The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas Tech
Football looks for first road win Saturday at Texas Tech
10.31.2016 | Football
Texas travels to Lubbock to take on the Red Raiders at 11 a.m. Saturday on FS1.
Texas game notes | Texas Tech game notes | Big 12 Conference notes
The Opening Kickoff
• The University of Texas Longhorns are back on the road Saturday for a matchup with Big 12 Conference foe Texas Tech. Both teams enter the game with identical records of 4-4 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
• Texas is coming off a 35-34 win over No. 8/6 Baylor on Saturday at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium. Kicker Trent Domingue made a 39-yard field goal with just 46 seconds left to give the Bears their first loss.
• Texas Tech enters the game off a double-overtime win on the road at TCU. The Red Raiders came away with a 27-24 victory over the Horned Frogs to get back to .500 on the season.
The All-Time Series
• Saturday's matchup at Jones AT&T Stadium will mark the 66th meeting all-time between the two programs.
• UT has enjoyed success in the rivalry, owning a record of 49-16 against the Red Raiders.
• In Lubbock, the Longhorns have a record of 19-10. Saturday's matchup will be the 30th meeting all-time in Lubbock.
• The Longhorns have won 14 of the last 17 matchups, including a 34-13 victory in Lubbock two seasons ago. Last year, Texas Tech won 48-45 on Thanksgiving Night.
National Game Coverage
• Saturday's game between the Longhorns and Red Raiders will kickoff at 11:00 a.m. on Fox Sports 1. Tim Brando will deliver the play-by-play and be joined by booth analyst Spencer Tillman. Bruce Feldman will report from the sidelines.
• Beginning two hours prior to kickoff, tune into Longhorn Network's Texas GameDay show live from Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium.
• A Texas radio broadcast can be heard nationally on Sirius channel 81, XM channel 81 and online channel 81.
A Texas Win Would...
• Make the Longhorns 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference
• Be their first away from home in 2016
• Improve UT's record to 50-16 all-time against Texas Tech, including a mark of 20-10 in Lubbock
• Make Texas' all-time record 891-356-33
Four in A Row Against AP Top 12 Teams
• With Saturday's win over No. 8/6 Baylor, Texas has now won four straight against AP Top-12 ranked teams.
• The four-game winning streak is the second longest in the nation behind Alabama.
• The four wins in the last two seasons mark the most in a two-year stretch at UT since winning five in 2007-08.
Head Coach Charlie Strong
• Charlie Strong is in the middle of the his third season as the head coach at Texas, compiling a record of 15-18 since coming to the 40 Acres.
• He is in his seventh season overall as a head coach, with a career mark of 52-34. He spent the four years prior to Texas at Louisville.
• Texas' 35-34 victory over Baylor on Saturday night marked their fourth-straight over an AP Top-12 ranked opponent.
• This season, 19 players have made their first career start under Strong, while five true freshmen have started a game. The 19 players to make their first career start is tied for sixth-most in the country, while the five true freshmen to start a game is tied for the second-most nationally.
The Freshman Difference
• A total of 15 true freshmen have made their debuts in the burnt orange and white so far this season.
• Ten true freshmen debuted in the season opener against Notre Dame, four saw action for the first time against UTEP and one more against Oklahoma State.
• So far, QB Shane Buechele has started all eight games, C Zach Shackelford has started seven, FOX Malcolm Roach has started two, S Brandon Jones started against Oklahoma State and WR Devin Duvernay picked up his first career start at Kansas State.
• Other Longhorn freshmen to debut thus far are: DL D'Andre Christmas, OL Jean Delance, DL Jordan Elliott, LB Erick Fowler, WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey, WR Collin Johnson, LB Jeffrey McCulloch, OL Denzel Okafor, RB Kyle Porter and DT Gerald Wilbon.
A Young Nucleus
• After playing 17 true freshmen while starting a school-record 10 a season ago, Texas has played 15 with five making a start already this season.
• Last season, the 10 true freshmen who started a game combined to make 66 starts.
• Already this season, the five true freshmen to start a game have combined to make 19 starts.
• Over the last two seasons, Texas' 15 true freshmen to start a game are the most nationally.
• Players currently in UT's freshmen and sophomore classes have combined to make 170 career starts.
The Offensive Turnaround
• First-year offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert was brought to Texas to reinvigorate the Longhorns offense and install his up-tempo system on the 40 Acres.
• Through eight games, Texas' offensive numbers are up across the board. In most categories, the Longhorns have improved by a significant margin over each of the last two seasons.
