The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
West Virginia
Football hosts No. 11/10 West Virginia at DKR Saturday
11.07.2016 | Football
The Longhorns (5-4, 3-3) put their perfect home record on the line Saturday against the Mountaineers (7-1, 4-1).
Texas game notes | WVU game notes | Big 12 notes
The Opening Kickoff
• The University of Texas Longhorns return to Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday for a showdown with the West Virginia University Mountaineers.
• The Longhorns have won two consecutive games to improve to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12 Conference. They are fresh off their first road win of the season, a 45-37 victory in Lubbock over Texas Tech.
• West Virginia enters the game 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Big 12. They bounced back from their first loss two weeks ago with a convincing 48-21 victory at home over Kansas on Saturday. WVU is ranked No. 11/10 this week.
The All-Time Series
• This week's matchup between Texas and West Virginia will be just the sixth meeting all-time. WVU holds a 3-2 edge over UT, although each school has won two games apiece since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference.
• Last season, Texas was defeated 38-20 in Morgantown. In the four matchups as Big 12 foes, the Longhorns are outscoring West Virginia 145-142.
National Game Coverage
• Saturday's game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1 with kickoff at 11:05 a.m. Joe Davis will call the action and be joined in the booth by Brady Quinn. 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 118, XM channel 200 and online channel 954.
At The Game...
• Saturday is Veterans Recognition Day and will include a Veterans Committe on-field recognition
• ROTC cadets will perform the National Anthem and there will be an F-16 Flyover pregame
• Prior to kickoff the Army Golden Knights Parachute Team skydives onto Joe Jamail Field
• World War II veteran Frank Denius will serve as the honorary captain
• UT System Chancellor William McRaven will be honored as the recipient of the NFF Distinguished American Award.
• At halftime, The University of Texas Olympians will be recognized
Four in A Row Against AP Top 12 Teams
• With their 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.
A Texas Win Would...
• Improve Texas' record to 6-4 overall and 4-3 in the Big 12 Conference
• Make them 5-0 in 2016 at DKR - Texas Memorial Stadium
• Be their fifth consecutive win over an AP Top 12-ranked team
• Even the all-time series against WVU at 3-3, with UT owning a 3-2 advantage as conference foes
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 16-18 since coming to the 40 Acres.
• He is in his seventh season overall as a head coach, with a career mark of 53-34. He spent the four years prior to Texas at Louisville.
• 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 eighth-most in the country, while the five true freshmen to start is tied for the second-most nationally.
Defense Under Charlie Strong
• Since Charlie Strong took over defensive play-calling duties, Texas has turned up the defensive pressure.
• The Longhorns have held each of their last four opponents under their season scoring average entering the game.
• The defense has forced 19 sacks and 36 tackles for loss in the last four games. They've allowed just 5.1 yards per play in that span after allowing 6.4 through the first five.
• On Saturday against Texas Tech, the Longhorns held the Red Raiders to just 482 yards on 100 plays (4.82 ypp). It was 118 yards below their season average.
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 this season.
• Last season, the 10 true freshmen who started a game combined to make 66 starts.
• This season, the five true freshmen to start a game have combined to make 23 starts.
• Over the last two seasons, Texas' 15 true freshmen to start a game are the most nationally.
• Players currently in UT's freshman and sophomore classes have combined to make 183 career starts.
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 nine games, C Zach Shackelford has started eight, FOX Malcolm Roach has started three, WR Devin Duvernay has started two and S Brandon Jones has made one start.
• 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.
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 nine 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 is averaging 37.0 points per game, almost 12 points better per game than a season ago through nine games. The 37.0 points per game is 27th-best nationally.
• Texas' total offense, averaging 505.4 yards per game, is 14th in the country. That value is over 140 yards better through nine games than either of the past two seasons.
• The Longhorns' rushing offense has been prolific, ranking 16th in the country at 247.3 yards per game. That total is over 40 yards better than 2015 through nine games and over 100 yards better than 2014.
• The passing offense has been efficient with true freshman QB Shane Buechele, ranking 42nd nationally at 258.1 yards per game.
Balanced Offensive Attack
• Texas enters Saturday's game as one of just five teams nationally to be averaging 500 yards of total offense and at least 250 yards passing and 225 yards rushing.
