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2015 SEASON STATS
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UNDERCLASSMEN RETURN FOR ONE MORE SHOT AT GREATNESS
With just six players in Texas' 2016 graduating class, the only question remaining was which of the team's talented underclassmen would bolt for the draft. Today, that question was answered: zero. With the taste of underachievement from an 8-5 (5-4) season fresh in their mouths, all underclassmen chose to return to the team for next year, giving the Longhorns one of the most talented and experienced rosters in the nation for 2016. Among the notable players choosing to return were juniors Johnathan Gray (HB), Cayleb Jones (WR), Raishaun Blanco (TE), Torshiro Davis (DE), Malcolm Brown (DT), and Barry Morrow (CB).
MARSHALL MOVED TO DEFENSIVE TACKLE, PROJECTED TO START IN 2016
Injuries to starting defensive ends Torshiro Davis and Hassan Ridgeway at different points in the season forced backup Kevin Marshall to step into the starting lineup quite a few times, and he didn't disappoint, leading the team with 5.5 sacks last year. Wanting to put their best foot forward at every position, the Longhorns announced today that Marshall would be moved to defensive tackle in 2016, where he is projected to start alongside Malcolm Brown. Replacing Marshall at defensive end will be four-star prospect Terry Arnold (DT), a true freshman who is expected to be redshirted this season.
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ONLY FOUR CHANGES TO STARTING LINEUP FOR 2016
Following a record-low turnover rate for the Longhorns in the spring, there are only four changes to the starting lineup for the new season. First, third-year sophomore Brett Christensen will replace junior Ronnie Moss at center. Moss had a fantastic year in 2014, but allowed seven sacks last season to convince the coaches to make the change. Moss will continue to serve as a crucial backup on the o-line. On the other side of the ball, former defensive end Kevin Marshall will assume a starring role at defensive tackle, replacing sophomore Tyler Rogers, who was decidedly unimpressive in his starting spot last year. Finally, there are two changes on special teams. Junior Blake Paris will take over the kicking duties for the recently graduated Nick Jordan, and offensive superstar Johnathan Gray (HB) will replace the graduated Daje Johnson as the team's primary kick and punt returner. Gray saw time as a kick returner last season, racking up 668 yards and a 99-yard return for a touchdown. With the recent emergence of junior quarterback Daniel Pratt, Gray's workload at runningback is expected to diminish, so the team will look to get him on the field in any way possible.Comment
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2016 TEAM DEPTH CHART
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2016 PRESEASON PREVIEW
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Dynasty and bowl game history updated on post #1.Comment
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WEEK ONE
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS (0-0, 0-0)
VS.
#7 TEXAS LONGHORNS (0-0, 0-0)
GRAY GETS FRIENDLY WITH ENDZONE IN 48-21 WIN
SENIOR RUNNINGBACK JONATHAN GRAY SCORED FOUR TIMES IN TEXAS' SEASON-OPENING VICTORY
The offense looks a lot like it did last year...only better. Up against one of the worst teams in the FBS, the Longhorns made it look easy in their season opener, leading 31-7 by halftime before cruising to a 48-21 victory on Saturday. Junior quarterback Daniel Pratt is back and better than ever at the helm of the offense, and in his first action of 2016 he completed 19 of 27 (70%) passes for 331 yards and a touchdown, and also rushed for 86 yards and another score off 12 carries for an average of 7.1 yards per touch. His go-to man through the air was senior Cayleb Jones, who had seven catches for 153 yards and a touchdown, while junior Seth Williams caught six balls for 111 yards. But player of the game honors went to senior runningback Jonathan Gray, who only carried the ball 18 times, but rushed for 118 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Meanwhile, newly-appointed backup and heir apparent Ken Fogle had 46 yards off ten carries in his limited action. Defensively, junior Brandon Capps (OLB) led the team with seven tackles, one sack, and an interception. As a unit, Texas limited the Bulldogs to 243 total offensive yards, and only allowed 55 rushing yards off 17 carries. Meanwhile, their own offense scored six touchdowns and two field goals in eight redzone trips, and the o-line allowed just one sack. Next week, the road to perfection gets noticeably harder when the Longhorns play host to #11 Texas A&M (0-0, 0-0) in the annual Lone Star Showdown. Thanks to a second half surge, the Aggies beat Texas 31-20 last year, and went on to finish the year with a 9-4 (6-3) record, losing to Baylor in the AT&T Cotton Bowl. Texas A&M has a new look on offense this season, with freshman Jerome Higdon (QB) and sophomore Scott McMahan (HB) leading the team, but their defense is still a talented and dangerous unit, led by stars like seniors Polo Manukainiu (DE) and Nick Chavis (CB).
