The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
08.28.2017 | Football
The Tom Herman era kicks off inside Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday.
Texas Game Notes
The University of Texas begins its 125th season of football when the Longhorns play host to the University of Maryland Terrapins on Saturday at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium. The game will mark the first of the Tom Herman Era after his hire on Nov. 26, 2016. Maryland is coming off a 6-7 campaign a season ago, playing in the Quick Lane Bowl under first-year head coach D.J. Durkin. This Saturday's game will mark the fourth all-time between the Longhorns and Terps.
National Game Coverage
• Saturday's game will kickoff at 11:05 a.m. and is set to be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. Justin Kutcher will handle the play-by-play duties, while Mark Helfrich and Petros Papadakis will provide analysis from the booth. Jen Hale will round out the crew and report from the sidelines.
• Beginning two hours prior to kickoff, tune into Longhorn Network's Texas GameDay show live from DKR - Texas Memorial Stadium. Following the game, LHN will host Texas GameDay Final for an hour postgame.
• A Texas radio broadcast with Craig Way, Roger Wallace and Quan Cosby can be heard nationally on Sirius channel 132, XM channel 199 and online channel 953.
At The Game ...
• Darrell Royal's first recruiting class - The 1957 Shorthorns - will be recognized on the field pregame.
• The Texas coaching staff will wear American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) patches on their shirts to bring awareness of and promote the association.
The Longhorns In Openers
• Texas is 103-18-3 (.843) all-time in season openers, including a record of 107-14-3 (.875) in home openers.
• The Longhorns are 74-16-3 (.812) in openers at DKR, dating back to the first game in the middle of the 1924 season.
The All-Time Series
• Texas leads the all-time series against Maryland, having won all three games to date.
• The two programs last met in the 1978 Sun Bowl, a 42-0 Longhorns' victory.
• The first matchup came in Austin during the 1959 season and UT returned the trip to College Park a year later.
• Tom Herman has never played Maryland as a head coach.
A Texas Win Would...
• Be the first win for Head Coach Tom Herman and improve his career record to 23-4.
• Mark the program's 892nd all-time victory, third-most in college football.
• Make UT 4-0 all-time against Maryland.
• Give the Longhorns their 17th season-opening win in the last 18 years.
• Extend Texas' win streak in home openers to 18 straight years.
• Improve Herman's record to 3-0 in season openers as a head coach.
Head Coach Tom Herman
• Tom Herman enters his first season at Texas and his third season overall as a head coach. Herman is 22-4 in two seasons, including a 6-0 mark against Top 25 opponents.
• Herman guided Houston to a 13-1 record and a win in the Peach Bowl during his first season. He was just the fourth head coach in NCAA history with at least 13 wins in a rookie season (Chris Petersen, George Woodruff, Walter Camp) and just the fifth to win the first 10 games of his career (Petersen, Woodruff, Camp and Larry Coker).
• In addition to a 6-0 record against Top 25 opponents, Herman's teams have gone 3-0 against Top 10 foes and 2-0 against teams inside the Top 5.
A 280-Day Journey
• Since Tom Herman's hiring on Nov. 26, 2016 the 30th head coach in Texas Football history has been busy improving the Longhorns' program. Exactly 40 weeks will have passed between the announcement of his hiring and when UT takes the field against Maryland.
• Herman and his staff got right to work on the recruiting trail in December before National Signing Day in February.
• After the holiday break, the team reported back to campus to begin winter conditioning with Yancy McKnight, whose program has paid dividends.
• Next came spring ball, where the Longhorns had the chance to get acclimated to the new coaching staff on the field for the first time through the NCAA's mandated 15 practices.
• Throughout the summer period, the team was back in McKnight's conditioning program for seven more weeks before being turned over to Herman and his staff for fall camp and the 2017 season.
Transforming Bodies
• Texas has gotten stronger and faster since the arrival of Yancy McKnight and having gone through his offseason training program.
