Football preview: at West Virginia

Texas (4-6, 2-5) vs. West Virginia (4-6, 2-5)
November 20, 2021
Where: Morgantown, W. Va.
Stadium: Milan Puskar Stadium
Time: 11:00 a.m. CT/12:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2 (Anish Shroff, Mike Golic Jr., Taylor McGregor)
Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network (Craig Way, Roger Wallace, Will Matthews)
Spanish Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network (Dr. Rubén Pizarro-Silva, Jesus Mendoza)
National Radio: ESPN Radio (Sean Kelley, Barrett Jones, Ian Fitzsimmons)

THE OPENING KICKOFF

The University of Texas continues its 129th season of football on Saturday when the Longhorns face West Virginia for the 11th all-time meeting.
Texas (4-6, 2-5) will look to snap a five-game skid in Morgantown, West Virginia after falling in overtime at home to Kansas, 57-56.
West Virginia (4-6, 2-5) has dropped two consecutive games following a 34-17 loss at Kansas State.
Saturday's matchup will be Texas' sixth 11 a.m. CT kickoff this season, with the Longhorns holding a 2-3 record in the previous five games.
Texas currently boasts 927 all-time wins, the fourth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 927-384-33 (.702).

THE ALL-TIME SERIES

Texas is set to face off with West Virginia for the 11th time in program history on Saturday, and for the fifth time in Morgantown.
The Longhorns are 5-5 against West Virginia all-time, and 3-1 when the teams face off at Milan Puskar Stadium, including victories for Texas in the last two contests in Morgantown. West Virginia is the only current member of the Big 12 that Texas does not hold a winning record against.
Last season, Texas bested West Virginia, 17-13, in Austin for the Longhorns' second-straight victory over the Mountaineers.

A Texas Win Would ...

Be Texas' 928th victory all-time, keeping UT as the fourth-winningest program in college football history.
Improve the Longhorns to 17-3 all-time against Kansas and 9-0 in Austin.
Give Steve Sarkisian his 51st victory as a head coach and fifth at The University of Texas.

The Captains

This season, Texas will be naming game captains on a weekly basis.

LOUISIANA (Game 1): OL Derek Kerstetter, RB Roschon Johnson and LB DeMarvion Overshown.
ARKANSAS (Game 2): TE Cade Brewer, K/P Cameron Dicker and DL Moro Ojomo.
RICE (Game 3): OL Junior Angilau, DB B.J. Foster and WR Jordan Whittington.
TEXAS TECH (Game 4): DB Anthony Cook, RB Keilan Robinson and QB Casey Thompson.
TCU (Game 5): DL Keondre Coburn, OL Denzel Okafor and RB Bijan Robinson.
OKLAHOMA (Game 6): RB Roschon Johnson, OL Derek Kerstetter, LB DeMarvion Overshown and RB Keilan Robinson
OKLAHOMA STATE (Game 7): TE Cade Brewer, DB B.J. Foster, EDGE Ovie Oghoufo and DB Brenden Schooler.
BAYLOR (Game 8): RB Roschon Johnson, OL Derek Kerstetter, DL Moro Ojomo and DB Josh Thompson.
IOWA STATE (Game 9): OL Junior Angilau, LB Luke Brockermeyer, DL Keondre Coburn, RB Bijan Robinson
KANSAS (Game 10): DB Anthony Cook, DB Brenden Schooler, WR Marcus Washington, OL Jake Majors.