• UT's 36.0 points per game ranks 29th nationally while their 199 first downs are 19th-best in the FBS.
• The Longhorns' 486.4 yards per game rank 26th in the country, their 259.9 passing yards per game is 38th nationally while their 226.5 rushing yards per game is 26th.
Disruptive Defense
• Since Charlie Strong took over defensive play-calling duties, the Longhorns have turned up the defensive pressure.
• Over the last three games, Texas has combined for 16 sacks and 31 tackles for loss.
• The 16 sacks during the last three games is the third-most in a three-game stretch during the Strong era. UT's defense twice had 17 sacks in a three-game stretch last season.
• The 31 tackles for loss are also the third-most in a three-game stretch in the last three seasons. UT had 35 and 33 tackles for loss in three-game stretches during the first four games of the 2014 season.
• The Longhorns have forced 10 turnovers in the last four games, recovering six fumbles and intercepting four passes.
Last Time In Lubbock
• Texas came away with a 34-13 victory over Texas Tech on Nov. 1, 2014 during Charlie Strong's first season at UT.
Foreman Making A Name For Himself
• Junior running back D'Onta Foreman is quickly becoming known as one of the best running backs in the country.
• So far this season, Foreman has rushed the ball 173 times for 1,105 yards (6.4 ypc) and 10 touchdowns.
• He ranks second in the nation averaging 157.9 rushing yards per game. His 1,105 yards rank third in the country.
• Entering Saturday's game against Texas Tech, Foreman ranks 19th in school history with 1,859 career yards.
Foreman Snaps 1,000 Yard Drought
• D'onta Foreman became the first Texas Longhorn since Jamaal Charles in 2007 to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.
• He is the 23rd player in school history to reach the milestone.
• Foreman snaps a nine-year drought for Texas, the longest in school history since the program's first 1,000-yard rusher in 1966.
Recent 1,000 Yard Seasons (23 Total)
2016 D'Onta Foreman (on 173 attempts) 1,105
2007 Jamaal Charles (on 258 attempts) 1,619
2005 Vince Young (on 155 attempts) 1,050
2004 Cedric Benson (on 326 attempts) 1,834
2004 Vince Young (on 167 attempts) 1,079
2003 Cedric Benson (on 258 attempts) 1,360
2002 Cedric Benson (on 305 attempts) 1,293
2001 Cedric Benson (on 223 attempts) 1,053
The 100-Yard Man
• Foreman has rushed for 100 yards or more in nine straight games, including all seven this season. He has 11 100-yard games in his career, all coming in the last 13 games in which he has played.
• His active streak of nine straight games with 100 yards-or-more leads the FBS and is second in school history behind Earl Campbell's 11 in 1977.
• His seven 100-yard games this season are tied fifth in UT history while his 11 career games are tied for seventh.
Longest Active 100-Yard Streaks
PLAYER Games
D'Onta Foreman, Texas 9
Leonard Fournette, LSU 8
Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State 7
Most 100-yard Games In 2016
PLAYER Games
D'Onta Foreman, Texas 7
Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State 7
Two Tied 6
Foreman Chasing Earl Campbell
• D'Onta Foreman's streak of 100 yards has reached nine consecutive games, second in UT history behind Earl Campbell's 11 in 1977.
• During his nine-game streak, Foreman has rushed for 1,409 yards on 203 attempts. He has scored 13 touchdowns and averaged 6.94 yards per carry.
Foreman On Historic Pace
• Through seven games this season, D'onta Foreman's 1,105 rushing yards are the fourth-most in school history.
1,000 Yards Through Seven Games
1998 Ricky Williams 1,484
2004 Cedric Benson 1,156
1973 Roosevelt Leaks 1,146
2016 D'Onta Foreman 1,105
1997 Ricky Williams 1,043
1977 Earl Campbell 1,015
Foreman's TD Streak Comes To End
• Prior to playing at Kansas State, D'Onta Foreman had rushed for a touchdown in seven consecutive games.
• During that seven-game span, he registered a career-high two touchdowns on the ground four different times.
• Foreman is one of 10 players in school history with a rushing touchdown in at least seven consecutive games.
• He began a new streak with two TDs against Baylor.
