback and finished third in Heisman voting the next year in a season where the Wildcats won their first Big 12 championship in over a decade. Suffice it to say, Dimel has a history of

finding success as an offensive coordinator by getting the most out of his players, who often weren’t top-ranked recruits.

After being a key component in transforming Kansas State into a program to be feared in the Big 12, UTEP brought on Dimel as a head coach in hopes that he would oversee a similar turnaround in the Conference USA. Dimel arrived in El Paso with limited expectations after inheriting a rebuilding UTEP program that finished 0–12 the season before his arrival. Still, it’s hard to imagine Dimel isn’t already on the proverbial hot seat after only

accruing three wins throughout his two-year tenure as the Miners head coach and losing eight games last year by more than two touchdowns.

The good news for Dimel is it is well known that rebuilding a program like UTEP’s is a concerted effort that takes time for recruiting classes and players to develop.

That being said, he’s going to have to find a little more success in the win-loss column in order to inspire some confidence among fans and decision makers that he’s the right man for the job.

Through one game in the 2020 season, Dimel and the Miners have

already matched their win total from the past two seasons after looking dominant for three quarters in a win over Stephen F. Austin this past Saturday.

Although it would take a major upset for UTEP to double their win total in a victory over the Longhorns, Dimel told the El Paso Times on Monday that he views the game against Texas as an opportunity for his players to have fun.

“It will be fun for the guys to get out and have a good size crowd in the stadium,” Dimel said. “That will be fun after their hard work. They get to play in front of people.”

NOTES FROM THE OPPONENT

By Myah Taylor @t_myah

Ahead of the Longhorns’ home opener against the Miners this Saturday, The Daily Texan spoke with Michael Cuviello, sports editor of UT-El Paso’s The Prospector.

Daily Texan: UTEP picked up its first win of the season last weekend against Stephen F. Austin. What, in your opinion, were some of the keys to the victory?

The

I think one of the major keys was actually (being) able to get Michael

Cuviello:

a running game going with redshirt freshman Deion Hankins. We didn’t make a lot of mistakes, like there was one interception. Pretty accurate passing. We got all our receivers set up pretty well in the passing game. … We just had a consistent effort, but I think the key was getting the running game going with the amount of yards per carry that we were getting out of Deion Hankins.

What can you tell me about left guard Bobby DeHaro? How do you think he’ll match up against the Texas defensive line?

DT:

I think it will be a really good test for the guy. I mean, he’s done very good against Conference USA competition, but when you’re talking about University of Texas, you’re talking about four, five-star guys on the line.

So I think it’s going to be a very tough assignment for him. I think he’ll put himself in well, but it would be fools gold to expect that he’s gonna be able to handle the front four of the Longhorns.

MC:

How do (the players) feel about already having one game under their belts?

DT:

MC:

DT:

Well, I think it was important to get the win.

They struggled early on, but they took control of the game in the second half.

So I think they’ve built up some confidence. They may be a little overconfident going into Texas, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case. But I think for a team that’s only won one game a year for the past couple years, starting off the year with a win, … they’ve got a good amount of confidence.

What’s the COVID-19 situation looking like on UTEP’s end? Do you know how UTEP players and

staff have been adapting?

Early, when they started up practice, they did have some COVID positives. At this moment, they seem to be pretty clear of COVID. They did have one player that did not feel well last week, but it wasn’t COVID-related. So, I think they don’t feel too bad about the COVID situation, but I think they have to take extra precautions, so they’re somewhat not able to live the normal college life that most people live.

this game? Are they excited to play Texas?

MC:

To your knowledge, what is the attitude of players and coaches heading into DT:

They went to Texas Tech not too long ago, but going to Austin and playing in that stadium I think is one of the highlights for most of the players. The last time they went to Austin was in 2016, which was not a joyous journey, but nobody on this team was with that team. And just think less than four weeks ago, they were down to eight or nine games, so I think they’re pretty excited to go to play a Power Five team like Texas that is actually ranked.

MC:

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DOUBLE COVERAGE

opponents to watch

By Carter Yates @Carter_Yates16

Texas will face an undefeated team to open its 2020 college football season.

The University of Texas-El Paso comes into Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium boasting a 1–0 record after a 24-14 win over Stephen F. Austin last weekend, but the Miners have only won two games in the past three years.

Here are four Miners players to watch for Saturday:

No. 23 Praise Amaewhule

No. 6 Jacob Cowing — Wide receiver As a freshman in 2019, Jacob Cowing made an immediate impact on a Miners offense that needed a spark. Cowing led the team in receiving yards with 550 and receiving touchdowns with three.

The yards he gained as the deep threat

of the offense placed him first among all Conference USA freshmen receivers.

In the Miners’ first game of the season against Stephen F. Austin last weekend, Cowing hauled in seven receptions for 116 yards. The 5-foot-11-inch, 170-pound receiver may struggle to win contested catches against Texas’ bigger cornerbacks, but Cowing still has the speed to take a top off the defense if the secondary gets caught with their eyes in the backfield.

No. 73 Bobby DeHaro — Left guard A two-time All-Conference USA honorable mention selection, Bobby DeHaro brings experience to UTEP’s offensive line. The redshirt junior out of El Paso has never missed a game after sitting out his freshman season in 2017.

