The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Iowa State
Football opens Big 12 play Thursday night at Iowa State
09.22.2017 | Football
The Longhorns and Cyclones will battle during primetime on ESPN.
Texas game notes
Texas Football begins Big 12 Conference play on the road Thursday night in Ames, Iowa when the Longhorns take on the Cyclones of Iowa State. The game is set to kickoff at 7:01 p.m. inside of Jack Trice Stadium. UT enters the game 1-2 through the nonconference portion of the schedule. The Longhorns defeated San Jose State 56-0 in week two, but were defeated by Maryland and in double overtime at USC. Iowa State enters at 2-1 overall, defeating Northern Iowa and Akron. The Cyclones were defeated in overtime by Iowa at home.
National Game Coverage
• Thursday's game will kickoff at 7:01 p.m. CT and is set to be broadcast on ESPN. Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese, Todd McShay (analysts) and Laura Rutledge (sideline) will have the call.
• Longhorn Network's Texas GameDay show begins two hours prior to kickoff. Following the game, LHN will also 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.
Longhorns In Big 12 Openers
• Texas begins its 22nd season of Big 12 Conference play on Thursday night at Iowa State.
• The Longhorns are 16-5 (.762) all-time in Big 12 openers and have an idential 16-5 record in Big 12 road openers.
Entering On Extra Rest
• The Longhorns enter Ames having had 12 days between games since playing at USC on Sept. 16.
• Not counting season openers, Tom Herman is 4-0 in his career with at least 12 days since the last game.
• UT is 10-7 since the start of 2011 in such games.
The All-Time Series
• Texas and Iowa State meet for the 15th time Thursday night.
• The Longhorns lead the all-time series with a record of 12-2. Texas enters with a 5-1 record on the road against Iowa State.
• The first meeting between the two schools was a 17-9 Texas win in 1979. The first matchup in Ames was a 44-41 UT victory in 1999.
• Thursday's game will mark the eighth straight season that the two schools have played.
• Texas was victorious against the Cyclones last season in Austin, 27-6. The Longhorns were defeated 24-0 the last time the two programs squared off in Ames (2015).
A Texas Win Would...
• Improve Texas' all-time record in Big 12 openers to 17-5 (.773).
• Be UT's 893rd all-time victory, third-most in college football history.
• Increase Tom Herman's career record to 24-6 (.800) and his record at UT to 2-2 (.500).
• Extend Texas' streak to two straight over Iowa State and improve the program's all-time mark against the Cyclones to 13-2 (.867).
Head Coach Tom Herman
• Tom Herman is in his first season at Texas and his third season overall as a head coach. He is 23-6 in his career and 1-2 at Texas.
• He has a record of 6-1 against Top 25 opponents, 3-1 against Top 10 foes and 2-1 against teams inside the Top 5.
• He returns to Iowa State on Thursday after serving as the Cyclones' offensive coordinator from 2009-11.
• 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).
Getting Defensive
• Texas' defense has struggled in recent years, but the Longhorns have looked much improved in the early part of the 2017 season on that side of the ball.
• Through three games, Texas has allowed an average of 373.7 yards per game, almost 75 yards better on a per game basis than in 2016.
• The Longhorns' rushing defense (125.3) has improved by nearly 65 yards per game over their average last season.
• UT is first nationally in fourth-down defense, not allowing a conversion in five attempts. Only 11 teams have been perfect on fourth down defensively, while having faced at least three attempts. Nobody in that category has faced more than Texas' five.
• On third down, Texas is drastically improved also. They are currently third in the conference and 22nd nationally having allowed just 11-of-41 (.268) third-down attempts to be converted.
• The Longhorns red zone defense has allowed points on just 60-percent of opponents' trips, good for 12th nationally.
UT's Non-Offensive Touchdowns
• After recording zero non-offensive touchdowns during the entire 2016 season, Texas Football has already scored five through three games this season.
• The Longhorns exploded for three in the season-opener against Maryland and had one each against San Jose State and Southern California.
• Holton Hill has recorded three of them and now has four career non-offensive touchdowns.
• In week one, Hill had a 31-yard interception return and a 65-yard blocked field goal return. Hill returned an interception 45 yards for a TD against SJSU.
• Reggie Hemphill-Mapps has one, returning a punt 91 yards to the house against Maryland.
• DeShon Elliott returned an interception 38 yards to the end zone on the road against USC.
