The Longhorns dominated, the Aggies faltered and Texas Tech escaped potential disaster. With Week 1 (mostly) in the books, let’s take stock of every FBS team in Texas.
Texas
The Longhorns’ dominance over Colorado State was expected but still marked progress from a year ago. Last season, Texas looked disjointed in its season-opening win over Rice, prompting questions about how ready it was to take the next step. Those questions were quickly answered the following week at Alabama and the rest of the way en route to an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
In Saturday’s 52-0 whipping of the Rams, Texas cut way back on unforced errors. Quinn Ewers’ only interception was the result of a defender hitting his arm. Texas committed just three penalties. And the Longhorns converted half of their third downs and two of their three fourth-down attempts (the missed one was late in the game, a low-stakes fourth-and-7 pass from Arch Manning that fell incomplete).
At first glance, Texas doesn’t look like a team that lost 11 NFL Draft picks. The trip to Ann Arbor to play Michigan on Saturday will be a much better barometer for just how good the Longhorns are, but the 2024 debut was promising.
A few other things that stood out from Texas’ 2024 opener:
• Steve Sarkisian rotated players liberally as he tries to build depth for what he hopes is a run into mid-January. On defense, 39 players saw snaps, and nobody played more than 36 of Texas’ 56 total defensive snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Offensively, 33 players saw snaps. Ewers, the starting offensive line and tight end Gunnar Helm were the only offensive players to play more than 40 of Texas’ 74 offensive snaps. Right tackle Cam Williams topped the list at 52.
• Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond looks like the early favorite to lead Texas’ loaded receiving corps in receptions this year. Houston transfer Matthew Golden’s two-touchdown performance was a big spark. And true freshman Ryan Wingo, a former five-star recruit, looks worthy of the offseason hype.
• Even without CJ Baxter, the running backs look solid. Starter Jaydon Blue made defenders miss and broke tackles. Tre Wisner got involved as a runner and receiver. And true freshman Jerrick Gibson looks every bit of 205 pounds and should be a solid between-the-tackles option.
• Anthony Hill Jr. and David Gbenda will be a fun linebacker tandem to watch. Gbenda, a sixth-year senior, has a ton of experience and it shows. Hill has elite athleticism and terrific instincts to pair with it.
• Starting defensive linemen Alfred Collins and Vernon Broughton — the duo tasked with succeeding T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy — each saw just 22 snaps, per PFF, and played well. The Michigan game will be a measuring stick for them.
Secured the shutout 🚫@dell2litty pic.twitter.com/c49RwMjEt4
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) September 1, 2024
Texas A&M
If you missed our initial thoughts on the Aggies, check them out here and here. A few more thoughts after a second glance at the game:
• The striking part of quarterback Conner Weigman’s performance was that when he had clean pockets and time to throw, there were still some errant passes. Is that a byproduct of him getting rattled a bit once Notre Dame applied more pressure, the lack of comfort in new coordinator Collin Klein’s offense carrying over or perhaps something else? Weigman looked much more confident and sharper in his starts in 2022 and 2023 than he did Saturday.
• Will the lack of explosiveness in the passing game nag at A&M all year? I thought Kirk Herbstreit hit the nail on the head in the third quarter when discussing A&M’s receivers on the broadcast.
“Tell me a receiver right now that strikes fear in your heart if you’re a Notre Dame defense,” he said. “They’re capable … they’re all big, rangy receivers, but I don’t think (the Fighting Irish) fear these receivers.”
The Aggies did not have a pass play cover more than 20 yards, and the longest reception came from tight end Tre Watson (18 yards).
The loss of dynamic talents like Evan Stewart (transferred to Oregon) and Ainias Smith (graduated) hurts. It may also be why versatile five-star freshman Terry Bussey is on offense. He returned kicks and punts and saw 12 offensive snaps Saturday, but as the season progresses, could his role increase to give the passing game a jolt? Bussey ran a 10.6-second 100-meter dash and could be the type of talent who can help stretch the field and keep defenses from stacking the box against the run game.
• Coach Mike Elko mentioned that the Aggies were poor defensively on second-and-long situations. The numbers back it up, according to TruMedia. On second-and-5 or longer, the Fighting Irish ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns (the 47- and 21-yard scores) on seven carries. Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard went 8-of-12 passing for 67 yards with no sacks and no interceptions in those situations.
Texas Tech
This is the second straight season that the Red Raiders have had an underwhelming season debut after building up buzz and hype coming into the season. Last year, it was a road loss to Wyoming. On Saturday, Texas Tech had to survive scares late in the fourth quarter and in overtime to prevail 52-51 over FCS Abilene Christian.
Among the eye-opening numbers:
- Abilene Christian had 615 yards of offense.
- Quarterback Maverick McIvor — who began his career at Texas Tech — threw for 506.
- ACU was 11-of-16 on third down.
- ACU had 12 pass plays of 15 or more yards and eight pass plays of 20-plus yards.
