The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football to play Missouri in Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl
12.03.2017 | Football
The Longhorns will face Missouri on Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Tracking the Longhorns: Herman Texas Bowl Teleconference
AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Texas Football program has accepted an invitation to represent the Big 12 Conference in the 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl on Dec. 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston. Kickoff against Missouri will be at 8:00 p.m. CT on ESPN.
"We're really excited to be headed to the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl and facing an old Big 12 opponent in Missouri," head coach Tom Herman said. "I know the bowl staff there runs a first class operation, and the city of Houston will be excited to have the Longhorns in town. For our team, it will be an added bonus that so many of their friends and family will have a chance to see them play, and I'm sure our fans will help fill NRG Stadium. We're hard at work in Austin now getting ready for the game, and look forward to getting to Houston for bowl week in a couple of weeks."
Texas and Missouri have played 23 times, with the Longhorns owning a 17-6 all-time record. The two schools last met in 2011. The Longhorns and Tigers, once Big 12 Conference foes, have met just once previously in a bowl game - a 40-27 Longhorn victory in the 1946 Cotton Bowl. UT has won 15 of the last 17 meetings against Missouri, dating back to 1931.
The Longhorns feature one of the nation's top defensive units, as they are tied for the national lead in non-offensive touchdowns (seven), defensive touchdowns (six) and interceptions returned for a touchdown (five). Texas leads the Big 12 in third- and fourth-down defense, defensive touchdowns and first downs defense, while ranking second in interceptions, rushing defense, pass efficiency defense, sacks, total defense and turnovers gained.
Despite facing seven teams ranked in the Top 36 for scoring offense, including the third- and fourth-ranked teams, Texas has allowed just 21.7 points per game and ranks 31st in that category. That marks significant improvement from a season ago, when Texas ranked 90th in scoring defense.
The Longhorns' vast defensive improvement has been evident by their rushing defense and ability to get teams off the field in crucial downs. Texas ranks sixth nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 105.7 yards per game on the ground. The Longhorns have held seven of their 12 opponents under 100 yards rushing, the most at UT since doing so 10 times in 2009. UT ranks fourth nationally in third-down defense (.276) and eighth nationally in fourth-down defense (.300), significant improvements from a season ago when they ranked 51st and 52nd, respectively.
Overall, defensively, the Longhorns are ranked 42nd, allowing just 363.6 yards per game despite having played five teams ranked in the Top 17 in total offense.
Three Longhorns were named Big 12 Players of the Year just last Thursday. Senior captain Poona Ford was named the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, while junior punter Michael Dickson was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Junior linebacker Malik Jefferson was the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Youth leads the way on the offensive side of the ball, as the Longhorns' top two passers, top two rushers and top three receivers are all sophomores or younger. At quarterback, sophomore Shane Buechele (six) and freshman Sam Ehlinger (six) combined to start all 12 games. At running back, true freshman Daniel Young started the final four games of the season, while sophomore Kyle Porter (three) and freshman Toneil Carter (two) also made starts this season.
True sophomores Collin Johnson (eight) and Lil'Jordan Humphrey (seven) led the way at receiver, while redshirt freshman Reggie Hemphill-Mapps (two) and sophomore Devin Duvernay (one) each made starts also. On the offensive line, true freshman Derek Kerstetter started each of the final nine games at right tackle, while sophomores Zach Shackelford (seven) and Denzel Okafor (four) also made significant impacts on the line. At tight end, true freshman Cade Brewer started three games before a season-ending injury late in the year.
Longhorn Bowl Notes
• The 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl will mark UT's 54th all-time bowl appearance, the second-most in college football history. The Longhorns own a bowl record of 27-24-3.
• Texas and Missouri will meet for the 24th time. The Longhorns own a 17-6 advantage, including a win in the 1946 Cotton Bowl, the only other time the two schools have met in a bowl game.
• Texas will be playing an SEC opponent for the 22nd time in a bowl game. The Longhorns own a record of 12-8-1 in bowl games against current SEC members. The Longhorns' most common SEC opponent is Alabama (4-1-1 record).
• This year's Texas Bowl marks the second consecutive bowl trip UT has taken to the Texas Bowl, following a loss to Arkansas in the 2014 Texas Bowl.
• The 2017 Texas Bowl marks the eighth time Texas has played a bowl game in Houston. The Longhorns made six appearances in the now defunct Bluebonnet Bowl, with a record of 3-2-1. Texas played in the final Bluebonnet Bowl game, a 32-27 win over Pittsburgh on Dec. 31, 1987.
• This year's bowl game will mark the 37th time the Longhorns' have played inside the state of Texas, with a record of 18-16-2. Texas has played in the Cotton Bowl 22 times (11-10-1 record), the Bluebonnet Bowl six times (3-2-1), the Sun Bowl four times (2-2), the Alamo Bowl three times (2-1) and the Texas Bowl once (0-1).
• UT had a school-record stretch of 12 straight bowl appearances from 1998-2009, which bested the previous mark of nine straight from 1977-85.
About the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl: The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl is owned and operated by ESPN Events and managed locally by Lone Star Sports & Entertainment. The Bowl will showcase teams from the Big 12 and the SEC, two of the country's premier conferences, for the next three years. The Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl has been a tremendous success both on and off the field over the years. The game has ranked fourth in attendance since 2014 behind only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that time. In terms of its community impact, the bowl has generated an average of $50 million annually for the Houston economy and through its relationship with DePelchin Children's Center, its official charitable beneficiary, more than $1.2 million in financial support has been donated to the city's oldest children's charity.