• The season opener against Maryland marked the first time since Oct. 10, 2009 that UT had scored three non-offensive TDs in a game.
• The five non-offensive TDs in 2017 are the most in a season since the 2009 team that played for a National Championship had 11.
Defense Shines At USC
• The Longhorns defense had an impressive performance against one of the top offenses in the country in No. 4/4 USC last weekend in the LA Memorial Coliseum.
• During their 11-game winning streak entering the game, the Trojans were averaging 234.2 rushing yards per game, 5.66 yards per carry and two rushing touchdowns per game. Despite
playing two overtimes against Texas, USC totaled just 71 rushing yards and 1.91 yards per carry with no rushing touchdowns.
• The Trojans' offense was also averaging 537.4 total yards and five touchdowns per game, but was limited to 468 yards and three touchdowns, one of which came in OT.
• Heisman candidate and top NFL Draft prospect Sam Darnold had completed 68.4 percent of his passes during the 11-game span, but was 28-of-49 for 57.1 percent against Texas.
What A Difference A Year Makes
• Through three games in 2017, Texas has already come up with five turnovers (four interceptions, one fumble recovery).
• Last season through three games, the Longhorns' defense had just one turnover.
Going The Other Way
• Through three games, Texas has returned three interceptions for touchdowns, which already is tied for the fourth-most in school history for a single season.
Rush Defense Stepping Up
• Texas' rush defense has been stout in each of the past two games.
• The Longhorns held San Jose State to 42 rushing yards in a week two win. It was the fewest rushing yards allowed in a game since surrendering 34 to Oklahoma State on Oct. 15, 2014.
• Last time out at No. 4/4 USC, who came in averaging 234.2 rushing yards per game, Texas allowed just 71.
• The 2017 season marks the first time since 2011 that Texas has allowed less than 100 yards rushing in back-to-back games.
• In that 2011 season, UT allowed -2 yards on the ground to Kansas before holding Texas Tech to 30 rushing yards the following week.
Longhorns Post Shutout Against SJSU
• Texas posted its first shutout in nearly three years in a 56-0 win against San Jose State.
• Prior to that, the Longhorns last had a shutout on Sept. 27, 2014 in a 23-0 win at Kansas.
• Texas' last shutout inside Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium was on Sept. 8, 2012 in a 45-0 win over New Mexico.
• The shutout was just the fourth for the Longhorns since the 2006 season and the 12th since the start of the 2000 season.
Defense Shines In Shutout Win
• Texas' defense held San Jose State's offense well below their season averages in their week two win.
• SJSU entered the game with per game averages of 28 points, 244 passing yards and 190 rushing yards. The UT defense held the Spartans to zero points, 129 passing yards and just 42 rushing yards.
• The 171 total yards allowed were the fewest a UT defense has allowed in a game since surrendering just 94 total yards to North Texas in 2014.
Turning Up The Heat
• After totaling just two sacks and five tackles for loss in the first two weeks of the season, the Longhorns' defense turned up the heat on the road against USC.
• Texas totaled three sacks and nine tackles for loss in the double-overtime loss to the Trojans.
• Since the start of the 2014 season, the Longhorn defense has posted more tackles for loss in a game just three times.
• LBs Anthony Wheeler and Malik Jefferson led the charge. Wheeler had 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, while Jefferson had two tackles for loss. Jeffrey McCulloch had a half sack.
• DL Charles Omenihu had the other sack, while DBs DeShon Elliott and P.J. Locke III each had a TFL.
Top Of The Hill
• Junior cornerback Holton Hill continues to impress early on in the 2017 season. He is tied for the team lead in touchdowns scored (3) and interceptions (2), while he is fourth with 15 tackles.
• He had arguably the best game of his career against Maryland, becoming the first FBS player in the last 10 seasons to record a pick-six and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown in the same game.
• He has two interceptions returned for a touchdown this season. The first was 31 yards against Maryland in the season opener, UT's first since Hill returned one 41 yards against Oklahoma State in 2015. Against SJSU, Hill returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown.
• He also has a blocked field goal return for a touchdown this season, as he returned one 65 yards to the house against Maryland. That marked UT's first blocked FG return for a touchdown since 2002.
• He is just the second player in school history (Brandon Foster, 2007) to score three non-offensive touchdowns in the same season, and the only player in school history to have three in a two-game span.