Most Consecutive Games With Rushing TD
PLAYER YEARS GAMES TOTAL TD
Ricky Williams 1997-98 11 30
Cedric Benson 2003-04 11 22
Byron Townsend 1950-51 11 15
Vince Young 2004-05 8 15
Cedric Benson 2001-02 8 12
Cody Johnson 2008 8 11
D'Onta Foreman 2015-16 7 11
Notables From Foreman vs. Baylor
• D'Onta Foreman rushed 32 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns against No. 8/6 Baylor Saturday. He set new career highs for both attempts and yards.
• His 250 yards were the second-most in school history against an AP ranked team. Ricky Williams had 259 against Texas A&M in 1998.
• Foreman secured his ninth straight 100-yard game early, reaching the century mark in the first quarter. He is just the third player in the FBS this season to reach that mark in the first quarter of a game, joining Louisville's Lamar Jackson and Florida State's Dalvin Cook.
500 Yards Of Total Offense
• Texas totaled its fifth game with more than 500 yards of total offense on Saturday against Baylor. The Longhorns have had more than 400 yards of offense in seven of eight games thus far.
• The last time the Longhorns had at least five games with 500 yards of offense in a season was in 2009, when UT had six such games. Six 500-yard games in a single season is the school record.
• In the last two seasons, Texas had 500 yards of total offense just three times.
Most 500 yard games in a season
Year Total 500 Yard Games
2009 6 639, 597, 562, 544, 537, 532
2005 6 645, 617, 606, 591, 585, 556
2016 5 568, 568, 548, 517, 505
2008 5 600, 591, 536, 504, 503
2007 5 589, 560, 551, 545, 514
2004 5 673, 600, 581, 525, 507
1996 5 624, 594, 575, 510, 503
The Rushing Attack
• The Longhorns offense has totaled at least 300 yards rushing two times so far in 2016, racking up 329 at Oklahoma State (Oct.1) and 307 at California (Sept. 17).
• The back-to-back 300-yard performances marked the first time since the 2011 season that a Texas team had rushed for at least 300 yards in consecutive games.
• The Longhorns have not had three 300-yard rushing performances in a season since 2007.
Most 300 yard Rushing games Since 1980
Year Total 300 Yard Games
2005 6 418, 367, 361, 349, 347, 336
2004 6 513, 351, 339, 326, 322, 303
2003 4 393, 353, 322, 302
2007 3 364, 307, 300
1985 3 380, 365, 343
2016 2 329,307
Buechele Making History
• True freshman quarterback Shane Buechele has made history early in his career at Texas.
• He became the first true freshman QB in school history to start the first two games of his career and was just the second ever to start the season opener, joining Bobby Layne in 1944.
• Buechele has started all eight games to date for the Longhorns, compiling a record of 4-4.
• He has completed 152-of-238 (63.9 %) passes for 2,013 yards and 17 touchdowns.
• Buechele reached the 1,000-yard mark in game five, the fastest freshman to ever reach the mark at UT. He reached the 2,000-yard mark in eight games, tied for second-fastest in school history.
STARTS by a True Freshman QB
1. 8 SHANE BUECHELE (4-4) 2016
8 Bobby Layne (5-3) 1944
Victories By A True Freshman QB
1. 5 Bobby Layne (5-3) 1944
2. 4 SHANE BUECHELE (4-4) 2016
Passing Yards By A Freshman QB
1. 2,570 Colt McCoy (redshirt) 2006
2. 2,453 Major Applewhite (redshirt) 1998
3. 2,341 Shea Morenz (redshirt) 1993
4. 2,013 Shane Buechele 2016
** 1,079 David Ash 2011
Passing Touchdowns By A Freshman QB
1. 29 Colt McCoy (redshirt) 2006
2. 18 Major Applewhite (redshirt) 1998
3. 17 Shane Buechele 2016
** 7 Bobby Layne 1944
**Previous record by a true freshman
Fastest To 2,000 Yards (Single Season)
1. 7 Major Applewhite 1999
2. 8 Shane Buechele 2016
8 Colt McCoy (2008, 2007); Major Applewhite (2000)
Longest Pass Plays By Freshman
3. 80t Shane Buechele to Devin Duvernay at KSU
6. 75t Shane Buechele to Devin Duvernay ISU
7. 72t Shane Buechele to John Burt ND
10. 68 Shane Buechele to Jerrod Heard ND
Buechele 2016 Notables
• Thus far, Buechele has passed for at least 200 yards in seven of his eight games. Prior to the 2016 season, true freshmen at UT had totaled just one 200-yard passing game in school history.
• Against UTEP, Buechele passed for a true freshman-record four touchdowns.
