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Three keys to a Texas Longhorns win over the ULM Warhawks

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•09/21/24•

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Steve Sarkisian
Steve Sarkisian (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

The No. 1 Texas Longhorns are set to take on the ULM Warhawks Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and SEC Network+. Ahead of kickoff, Inside Texas offers three keys to a Longhorns win.

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Force a turnover or two (or three, or four)

The Texas Longhorns are currently tied for No. 23 in the nation in turnover margin with a mark of +1. ULM is tied for No. 7 with a turnover margin of +2.

Against a team that likes to run the ball and keep possession in order to play keep away, it’s in the Longhorns’ best interest to flip that dynamic and force a few fumbles considering General Booty won’t be asked to throw the ball all too often.

The Warhawks are No. 10 in the nation in time of possession at 34:02. Turnovers that get the ball back to the Longhorns, something Steve Sarkisian has long wanted his team to produce more of, will help lower ULM’s standing in that statistic and dissuade the Warhawks from being able to shorten a game like they prefer.

Keep Arch Manning upright

Arch Manning is making his first career start on Saturday, with Trey Owens functioning as the backup and Cole Lourd stepping into the third-string role.

Sarkisian mentioned on Thursday that the Longhorns’ national championship aspirations rely on Quinn Ewers being the team’s starting quarterback, but Ewers isn’t playing this week and his status for the SEC opener against Mississippi State is not yet clear.

Any bumps or bruises suffered by Manning would complicate matters further. The offense keeping Manning upright and giving the former five-star a chance to provide a scintillating performance should be the main goal for Saturday. It’s what the nation wants to see after all.

Let Tashard Choice’s room run wild

Whether Jaydon Blue or Tre Wisner plays on Saturday is not yet certain. That should give not only true freshman Jerrick Gibson additional opportunities, but also a few others within that running back room who are deserving of opportunities.

Colin Page has done well in his limited opportunities. While Page won’t be needed in crunch time of close SEC matchups, he’s earned the right to get some carries. Velton Gardner has ingratiated himself well in his short time as a Longhorn and could show he’s more than just a depth piece with additional opportunity.

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Blue and Wisner are precious commodities at this juncture. This is the type of game where the Longhorns can maintain those precious commodities while still giving other runners the chance to succeed in a real live football game.

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