Did You Know?
• Holton Hill became just the third player in school history to return an interception for a touchdown in back-to-back games. He joins Greg Brown (2000) and Alan Lowry (1971).
• Prior to Hill, the program had last returned an INT for a TD in back-to-back games in 2007.
Elliott Named Defensive POTW
• Junior defensive back DeShon Elliott was named Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week for his standout performance at USC.
• Elliott had two interceptions to go along with seven tackles (five solo), a tackle for loss and two pass breakups.
• He returned the first interception 38 yards for a touchdown and returned the second one 24 yards into USC territory.
• It was his first career player of the week honor.
Jefferson Ready To Lead The Defense
• Junior linebacker Malik Jefferson was a highly touted recruit out of high school and has made 21 career starts to date.
• 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.
• Through three games, Jefferson leads the Longhorns with 27 total tackles. He had nine in the season opener, seven against San Jose State and a season-high 11 at USC.
• Against the Trojans, Jefferson also had two tackles for loss.
Wheeler Anchoring The Middle
• Junior Anthony Wheeler made his presence felt against USC last time out. The Dallas native made a team high 12 tackles and also had 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Both his TFLs and sacks were career highs.
• He is currently second on the team with 19 tackles and leads the team in tackles for loss.
• As a sophomore last season, Wheeler led UT with 65 total tackles. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles.
Omenihu Stepping Up
• Junior defensive end Charles Omenihu has started the first three games of the season and leads the team with two sacks. He has eight total tackles.
• A native of Rowlett, Texas, Omenihu has appeared in all 27 games played during his career and now has 10 career starts.
• Last season, he totaled 26 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. He also had one quarterback hurry.
Tough Stretch of the Schedule
• Beginning with USC, UT plays the winners of last year's Rose, Texas, Sugar, Alamo and Cactus Bowls within a six-game span.
• Longhorn opponents currently have a 24-11 (.686) combined record through three weeks.
• Texas, having already played at No. 4/4 USC, still faces (as of the latest rankings) No. 3/3 Oklahoma, No. 6/7 Oklahoma State and No. 16/15 TCU. West Virginia, K-State and Texas Tech are receiving votes.
Built Ford Tough
• Nose tackle Poona Ford (Hilton Head, S.C.) continues to be a menace in the middle of the Longhorns' defense early on in his senior season.
• He 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.
• He started the 2017 season with three tackles against Maryland. He also blocked a field goal which Holton Hill returned 65 yards for a touchdown.
• The blocked FG was Ford's third career blocked kick. He also blocked two extra points a season ago.
• Through three games, he has eight tackles and a pass breakup, while clogging the middle of the field up for opposing offenses.
Ehlinger's Got Game
• True freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger made his first career start for the Longhorns in a 56-0 win against San Jose State in week two.
• Ehlinger became the fourth true freshman to start at quarterback for the Longhorns since 1980 and just the 10th in school history.
• In combination with Shane Buechele last season, the 2016-17 seasons mark just the second stretch in school history in which a true freshman has started at QB for UT in consecutive seasons. The 'Horns started a true freshman at the position in at least one game from 1976-79 also.
• Ehlinger was 15-of-27 for 222 yards and a touchdown in his debut. He also rushed for 48 yards and guided the Texas offense to 623 total yards.
• He became just the third true freshman in school history, joining Buechele (2016) and Rick McIvor (1979), to pass for at least 200 yards in a game.
• In guiding Texas to double-overtime on the road at No. 4/4 USC, Ehlinger finished 21-of-40 passing for 298 yards and two touchdowns. The 298 yards were the second-most ever by a true freshman at UT.
• With 5:14 left in the game, trailing 14-10, he guided the Longhorns on a 14-play, 91-yard drive, giving Texas the lead on a 17-yard touchdown strike to Armanti Foreman with 39 seconds left. He passed for 88 yards and rushed for six on that drive, also converting two fourth downs.
Buechele Passing By The Numbers
• Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele started his 13th career game in the opener against Maryland.
• In the game against the Terrapins, he was 34-of-52 for 375 yards and two touchdowns. He set new career highs for passing yards, completions and attempts in that game.
• His 375 yards passing were 10th-most in school history for a single game and the second-most by a sophomore (Chris Simms, 383).
• A native of Arlington, Texas, Buechele has now passed for 200 yards in 11-of-13 games, and he now has two career 300-yard games.