• Buechele's 245 passing yards against Oklahoma were the third-most by a UT freshman in the game (293, Major Applewhite, 1998; 263, Shea Morenz, 1993) and most by a true freshman.
• His three passing touchdowns against the Sooners are tied for the most ever by a Longhorn in the Red River Showdown. Vince Young (2005) was the last to do so.
• Buechele's 2,013 yards rank second in the nation among all true freshmen.
• His 17 touchdowns are third-most ever by a UT freshman (most by true freshman) and are tied for the 13th-most in a career by a Texas quarterback.
Another Foreman?
• As if the one of the nation's best running backs weren't enough for opposing defenses to worry about, Texas wide receiver Armanti Foreman is leading the Longhorns this season in receptions (27), receiving yards (349) and is tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions.
• The twin brother of D'Onta, Armanti had four catches for a career-high 142 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 35-34 victory over Baylor.
• On the first drive of the game, Foreman caught a pass for 13 yards and a touchdown from 40 yards out. In the second quarter he had a 51-yard reception and in the fourth quarter a 38-yard catch to set up the game-winning field goal.
• On the Longhorns opening drive, the Foreman brothers did all the work, as the drive sequence went: D'Onta rush (3x), Armanti catch, D'Onta rush (3x), Armanti TD catch.
• Armanti surpassed 1,000 career all-purpose yards in Saturday's game, while D'Onta surpassed 2,000.
Spreading The Ball Around
• Through eight games, UT has eight receivers with double-digit catches.
• The Longhorns have nine players with at least 100 yards receiving and six with more than 200.
• Seven Longhorns have found the end zone so far this season and six players have at least two.
Swoopes Nearing Historic Mark
• Senior quarterback Tyrone Swoopes became just the 13th player in school history to eclipse the 3,000 career passing yards mark when he completed 4-of-6 passes for 65 yards in week three against Cal. Swoopes has now passed for 3,038 yards in his career.
• Additionally, he is just 66 rushing yards shy of 1,000 career yards. Swoopes could join Colt McCoy and Vince Young as the only three quarterbacks in school history to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for at least 1,000 in a career.
• Swoopes is looking to become just the sixth QB in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in their career.
• He enters Saturday's game against Texas Tech ranked third all-time among UT quarterbacks with 23 career rushing touchdowns.
Rushing Yards By a Quarterback
1. 3,127 Vince Young 2003-05
2. 2,020 Marty Akins 1973-75
3. 1,571 Colt McCoy 2006-09
4. 1,306 Donnie Little 1978-81
5. 1,211 Eddie Phillips 1969-71
6. 934 Tyrone Swoopes 2012-present
Rushing Touchdowns By a Quarterback
1. 37 Vince Young 2003-05
2. 26 Marty Akins 1973-75
3. 23 Tyrone Swoopes 2012-present
First Time Starters, Players
• Besides true freshmen, 14 players have made their first career starts so far: RG Alex Anderson (UTEP), CB Kris Boyd (Oklahoma), LB Edwin Freeman (Baylor), CB Sheroid Evans (ND), RB D'Onta Foreman (ND), RT Brandon Hodges (ND), WR Dorian Leonard (Iowa State), OL Jake McMillon (Oklahoma State), DT Chris Nelson (ND), WR Jake Oliver (Oklahoma State), DE Charles Omenihu (ND), LT Elijah Rodriguez (UTEP), SS Kevin Vaccaro (UTEP) and WR Jacorey Warrick (ND).
• An additional 12 players have made their first career appearance: K Mitchell Becker (ND), K Trent Domingue (ND), OL Garrett Graf (UTEP), WR Garrett Gray (Baylor), DS Jak Holbrook (ND), RB Tristian Houston (UTEP), DL Alex Mercado (UTEP), DL Patrick Ojeaga (UTEP), OL Garrett Thomas (UTEP), LB Cameron Townsend (UTEP), LB Johnny Tseng (UTEP) and TE Michael Wilson (ND).
Beck Back In the End Zone
• Junior tight end Andrew Beck found the end zone in the fourth quarter against Baylor to bring the Longhorns within two and set up the game-winning field goal.
• It was just his third catch of the season, but his second that has gone for a touchdown.
• His first touchdown came against Oklahoma State from 39 yards out. Against Baylor, his touchdown came from seven yards out.
• He totaled two catches for 23 yards against the Bears and now has three catches for 62 yards this season.
Forcing Turnovers
• After forcing just one turnover in the first four games of the season, the Longhorns have flipped the script by forcing 10 turnovers in the last four games.
