Follow along as our Devon Messinger jots down notes from the press box during today’s matchup between the UTEP Miners and the Texas Longhorns.
Pregame:
The Longhorns will be without wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr & running back Quintrevion Wisner against UTEP. Additionally, with transfer wide receiver Emmett Mosley V remaining out, Texas’ will be playing a lot of young wide receivers today.
First Quarter:
After a turnover on downs on their first drive, the Longhorns took advantage of solid field position with a touchdown on their next offensive drive. The first score came with 5:26 remaining in the first quarter with a Arch Manning 2-yard touchdown rush.
Towards the end of the quarter, Texas athlete Ryan Niblett was able to take a UTEP punt for 23-yards. While that might not sound like a big deal, Niblett and the Longhorns have been fairly conservative on special teams. In fact, the team does not even rank on the NCAA’s list of punt returning leaders so far this season (which has named 72 players). With the lack of experience on offense, Steve Sarkisian’s team will need to manufacture some extra yards through the special teams unit this season.
Second Quarter:
After missing on a pass to Ryan Wingo on the prior play, Arch Manning throws an interception on a pass intended to Wingo on the ensuing play. For some reason, Wingo and Manning have just not been on the same page through the team’s first three games. With a lack of depth at the wide receiver position, Wingo’s performance will be a key indicator for how well the team does this year.
On the next series, Manning missed Parker Livingstone on a deep throw over the middle of the field. If completed, Texas’ would have scored their second touchdown of the day. Unfortunately, today’s UTEP game looks like the other games so far. Once again, the Texas offense just does not get off to fast starts.
Unlike the offense, the Texas defense once again looks like a machine. After allowing a big pass from Malachi Nelson on the prior play, the Texas defense forced a turnover on an interception over the middle. Time after time, the Longhorns defense cleans up the mess of the Longhorns offense. This time, Steve Sarkisian has Jelani McDonald to thank for the turnover.
Again, Arch Manning found the end zone with his legs, this time with a 5-yard touchdown rush. Texas’ final drive of the first half was aided by a UTEP penalty which put them in great position.
Third Quarter:
To start the second half, the Longhorns found the scoring column again with a Mason Shipley field goal. Shipley’s field goal, a 39-yarder, came after some continued red zone woes from the Texas offense.
Fourth Quarter:
It took a while, but Arch finally started to show a connection with Ryan Wingo late in today’s game. With 10:52 left in the game, Manning found Wingo on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Today’s game has not been pretty to say the least, but it’s at least promising to see the two finally get on the same page. The Longhorns do not have many “tune up” games left, so Wingo & Manning have to hope that their apparent lack of chemistry does not last much longer.