• In just 13 games, Buechele has passed for 3,333 yards, good for 11th-most for a career in school history.
• Buechele has thrown a touchdown pass in 12-of-13 games and now has eight career multi-passing touchdown games.
• Against Maryland, Buechele, after an incompletion on his first throw, completed his next 12 passes. He was one completion shy of cracking the record books with 13 consecutive passes completed.
• He has been named to the watch lists for both the Maxwell Award and Davey O'Brien Award this offseason.
Johnson An Offensive Threat
• After totaling 24 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman, wide receiver Collin Johnson is off to a quick start as a sophomore.
• The San Jose, Calif. native has 16 catches for a team-high 366 receiving yards. His 122.0 yards per game are third in the Big 12.
• Johnson is coming off a monster game against No. 4/4 USC last time out, catching seven passes for 191 yards. The 191 yards were the most in the Big 12 Conference this season, the fourth-most in school history and the sixth-most in the NCAA through three weeks of play.
• His season got off to a strong start against Maryland, catching seven passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.
• Johnson now has two career 100-yard games, both of which have come in the first three games of the 2017 season.
Foreman Finding The End Zone
• Senior WR Armanti Foreman was back in the end zone for the third time this season against USC. It was his third touchdown of the season. He is just the 13th different player in UT history with a receiving touchdown in at least three straight games.
• Foreman caught five passes for 38 yards against the Trojans, including two catches on the Longhorns' late fourth-quarter, go-ahead drive. On that drive, Foreman caught an 11-yard pass on 4th-and-10 to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, he came open in the end zone and was able to drag his toe for a 17-yard score to put Texas ahead 17-14.
• Foreman is second on the team with 15 receptions for 146 yards. He leads Texas with three touchdowns.
• For his career, Foreman has 70 receptions for 936 yards and 10 touchdowns. He is just 64 yards shy of cracking 1,000 career yards.
Brewer Breaks Onto the Scene
• True freshman tight end Cade Brewer caught his first career touchdown pass in the first overtime last Saturday night on the road at No. 4/4 USC.
• The three-yard reception was not just his first career touchdown, but also his first reception. He has played in all three games to date for Texas.
Direct Snaps
• Through three weeks, Texas has utilized a myriad of formations and personnel packages on offense. Thus far, five different players have taken a direct snap from center: QB Shane Buechele, QB Sam Ehlinger, WR/QB Jerrod Heard, WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey and RB Chris Warren III.
Connor Williams Suffers Injury
• Junior All-American left tackle Connor Williams sustained an injury in the Longhorns' game against USC.
• He suffered a sprain of his MCL and PCL and also a meniscus tear that will require arthroscopic surgery in the coming days. There is no timetable for his return at this point.
• Williams had started 26 of a possible 27 contests to date in his career, including 13 consecutive games.
• 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 was recognized as a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, College Football News and Athlon Sports.
• Additionally, Williams was named to the watch lists for the Maxwell Award, Outland Trophy, Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award and was also named preseason All-Big 12.
Experience Among Offensive Line
• Texas totals 81 career starts among offensive linemen on the 2017 roster, but will have a void to fill with the injury to Williams, who has started 26 of them.
• The Longhorns have experienced linemen at four of the five spots, however, and will lean on that group to anchor the line in Williams' absence.
• Patrick Vahe has made 22 career starts, Zach Shackelford has 12, Tristan Nickelson has nine and Jake McMillon has eight.
• Shackelford is on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, which honors the nation's top center.
• Vahe is on the watch list for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year.
Spreading The Ball Around
• At least seven players have caught a pass in each of Texas' three games thus far.
• Against USC, QB Sam Ehlinger connected with eight different players, while he found seven the week prior against SJSU.
• Against Maryland, QB Shane Buechele spread the wealth as 10 different players caught as least one pass. That was a continuation of a popular theme with Buechele's distribution throughout 2016.
• Last year, UT featured a balanced group of wide receivers, as eight players caught at least 18 passes, and Armanti Foreman led the group with 34 catches.
Warren Surpasses 1,000 Career Yards
• Chris Warren III surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards in the win over San Jose State. He has now rushed for 1,048 yards (48th UT history) on just 159 carries (6.6 avg), with nine career touchdowns.
• In just his second game back from injury, Warren carried the ball 16 times for 166 yards and two scores in the win over San Jose State. It marked his fifth career 100-yard game.