• In three of the last four games, the Longhorns have forced multiple turnovers.
• Against Baylor, the defense came up with two, as P.J. Locke had an interception and fumble recovery.
Duvernay Bursting Onto Scene
• True freshman wide receiver Devin Duvernay has burst onto the scene recently, totaling nine receptions for 259 yards and three touchdowns in his last four games.
• In total, the first-year player from Sachse, Texas has caught 11 passes for 275 yards. He is also tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions.
• Duvernay leads the Longhorns averaging 25.0 yards per reception, while his three touchdown receptions are averaging 72.7 yards per catch.
• He caught his first career touchdown pass against Oklahoma, a 63-yard reception that is the 17th-longest reception by a freshman in school history.
• Against Iowa State, Duvernay followed that up with a 75-yard touchdown reception. That stands as the eighth-longest TD reception by a freshman in school history.
• On the road at Kansas State, Duvernay's touchdown reception came from 80 yards out, tied for the fourth-longest reception by a freshman in school history.
• Against Baylor, Duvernay had his streak of three consecutive games with a touchdown reception snapped. It was tied for the seventh-longest streak in UT history.
Touchdown Receptions By A Freshman
1. Roy Williams (2000) 8
2. Devin Duvernay (2016) 3
Six Others Tied 3
Consecutive Games With TD Reception
1. Jordan Shipley (2008) 8
5. John Harris (2014) 4
Jordan Shipley (2009) 4
7. Devin Duvernay (2016) 3
Six Others Tied 3
Longest Reception By Freshman
1. 96t Roy Williams, vs. Oklahoma State 9/30/2000
2. 91t ^Malcolm Williams, at Texas Tech 11/1/2008
3. 84t John Burt, Kansas 11/7/2015
T4. 80t Devin Duvernay, at K-State 10/22/2016
8. 75t Devin Duvernay, Iowa State 10/15/2016
17. 63t Devin Duvernay, vs. Oklahoma 10/8/2016
^redshirt freshman
Domingue Delivers In The Clutch
• Graduate transfer kicker Trent Domingue delivered when it counted for the Longhorns on Saturday, making a game-winning 39-yard field goal with 46 seconds left to defeat previously-unbeaten Baylor, 35-34.
• For Domingue, it was his first career game-winning field goal.
• He was a perfect 3-for-3 on extra point attempts in the win and was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, as he also made a 25-yarder in the third quarter.
• On the season, Domingue has provided consistency for the Longhorns, who were unsure who their placekicker would be into the summer when Domingue signed with Texas.
• Domingue has made 11-of-15 field goals and is 10-of-11 inside of 40 yards.
• He has hit two field goals in five different games this season: UTEP, at California, vs. Oklahoma, Iowa State and Baylor.
• He has scored double-digit points in four games this season: UTEP (11), at California (11), vs. Oklahoma (10) and Baylor (10).
Dickson A Threat For Longhorns
• Sydney, Australia native Michael Dickson has turned into a major threat for the Longhorns in his sophomore season. He enters Saturday's game at Texas Tech ranked second in the nation and first in the Big 12 Conference averaging 47.8 yards per punt.
• Dickson has punted 40 times in eight games for a total of 1,914 yards. Of his 40 punts, 18 have been more than 50 yards and 17 have been downed inside the 20.
• In total, only 12 of his punts have been returned, for an average of 6.6 yards per return.
• As a team, Texas is first in the Big 12 and ninth nationally with a 41.7 net punting average.
• Against Notre Dame, Dickson set a new career long with a punt of 64 yards, and also a new career high and school record with his 55.0 yards per punt average. His five punts of more than 50 yards were also a new career high.
• Last week against Baylor, Dickson matched his career high with five punts of more than 50 yards. His long in the game was a 63-yarder, while he averaged 52.7 yards on his six attempts.
Horns Hosting A Block Party
• So far in 2016, Longhorns' special teams have come up with four blocked kicks (two punts, one field goal, one PAT). Texas did not have a blocked kick in each of Charlie Strong's first two seasons and had just two total since the beginning of the 2013 season.
• Against Oklahoma State, Poona Ford blocked a Cowboys' PAT in the third quarter. It was Texas' first blocked PAT since the 2013 season against Ole Miss, a span of 38 games.
• True freshman Brandon Jones blocked a punt in back-to-back games against UTEP and California. He was the first Longhorn since Mykkele Thompson in 2012 to block a punt in consecutive games and only the fourth player at Texas since blocked kicks became an official stat in 1975.