• The Longhorns are ranked 14th in total offense (505.4), 16th in rushing offense (247.3) and 42nd in passing offense (258.1).
500 Yards Of Total Offense
• Texas totaled a season-best 658 yards of total offense Saturday at Texas Tech. It was the sixth-most in a game in school history.
• Saturday's effort was the Longhorns' sixth game of at least 500 yards in 2016, tying the school record for 500-yard games in a season (also 2005, 2009).
• In the two seasons prior, Texas had 500 yards of total offense just three times.
Most 500 yard games in a season
2016 6 658, 568, 568, 548, 517, 505
2009 6 639, 597, 562, 544, 537, 532
2005 6 645, 617, 606, 591, 585, 556
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
Prolific Rushing Attack
• Texas totaled 414 yards rushing on Saturday at Texas Tech behind D'Onta Foreman's 341-yard effort. It was the first 400-yard game since Texas Tech last season.
• Prior to last season's game against Texas Tech, UT had not registered 400 yards of rushing since totaling 439 on Nov. 5, 2011, also against Texas Tech.
• The game prior in 2011, UT rushed for 441 yards against Kansas. Before that, it had been since 2005 against Louisiana-Lafayette that they had reached the 400-yard mark.
• Saturday's game was just the eighth 400-yard performance since 1980.
400-yard Rushing games Since 1980
Yards Opponent Year
513 North Texas 2004
441 Kansas 2011
439 Texas Tech 2011
434 Rice 1998
424 Baylor 1981
418 UL-Lafayette 2005
414 Texas Tech 2016
403 Texas Tech 2015
#HEISforeMAN
• Junior running back D'Onta Foreman has put himself on the map for both the Doak Walker Award and Heisman Trophy over the last two weeks.
• Foreman leads the nation averaging 180.8 yards per game on the ground. His 1,446 rushing yards are second in the nation behind only San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey, who has rushed for 1,581 yards in nine games.
• Foreman, through just eight games, already ranks sixth in school history for rushing yards in a single season. His 1,446 yards are the second-most through eight games in UT's history behind Ricky Williams.
• He became just the 19th player in school history to surpass 2,000 career rushing yards on Saturday at Texas Tech. He sits 16th with 2,200 yards entering this weekend's game against West Virginia.
• Foreman is averaging 7.0 yards per carry for his career, better than Vince Young's school record of 6.8 yards per carry.
Foreman on UT's Career Rushing List
RK. PLAYER YEARS Att YARDS AVG. TDs
13. Jim Bertelsen, TB 1969-71 412 2,510 6.1 33
14. Adrian Walker, TB 1989-92 501 2,473 4.9 17
15. Steve Worster, FB 1968-70 457 2,353 5.1 36
16. D'Onta Foreman, RB 2014- 313 2,200 7.0 18
17. Phil Brown, FB 1990-93 404 2,102 5.2 16
Foreman On UT's Single Season Rushing List
1. 2,124 Ricky Williams (on 361 attempts) 1998
2. 1,893 Ricky Williams (on 279 attempts) 1997
3. 1,834 Cedric Benson (on 326 attempts) 2004
4. 1,744 Earl Campbell (on 267 attempts) 1977
5. 1,619 Jamaal Charles (on 258 attempts) 2007
6. 1,446 D'Onta Foreman (on 206 attempts) 2016
Most Rushing Yards Through Eight Games
1998 Ricky Williams 1,634
2016 D'Onta Foreman 1,446
1997 Ricky Williams 1,419
2004 Cedric Benson 1,297
1973 Roosevelt Leaks 1,223
1977 Earl Campbell 1,118
Foreman Notables At Texas Tech
• In the Longhorns' 45-37 win at Texas Tech Saturday, Foreman carried the ball 33 times for 341 yards and three touchdowns. All were new career highs.
• Saturday's performance came on the heels of a 250-yard game a week ago against Baylor.
• His 591 yards over the last two games are the second-most in a two-game stretch in UT history, only behind Ricky Williams' NCAA record of 668 in 1998. Williams went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season.
• His 341 yards were the third-most in a single-game in school history and the most in the country this season. They were the most since Ricky Williams' single-game record of 350 in 1998.
• He became the first player at Texas since Hodges Mitchell in 2000 with 200 yards rushing in back-to-back games.
