Between the Hashes: Numbers Inside Week 8
Jonathan Brooks was named a midseason All-American for the Longhorns after being the 2nd leading rusher in the power 5. Photo: USA Today
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The Longhorns had 3 players named to the AP midseason All-America team. RB Jonathon Brooks was named to the first team on offense. Brooks finished the first half of the regular season with 726 rushing yards and 6 TDs, averaging 6.7 yards per carry. He also added 121 receiving yards and another score.
Texas had two defensive players named to the All-America second team - both DTs, T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II. Sweat has 18 tackles including 1 sack on the season. Murphy has 15 tackles including 2.5 sacks. Those stats, however, don’t tell the whole story as the pair have been menaces in run stopping and pressuring the opposing quarterback or collapsing the pocket.
The last time the Longhorns faced the Cougars, Texas prevailed 41-11 in Austin. Photo: Joshua Trujillo, San Antonio Express-News
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Texas carries a 7-game winning streak in the series over the Houston Cougars. Amazingly, the two teams have not played a game in 21 years. Houston’s last win over the Horns came in 1991 in a 23-14 game. That’s 32 years ago - it’s been a long wait for Cougs fans. We’re now 35 years out from Route 66 - when UH came into Austin and won 66-15 in 1988. Thankfully many of us were not alive to remember that game.
The most recent meeting came in 2002, with the Longhorns being led by Chris Simms and Cedric Benson. That was the last of a 3-year stretch of these teams playing - Texas won all 3 in blowout fashion.
Now they meet again as conference opponents for the first time since the end of the Southwest Conference, in what will be the only meeting as Big 12 foes. Based on the seasons they’re having respectively, the game seems headed for another blowout in favor of the Longhorns.
Houston has had major struggles this season - notably in a loss to Rice in a game they trailed 28-0. Photo: Eric Christian Smith, Associated Press
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This Houston defense gave up 401 yards passing to Rice.
Texas, on the other hand, allowed just 176 to the same team. The Longhorns are averaging 300 yards per game through the air, so you’d expect Quinn Ewers to have a field day with the Cougars’ defense. The key for Ewers will be to limit turnovers - as he had 3 in the loss to Oklahoma. If he can do that, there will be no stopping the Longhorn passing attack on Saturday in Houston.
Hook ‘em
