NCAA Football Preview - Texas Longhorns
Sports Network | August 20, 2008
2008 ANALYSIS:
OFFENSE: Led by junior QB Colt McCoy, the Texas offense is once again expected to produce the gaudy numbers fans have to come expect since Brown's arrival. Last year, the Longhorns averaged 37.2 points and 462.9 total yards per contest, both ranking the team in the top-15 nationally.
McCoy completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,303 yards and 22 TDs. Unfortunately he also threw a career-high 18 INTs and was sacked 25 times. No longer able to rely on RB Jamaal Charles (1,619 yards, 18 TDs) to carry the load out of the backfield, McCoy will likely do more running after carrying the ball 114 times for 492 yards and four scores last season. Brown plans to let McCoy free a bit more saying, "Colt probably runs 4.5. He's so much faster than perceived, and one of the problems is he followed Vince (Young) who was faster than anybody chasing him. It's just one of those deals. We never knew how fast Vince was, but nobody caught him. He was fast in uniform, and Colt's the same way."
McCoy's go-to guy down the field this fall should be senior WR Quan Crosby, although senior Jordan Shipley could play a huge role as well. Coach Brown will likely go with a tailback-by-committee approach as several talented players try to fill the void left by the departure of Charles. Sophomore Vondrell McGee and freshman Foswitt "Fozzy" Whitaker will both get their chance to shine. The return of four starters up front will help ease the concerns Brown may have about a lack of a proven runner, and senior OG Cedric Dockery and junior OT Adam Ulatoski appear to be the best of the bunch.
DEFENSE: The Texas defense took a step backward in '07, yielding 25.3 points and 371.2 yards per game. The Longhorns controlled the run just fine (93.4 ypg), but were particularly lax in pass coverage, allowing 277.8 ypg through the air, a stat that ranked them 109th in the nation.
This time around, the line and linebackers should be solid with impressive players like senior DE Brian Orakpo and junior LB Sergio Kindle setting up shop. Big things are also expected from DTs Lamarr Houston and Roy Miller. The secondary has just one returning starter in senior CB Ryan Palmer who finished second on the team last year in tackles with 80. He led the club in PBUs with 14 and was among the leaders in TFLs with six. The 'Horns will have a lot of fresh, young faces in the defensive backfield so it is paramount that the front seven apply the pressure necessary to help in defending the pass.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Senior Ryan Bailey is back as UT's kicker after nailing 18- of-22 FG attempts last season, his longest being from 52 yards. The Longhorns will break in a new punter, likely to be freshman Justin Tucker, but the real strength of the special teams will be the return game which features the talents of Crosby, the speedy wideout who has the ability to take it the distance every time he touches the ball.
OUTLOOK: Despite some winnable games during the non-conference portion of the schedule, Texas has as tough a road as anyone in the Big 12 this year. The 'Horns open at home against Florida Atlantic, play at UTEP and then back home for two more against Arkansas and Rice. The league slate kicks off on October 4th at Colorado then moves into a difficult stretch with back-to-back games versus Oklahoma and Missouri. November bouts with Texas Tech, Kansas and rival Texas A&M could make or break the Longhorns' season. Whether this is a successful campaign or not depends on many factors, not the least of which is whether or not the ground attack can produce and the defense can hold its own.
