1. Shane Buechele holds the advantage in the quarterback battle
The true freshman had some mistakes, but he was noticeably more comfortable operating the offense than Tyrone Swoopes. While Swoopes was plagued with some bad luck, he still showed questionable accuracy, slow decision making, and a generally lackluster performance. Buechele on the other hand, got the ball out quickly. threw with good ball placement. and executed the offense at a pretty high level for a kid that should still be in high school. Buechele made throws today that Texas fans haven’t seen since David Ash was at his best. There was a point in the middle of the first half where you could tell he was feeding off of that confidence going forward. He’s young, and he’s going to take his lumps this year, but he looks like the clear option at this point. While that may not be an ideal situation for the Longhorns. I think Shane Buechele with an assist from the 18 wheeler package gives Texas the best chance to win games.
2. Sterlin Gilbert gave us just a peek of what is in store
The offense did struggle a bit at the beginning of the game, but I thought the overall performance should serve as a breath of fresh air after the last few years of offense. The scrimmage was run with a nice tempo, and the spacing on offense opened up options in both the run and pass game. While Gilbert’s offense likely won’t hit full stride until this time next year, I was impressed with the fairly vanilla game plan on the field. If Gilbert can get Buechele up to full speed over the summer, Texas has a chance to make some noise on offense.
3. The running game will be the bread and butter
This isn’t exactly a new revelation, but Texas will need to rely heavily on the talented duo of D’Onta Foreman and Chris Warren. Both players had a big day against depleted defensive line depth, but both are legit options to spearhead a power run attack. Foreman shows all of the elements in his game to become a superstar over the next two years, while Chris Warren ran more instinctual today than I’ve ever seen him. The passing game is going to need to back players out of the box to open up room, but the Longhorns should be able to put the load on their war horses in critical times this season.
4. Texas generated a pass rush from defensive linemen today
Charles Omenihu had one of the best games on the field today from what I could tell. The big sophomore is finally growing into his frame, and he was a menace on the defensive line all day. While that may be a bad indicator for the offensive line, it was good to see Texas getting important contributions from guys that will be called upon frequently this season. Quincy Vasser looked great as well in his role at the fox position. With reinforcements on their way to Austin this season. it was important for Texas to get a big contribution from some of the players already on campus.
5. The secondary is going to be ridiculously deep
Being able to add a senior with high level talent like Sheroid Evans adds quality depth to a burgeoning secondary unit. Kris Boyd really stepped his game up today, and if he can carry that performance over into the season, Texas will have four quality options at the cornerback position. In a passing league like the Big 12, the ability to keep players fresh while not allowing a drop in performance is vital to winning games. PJ Locke and DeShon Elliott looked good on the back end in the absence of Dylan Haines and Jason Hall. Brandon Jones is too talented to be kept out of the rotation in the secondary, but he won’t be called upon to be a cornerstone for this unit. DBU looks like they are on the way back.
