The Texas Longhorns (2-0, 0-0) traveled to Ann Arbor on Saturday and not only ended Michigan’s 23 home game winning streak – they looked good doing so. The first road test for Steve Sarkisian’s 2024 Longhorns yielded impressive results, duplicating last season’s secon-game effort in Tuscaloosa. Michigan will not be the last test Texas will face, but after a mere two weeks into the season the Longhorns look like a special group in 2024.
Like Week 1 against Colorado State there isn’t a lot of negative to take away from the game against the Wolverines. That being said, there is always room for improvement. Let’s get into how Texas graded out against Michigan in Saturday’s 32-12 win.
Offense: A
The only reason the Texas offense doesn’t get an A+ is because of the the penalties – specifically from right tackle Cam Williams. Those penalties didn’t doom the Longhorns against Michigan, although it did cost them a touchdown on the opening drive of the game. Against teams like Georgia, those penalties will likely impact the outcome of the game. Penalties aside, this may have been the best game plan Sark has put together at Texas.
Quinn Ewers has showed up in big games throughout his career but this may have been the best game he’s had as a Longhorn. Beating the defending national champions in Ann Arbor with essentially a flawless performance cannot be overstated. Moving forward offensively, Texas needs to work on establishing the run more effectively. Running back Jaydon Blue sustained an injury but returned to the game. Leading up to the bout with Oklahoma in October, Texas should be getting Blue more work along with freshman Jerrick Gibson. Tre Wisner is extremely talented as well but Gibson may be the best all-purpose running back the Longhorns possess. Gibson scored the lone TD on the ground Saturday and he’s earned more playing time moving forward.
Defense: A+
Let’s be honest – Pete Kwiatkowski’s defense shut down Michigan from the start. The Wolverines did not get in the endzone until their last drive of the game and by then, it was too late. Shutting down the Michigan running game, which hasn’t been done in the last couple years, was an impressive feat to see. It shows that even without Byron Murphy and T’Vondre Sweat anchoring the middle, the Longhorns are still difficult to run on.
The secondary looks much improved through two weeks from a year ago. In the Sark era the secondary has been a relatively weak link, but this season they are forcing turnovers. Nobody is yelling that DBU is back just yet, but the unit is drastically improved this season. After no sacks against Colorado State, Texas was able to get their first sack of the year against the Wolverines. Perhaps the best part is it came in the form of 5-star freshman Colin Simmons. Simmons has the best pass rush skills on the team and my guess is we will see him on the field a lot this season.
Special Teams: C+
Bluntly put, the special teams unit could have played better. Following the touchdown that was called back due to penalty on the first drive of the game, the Longhorns were forced to attempt a field goal. Bert Auburn, who kicks with a high level of consistency, missed a 43-yarder. While that is not a chip shot by any means, it was a kick Auburn should have knocked down. It took points off the board in an opening drive which killed all momentum the Longhorns had after marching down the field. Moving forward we will see if it was a one-off for Auburn to miss that kick or if there are problems with the field goal unit.
An x-factor going into the Michigan game was how freshman Punter Michael Kern would perform in front of a large crowd for the first time. Kern had to punt just 3 times and averaged 39.3 yards per punt. This is something Keff Banks and the special teams unit can. The coverage team could have performed better, especially on kick returns, as there were multiple times Michigan had a chance for a big return but luckily could not take advantage. The Longhorns need to have better containment oin the return game or someone will make them pay.