That performance likely reminded fans of Texas Tech defenses from the mid-2010s. There were missed tackles, penalties at key points in the game (Texas Tech finished with 11 for 78 yards) and a lack of pressure on McIvor. Give ACU credit. They brought in 18 FBS transfers and several are ex-Red Raiders who scored touchdowns. Head coach Keith Patterson, a former Texas Tech defensive coordinator under Matt Wells, had his team ready.
Offensive coordinator Rick Bowie — who does not have a Texas Tech tie — called a terrific game. The former Valdosta State OC and Houston graduate assistant had Texas Tech’s secondary on its heels for much of the night as ACU found open grass with regularity.
On the bright side, the offense looks skilled and sharp. The special teams were superb, as well. But the defense was awful and the discipline lacking, as it was last year in Wyoming when penalties contributed to that loss.
It’s year three for Joey McGuire, and if Texas Tech is going to be more than the buzz and hype he generates with his words and energy, it has to start playing at a higher level more consistently.
Around the state
TCU: The Horned Frogs were fortunate to escape the Bay Area with a win over Stanford. TCU tallied 100 yards of penalties, including six of the 15-yard variety, trailed in every quarter, turned the ball over twice (including once in the red zone) and had multiple drops. TCU is a good team, and the offensive skill talent is substantial — quarterback Josh Hoover showed why the coaching staff is so confident in him — but it’ll have to clean up those mistakes to be a real factor in the Big 12.
SMU: How will the Preston Stone-Kevin Jennings quarterback rotation unfold? Stone has been the starter since the beginning of the 2023 season, but Jennings has won support within the team and the coaching staff since filling in for an injured Stone last season. Stone led an impressive game-winning drive against Nevada in Week 0, and Jennings led four touchdown drives on five possessions against Houston Christian on Saturday. With the competition ratcheting up this week — SMU hosts BYU on Friday — it will be interesting to see how the reps are divided.
Baylor: After the Bears’ season-opening drubbing of FCS Tarleton State, coach Dave Aranda touched on the work his team must do to reignite its fans after two sub-.500 seasons, including a 3-9 campaign last year. “We’re gonna have to win some games so we can be cool enough to hang out with,” Aranda said with a slight chuckle. “We have to win some games to get people to sit at our table at lunch.” Baylor goes to Utah in Week 2 — an opportune chance to win some new friends.
Houston: A 20-point home loss to UNLV underscores just how much work new coach Willie Fritz has in front of him. A lot of talent departed via the transfer portal, and Fritz and his staff added 63 newcomers, but this year is going to be a trying one. Fritz will need patience as he rebuilds the program.
Texas State: The Bobcats have been one of the trendy picks to contend for the Group of 5’s spot in the College Football Playoff, but if they’re going to live up to that, they’ll have to play much cleaner than they did in their 34-27 win over FCS Lamar. Texas State had 16 penalties for 156 yards, both of which were tops in the FBS in Week 1.
UTSA: The post-Frank Harris era at UTSA got off to a solid start with new quarterback Owen McCown, who threw for 340 yards and three scores. McCown is the son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown and nephew of former NFL quarterback Luke McCown and former Texas A&M quarterback Randy McCown. UTSA coach Jeff Traylor coached all three of the elder McCowns at Jacksonville (Texas) High in the 1990s.
Sam Houston: The former FCS national champs and 2023 FBS newbies were the last team in the country to notch a win last year, starting 0-8 (with four one-score losses). “Losing is not in our DNA,” coach K.C. Keeler said this summer. The Bearkats proved that in a 34-14 road rout at Rice. Sam Houston held the Owls to 274 yards and 4.4 yards per play. This could be the start of a journey that ends in the program’s first bowl.
Rice: A 20-point home loss to a relative FBS newcomer is an awful way to begin year seven of the Mike Bloomgren era. The Owls built momentum by going to bowls in consecutive seasons, but getting beat at the line of scrimmage the way Rice’s offensive line did Saturday is a troubling sign.
North Texas: Former TCU quarterback Chandler Morris had a terrific debut at North Texas, completing 32 of 41 attempts for 415 yards and three touchdowns and running for two scores in a 52-38 win over South Alabama. The Mean Green are expecting big things from Morris, who won the starting job at TCU each of the last two years but had both seasons cut short by injury before transferring out this winter.
UTEP: The Miners were overmatched by a much more talented Nebraska team, but the first game of the Scotty Walden era showed a tough, physical team that should hold its own in CUSA play. The most striking difference in the Miners under Walden is their pace. The offense operates faster than it did under previous coach Dana Dimel, who preferred a more methodical, ground-and-pound style. On Saturday, the Miners averaged 26.3 seconds of possession per play, according to TruMedia, which ranks 51st nationally. Last year, the Miners averaged 29.2 seconds of possession per play, which ranked 100th.
(Photo of Steve Sarkisian: Aaron Meullion / USA Today)