One of only three Miners to be selected to a preseason All-Conference USA

No. 73 Bobby DeHaro

No. 6 Jacob Cowing copyright utep athletics, and reproduced with permission

team, DeHaro has the body of a prototypical NFL offensive lineman at 6 feet, 4 inches tall and 310 pounds. DeHaro will need every bit of that frame this Saturday, as he will likely be taking on senior defensive tackle Ta’Quon Graham and sophomore defensive lineman tackle Keondre Coburn.

As one of the most tenured and successful members of the team, DeHaro might be the only one able to will the Miners to victory.

No. 23 Praise Amaewhule — Defensive end Despite a quiet game last Saturday against Stephen

F. Austin where he failed to record a tackle, redshirt sophomore Praise Amaewhule is the leader of the Miner defense. Amaewhule, originally from Katy, Texas, was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team in 2019 after posting 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. In addition to leading the team in tackles for loss, Amaewhule also recovered a fumble for a touchdown. He will need to build upon his impressive freshman season if the Miners want to improve on their 2019 campaign, when they gave up nearly 36 points per game.

Look for the 6-foot-3-inch

245-pounder to draw the matchup of redshirt junior Texas left tackle Samuel Cosmi, who might be the best offensive lineman Amaewhule will face all season.

No. 22 Josh Caldwell — Cornerback A redshirt senior out of Long Beach, California, Josh Caldwell started all 11 games he suited up for in 2019 at cornerback. He led the Miners in pass breakups and posted 52 tackles. His 11 pass breakups last season tied for eighth-best in UTEP history. A JUCO product who spent the 2016 and 2017

seasons at Cerritos College, Caldwell has become a staple in the Miners secondary, one of the deepest areas of the team. The 6-foot, 170-pound corner will have his hands full this week trying to guard Texas wide receivers senior Tarik Black or junior Brennan Eagles, who stand at 6 feet, 3 inches and 6 feet, 4 inches tall, respectively.

Caldwell and his cornerback companion, the 5-foot-11inch redshirt senior Duron Lowe, give up a lot in size compared to Texas’ receivers and will attempt to make up for it in football savvy and experience.

history

CONTINUES FROM PAGE 7

Miner fans were eager to see one of the state’s powerhouse colleges come to town — so eager that several fans climbed the nearby Franklin Mountain range to watch the game.

Colt McCoy was the starting quarterback at the time for the Longhorns.

“That was cool,” McCoy told the Associated Press. “That was the best seat in the house.”

The game was arguably one of the biggest sports events in El Paso for decades, and the Sun Bowl held a record crowd that had lots to cheer for at the start of the highly anticipated game. Fans wore shirts saying “New Brand of Texas Football” and “09-06-08: Where will you be?”

On their first two possessions, the Miners didn’t disappoint their home crowd, scoring two field goals and jumping out to a 6-0 lead.

But any hopes of an upset disappeared

with the brilliance of McCoy, who was 14 of 16 passing in the first half and finished with 282 yards and four touchdowns, foreshadowing his excellent recordsetting junior year.

The 2008 matchup was the most competitive of the five with the El Paso team staying within striking distance by scoring a touchdown right before halftime, then holding Texas scoreless in the third quarter.

But in the end, the Longhorns proved too much for the Miners, who fell 42-13.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Sept. 27, 1930: Texas vs. the Texas School of Mines, War Memorial Stadium, 28-0 Sept. 30, 1933: Texas vs. the Texas School of Mines, War Memorial Stadium, 22-6 Sept. 6, 2008: Texas at UTEP, Sun Bowl, 42-13 Sept. 26, 2009: Texas vs. UTEP, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, 64-7 Sept. 10, 2016: Texas vs. UTEP, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, 41-7

RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE RECYCLE your copy of RECYCLE your copy of your copy of your copy your copy of your copyof of

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Myah Taylor

Stephen Wagner

Nathan Han

Carter Yates

Brittany Archer

Matthew Boncosky

Daniela Perez

Brett Hintz

Jack Myer

Syracuse @ No. 18 UNC

UNC

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Duke @ No. 10 Notre Dame

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No. 1 Clemson @ Wake Forest

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UTEP @ No. 14 Texas

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Coastal Carolina @ Kansas

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No. 8 Florida @ Ole Miss

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Georgia Tech @ Florida State

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UTSA @ Texas State

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UTSA

Louisiana @ No. 23 Iowa State

Iowa State

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DOUBLE COVERAGE Double Coverage Editors Myah Taylor, Stephen Wagner Design Editor Photo Editor Copy Editor

Christina Peebles Jack Myer Brittany Miller

EDITOR’S NOTE In the last nine months since Texas beat Utah in the Alamo Bowl, the Longhorns have dealt with a pandemic and have spoken out against racial injustice. If that wasn’t enough, Texas also hired five new coaches, adding to the mountain of challenges the Longhorns will have to climb.

Their first challenge will come Saturday when they play UTEP in front of a diluted crowd of 25,000 fans.

Myah Taylor & Stephen Wagner

Writers Nathan Han Carter Yates Brittany Archer Issue Designer

Matthew Boncosky Daniela Perez Brett Hintz Minka Atkinson

Associate Managing Editors Trinady Joslin, Jason Lihuang

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