• 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.
• Against Texas Tech (2015), he rushed for a UT freshman-record 276 yards and four touchdowns. The following week he had 106 yards in a win at Baylor.
Dickson A Ray Guy Award Candidate
• Junior punter Michael Dickson, a native of Sydney, Australia, entered the 2017 season 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.
• Prior to the 2017 season, Dickson was named a preseason All-American by Athlon Sports, preseason All-Big 12 and a member of the Ray Guy Award watch list.
• Dickson has punted 12 times in 2017 for 540 yards (45.0 avg). He has a long of 64 yards and four punts of more than 50 yards. His net average of 40.3 is currently third in the conference.
Five Football Longhorns Named To Hall of Honor
• Texas Athletics announced its newest members who will be inducted into the Men's and Women's Hall of Honor in October.
• Men's inductees include Ian Crocker (Swimming, 2000-04), Trey Hardee (Track and Field, 2004-07), James Lott (Track and Field/Football, 1984, 1986-87/1983-85), Shaun Rogers (Football, 1997-2000), Drew Stubbs (Baseball, 2003-06) and Nathan Vasher (Football, 2000-03).
• Women's inductees include Merlene Frazer (Track and Field, 1993-95), Cristina Moros (Tennis, 1994-98), Cynthea Rhodes-Patterson (Track and Field, 1987-91), Stacy Stephens (Basketball, 1988-92) and Dorsey Tierney (Swimming, 1988-92).
• Vintage selections are Alfred Jackson (Football, 1974-77), Harry Larrabee (Basketball 1971-74) and Forrest Wiegand (Football, 1967-69) in addition to Special Selection Bill Hall (Student Manager/Student Assistant, 1966-70).
Brotherly Love
• The University of Texas roster features three sets of brothers.
• Junior DB Kris Boyd and brother Demarco, a redshirt-freshman LB, are from Gilmer, Texas.
• Devin Duvernay, a sophomore WR, and his twin brother Donovan (redshirt-freshman DB) hail from Sachse, Texas.
• Third-year RB Kirk Johnson and sophomore WR Collin Johnson are from San Jose, Calif.
Like Father, Like Son
• The Longhorns' roster features five players whose fathers also lettered in football at UT.
• Reserve QB Josh Covey's father Mark lettered as a DB in 1977.
• LB Breckyn Hager's dad, Britt, lettered as a linebacker 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 DB.
• DS Michael David Poujol's dad Mike lettered as a punter in 1982.
First Time Starters
• Five Longhorns have made their first career starts through the nonconference portion of the schedule: QB Sam Ehlinger (SJSU), TE Garrett Gray (Maryland), WR Lil'Jordan Humphrey (Maryland), TE Kendall Moore (SJSU) and RB Kyle Porter (Maryland).
First Time Players
• 20 Longhorns have made their first career appearance in the Burnt Orange and White so far this season.
• LB Marqez Bimage, TE Cade Brewer, LB Demarco Boyd, DL Jamari Chisholm, DL Ta'Quon Graham, WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, OL Patrick Hudson, LB Gary Johnson, K Joshua Rowland, DS Kaleb Smith, DB Josh Thompson and RB Daniel Young all played against Maryland in the season-opener.
• Against San Jose State, OL Austin Allsup, RB Toneil Carter, QB Josh Covey, DB Jarmarquis Durst, QB Sam Ehlinger, TE Kendall Moore and OL J.P. Urquidez all debuted.
• DB Chris Brown debuted on special teams against USC.
Freshman Debuts
• A total of seven true freshmen and five redshirt freshmen have debuted through three games.
• True freshmen to have debuted are: LB Marqez Bimage, TE Cade Brewer, RB Toneil Carter, QB Sam Ehlinger, DL Ta'Quon Graham, DB Josh Thompson and RB Daniel Young.
• Redshirt freshmen who have made their first career appearances are: LB Demarco Boyd, DB Chris Brown, WR Reggie Hemphill-Mapps, OL Patrick Hudson and OL J.P. Urquidez.
Longhorn Captains
• Prior to the season, 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 Graduates
• Four on the 2017 roster celebrated graduation prior to the 2017 season. DB Antwuan Davis, OL Jake McMillon, TE Kendall Moore (Syracuse) and DS Kaleb Smith (Oklahoma State) all 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.
