The Texas Longhorns football team travels to Waco this weekend for what is almost certainly its last game of the 2015 season.
Texas falling to Texas Tech last weekend meant the Longhorns could finish the season with five wins at best. Teams need six wins in order to become bowl eligible. The Division I Football Oversight Committee will allow some five-win teams to be eligible for bowl games this year – there are currently only 75 six-win teams and the committee needs 80 – but those teams will be chosen by who has the highest student-athlete academic progress rate from the 2013-2014 school year. Texas is not included on the list of seven possible teams: Nebraska, Kansas State, Missouri, Minnesota, San Jose State, Illinois and Rice.
Without the possibility of a bowl game, the Longhorns will be playing to upset another top team. Baylor, already bowl eligible, is playing for another 10-win regular season and a bid for a major bowl game, possibly the Sugar Bowl.
The Baylor offense, similar to but more explosive than the Texas Tech offense, presents challenges for the Texas defense. The Bears own the No. 1 ranking in total offense and scoring offense, putting up 50 plus points in six of their games this season. Baylor’s recent loss to TCU represents its lowest scoring game of the season, 21 points. The Bears average 616.0 yards per game, ranking first in the country.
Baylor is down to its third-string quarterback, sophomore Chris Johnson, but he is not a typical third-string player. Johnson came off the bench in Stillwater after Jarret Stidham left the game and scored three touchdowns, throwing for two and running for one, ending Oklahoma State’s perfect season. Johnson lost his first career start to TCU the following week, but it was double-overtime in the pouring rain. Johnson also has one of the top wide receivers to throw to. Corey Coleman’s 20 touchdown catches this season leads the nation. Coleman averages 119.5 receiving yards a game. The Bears also own a running attack, which is led by running back Shock Linwood. He averages 118.0 yards a game with a total of 10 touchdowns on the season.
Baylor’s defense will be a challenge for the Longhorn’s offense as well. The Bears defense gives up an average of 396.5 yards per game – 156.4 rushing yards and 240.1 receiving yards. Baylor ranks first in the Big 12 and sixth in the nation in tackles for loss, averaging eight a game.
The Bears defense will be a true test for freshman Chris Warren III, who rushed for 276 yards and four touchdowns against Tech. Head coach Charlie Strong named Warren the starter during Monday’s press conference with D’Onta Foreman out and Johnathan Gray questionable.
Strong also named Tyrone Swoopes the starting quarterback, but Jerrod Heard is cleared to play. Swoopes has rushed for 10 touchdowns and thrown for two in Texas’ last seven games.
The Bears have dominated the Longhorns recently, winning four of the last five games. The last time the Longhorns won in Waco was 2009 – the same year they went to the national championship game.
