Steven Johnson: An early look at TCU’s next opponent, Texas
TCU football will be center stage on Saturday night as they battle another ranked opponent at Texas.
The game has Big 12 and College Football Playoff ramifications, but also features some of the best individual talent in the country.
The obvious storyline of TCU facing former head coach Gary Patterson, now a special assistant to head coach Steve Sarkisian, only makes the game more compelling.
That’s what drew ESPN College GameDay down to Austin for yet another game that features the Horned Frogs as they try to keep their playoff hopes alive.
The Horned Frogs have been in their fair share of big games this year, but this one, with that particular environment makes this one the biggest challenge of the year.
Here four things to know about Texas:
Best in the country?
Texas running back Bijan Robinson is considered the best running back in the country by many with his blend of power and speed. Robinson is fifth in the country with 1,129 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground. Robinson is also a pass threat out of the backfield with over 300 yards receiving and two more touchdowns.
He’ll be a big test for a TCU defense that will be without linebacker Dee Winters for the first half. Winters was ejected in the second half against Texas Tech for targeting.
Robinson has been held under 100 yards just twice this season. Once against Alabama in the Longhorns’ 21-19 loss in September and in a blowout win over Louisiana Monroe in the season opener. Robinson ran for 209 yards in Saturday’s win over Kansas State.
The Horned Frogs have only allowed two rushers top 100 yards, can they keep that number there?
Star in the making at QB?
The hype for former Southlake Carroll star Quinn Ewers has been building for years and he’s cashed in on it with lucrative name, image and likeness deals with companies like Wrangler. Ewers was the No. 1 prospect in the country in the Class of 2021 and spent a year at Ohio State before transferring to Texas after the season.
When healthy, Ewers has flashed some of that potential, but also shown some inconsistencies that you might expect from a freshman quarterback. Ewers is completing 58% of his passes and has thrown five interceptions in six games.
He’s also thrown 13 touchdowns and his best moments came against Alabama where he had a quarterback rating of 95.9 before being knocked out of the game with an injury. Ewers also lit up Oklahoma for four touchdowns and 289 yards. Since then he’s just been steady with under 200 yards passing in two of his last three games.
What version of Ewers will TCU see? The one that was throwing bombs on the Crimson Tide? Or the one that threw picks against Oklahoma State?
Creative play caller
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian has a well-earned reputation for being one of the sport’s most creative play designers. Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator for the 2020 Alabama national championship team and earned the Broyles Award for the nation’s top assistant before taking over at Texas. Sarkisian also was a former head coach at USC and was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in 2017-18.
The Longhorns are averaging 36.1 points per game, which is top-25 in the country. According to 247Sports, the Longhorns have six former five-star recruits on offense.
Texas has a strong receiving core led by Xavier Worthy. Worthy has 552 yards and nine touchdowns. Denton Ryan alum Ja’Tavion Sanders has become a matchup nightmare at tight end and is second on the team with 450 yards and five touchdowns.
Other names to know include reserve running back Roschon Johnson and Jordan Whittington. Johnson has over 500 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns when he spells Robinson. Whittington is another receiver with 30 catches and 400-plus yards.
A talented defense
Like the offense, Texas has plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball and has made improvements. The Longhorns were 99th in scoring defense in 2021, but currently sit at 38th. The Longhorns have only allowed 30 points or more twice, which were both losses at Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.
Linebackers Jaylan Ford and DeMarvion Overshown are the two standouts with Ford piling up 82 tackles and Overshown being second on the team with 67. Both are top-five in sacks on the roster. Ford is a turnover machine and has picked off two passes and forced three fumbles on the year. The Longhorns have a stout run defense that is just outside the top-30 nationally.
The secondary is respectable, but can give up some big plays. D’Shawn Jamison is the top cover man on the team. Texas Tech was the first team to hold TCU under 38 points, but the Horned Frogs still managed to score 34. Can the offense reach 30 points for the 10th straight game?
