Just 48 hours stand between Longhorns fans and the first game of the Texas season. The Texas State Bobcats come to Austin on Saturday at 2:30pm, sporting a dangerous, fast-paced offense. Considering the 29.5-point line, Texas is expected to win this game in dominant fashion. To do that, they’ll have to execute on a few major keys.
Here are the three things I’m circling heading into Saturday:
Clean football
This is the No. 1 key to any Week One game. It almost never comes to fruition. Every team will go through “growing pains” to varying degrees early in the season. Texas will be no different. Manning, and the offense at large, has reportedly struggled with turnovers during fall camp, but totalled just 7 INTs as season ago.
On top of that, the common thread between
Sarkisian’s Texas teams is being plagued by penalties. Leaving Saturday with no turnovers and limited penalties would be a strong sign to open the season. If either issue pops up against the Bobcats, the nerves will rise before the Buckeyes come to town.
Keeping pressure off Arch
This is what the offseason was about. The goal of adding Cam Coleman, Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers and all the OL pieces was to take pressure off Manning’s shoulders. This is a game where Manning should be able to step back and allow the run game to take over, something that wasn’t an option a season ago.
Last season, Manning had just one game where he threw less than 25 passes. This should be a game where he can stay under that number. Obviously Texas fans would love to see No. 16 have a record-setting day, but Saturday should be about quality for Manning, not quantity.
Keep Jackson at home
In my eyes, the only way Texas State could make this a four quarter game. Brad Jackson’s ability to extend and make plays off schedule is elite. The Texas front seven has to corral the Bobcats QB and force him to beat them from the pocket consistently. He has the ability to do that but it will make his job considerably tougher. The Bobcats offense is already incredibly dangerous with Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr.. Allowing Jackson’s legs to get involved could cause all sorts of issues for the Texas defense.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Keys for Texas vs. Texas State: Clean football, keep pressure off Arch