He Is The 100-Yard Man
• Foreman has rushed for 100 yards or more in 10 straight games, including all eight in which he has played this season. He has twelve 100-yard games in his career, all coming in the last 14 games in which he has played.
• His active streak of 10 straight games with 100 yards-or-more leads the FBS and is second in school history behind Earl Campbell's 11 in 1977.
• His eight 100-yard games this season are tied for fourth in UT history while his 12 career games are tied for sixth.
• During his 10-game streak, Foreman has rushed for 1,750 yards on 236 attempts (7.42 ypc). He has scored 16 touchdowns, including six games with at least two.
FBS Longest Active 100-Yard Streak
D'Onta Foreman, Texas 10
Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State 8
Most 100-yard Rushing Games 2016
D'Onta Foreman, Texas 8
Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego State 8
Jeremy McNichols, Boise State 7
Eight Tied 6
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 when he surpassed the mark against Baylor.
• 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.
1,000 Yard Seasons (23 Total)
2016 D'Onta Foreman (on 206 attempts) 1,446
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
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 has bounced back nicely, however, rushing for five touchdowns over the past two weeks.
Notables For Foreman vs. Baylor
• Foreman rushed 32 times for 250 yards and two touchdowns against No. 8/6 Baylor.
• 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.
Foreman Against The Big 12
• In six Big 12 Conference games, Foreman has rushed 161 times for 1,158 yards (7.2 ypc) and 10 touchdowns.
• He has carried the ball at least 30 times in three games, setting a new career high each time with 30, 32 and 33 attempts against ISU, Baylor and TTU, respectively.
• He is averaging 193 yards per game in six games against Big 12 foes this season.
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.
• His nine starts are the most ever by a true freshman QB and his five wins are tied with Bobby Layne (1944) for the most ever.
• He has completed 172-of-278 (61.9 %) passes for 2,257 yards and 19 touchdowns.
• His 2,257 yards are just over 300 shy of Colt McCoy's freshman record of 2,570, while his 19 touchdown passes are the second-most ever by a freshman.
• His 19 touchdown passes are the 12th-most for a career in Texas' 124-year history.
• 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.
• 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.
Starts By A True Freshman QB
1. 9 SHANE BUECHELE (5-4) 2016
2. 8 Bobby Layne (5-3) 1944
Victories By A True Freshman QB
1. 5 SHANE BUECHELE (5-4) 2016
5 Bobby Layne (5-3) 1944
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. 2,257 Shane Buechele 2016
** 1,079 David Ash 2011
Passing Touchdowns By A Freshman QB
1. 29 Colt McCoy (redshirt) 2006
2. 19 Shane Buechele 2016
3. 18 Major Applewhite (redshirt) 1998
** 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)
Single Season Passing Leaders
10. Colt McCoy 2,570 (2006)
11. James Brown 2,468 (1996)
12. Major Applewhite 2,453 (1998)
13. James Brown 2,447 (1995)
14. Tyrone Swoopes 2,409 (2014)
15. Peter Gardere 2,364 (1992)
16. Shea Morenz 2,341 (1993)
17. Shane Buechele 2,257 (2016)
Buechele 2016 Notables
• Thus far, Buechele has passed for at least 200 yards in eight of his nine games. His season-high is 296 yards against Iowa State. Prior to the 2016 season, true freshmen at UT had totaled just one 200-yard passing game in school history.
• Buechele has passed for at least one touchdown in all nine games thus far and has had multiple touchdowns in seven. He has passed for at least two touchdowns in five straight games.
• Buechele's 2,257 yards rank second in the nation among all freshmen.
The Freshman Connection
• WR Collin Johnson and QB Shane Buechele were two of the four freshmen to enroll early for Texas this past spring. On Saturday at Texas Tech, that bond paid off to the tune of two touchdowns.
• Twice Buechele found Johnson in the end zone for acrobatic, toe-tapping touchdown catches.
• The TDs were the first two of Johnson's career. Both capped off 9-play, 75-yard, 2:32 drives. The first one was from 16 yards out while the second was from nine yards.
• Johnson had four catches for 47 yards total in the game.
• He is just the sixth freshman with two TD catches in a game and the first since 2008.
Spreading The Ball Around
• Through nine games, UT has eight receivers with at least 13 receptions.
• The Longhorns have nine players with at least 100 yards receiving and six with more than 225.
