In a game in which Texas was favored by 35, they managed to cover that spread and exceed expectations in doing so. If Saturday was a preview of what’s to come for the Longhorns this season, it’s going to be a fun year for fans. Let’s dive into the grades for the Longhorns following the first season-opening shutout for Texas since 2004.
Offense: A
The offense produced 52 points, and there isn’t much to complain about but there are some things to improve upon. Texas needs to clean up a few things on the offensive line prior to the bout with Michigan next week. At times the interior of the line looked lost on their assignments on run plays. Jake Majors had a couple of penalties as well which can’t happen from a 5th year senior at center. First game cobwebs are real and expected, but it will be something to watch next week as Michigan has two studs at defensive tackle in Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant.
In 2023 the Longhorns had red zone issues. This week those issues looked to have been resolved. In seven trips in the red zone, the Longhorns scored 6 TDs and 1 FG. That will work. The offense looked good series in-and-out, including when Arch Manning came in to relieve Quinn Ewers. Arch looked like he’s grown over the last year and had great command of the offense. Last but not least good luck keeping Freshman Ryan Wingo off the field.
Defense: A+
The Longhorn defense wasn’t bad by any means in 2023, but they looked improved from last year overall as a unit. One area that needed improvement was the secondary, and that unit looks much-improved. There have been complaints regarding Texas defensive backs making plays on the football for years. On Saturday the Longhorns intercepted two passes, both being impressive plays on the ball. Colorado State has one of the best wide receivers in the country in Tory Horton. Horton ended his day with just 5 catches for 31 yards.
Anthony Hill is a straight DAWG. He has a chance to be the best defensive player to come out of Texas since Derrick Johnson or Michael Huff. He is all over the field. Although Colorado State running back Justin Marshall managed to rush for 106 yards, it took him 25 carries to do so. If Texas has a stout rush defense again like they did in 2023, it will be tough to find a weakness in the defense.
Special Teams: B+
The special teams didn’t see much action other than on punt return. The Longhorns punted just once and freshman Michael Kern looked fine with a 39 yard punt that landed inside the 20. Kicker Bert Auburn continued where he left off in 2023 making his only field goal from 45 yards.
Silas Bolden fumbled a punt return inside the 5 yard line that, luckily, was recovered by the Longhorns. However, Bolden also took multiple returns off a bounce and that is a very risky game to play. It didn’t cost Texas but it can in the future. Bolden did look impressive in the return game with a 35 yard punt return, but he needs to watch how he handles punts moving forward.
