Players to watch, key matchup for Texas football against Texas Tech

By Steve Habel
Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — There’s will still be plenty on the line when Texas (6-5 overall, 4-4 in Big 12 play) and Texas Tech (4-7 overall, 2-6 in Big 12 games) square off at 11 a.m. Friday inside Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in both team’s regular season finale.

Yes, the Longhorns, once in the top 10 and the darling of the college football media early in the season, have [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]fallen, and fallen hard, losing the past two games and four of their past six.

At this point, there’s not much to save UT’s season. The Longhorns will go to a bowl game (likely the Texas Bowl in Houston) regardless of what happens on the field Friday. But a win over Texas Tech, which has lost six games by 10 or fewer points including three by three points, would get the Longhorns on the correct track for the postseason and help build some momentum for the offseason, which amazingly is just around the corner.

My, how time does fly.

Here are a few of the players and matchups we are watching in the game that will go a long way in determining Texas’s bowl placement and bragging rights in the Lone Star State:

Players to watch
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger: OK, Ehlinger has headed this list most every week, but there never has been a time when his performance, both on the field and as a leader in the locker room, is more important. Ehlinger passed for a season-low 200 yards last week in the 24-19 loss at Baylor as the Bears’ defense smothered the line and forced him to take short passes and scramble for his life. Ehlinger is the heart and soul of this team, but he can not do it all himself, and good quarterbacks find a way to make the players around them better.

Wide Receiver Devin Duvernay: Duvernay has been the best and most consistent player on the Longhorns this year, but he is starting to wear down a bit. His 97 catches in 2019 are the third-best tally in a season in school history, and the most by a Longhorn since Jordan Shipley set the school record with 116 catches in 2009. Based on his pace per game, Duvernay, who some considered the third-best receiver on the team when the season began, will have a chance to break that record in the bowl game. He will need to have a big game against Texas Tech for the Longhorns to win.

Defensive end Malcolm Roach: The emotional and vocal stalwart for Texas this year, Roach has logged 32 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurry through the first 11 games. Roach wears his heart on his sleeve, and takes losing personally — this team might be in a whole lot better position if some of the other players cared as much as Roach does. There is no telling how amped up Roach will be for his final game at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, but rest assured that the line of offensive linemen who want to try to block him is a short one.

Safety Brandon Jones: Jones has had a solid, if not spectacular, season in his role as the leader of the secondary and the last line of defense for the Longhorns. But this season and its struggles could not have been in Jones’ mind when he elected to return to the 40 Acres for his senior season. He has racked up 74 tackles (6.7-per game), including 4.5 for a loss, broken up four passes, picked off two passes, forced one fumble and recovered one. Will Jones be the next in a long line of great defensive backs from Texas to play in the NFL? Right now he needs to be the next to make a handful of needed plays for his team that result in a win.

Key matchup
You likely have read this here before, too, but the Texas offensive line must control the line of scrimmage in order for the Longhorns to win this game. That didn’t happen the past two games and the Longhorns lost. The running game will be challenged to produce if Keaontay Ingram can’t play this week, but success with the ground game is vital for the Longhorns.

Wild card
While Texas will be celebrating its senior class’s final game at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium, the Red Raiders’ seniors will be playing their final college game, and don’t think Texas Tech is going to go down without a huge fight. A 5-7 season will sound a lot better to the folks on the South Plains than one that finishes 4-8, and the Red Raiders have the weapons to exploit Texas where the Longhorns are most lacking.
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