• The Longhorns lost 525 pounds of body fat this offseason, while gaining 385 pounds of lean muscle mass.
• The team increased their vertical jump average to 30.3", power clean average to 279 pounds, back squat average to 467 pounds and bench press average to 315.
Early Kickoff To Start The Season
• Saturday's 11 a.m. kickoff will mark the first time since the 2006 season that Texas' season opener will kickoff prior to noon.
• UT's week two matchup is slated for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff against San Jose State. Since 2000, the Longhorns have hosted just eight TV games in September that have kicked off at 2:30 p.m. or earlier.
The 2017 Schedule
• The Longhorns are set to begin a difficult 2017 slate on Saturday against Maryland, as eight opponents went to bowl games last year.
• UT's 2017 opponents had a combined record of 83-69 (.546) in 2016.
• Beginning with Texas' week three matchup at USC, the Longhorns will play the winners of last season's Rose, Texas, Sugar, Alamo and Cactus Bowls within a six-game span.
Brotherly Love
• The University of Texas roster features three sets of brothers in 2017.
• Junior defensive back Kris Boyd and brother Demarco, a redshirt-freshman linebacker, are from Gilmer, Texas.
• Devin Duvernay, a sophomore wide receiver, and his twin brother Donovan (redshirt-freshman defensive back) hail from Sachse, Texas.
• Third-year running back Kirk Johnson and sophomore wide receiver Collin Johnson are from San Jose, Calif.
Like Father, Like Son
• The Longhorns' 2017 roster features five players whose fathers also lettered in football at UT.
• Reserve quarterback Josh Covey's father Mark lettered as a defensive back for Texas in 1977.
• Linebacker Breckyn Hager's dad, Britt, lettered as a linebacker for the Longhorns in 1984, '85, '87 and '88 and is UT's all-time leading tackler.
• Kirk and Collin Johnson's father Johnnie lettered from 1976-79 and was an All-American defensive back for Texas.
• Redshirt-freshman deep snapper Michael David Poujol's dad Mike lettered as a punter in 1982.
Longhorn Captains
• Last Friday, Tom Herman announced the Longhorns' 2017 team captains, as voted on by the team. The captains are senior DL Poona Ford, senior LB Naashon Hughes, junior DB P.J. Locke III and junior OL Connor Williams.
Longhorn All-Americans
• Four UT players earned All-America honors following the 2016 season, including three that return in 2017.
• In addition to RB D'Onta Foreman, returning OL Connor Williams was a consensus All-American. P Michael Dickson was also an All-American while OL Zach Shackelford earned freshman All-America honors.
Williams Ready For The Spotlight
• Junior left tackle Connor Williams had a standout sophomore campaign a season ago and seems ready for an even better season in 2017.
• Last season, Williams was a consensus first-team All-American, just the fourth sophomore in UT history to receive first-team All-America honors (Hub Bechtol, 1944; Russell Erxleben, 1976 and Earl Thomas, 2009) and second sophomore (Thomas) to earn consensus honors.
• Throughout the offseason, Williams has been recognized as a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, College Football News and Athlon Sports.
• Additionally, Williams has been named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Outland Trophy, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was also named preseason All-Big 12.
Williams By The Numbers
• Williams' strength numbers are equally impressive as his on-the-field accolades. The junior from Coppell, Texas power cleans 365 pounds, bench presses 420 pounds, back squats 565 pounds and has a 33.5" vertical at 315 pounds. His vertical jump, pound-for-pound, is the best on the team.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Williams was the only returning OT to log more than 370 snaps in pass protection last season and allow less than five QB pressures. His Pass Blocking Efficiency was 98.2, tied for the best mark in the country. He allowed just one sack in 423 pass block snaps during 2016.
• With freakish numbers across the board, Sports Illustrated's Bruce Feldman named Williams at No. 35 on his 2017 Freaks list, while College Football News tabbed him as the 14th-best player in college football.
