16-in-16 2024: Texas Longhorns
Coming off a playoff appearance, Sark and the Longhorns bring considerable momentum to their new SEC home. Can they build on last year’s success?
By: Waco Kid
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The heifers down in Austin have finally found a way to follow “little brother” into the SEC and actually compete in a conference that plays football and not just run track on the gridiron. This is good for the nation, as fans will be able to see just how good Texas is at football, but it may not be a positive for the Horns faithful. Sure, it means more money, better games, and a wider range of an audience but getting through an SEC gauntlet is nothing like getting through a Big 12 schedule. They are replacing Baylor, Kansas, Iowa State, and Texas Tech with the likes of Michigan, Georgia, Florida, and of course, arch-rival Texas A&M. Still as rough as that schedule may sound, overall, the burnt orange received a pretty favorable SEC introduction.
What works in their favor is drawing Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Mississippi State, and Arkansas in their first year of play. Most conference teams would kill for a schedule like that. Their main tests will be Week 2 in Ann Arbor and Week 7 hosting the Dawgs from Athens. Still, they travel to Ann Arbor to play a Wolverines team that is no longer under the guidance of Jim Harbaugh, but under a cloud with new coach Sherrone Moore and a revamped roster. Luckily, Coach Sark returns a loaded roster and may have the top quarterback in the nation calling the shots behind center. Quinn Ewers is on a mission to lead his team back into the playoffs and finish what they started last season. It will be a tough road but a win over Georgia or Michigan and ESPN will for sure have them ranked number one for the rest of the year.
State of the Program: 10/12 biscuits. Top tier and feeling good. It won’t take much to take an SEC division title or the whole conference. This is Chick-fil-A, it’s Saturday, and the minis are poppin’.
You can’t finish the season in the top four, make playoffs, and not be considered either elite or right on the cusp of being a perennially elite team. Things will change with their entrance into the SEC but for now, Texas is most closely related to the biscuits from Chick-fil-A. Not just any CFA biscuits, no these are “I’m in Atlanta for a Falcons game and just found out the Stadium serves on Sunday” biscuits.
Burnt orange is the ugliest of colors in the wheel, but something tells me the Longhorns will be more black and blue than anything after a couple of weeks of getting smashed in the mouth. They are returning some key players on both sides of the ball which is always worrisome to opponents from a national contender. Most notably quarterback Quinn Ewers is back with former Alabama wide receiver transfer Isaiah Bond. These two should not lose a step from last year and will be the most common connection through the air. With the loss of AD Mitchell and Xavier Worthy to the NFL, Bond should be poised to be Ewers’ number 1 receiver and put up outstanding numbers. The numbers will still drop off from last year due to the level of defensive competition Texas faces in the SEC.
On top of the offensive firepower from the backfield, the Horns are returning what may be one of the best offensive lines in the nation, anchored by junior tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. Banks has been a stud and a solid starter for the past two years and will look to increase his draft stock throughout the 2024 season. Playing behind that line should give Ewers a comfortability that most quarterbacks in the nation do not enjoy. Behind a line like that, there should be no issues getting the ground game going either. However, with the loss of both starting RB CJ Baxter and third-string RB Christian Clark, it won’t matter how large of a hole the line can make if there is no one to run through it. While this certainly impacts Texas’ depth, the workload is expected to shift to former 4-star Jaydon Blue, a capable back, but they’ll need to find another body to spare his legs.
On the defensive side, the returning name that sticks out most is Anthony Hill Jr. The linebacker hails from the great state of Texas and looked like he was already on a path to All-American as just a freshman. He posted insane stats for not starting half of the season and could be seen all over the field, disrupting both the pass and rush game. Aside from Hill, UT has a stable of defensive ends, including UTSA transfer Trey Moore. Moore was a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen but going from a UTSA schedule to an SEC one may prove a difficult transition.
In his third season as Head Coach, Steve Sarkisian will try and do what his former mentor did before. Return this historical powerhouse to greatness. If anyone can do it, it will be someone who has sprung from the Nick Saban coaching tree. And now with Saban out of the way, coaches believe they have more of a shot at the natty. Austin is known for chewing up and spitting out coaches after one or two down years. Sark has no option but to rise to excellence or crash and burn and be chased out of Austin forever. He’s on the cusp of a storied run at Texas, he’s just got to keep the momentum going.
What went right in 2023?
It seems like everything finally fell into place for the Texas Longhorns in 2023. They fell just short of a national championship berth and in a way provided some proof that they may “Be Back.” It’s been said for years and chalk it up to wishful thinking or perhaps speaking it into existence but if you say something long enough it may just come true.
What went wrong in 2023?
Two losses are what ultimately ended Texas’ hopes and dreams for the 2023 season. A tough loss in the Red River Rivalry could have derailed any other team from making the playoffs but alas we are talking about the loved Longhorns who will be over ranked and outperformed every year. The Longhorns also escaped by the hair on their chin against Houston and Kansas State and had to outlast TCU after giving up 20 points in the fourth quarter. The second loss was obviously to Washington in the Sugar Bowl. But when OU and a playoff loss are your only two losses on the year, it could be worse.
What the Horns need in 2024
To survive the SEC gauntlet. This year will be a test that they have not endured before and will show if the ‘Horns are the real deal or if the Big 12 really was just as bad as we thought. They can make playoffs with one, maybe two losses this season as long as those losses come at the hands of Michigan and Georgia. Three losses and they are out. Sark has to find a viable option at running back or nothing else matters. No matter how good the Ewers-Bond tandem is, they have to establish the run before airing it out. If the run game lacks, defenses will drop extra backs to blanket the Texas receivers.
How they can earn some extra biscuits
If t.u. can make it through the regular season unscathed or with minimal hiccups, they will have another playoff appearance. The only way to earn more biscuits is to win a playoff game and advance in the bracket. Something they were unable to accomplish last year. I do not see a way this happens so with such high expectations, a short fall from grace is more likely than not this season.
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Alabama Crimson Tide
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