Xavier Worthy is off to his best three-game start as a Longhorn and threatening the entire field
The continued deep passing attempts Steve Sarkisian called for Quinn Ewers and Xavier Worthy last year fell harmlessly to the ground often enough to where they become governors on the Bijan Robinson-led offense. But this year, Ewers’ throws targeting No. 1 have been in all different areas of the field, and that’s helped Worthy to his best three-game start as a Horn.
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Last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Worthy was targeted 20-or-more yards down the field 44 times. Ewers (and Hudson Card) connected just nine times, and while four touchdowns did result, Texas picked up a measly, inefficient 6.31 yards per target.
Worthy was targeted 24 times on passes 10-19 yards in length, 21 times on attempts 0-9 yards in length, and 24 times behind the line of scrimmage in 2022.
Quick math indicates Worthy was targeted downfield on 39 percent of the throws his direction. In 2023, there is significantly more balance in how the ball is being distributed to the junior speedster.
One quarter of the way through the season, Worthy has been targeted 25 times. He has 16 catches for 221 yards and two scores and continues to progress up the Texas record books in a number of categories and is 38 yards short of becoming the 11th Longhorn to tally over 2000 career receiving yards.
Those 25 targets include five attempts 20-or-more yards downfield, six passes of the 10-19-yard variety, six of the 0-9-yard type, and eight behind the line of scrimmage. Compared to 2022’s 44 percent of targets being on throws 20-or-more yards downfield, just 20 percent fit that description in 2023.
That balance has helped Worthy to the best start of his career.
He’s been helped by the presence of a just-as-potent deep threat on the field with him. Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell is second on the team in catches with nine and leads the Longhorns with three receiving touchdowns. One of those scores was versus Rice. The other two were versus Alabama, with a 39-yard pass from Ewers functioning as the dagger in the hearts of the Crimson Tide.
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Mitchell has effectively shouldered more downfield responsibilities this year, with two receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown on five targets.
Thirty-three percent of Mitchell’s targets have been 20+ yards down the field. Four have been in the 10-19-yard range. Five have been 0-9 yards. Only one target took place behind the line of scrimmage.
Compare that to last season, when Casey Cain occupied that rarely utilized role. Cain had 42 percent of his targets occur 20+ yards downfield, but there were only eight of them. Still, that accounted a significant number of his 19 targets. For reference, Jordan Whittington, a mainstay on the field last season regardless of whether the Longhorns were in 11 or 12 personnel, saw seven total targets 20-or-more yards downfield. He hauled in five of them for 118 yards
There’s room to grow in the deep passing department, specifically at quarterback. However, Ewers already has two touchdown passes on 20+ yard throws in 2023. In 2022, he had three all season.
Worthy will play a key part in improving those numbers. But thus far, thanks to personnel around him who can take some of the deep ball offense responsibilities off his plate, Worthy has enjoyed the best start to a season of his career and has done so in a multi-faceted role.