Experience Among Offensive Line
• Texas returns 66 career starts among offensive linemen on the 2017 roster.
• Williams has started all 23 games in which he has played during his first two seasons at UT.
• The Longhorns have at least five returning starts at each position projected along the offensive line.
• Patrick Vahe has made 19 career starts, Zach Shackelford returns with nine career starts under his belt, Jake McMillon has made five starts and Tristan Nickelson has made six.
• Center Zach Shackelford is on the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which honors the nation's top center.
• Patrick Vahe is on the watch list for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year.
Buechele Preparing For An Encore
• Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele started all 12 games as a true freshman a season ago, becoming the first true freshman QB in school history to do so.
• He guided the Longhorns to five victories, tied with Bobby Layne (1944) for the most wins ever by a true freshman quarterback at UT.
• He became the first Texas quarterback (any class) to pass for 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns since Colt McCoy did so in 2009.
• In total he passed for 2,958 yards, seventh-most in school history for a single-season.
• The native of Arlington, Texas passed for at least 200 yards in 10 of 12 games.
• Buechele threw a touchdown pass in all but one game and passed for multiple scores in seven games.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Buechele led all true freshman QBs nationally with 12 touchdowns on quick passes (thrown within 2.5 seconds or less of the snap) and 12 touchdowns on long passes (20-or-more yards).
• He has been named to the watch lists for both the Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award this offseason.
Warren Ready To Return To Field
• After a strong finish to his true freshman season in 2015 and a fast start to his sophomore campaign in 2016, junior running back Chris Warren III is eager to return to the field after suffering a season-ending injury last year against Oklahoma State.
• Despite playing in just three-and-a-half games a season ago, Warren ran for 366 yards and three touchdowns on 62 total attempts.
• As a freshman, Warren ran for 470 yards and four touchdowns, the bulk of his production coming in the season's final two games.
• Against Texas Tech (2015), Warren rushed for a UT freshman-record 276 yards and four touchdowns. The following week he had 106 yards in a win at Baylor.
• Depite playing in just 12 games to date with four career starts, Warren enters 2017 with 836 career rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He is just 164 yards shy of becoming the 51st Longhorn in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for rushing.
• The junior from Rockwall, Texas is on the watch list for the 2017 Maxwell Award.
Powerful Backs
• Weighing in at 250 pounds, Warren is pound-for-pound the strongest player in the Texas Football program.
• He power cleans 340 pounds, front squats 450 pounds and bench presses 390 pounds. His 31" vertical jump ranks in the top 20 on the team pound-for-pound.
• At 5-foot-10, 220 pounds, sophomore Kyle Porter doesn't look like a power back but the numbers say otherwise.
• The Katy, Texas native power cleans 315 pounds, squats 520 pounds, bench presses 345 pounds and has a vertical jump of 37".
The Running Back Room
• Associate head coach Stan Drayton has a young running back room to work with in 2017, with Warren being the Longhorns' most experienced back with 12 games under his belt.
• Joining Warren and Porter are redshirt-sophomore Kirk Johnson and a pair of true freshmen from Houston in Toneil Carter and Daniel Young.
• In total, UT's running backs have career numbers of 187 attempts, 1,085 yards and seven touchdowns.
Replacing D'Onta Foreman
• While replacing D'Onta Foreman and his production in 2016 may be a near impossible task, the Longhorns will look to fill some of the void in 2017.
• Last season, Foreman rushed for 2,028 yards and 15 touchdowns.
• He was named the 2016 Doak Walker Award winner, the fourth time in school history that a player has won the prestigious award given to the nation's best running back.
• Foreman was also named a consensus All-American, the first UT back to earn that honor since Ricky Williams did so in 1998.
• He was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans.
Spreading The Ball Around
• Texas featured a balanced group of wide receivers in 2016, as eight players caught at least 18 passes, and Armanti Foreman led the group with 34 catches.