Bijan Brings the Noise

Bijan Robinson has been on a roll this season, racking up yards at an astonishing rate. In nine games, he has 1,127 yards on 195 carries (5.8 ypc) and 11 touchdowns to go along with 26 receptions for 295 yards (11.3 ypr) and four more scores. In 221 plays he has 1,422 yards for 6.4 yards per play and 15 touchdowns.
The sophomore's hot first half of the season earned him nods on five midseason All-America teams, garnering accolades from the Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN, The Athletic and The Sporting News.
Robinson eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the Iowa State game to become the 13th Longhorn to surpass 1,000 yards on the ground in a season. It marked the 24th time in program history in which a Longhorn has accomplished the feat.
Robinson currently leads the Big 12 Conference in all-purpose yards (142.20), ranks third in rushing yards (1,127), rushing yards per game (112.7), yards per carry (5.78), rushing touchdowns (11) and total touchdowns (15) and fourth in scoring (9.0 points per game) and total points scored (90). His marks in rushing yards, rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards all rank in the top-10 nationally.
Over his last 14 games, Robinson has totaled 1,649 rushing yards on 242 carries (6.8 ypc) with 15 touchdowns, while hauling in 34 receptions for 424 yards (12.5 ypr) and scoring six touchdowns. All told, he has 2,073 yards on 276 plays for 7.5 yards per play and 21 touchdowns.
He has scored 21 touchdowns (15 rushing and six receiving) in his last 11 games.
Against Kansas, Robinson carried the ball 14 times for 70 yards (5.0 ypc) and caught three passes for 48 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown reception, before leaving the game in the third quarter with an elbow injury.
In a 10-game stretch that began last season against Kansas State and concluded against Baylor this season, Robinson scored a touchdown scored a rushing or receiving touchdown in each game, equaling the longest stretch for a Longhorn since Jordan Shipley scored in 10 consecutive games in 2008. It was the longest streak for a UT running back since Cedric Benson in 2003-04, when Benson matched Ricky Williams' UT record of 11 consecutive games in 1998-99.

Thompson at the Helm

Junior QB Casey Thompson was named the starter ahead of the Longhorns' week three game against Rice and quickly took advantage of the opportunity.
Thompson guided Texas to victories in each of his first three career starts, the first Longhorn to begin his career 3-0 since Garrett Gilbert in 2010.
The junior currently leads the Big 12 Conference in passing touchdowns (23), points responsible for (162) and points responsible for per game (16.2), while ranking third in passing efficiency (163.7), fourth in passing yards (1,914), and fifth in yards per completion (13.29) and yards per pass attempt (8.54).
He put on a show against Kansas, completing 30-of-43 passes for 358 yards and matching Colt McCoy's single-game UT record with six touchdown passes.
Thompson also ran six times for 28 yards and another score, his second game this season with a passing and rushing touchdown.
His seven touchdowns accounted for against Kansas (6 pass/1 rush) equaled Clyde Littlefield's (4 pass/3 rec) Texas record established in 1915 against Daniel Baker.
Has three games of five or more touchdowns this season and in his career, the most-ever for a Longhorn.
The 300-yard passing game against Kansas was the third of his career, tied for seventh-most in program history.

The X-Factor

Texas true freshman WR Xavier Worthy has been a dynamic performer in his first season on the Forty Acres, smashing decades-old Texas records and setting a new standard for Longhorn freshmen.
Worthy holds Texas freshman single-season receiving records for receptions (49), yards (831) and touchdowns (11), while also holding the top single-game marks for receptions (14), yards (261) and touchdowns (3, twice).
The Fresno, Calif. native is tied for the FBS lead with 11 touchdown receptions and tops the Big 12 Conference in receiving yards and receiving yards per game (83.1), while ranking third in yards per reception (16.96) and fourth in receptions per game (4.9).
Worthy leads all FBS freshmen in receiving yards, receiving yards per game and touchdown receptions and tops Power 5 freshmen with 49 receptions.
He had a spectacular first half of his freshman campaign, landing on a pair of Freshman Midseason All-America teams with nods from ESPN and The Athletic, as well as a spot on the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
Worthy put on a show against Kansas, hauling in 14 receptions for 152 yards and three touchdowns.
His 14 receptions are tied for second-most and the most ever for a freshman in Texas Football history, while his three touchdowns in the game tied his own freshman record.
The three scores marked his third multi-touchdown receiving game of the season, a new Texas freshman record, and marked the third consecutive game in which he has had a receiving touchdown, tied for the eighth-longest streak in UT history.
It was his fourth 100-yard receiving game this season, the only freshman in UT history with more than two in a season, and is tied for the sixth-most in a season in program history.
His 11 touchdowns this season are tied for fourth-most in a season in UT history and are the most since Jordan Shipley's school record 13 in 2009.
The freshman is averaging 29.3 yards per touchdown catch (322 yards on 11 TDs).