• Jones' punt block against UTEP was the first blocked punt for Texas since Carrington Byndom did so vs. Texas Tech on Nov. 3, 2012.
• Jones is just the 12th player in school history to block multiple punts in the same season. The school record is four, owned by Aaron Williams (2008), Michael Griffin (2005) and Terrol Dillon (1999).
• Both punt blocks have led to points, as the block against UTEP led to a FG while against Cal it resulted in a safety.
• Junior Naashon Hughes blocked a Notre Dame field goal late in the third quarter of that game, which proved to be huge as the Fighting Irish attempted to mount a comeback. The Longhorns eventually won in double-overtime, 50-47. For Texas, Hughes' field goal block was the first in the last 30 games. Jackson Jeffcoat was the last to block a field goal when he did so against Kansas on Nov. 2, 2013.
Jefferson Makes Plays vs. Baylor
• Malik Jefferson came off the bench Saturday and led the Longhorns defensively in their 35-34 victory over No. 8/6 Baylor.
• A sophomore, Jefferson led the team with 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.
• The 10 tackles were one shy of his career high of 11 which he did at West Virginia last season.
• The 2.5 tackles for loss matched his career high (2015 at Notre Dame) as did the two sacks (2015 vs. Oklahoma).
Haines Has A Nose For The Ball
• Senior safety Dylan Haines registered two interceptions in the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma. They were the Longhorns' first two interceptions of the season.
• Haines now has 11 career interceptions which he has returned for a combined 238 yards. His 11 career interceptions are tied with Quandre Diggs, Mossy Cade and William Graham for ninth-most in school history. His 238 interception return yards are second-most in school history.
• His first interception in that game came on a ball that was dislodged by Malcolm Roach and ended up in Haines' hands for the pick. His second interception was an overthrow that Haines returned 38 yards to set up a Texas field goal.
• The interceptions came on back-to-back drives for the Sooners.
Career Interceptions
1. 17 Nathan Vasher 2000-03
17 Noble Doss 1939-41
3. 16 Jerry Gray 1981-84
4. 15 Derrick Hatchett 1977-80
--
9. 11 Dylan Haines 2014-present
Career Interception Return Yards
1. 261 Chris Carter 1993-96
2. 238 Dylan Haines 2014-present
Locke-ing it Up
• Sophomore P.J. Locke III was crucial in the Longhorns' 35-34 win over previously-unbeaten Baylor on Saturday.
• Texas' starter at nickleback, Locke had just one tackle, but also had a fumble recovery, interception and pass breakup.
• The interception came on a twisting play off a deflection by Kris Boyd. Boyd initially knocked the ball up into the air, and Locke contorted his body to make the interception.
• On the first play of the fourth quarter, Locke came up with a fumble which was forced by DL Paul Boyette at the Baylor 9-yard line to keep the Bears out of the end zone.
• The interception and fumble recovery were both career firsts for Locke.
Hager Running Free
• Sophomore FOX Breckyn Hager continues to make plays for the Longhorns defensively this season.
• He is third on the team with 43 tackles, but leads the team with eight tackles for loss and five sacks.
• Against Baylor, Hager recorded 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. He matched his career high with the sack but set a new mark with 2.5 TFLs. His previous career high was one TFL. He had six total tackles in the victory.
Built Ford Tough
• Junior Poona Ford has been solid for UT this season on the interior of its defensive line.
• He has started all eight games this season and 13 now for his career.
• Ford ranks fourth on the team with 39 tackles. He has 4.5 tackles for loss to go along with two quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and recovery and a blocked extra point.
Nelson Emerging On the D-Line
• Sophomore Chris Nelson has been consistently among the leaders for the Longhorns on the defensive line this season. He registered a team-high seven tackles to go along with 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble against Iowa State.
• Through eight games, Nelson is fifth on the team with 38 total tackles. He has 6.0 tackles for loss and also 1.5 sacks. He has one quarterback hurry and also has a forced fumble.
Wheeler Stepping Up
• Much like Malik Jefferson, sophomore LB Anthony Wheeler made several key plays in Texas 35-34 victory over No. 8/6 Baylor Saturday night. Wheeler had started the first seven games of the season, but did not start against the Bears.
• He forced a fumble in Saturday's game and is now tied for the team lead with two - both in the last two games.
• He leads Texas with 59 tackles this season to go along with 2.0 tackles for loss. He's also added a pass breakup.
