Game 11 Snapshot: Longhorns travel to West Virginia with bowl on their minds

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN, Texas — Here are a few of the things to watch for as the Longhorns (5-5 overall, 4-3 in Big 12 play) hit the road to play West Virginia on Saturday in Morgantown. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. CST.

NOTES, QUOTES, PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele passed for 249 yards and a touchdown to lead Texas to the win last week against [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]Kansas. Freshman Sam Ehlinger, who missed the Baylor and TCU games with a concussion, has started five games this year and played three series Saturday against Kansas. The Texas quarterback spot continues to be an in-one-game, out-the-next situation that, according to Texas coach Tom Herman, may now move to a situational platoon.

• Junior punter Michael Dickson has punted 57 times this season and is first nationally with an average of 48.6 yards per punt. The Longhorns’ net average of 44.65 per punt is the best in the country.

• Linebacker Malik Jefferson leads the team with 93 stops, including 65 solo tackles, as well as 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and five quarterback hurries. He ranks fourth nationally with an average of 6.5 solo tackles per game.

SERIES HISTORY: Texas and West Virginia meet for just the seventh time Saturday, and the third time in Morgantown. West Virginia leads the all-time series with a 4-2 record, while reach school has a win at Milan Puskar Stadium. The series started in 1956, but this season’s matchup will mark the sixth straight season the Longhorns and Mountaineers have squared off since West Virginia joined the Big 12. Texas coach Tom Herman has not coached against the Mountaineers in his career, while West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen is 3-2 against the Longhorns.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We showed some signs of life offensively last game and we have to build on that. We’re playing a really good defense — a unique defense — a front and coverage that we have not seen all year. So we’ve dove in, 22 hours a day, to figure out the best way to move the football on these guys.”
— Texas offensive coordinator Tim Beck on his team’s preparation for West Virginia.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting the running game: Texas rushed for 132 yards on 40 carries against Kansas, with freshman Daniel Young (21 carries for 67 yards) getting the bulk of the work. Toneil Carter, another freshman, carried three times for 34 yards and a 23-yard touchdown. Young and Carter were buried on the depth chart just a month ago, an indication of the Longhorns’ level of desperation to get something in this run attack. Yes, the UT offense is working behind a makeshift offensive line because of injuries, but finding a consistent running game from its backs is paramount. How this group improves over the last two games of the regular season will go a long way toward determining the Longhorns’ ability to continue to move forward and earn a spot in a bowl game.

Scouting the passing game: Buechele passed for 249 yards and a touchdown (on the first play of the game) and threw an interception. He was sacked three times and knocked around plenty more. Buechele is a workmanlike quarterback, doing all he can to get through games without making mistakes rather than playing to win. Buechele and freshman Sam Ehlinger are both adept at passing the football and spreading the wealth – 10 different players caught passes last week for the Longhorns.

Scouting the run defense: Texas allowed 96 yards on the ground to Kansas but fell from 11th to 12th nationally in the stat. The Longhorns are second in the Big 12, behind TCU, in yards allowed on the ground per game (115) and teams that try to make yards on the perimeter against Texas usually are swallowed up by the defense’s pursuit.

Scouting the pass defense: Texas had four sacks against TCU and now has 25 for the season and forced four turnovers, three of those interceptions. The Longhorns allowed Kansas 268 yards passing, with the longest play just 34 yards.

Scouting the special teams: Texas kicker Mitchell Becker missed his only field goal attempt, a 44-yard chance, and the Longhorns’ two kickers are a combined 7 of 15 on the season. Michael Dickson punted four times Saturday against Kansas, averaging 46.5 yards per punt with a long of 53 and one inside the 20 (actually at the KU 1).

DRAFT PROSPECTS

• Left tackle Connor Williams: Herman said Monday that Williams, who suffered a left knee injury late in the first half against USC, is ready to return to the field this week against West Virginia.

• Nose tackle Poona Ford: He had two tackles against Kansas.

• Linebacker Malik Jefferson: Jefferson was co-leader in tackles against Kansas with seven. On the season, he leads the team with 93 stops (including 65 solo tackles), 10 tackles for loss, four sacks and five quarterback hurries. He ranks fourth nationally averaging 6.5 solo tackles per game and has paced the Longhorns in tackles in nine of their 10 games.

ROSTER REPORT

• Senior wide receiver Dorian Leonard will miss the rest of the season with a broken right foot suffered against Kansas.

• Ehlinger and sophomore center Zach Shackelford both played against Kansas after going through concussion protocol after suffering head injuries against Oklahoma State.

• Junior defensive back P.J. Locke and linebacker Jeffrey McCullough (ankle) did not practice with the team Sunday and are unlikely to play this week against West Virginia.

• Junior defensive back Holton Hill was suspended from the team after a violation of team rules prior to last week’s game against Kansas.

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