• Additionally, eight players had more than 200 yards receiving, six had at least 300, five had more than 350 and Foreman led the group with 420 yards.
• Eight Longhorns caught a touchdown pass a season ago, with six players tying for the team lead with three.
Burt Excelling At Two Sports
• For the second straight season, John Burt put up strong numbers on the football field and excelled on the track in the 110m hurdles for UT.
• After leading the team in receiving as a true freshman in 2015, Burt made five starts and caught 18 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown in 2016.
• After focusing on football throughout spring practices, Burt turned his attention quickly to the track where, in his second race of the season, he placed third at Big 12 Championships.
• He then won his heat in the NCAA Regionals to qualify for NCAA Championships in Eugene for the second consecutive season.
Dynamic Receiving Duo
• QB Shane Buechele found a quick connnection with classmates Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay a season ago.
• The receiving duo's 41 combined receptions were second-most in school history among freshman WR duos, while their 727 yards were third-most in a single-season.
Defensive Leaders
• One thing that head coach Tom Herman and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando stress is leadership, and that has especially come out on the defensive side of the ball where three players were voted team captains.
• Senior DL Poona Ford, senior LB Naashon Hughes and junior DB P.J. Locke III will be three of the four to represent the Longhorns as captains throughout the 2017 season.
Pedigree For Success
• Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando enters his third season under Tom Herman and his 13th straight season as a defensive coordinator.
• He has found success at each of his four previous stops as the DC: UConn (2005-10), FIU (2011-12), Utah State (2013-14) and Houston (2015-16).
• In his first season at Houston, Orlando's defense led the nation with 35 takeaways, while they also finished eighth nationally in rushing defense (108.9 ypg) and 20th in scoring defense (20.7 ppg).
• Last season at UH, Orlando's defense finished 13th in total defense and fourth in rush defense. They were also third nationally with five defensive touchdowns and allowed just 23.5 points per game.
• Orlando's defense found particular success against national award winners, All-Americans and last season's Heisman Trophy finalists. UH played Florida State's Dalvin Cook in the Peach Bowl following the 2015 season and then played three Heisman finalists in 2016: Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook and Heisman winner Louisville's Lamar Jackson.
Built Ford Tough
• Nose tackle Poona Ford (Hilton Head, S.C.) enters his senior season and has emerged as not only one of the Longhorns' leaders, but also one of their best defensive players.
• Despite playing on the interior defensive line, Ford finished fourth among UT defenders with his 54 tackles a year ago.
• He added 5.5 tackles for loss, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and two blocked extra points.
• He was named second-team All-Big 12 by ESPN.com and was also tabbed honorable mention All-Big 12 by the league's coaches.
• This season he has been named preseason All-Big 12 and is also on the Senior Bowl watch list.
Ford By The Numbers
• Ford is one of the Longhorns' strongest players and also one of its most athletic across the board, standing at 6-foot-0 and 305 pounds.
• The senior power cleans 330 pounds, squats 600 pounds and bench presses 380 pounds, in addition to his 28" vertical jump which is inside the top 20 pound-for-pound in the program.
• According to Pro Football Focus, Ford was second nationally among defensive interior players with 37 stops a season ago.
• He received a grade of 85.9 from PFF overall, while grading out at 88.8 with 41 stops against the run.
Getting After The Quarterback
• UT's defense had a stellar year when it came to getting after the QB in 2016.
• Texas' 41 sacks were fifth-best nationally and led the conference, while their 91 TFL also led the Big 12.
Roach A Quarterback Menace
• Sophomore Malcolm Roach played in all 12 games and made five starts for the Longhorns a season ago as a true freshman.
• He finished with 33 tackles, eight TFL and three sacks on the season.
• His eight tackles for loss were tied for eighth all-time by a UT freshman in a season while his three sacks tied for 10th among freshmen at UT.