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at #7 Texas Longhorns Aug 28, 2016 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (0-1, 0-0) 0 7 7 7 21 #7 Texas Longhorns (1-0, 0-0) 17 14 3 14 48 Team Stats Comparison LT TEX Total Offense 243 592 Rushing Yards 55 261 Passing Yards 188 331 First Downs 13 29 Punt Return Yards 47 17 Kick Return Yards 156 54 Total Yards 446 663 Turnovers 1 0 3rd Down Converstion 7-12 (58%) 5-8 (62%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-1 (0%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 3-2-0 (66%) 8-6-2 (100%) Penalties 2-10 5-30 Posession Time 23:16 36:44
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SIX PLAYERS COMMIT TO TEXAS AFTER WEEK ONE BLOWOUT
With nineteen players set to graduate at the end of the season, 2016 should prove to be far more active in terms of recruiting than last year. Case in point: the Longhorns grabbed commitments from six players after just one week, already matching their total number of recruits from a year ago. On the offensive side of the ball, four-star prospects Brandon Lawson (G) and Mike Pennington (T) will join the offensive line next season, both of them Texas natives. Both players are listed in the top 150 prospects in the nation, but neither one is likely to see playing time in the near future with so many talented players on the roster. With four of the team's five offensive tackles graduating over the next two seasons, Pennington stands the best chance at seeing some early action. At runningback, four-star prospect Alvin Dockery joins the ranks of Texas' feared ground game, and is rated as the 2nd best player coming out of Louisiana. Dockery is a bruising back, capable of picking up the tough yards in between the tackles, but his road to the starting lineup will be long with such a deep runningback corps already on the roster. Defensively, four-star prospects Chris Brown (OLB) and J.B. Cook (CB) will look to continue making Texas one of the most feared defenses in the lands. Brown has little to no chance of starting right away, but with five of the team's seven cornerbacks graduating over the next two years, it may not be long until Cook is a valuable member of the secondary. Finally, three-star prospect Edwin Mitchell (P) of Bridge City, Texas joined the special teams unit, and will redshirt next year in anticipation of joining the starting lineup in 2018 once current starters Blake Paris (K) and Charles Lambert (P) are gone.
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WEEK TWO
#11 TEXAS A&M AGGIES (0-0, 0-0)
VS.
#7 TEXAS LONGHORNS (1-0, 0-0)
Freshman quarterback Jerome Higdon began his career at Texas A&M with a bang, accounting for over 400 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns...but one man does not make a team. Jonathan Gray was his usual effective self, Daniel Pratt made up for his early mistakes, and the 7th ranked Longhorns overcame a pesky Aggies team to notch their third win over their hated rivals in the last four years.
Junior quarterback Daniel Pratt was intercepted once and fumbled the ball twice in the first half, nearly sealing the fate of his team, but bounced back with three touchdowns in the second half to lead Texas to their second win of the season. Pratt completed 15 of 29 passes for 210 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, and also rushed for 64 yards and two scores off 14 carries. His go-to man was senior Cayleb Jones, who had six catches for 136 yards, eclipsing 100+ receiving yards for the second straight week. As for the ground game, Johnathan Gray continued his Heisman campaign, rushing for 165 yards and two touchdowns off 20 carries for an impressive average of 8.2 yards per touch, while backup runningback Ken Fogle racked up 56 yards off nine carries. Defensively, the Longhorns allowed 486 total offensive yards and five touchdowns in six redzone trips, but also recorded four sacks and three turnovers in the win.
On the other side of the ball, second-year freshman quarterback Jerome Higdon was extremely impressive in his first collegiate start, completing 20 of 36 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, and leading the rushing effort with 102 yards and three more scores off 23 carries to account for all but 58 of the team's total offensive yards. His go-to man through the air was junior Joseph Givens, who had eight catches for 173 yards. Texas A&M's defense recorded three sacks and forced three turnovers, but also allowed nearly 500 yards of total offense, and scores in all five of Texas' redzone trips. Still seeking their first win of the season, the Aggies will head home next week to host USC (1-0, 1-0) before opening up their conference schedule with a road game against NC State.
