Texas Longhorns 2011 Team Preview

2010 Season Breakdown

Final record (overall, conference): 5-7, 2-6
Bowl game: None
Final ranking (AP, Coaches’): NR, NR
Conference finish: 6^th Big 12 South
Offensive rank: 58^th
Defensive rank: 6^th

2010 Individual Statistics Leaders

Rushing: Cody Johnson, 592 yards, 6 TD
Passing: Garrett Gilbert, 2,744 yards, 10 TD, 17 INT
Receiving: James Kirkendoll, 707 yards, 2 TD
Tackles: Kennan Robinson, 105 tackles
Sacks: Sam Acho, 8 sacks
Interceptions: Keenan Robinson and Blake Gideon, 2 INT each

2011 Schedule (all games Saturday unless noted)
*denotes conference game

September 3 vs. Rice [7:00 PM ET]
September 10 vs. BYU [7:00 PM ET, ESPN2]
September 17 @ UCLA [3:30 PM ET, ABC]
October 1 @ Iowa State*
October 8 vs. Oklahoma* [12:00 PM ET, ABC]
October 15 vs. Oklahoma State*
October 29 vs. Kansas*
November 5 vs. Texas Tech*
November 12 @ Missouri*
November 19 vs. Kansas State*
November 24 (Thurs) @ Texas A&M* [8:00 PM ET, ESPN]
December 3 @ Baylor* [ABC]

Key Matchups

September 17 @ UCLA: The BYU game the week before is probably the marquee non-conference matchup, but the Bruins beat the Longhorns in Austin last year and this will be the first opportunity to claim revenge over a team that beat them last season.

October 8 vs. Oklahoma: Try telling Texas they’re not a Big 12 contender. They’ll expect to win this one just as they would in any other year.

November 24 @ Texas A&M: The Aggies kept Texas from bowl eligibility with a 24-17 win in Austin last season. This won’t close the regular season for Texas as it has traditionally (they face Baylor in the finale on December 3), but the Thanksgiving Day matchup will not lack in importance to either team.

Key Departed Players

James Kirkendoll, WR; Malcolm Williams, WR; Kyle Hix, OT; Sam Acho, DE; Eddie Jones, DE; Curtis Brown, CB; Aaron Williams, CB; Chykie Brown, CB

Key Returning Players

Fozzy Whittaker, RB; Cody Johnson, RB; Mike Davis, WR; Jackson Jeffcoat, DE; Alex Okafor, DE; Kheeston Randall, DT; Kennan Robinson, LB; Emmanuel Acho, LB; Blake Gideon, S

Offensive Overview

I want to call quarterback Garrett Gilbert a ‘key returning player’, I really do. He continues to compete with Case McCoy, Connor Wood and David Ash for the starting job. McCoy finished 9 for 11 for 124 yards in the spring game, but the competition will continue into the fall. Lining up in the backfield again is Cody Johnson and Fozzy Whittaker, but it’s incoming freshman Malcolm Brown who has fans most excited. Brown was the top-rated running back prospect in the country by many accounts and could come in and play a big role in the Longhorns offense.

Mike Davis is the most exciting receiver on the roster entering his sophomore season. Meanwhile, senior Malcolm Williams has left the program for personal reasons, and the Longhorns will also miss Marquise Goodwin, who will focus on track this year instead of football. Tackle Kyle Hix is gone and depth on the line could be a concern for Texas this year. The linemen are athletic and ranked 35^th in the country in sacks allowed, keeping opposing defenses to a respectable 1.5 sacks per game, but the line has to do a better job of run blocking to allow Johnson, Whittaker and/or Brown to spring free and move the ball.

Defensive Overview

There’s a lot of talent gone from the defense, but there’s talent coming back nonetheless. Defensive ends Sam Acho and Eddie Jones are gone after finishing one and two in sacks last year, but Alex Okafor will move over from tackle to end and has received high praise for the transition. Sophomore Jackson Jeffcoat is a young end who many expect to emerge as Texas’ top pass rusher over the course of his career. Dravannti Johnson and Reggie Wilson provide depth at end. Kheeston Randall provides Texas with a good presence on the nose, while Calvin Howell will take over for Okafor at tackle. The second level returns Keenan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and Jordan Hicks, who came in as a true freshman and contributed.

Safety Blake Gideon will be back at free safety with Kenny Vaccaro possibly joining him at the strong safety spot. The Longhorns lose three cornerbacks in Aaron Williams, Curtis Brown and Chykie Brown, and depth could be a concern this year. Sophomores Adrian Phillips and Carrington Byndom and freshman Quandre Diggs should see time at corner, so the position is going to be pretty young. That doesn’t mean there isn’t talent and some experience, though, as Phillips looked great at corner this spring after moving over from safety, and Byndom saw a lot of action as a freshman last year.

Top Draft Products

Cody Johnson, RB; Fozzy Whittaker, RB; Kheeston Randall, DT; Emmanuel Acho, LB; Keenan Robinson, LB; Blake Gideon, S

Season Prediction

5^th Big 12

I’m not yet confident enough in the Longhorns offense. A lot is going to depend on the most important position on the field—whether Gilbert, McCoy or somebody else occupies it in the fall. Meanwhile, Brown’s emergence as a featured back would do a lot to help turn things around in a hurry. Texas is going to be back in the near future, but the question going into the season is whether they’ll reemerge as a Big 12 force this year, the next or sometime after that; just don’t expect it to take more than a year or two. I think we see Texas take a step forward after taking several steps back, but the Big 12 should belong to Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and/or Texas A&M in 2011. If the offense turns things around, though, 2012 could be a different story.

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