• He was named preseason All-Big 12 and is also on the Nagurski Trophy watch list.
Wheeler Anchoring The Middle
• Junior Anthony Wheeler will anchor the Longhorns' defense from the middle linebacker spot to begin 2017.
• As a sophomore last season, Wheeler led UT with 65 total tackles. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles.
• He has invested in McKnight's strength and conditioning program this offseason, becoming one of the best athletes on the team.
• He power cleans 330 pounds, squats 530 pounds and bench presses 380 pounds while his 36" vertical jump is among Texas' best pound-for-pound.
Jefferson Ready To Lead The Defense
• Junior linebacker Malik Jefferson was a highly touted recruit out of high school and has made 18 career starts throughout his first two seasons.
• As a freshman, Jefferson was named a freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News and USA Today. He made 61 tackles and seven TFL in 2015.
• Last season, Jefferson totaled 62 tackles, 8.5 TFL and 5.5 sacks to earn second-team All-Big 12 recognition from the Associated Press.
• This summer he has been named a preseason All-American by Sporting News, preseason All-Big 12 and is on the watch lists for the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Trophy and the Butkus Award.
Jefferson By The Numbers
• Jefferson is another Longhorn who had complete buy-in to the new coaching staff throughout the offseason, and has the numbers to back it up in the weight room.
• He power cleans 330 pounds, squats 530 pounds and bench presses 430 pounds, all with a vertical jump of 36.5".
• According to Pro Football Focus, Jefferson tied for first among Big 12 linebackers with less than 630 defensive snaps in 2016 with 33 total stops. A stop is defined as the total number of solo defensive tackles made which constitute an offensive failure.
Hager Always In Attack Mode
• The son of Britt Hager, UT's all-time leading tackler, Breckyn Hager enters his third year wearing the burnt orange.
• The linebacker has played in 21 career games with five starts.
• He was named to the watch list for the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy and is also a preseason All-Big 12 selection by Athlon Sports.
• Hager is coming off a 2016 campaign in which he played in all 12 games and made five starts at linebacker.
• He was second on the team with 64 tackles while leading the Longhorns with 13.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.
• Following a strong season, Hager was named second team All-Big 12 by the league's coaches, the Associated Press and ESPN.com.
Locke-ing Down The Defense
• Junior defensive back P.J. Locke III is looking to build on a strong 2016 season. He has stepped up this offseason and blossomed into a leader for the Longhorns, proven by being selected a captain by his teammates.
• The Beaumont, Texas native has played in all 24 career games to date and made nine starts last season at nickelback.
• Last season, Locke made 33 tackles, two TFL and a sack. He also had two interceptions, a fumble recovery and eight passes defended.
• According to PFF, Locke had the lowest passer rating (48.9) when targeted among all returning Big 12 cornerbacks last season who played at least 308 snaps in coverage. The next best was Oklahoma's Steven Parker, who posted a rating of 68.5.
• Locke's 48.9 rating against the pass is second-best among returning cornerbacks in the Power Five Conferences. Only Alabama's Minkah Fitzpatrick (37.8) had a better rating.
Boyd By The Numbers
• Junior DB Kris Boyd stands at 6-foot-0 and weighs in at 200 pounds, but tests off the charts in the weight room.
• A native of Gilmer, Texas, Boyd power cleans 300 pounds, bench presses 325 pounds and front squats 425 pounds. He also has an impressive vertical jump of 36.5".
• As a sophomore a season ago, Boyd played in all 12 games and started the final eight at cornerback.
• He finished sixth on the team with 51 tackles (45 solo) and added an interception, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and five pass breakups.
Dickson A Ray Guy Award Candidate
• Junior punter Michael Dickson, a native of Sydney, Australia, enters the 2017 as one of the nation's top returning punters. Last season, he was named a finalist for the Ray Guy Award, the first Longhorn to ever earn that distincition.