Riding the high of an emotional victory, the #5 Longhorns will hit the road next week to wrap up their 2016 non-conference schedule against UTEP (0-1, 0-0), who dropped their season-opening game to an FCS opponent in week one, 26-21. The Miners are clearly outmatched in this game, and it will take nothing short of a miracle to even make this one a contest.
#11 Texas A&M Aggies at #7 Texas Longhorns Sep 3, 2016 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE #11 Texas A&M Aggies (0-1, 0-0) 14 0 7 14 40 #7 Texas Longhorns (2-0, 0-0) 10 10 6 14 35 Team Stats Comparison TA&M TEX Total Offense 486 495 Rushing Yards 160 285 Passing Yards 326 210 First Downs 28 32 Punt Return Yards 0 8 Kick Return Yards 111 109 Total Yards 597 612 Turnovers 3 3 3rd Down Converstion 4-10 (40%) 5-8 (62%) 4th Down Conversion 1-1 (100%) 0-1 (0%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-1 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 6-5-0 (83%) 5-4-1 (100%) Penalties 9-80 8-67 Posession Time 27:25 32:35
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WEEK THREE
#5 TEXAS LONGHORNS (2-0, 0-0)
VS.
UTEP MINERS (0-1, 0-0)
OFFENSE STEAMROLLS LOWLY UTEP IN 48-14 WIN
TEXAS RACKED UP 588 TOTAL OFFENSIVE YARDS IN A CONVINCING VICTORY OVER THE MINERS
No one gave UTEP a chance coming into Saturday's game against #5 Texas...and rightfully so. Despite playing at home, the Miners put up little resistance, trailing 31-0 by halftime as the Longhorns easily extended their unbeaten streak to three games on the season. Junior quarterback Daniel Pratt continued what is shaping up to be a great season, completing 16 of 27 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and rushing for 91 yards off 14 carries. Backup quarterback Connor Brewer got in on the action as well, completing three of four passes in the fourth quarter for 33 yards and a touchdown. Leading the receiving corps was the ever-present Cayleb Jones, who had four catches for 79 yards and two scores. Groundwise, runningbacks Jonathan Gray and Ken Fogle split time in the backfield, combining for 176 yards and a touchdown apiece off 18 carries. But as good as the offense was, the defense deserves an equal amount of credit as they recorded one sack, forced a turnover, and held the Miners to just 201 total offensive yards. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that UTEP was faced with a 3rd down situation ten times during the game, and did not convert one of them. Hoping to revitalize what is shaping up to be a tough season, the Miners will play host to New Mexico State (1-1, 0-0) next week, where they'll be looking to get their first win of the year. As for the Longhorns, they'll be kicking off their 2016 Big XII schedule with a home game against West Virginia (1-0, 0-0). The Mountaineers are a talented team, and will look to lean on the talents of senior runningback Torry Clayton to keep their perfect record unblemished. But history is not on their side, as the Longhorns have not lost to West Virginia the entire time they've been a member of the conference.
#5 Texas Longhorns at UTEP Miners Sep 10, 2016 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH SCORE #5 Texas Longhorns (3-0, 0-0) 17 14 10 7 48 UTEP Miners (0-2, 0-0) 0 0 7 7 14 Team Stats Comparison TEX UTEP Total Offense 588 201 Rushing Yards 317 72 Passing Yards 271 129 First Downs 31 11 Punt Return Yards 38 0 Kick Return Yards 76 178 Total Yards 702 379 Turnovers 0 1 3rd Down Converstion 9-13 (69%) 0-10 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 0-0 (0%) 1-1 (100%) 2-Point Conversion 0-0 (0%) 0-0 (0%) Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals 8-5-2 (87%) 1-1-0 (100%) Penalties 5-39 8-49 Posession Time 39:02 20:58
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I love this dynasty <3. I wish I had the time/creativeness to make mine look remotely as good lol. Also MIAMI NATIONAL CHAMPS AGAIN
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For sure man I check in on it every few days. Such a purty dynasty
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Yeah. I have been reading up on this also. Good stuff! Let me know if you do created recruits.
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