Six things Texas fans want to hear from the Longhorns' second preseason scrimmage

Here are six things Texas fans want to hear coming from the Longhorns’ second scrimmage of the preseason.

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1. Continued health

As mentioned last week, this is the reason why this piece is six things instead of the customary five.

So far, the major injury bug has only affected two players in CJ Baxter and Christian Clark, but it’s unfortunate for Texas that those two players occupy the same position room.

Texas will likely scale back the physicality of practice following this scrimmage in order to make sure everyone is fully ready for the first game against Colorado State. With school starting August 26, Steve Sarkisian and company will likely give his team time to acclimate to their normal, game week schedule after the scrimmage and before the Longhorn athletes once again become student-athletes.

This will stand as the last real, physical test for much of the team before what’s usually a “mock game” next Saturday that shows the team the ins and outs of a home game at DKR. Making it through this scrimmage without any additional major injuries is critical. Football is football but there are ways for Sark and his staff to ensure that has a higher chance of happening.

2. O-Line looks

There was some shuffling on the first team this week, namely on the offensive line. It wasn’t clear if that shuffling was permanent.

The Longhorns have several very versatile players on the interior of Kyle Flood‘s offensive line including Hayden Conner, Jake Majors, and Cole Hutson. Making sure all those players, namely Conner and Hutson, are ready to man a number of positions in what could be a 14-17 game season is critical.

But was that shuffling this week efforts to that end? Or was it the sign of just making sure a number of different combinations are ready in case something were to befall the O-line? It’s good preparation, but clarity on what the preparation was for is something to watch.

3. Balls off the turf

Sarkisian mentioned Monday there were a couple of times when younger players put the ball on the ground. Sarkisian identified those fumbles as tough lessons learned by the youth on his roster, but that doesn’t lessen the sting of a fumble.

The Longhorns had a +6 turnover margin in 2023, forcing 24 turnovers but surrendering the ball 18 times. That’s not terrible, in fact it was No. 30 in the nation, but making sure the Longhorns trend closer to No. 1 than No. 134 is critical in UT’s first SEC season.

Balls off the turf also applies to wide receivers in making sure they catch passes thrown their way.

4. Where’s Juan?

One of the true head-turners this camp for the Longhorns has been tight end Juan Davis. Both Sarkisian and position coach Jeff Banks have been effusive in their praise of the senior tight end, explaining that Davis has developed into a player who is both physical and athletic in the various areas tight ends are involved.

Davis’ tight end development should provide notable benefits for this year’s team. He helps that position be three or even four-deep.

But with running back health a concern, Davis could be someone who gets a few creative touches from an H-back role, one he probably thought he would play a lot of in a Tom Herman offense when he committed to Texas.

How much Davis plays “tight end” and how much he plays “H-back” will be very informative.

5. Which freshman continues to succeed?

Even freshmen who were on the roster during the spring have never been through the grind of a college football camp. It’s difficult. It’s meant to be that way, and it’s like nothing they’ve experienced before.

The Longhorns have a number of freshmen who have battled through adversity and put together multiple strong showings throughout the first two weeks of the preseason.

Saturday is an opportunity for first-year players to show they can be trusted with playing time in the season as it would be evidence they can overcome the physical battle football is on a weekly basis and execute what the program asks of them.

6. Who “wins?”

One of the main takeaways from last week’s scrimmage was that there was no reason to have major worries about the defense. The Longhorn offense has high-quality quarterbacks and veterans at every position. Many of those players are thought to be some of the best in the nation, like Kelvin Banks and Quinn Ewers.

Yet the defense has more than held their own during the course of the preseason. Some of that has to do with the offense simply “calling plays” at this juncture instead of “executing a gameplan.” Give Sarkisian time to study Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense and use all the right options, and it might look different.

So will that continue? It often takes time for the offense to get its footing while the defense, who is largely familiar with the offensive play-calls, can read and react. But football is unique in that you can tell your opponent “we’re running right at you and you can’t stop us,” and it could still work.

As the offense has gotten more and more settled, even doing so during the scrimmage last week, will they be able to win Saturday? Or is it going to be another evenly matched affair?

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