• Dickson, who was named Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Year, set a school record with an average of 47.4 yards per punt. That mark led the conference and was third-best in the NCAA.
• In total, Dickson punted 65 times and totaled 3,079 yards. Of his 65 punts, 25 were more than 50 yards and 28 were downed inside the 20.
• In addition, 13 of his punts were downed inside the 10-yard line. Of those punts downed inside the 10, opponents scored just seven points on the ensuing drives all season long.
• As a team, Texas was first in the Big 12 and fourth nationally with a 42.8 net punting average.
• Prior to the 2017 season, Dickson has been named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, preseason All-Big 12 and a member of the Ray Guy Award watch list.
Dickson Notable 2016 Games
• A true weapon for the Longhorns, Dickson had several notable games a season ago.
• In the season opener against Notre Dame, his 55.0 yards per punt average was a school record. His five punts of 50+ yards and his 64-yard punt both were new career highs.
• Against Baylor, Dickson matched his career high once again with five punts of more than 50 yards. He averaged 52.7 yards on six attempts, good for the fourth-best mark in school history.
• In the win over Texas Tech, Dickson punted five times and averaged 51.0 yards per punt, good for the eighth-best mark in school history.
• Against WVU, he punted four times. While three were returned, UT held those returns to a combined return yardage of minus-3.
• Dickson punted eight times in each of the final two games of the season. Against Kansas, he downed four inside the 20 and three inside the six. Against TCU he also downed four inside the 20, including one at the 3-yard line.
• Dickson averaged more than 40 yards per punt in every game.
Longhorns Ranked 23rd in Preseason
• The Longhorns enter the season ranked No. 23 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Poll preseason Top 25.
• UT's appearance in the AP Top 25 marks their first in the preseason poll since prior to the 2013 season.
• The Longhorns have now appeared in 52 of 68 Associated Press preseason Top 25 polls since it first began in 1950.
Five Named Preseason All-Big 12
• Five Longhorns were named preseason All-Big 12, tied for the most representatives in the conference.
• P Michael Dickson, DL Poona Ford, LB Malik Jefferson, DL Malcom Roach and OL Connor Williams were those that received preseason recognition.
Three On Senior Bowl Watch List
• Three Longhorn seniors were named to the Senior Bowl watch list prior to the 2017 season.
• Those on the watch list are DL Poona Ford, DB Jason Hall and LB Haashon Hughes.
Winning In the Classroom
• Eleven Longhorns earned Academic All-Big 12 honors in 2016. Six players were recognized on the first team, including P Michael Dickson, DS Jak Holbrook and OL Connor Williams who return in 2017. In addition, K Mitchell Becker, DB John Bonney, OL Elijah Rodriguez and LB Anthony Wheeler are the returnees who were named to the second team.
• A total of 37 student-athletes were recognized on the fall semester Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll last season, while 34 were honored following the spring semester.
• QB Shane Buechele, WR Devin Duvernay, LB Jeffrey McCulloch, RB Kyle Porter, OL Zach Shackelford and DL Gerald Wilbon were the six Longhorns named to the Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team.
Longhorn Graduates
• Two Longhorns on the 2017 roster celebrated graduation in mid-May during UT's spring commencement ceremony. Both DB Antwuan Davis and OL Jake McMillon graduated with their bachelor's degrees from UT, while graduate transfers Kendall Moore (Syracuse) and Kaleb Smith (Oklahoma State) also hold degrees.
• Several notable Longhorns and former NFL players also earned thier degrees: Emmanuel Acho (master's), Mike Davis, Michael Griffin, Chris Ogbonnaya (master's), Cory Redding and Jaxon Shipley.
First-Round Draft Success
• UT is among national leaders in first-round draft success in both the NFL and NBA since 2000. Since that time, the Longhorns have totaled 28 selections between the two leagues.
• Texas joins North Carolina as the only two schools with at least 10 first-round picks in each league, while the Longhorns are the only school with at least 12 in each.
