By Steve Habel/Senior Editor
AUSTIN, Texas — Sorry, but you’ll have to wait until Sunday night against Notre Dame like everyone else.
Texas fans hoping for a “big reveal” about the Longhorns’ starting quarterback for Sunday’s season-opener against 10th-ranked Notre Dame didn’t get their wish Monday when coach Charlie Strong stuck to his guns during his regular media availability.
Will it be senior Tyrone Swoopes or true freshman Shane Buechele? Head [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium with about 103,000 of your closest friends or tune in on Sunday night and see with everyone else.
“Everyone will know when either one of those guys runs out on the field with the first team on Sunday,” Strong said. “Both guys will play because both guys have earned the right to play.”
Strong did say that once the starter is in the game, he’ll be the starter. There will be no regular platoon scenario or a short leash if their Swoopes or Buechele falters for a series or two.
“We’ll run with who we choose as the starter,” Strong said. “Yes, the other guy will get snaps in situations but our starter will be our starter. Mistakes will be made but we have the confidence that the guy we send out there will get the job done.”
Strong has said “some of the players” know who the starter at quarterback is, but sophomore linebacker Malik Jefferson said he didn’t.
“I really don’t know — we work every day against both of those guys,” Jefferson said. “Swoopes has been great, but then so has Shane. I guess we’ll know on Sunday when everyone else does.”
Strong said the offensive game plan has been simplified to assure whomever takes the first snap and executes as he’s asked and enjoy some success. That could be asking a lot, considering Strong said the Fighting Irish’s defensive front might be the best Texas faces all season.
“We have to block well and we need to protect our quarterback to have success, and we believe we can,” Strong said. “Whomever ends up being our quarterback will have so much more talent and playmakers around him, and plenty of guys that can take some of the pressure off the need for the quarterback to carry this team.”
Expect Texas to be different team than the one fell flat in a 38-3 loss at Notre Dame in last year’s season opener.
“We haven’t really used the way we played up there last season as a motivation tool because we are not that football team anymore,” Strong said. “I expect us to be team that’s excited to play in this big game. We all understand how important it is for us to be ready to play on this big stage and under the spotlight. We will play with passion and we will play hard.”
In other items addressed at the media availability on Monday:
• The team did not release a depth chart for Sunday’s game (as is the norm on Monday) because Strong said the staff had not made its decision on a handful of positions.
• Strong said the Longhorns’ injury list would be clear by game time Sunday and that all the players that had minor injuries during fall camp would be on the field against the Fighting Irish.
• Strong said that backup quarterback Kai Locksley had asked for, and granted, a position switch to wide receiver. Locksley would move back to quarterback if either Swoopes or Buechele gets injured.
• The game is expected to be sellout, with stadium capacity at more than 103,000. Texas averaged 94,103 fans in 2014 in the six games of Strong’s first season and 90,035 last year. The largest announced home crowd for the Longhorns in Strong’s tenure was 96,496 for the TCU game on Thanksgiving night in 2014.
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