• Eight Longhorns have found the end zone so far this season and seven players have at least two touchdowns.
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 in week three against Cal. Swoopes has now passed for 3,038 yards in his career.
• Additionally, he is just 48 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.
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. 952 Tyrone Swoopes 2012-present
Rushing Touchdowns By a Quarterback
1. 37 Vince Young 2003-05
2. 26 Marty Akins 1973-75
3. 24 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).
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 (33), receiving yards (414) 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 two weeks ago against Baylor. He followed that up with a career-best six receptions for 65 yards last week against Texas Tech.
The Williams Connection
• Saturday will be a special game for sophomore left tackle Connor Williams, who made his 20th career start last week against Texas Tech.
• Williams and his Longhorns will oppose his brother, Dalton, Saturday when UT takes on West Virginia. Dalton, a former QB at Stephen F. Austin and Akron, is an offensive graduate assistant for the Mountaineers.
Duvernay Bursting Onto Scene
• True freshman wide receiver Devin Duvernay has burst onto the scene recently, totaling 11 receptions for 284 yards and three touchdowns in his last five games.
• In total, the first-year player from Sachse, Texas has caught 13 passes for 300 yards. He is also tied for the team lead with three touchdown receptions.
• Duvernay leads the Longhorns averaging 23.1 yards per reception, while his three touchdown receptions are averaging 72.7 yards per catch.
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
Forcing Turnovers
• After forcing just one turnover in the first four games of the season, the Longhorns have flipped the script by forcing 12 turnovers in the last five games.
• UT has forced multiple turnovers in four of five games.
• On Saturday at Texas Tech, the Longhorns came up with two crucial turnovers. John Bonney forced a fumble in the red zone that Jeffrey McCulloch recovered, while Kris Boyd intercepted a pass in the end zone to seal the win.
Boyd's Big Day
• Sophomore CB Kris Boyd had a big game in Texas' 45-37 win at Texas Tech Saturday.
• The Gilmer, Texas native had seven tackles which was tied for second-most on the team.
• He also recorded his first career interception with nine seconds left to seal the Longhorns' victory.
Domingue Delivers In The Clutch
• Graduate transfer kicker Trent Domingue delivered when it counted for the Longhorns against Baylor, making a game-winning 39-yard field goal with 46 seconds left to defeat the Bears, 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 made 12-of-16 field goals and is 11-of-12 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 against West Virginia ranked second in the nation and first in the Big 12 Conference averaging 48.2 yards per punt.
• Dickson has punted 45 times in nine games for a total of 2,169 yards. Of his 45 punts, 20 have been more than 50 yards and 19 have been downed inside the 20.
• In total, only 13 of his punts have been returned, for an average of 7.8 yards per return.
• As a team, Texas is first in the Big 12 and ninth nationally with a 41.8 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.
• 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 (fourth-best in school history) on his six attempts.
• In their win over Texas Tech, Dickson punted five times averaging 51.0 yards per punt (eighth-best in school history). He had two 60-yard punts and two downed inside the 10.
Horns Hosting A Block Party
• So far in 2016, Longhorns' special teams have come up with five blocked kicks (two punts, two PAT, one field goal), tied for most in the country. Texas did not have a blocked kick in each of Charlie Strong's first two seasons
• With two blocked PATs this season (OSU, TTU) Poona Ford became just the third Longhorn since 2003 with multiple blocked PATs in the same season joining Chris Whaley in 2012 and Marcus Tubbs in 2003. The two blocks also tie 2012 for most by a team in a single season since 2003 when five were blocked.
• 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, 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 Coming On Strong
• Malik Jefferson has led the Longhorns in tackles each of the last two weeks, totaling 18 takedowns for UT.
• Against Baylor he had 10 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.
• Saturday against Texas Tech, Jefferson had eight tackles and 1.5 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
Built Ford Tough
• Junior Poona Ford has been solid for UT this season on the interior of its defensive line.
• He has started all nine games this season and 14 for his career.
• Ford ranks fifth on the team with 42 tackles. He has 4.5 tackles for loss to go along with three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and recovery and two blocked extra points.
Freeman Taking Advantage
• Over the last three games, Edwin Freeman has totaled 17 tackles, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception.
• He made his first career start two weeks ago against Baylor and once again earned a start at Texas Tech.
