Game Four Snapshot: Texas football opens Big 12 play Thursday at Iowa State

By Steve Habel/Senior Editor

AUSTIN, Texas — Here are a few of the things to watch for as the Longhorns open Big 12 Conference play on the road Thursday against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa.

NOTES, QUOTES, PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Either sophomore Shane Buechele (who passed for 375 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score in a week 1 loss to Maryland) or true freshman Sam Ehlinger (who’s started the past two games and led a stirring fourth-quarter comeback in the double-overtime loss Sept. 16 to USC) [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]will start at quarterback against Iowa State for the Longhorns. Buechele missed the San Jose State game and the USC contest with a bruised throwing shoulder but was elevated back to the starter role immediately after the loss to the Trojans and took most of the snaps with the first-team offense during the Longhorns’ open week.

• Junior defensive back DeShon Elliott intercepted two passes against USC, returning one for a touchdown, marking the third time this season that the Longhorns have returned a pick for a score. Elliott also had two pass breakups, seven tackles and a tackle for loss and was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 18.

• Texas sophomore wide receiver Collin Johnson was otherworldly against USC, producing his breakout game for the Longhorns by hauling in seven catches for 191 yards, with at least four of those receptions marked and ready for the highlight reel. His 191 yards were the fourth-most in school history, and he was as close to an unstoppable force as there could be on a field full of top-notch athletes playing at their highest level. The Longhorns would have had no chance if not for the star-turn produced by Johnson against a set of the best defensive backs in the country.

SERIES HISTORY: Texas and Iowa State will meet for the 15th time Thursday night. The Longhorns lead the all-time series with a record of 12-2 and have won five of the six games the two teams have played in Ames. The first meeting between the two schools was a 17-9 Texas win in 1979 and the initial contest in Ames was a 44-41 UT victory in 1999. Thursday’s game will mark the eighth straight season in which the two schools have played each other. Texas was victorious against the Cyclones last season in Austin, 27-6. Iowa State defeated Texas 24-0 the last time the two programs squared off in Ames (in 2015).

QUOTE TO NOTE: “It’s amazing how many mistakes you can overcome with attitude and with effort. We made our fair share. There are no moral victories in college football. They don’t put a loss in parentheses. But we can hold our head high and learn from all of the good that came from this game. I think it says a lot about how far we’ve grown up as a team in the last two weeks.” — Texas coach Tom Herman after the Longhorns 27-24 double-overtime loss to USC on Sept. 16.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting the running game: The Longhorns managed just 24 yards on nine carries from their running backs in the USC game, a ridiculous number of carries and total for a team that needs to take pressure off whoever plays quarterback, a squad that needs to use the clock to shorten games and must have some semblance of balance to keep defenses honest. Chris Warren III led Texas with 15 yards on four carries; Herman said afterward that Warren had an eye laceration and was ineffective anyway when he was in the game. No team wins in major college football without running the ball. The Longhorns must get to work if they are going to continue to grow from what they’ve learned the last three games.

Scouting the passing game: Ehlinger finished 21-of-40 for 298 yards against USC but had two interceptions, two lost fumbles and was sacked five times, three on consecutive plays after All-America left tackle Connor Williams was forced from the game with an injury. Either Ehlinger or Buechele, the incumbent starter, will get the start against Iowa State.

Scouting the run defense: Texas found its groove with its run defense, allowing the potent USC ground game just 71 yards on 37 carries, a meager 1.9-yard average. The Longhorns have surrendered just 113 rushing yards in their past two games combined. Herman said in the preseason that the defensive line was one of the team’s strengths and that has become true.

Scouting the pass defense: The Longhorns had three sacks against USC and now have five for the season. Aside from a total breakdown created by prevent defense on the final play of the first half, a last-minute drive in regulation to allow USC to send the game into overtime and a breakdown on the Trojans’ first past of the first extra session, the Texas pass defense was good. Those issues need to be stepped up as the Big 12 season gets underway this week.

Scouting the special teams: Texas junior kicker Joshua Rowland nailed his first field goal of the season against USC after two misses and a blocked kick in two games. Junior punter Michael Dickson averaged 41 yards on seven punts but had an uncharacteristic shank that let to USC’s first touchdown. Punt returned Reggie Hemphill-Mapps caught two punts inside his own 5-yard line, the second of which forced Texas to begin at its own 1.

DRAFT PROSPECTS

• Left tackle Connor Williams: Williams suffered a left knee injury late in the first half and will be out for an undetermined period of time. There is a debate whether coming back at less than 100 percent would hurt his draft stock, but right now the Longhorns just need healthy and experienced bodies in the line.

• Nosetackle Poona Ford: He had just four tackles — three of them solo stops — against USC, but dominated the middle of the defensive line for the third straight game, spearheading the Longhorns’ interior defense and helping Texas make three fourth-down stands in the game. A quiet leader, Ford is loud with example of excellence and determination. He looks better every game.

• Linebacker Malik Jefferson: After leading the Longhorns in tackles for the first two games, Jefferson was second in the stat against USC, but his 11 stops included nine solo tackles and were noteworthy for their ferocity and for his quickness to the ball. Jefferson came to Texas regarded as one of the top defensive recruits in the nation and looks like he might be ready – finally – to live up to his potential.

ROSTER REPORT

• In addition to missing Williams at left tackle, Texas also will be without tight end Garrett Gray and guard Patrick Hudson (knee).

• Freshman tight end Reese Leitao, who was suspended for Texas’ first two games after reaching a plea deal on drug charges stemming from a February arrest, could see his first action of the season against Iowa State.

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