Keys to victory for Texas football against Texas Tech

By Riley Zayas

As Tom Herman and the Longhorns prepare for the final game of the season this Friday against Texas Tech, it could be said that the program is somewhere between a rock and a hard place. Having lost three of the past four games, the 2019 season has not been what was predicted early on. However, every week brings new opportunity and such is the case Friday in the 67th meeting between the teams.

The following [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]keys will be must-sees in Friday’s showdown at DKR.

Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger vs. Texas Tech secondary
Throughout the ballgame, this will be the area in which the Texas offense will need to dominate, and there is no reason why Herman shouldn’t expect that. The Red Raiders’ secondary comes into this game ranked last in the Big 12 in pass defense, allowing an average of 304 yards per game through the air this season. Passing is where quarterback Sam Ehlinger has been most effective this season, tossing 27 touchdowns and averaging 283 yards per game. Although wide receiver Collin Johnson will be out with a nagging hamstring injury, leading target Devin Duvernay, along with sophomore Brennan Eagles and freshman Jake Smith will be the guys Ehlinger looks to for a big play. For Texas to pick up the win against this underrated Texas Tech team, the Longhorns will need to attack the Red Raiders’ weakest point, which is in the secondary.

The Turnover Battle
Herman has made reference to the turnover battle multiple times as being  game changer, and if history repeats itself Friday, winning this statistical battle could result in a Longhorn victory. Under Herman, the Longhorns not only have developed a knack for creating takeaways — the team has 17 takeaways through 11 games — but also showed they can generate momentum from them.

Texas is 15-4 when it wins the turnover battle in the past three seasons and 9-0 when getting three or more takeaways. However, this is also a strong area for the Red Raiders, who are second in the Big 12 in turnover margin, behind Baylor. A big part of that is defensive back Douglas Coleman III, who has eight interceptions on the season, half of the team’s total takeaways. As you can see, both of these teams take great pride in generating turnovers on defense and limiting them while on offense. In the end, it looks to be that the team who can generate the most takeaways and take advantage of them will come away with the victory.

Texas wide receiver Devin Duvernay vs. Texas Tech receiver R.J. Turner
These two share one main characteristic: speed. Coming out of high school, both were state championship sprinters, and that ability to outrun the field has continued throughout their college careers. Whether it’s returning kicks, running with the football or getting open for a pass, both Duvernay and Turner are tough to catch, which helps make them so effective. Each is among the top 10 in the Big 12 in receiving yardage per game: Duvernay in second with an average of 99.5 yds and Turner 10th, averaging 56.3 yds.

 This home finale will have a slightly different feel than last year’s, but this team doesn’t care to dwell on the past. Already bowl-eligible, and with 17 players taking the field at DKR for the final time on Friday, Herman is focused on finishing the regular season on a high note and making this game a memorable one for this senior class.

“We haven’t played to our standard,” he said at Monday’s press conference. “We haven’t coached to our standard, but none of that matters this week, because this week, we owe it to our senior class, who has done so much for this program since we got here, I know, to put us in a position to be successful moving forward.”
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