Dynamic Demarvion

Senior LB DeMarvion Overshown has played in 37 games and made 22 starts during his collegiate career.
Overshown is off to a stellar start this season and has been named a Butkus Award semifinalist after racking up 72 tackles (38 solo) with 5.5 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks.
He has recorded 151 tackles (87 solo), 20.5 tackles for loss, 5.0 sacks, 12 pass breakups, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, three recovered and one block punt.
At Baylor, Overshown had a team-high two pass breakups while collecting five tackles (three solo).
Totaled four tackles (one solo) against Oklahoma State before leaving early in the second half with an injury.
Against Oklahoma, the Arp, Texas native had eight tackles (five solo) with two tackles for loss, a fumble recovery and his first career blocked punt.
In Texas' victory over TCU, Overshown registered 10 tackles, including a career-best eight solo tackles, for his second game of 10 or more tackles on the season.
He collected a team-high eight tackles against Arkansas, the second-straight game in which he has led the team in tackles.
In UT's season-opening win over Louisiana, Overshown registered a career-best 13 tackles (4 solo), while also picking up a half sack for a loss of four yards.
Overshown recorded 21 tackles in the first two games of the season, the most tackles for a Longhorn in the first two contests of the season since Cedric Reed had 24 in 2013.

Jamison in Rarified Air

Senior DB D'Shawn Jamison is one of the most electrifying returners in school history, and a threat to score anytime he touches the football.
In 2021, he has returned 15 kicks for 329 yards (21.9 ypr) and 10 punts for 100 yards (10.0 ypr).
For his career, Jamison ranks fourth in kick returns (50) and kick return yards (1,340), while his current average 26.8 yards per return stands as the second-best in UT history.

Dicker the Kicker

Senior K/P Cameron Dicker has scored 371 points during his career, the most all-time for a Texas kicker and the third-most all-time for any position in UT history.
Dicker is 56-for-75 on his career field goal attempts and has made 203-of-206 PATs.
He ranks fourth in UT history in field goals made (56) and is tied for fifth in attempts (75).
With success on eight point after tries against Kansas, Dicker extended his streak of successful PATs to a career-best 67, the fourth-longest streak in UT history.
Against Baylor, Dicker scored six points, making his lone field goal attempt and all three PATs. His third point after try gave him 359 points for his career, supplanting Dusty Mangum as UT's all-time leading scorer among place-kickers.
His 206 career point after attempts and 203 career point after makes are each five behind UT's all-time leader Dusty Mangum.
Against TCU, Dicker earned Co-Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week honors after connecting on a career-best four field goals and finishing 4-for-4 on the day while also making good on both of his PAT attempts to extend his streak of successful tries to 46 straight.
In Texas' victory over Rice, Dicker was successful on all 10 of his extra point attempts, equaling the UT single-game records for both attempts and successful tries.
The Austin native is all handling punting duties this season and added to the Ray Guy Award watch list following week eight of the season. He has punted 35 times for 1,674 yards for an average of 47.8 yards per punt, tied for fifth among FBS punters, with five punts landing inside the opponent's 20-yardline.
This season, Dicker has booted two of the six longest punts in Texas history, registering the fifth-longest punt in program history with a 78-yard effort in the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma followed by a 77-yard punt the following week against Oklahoma State.
At Iowa State, he established career bests with 11 punts for 483 yards.
Against Oklahoma State, Dicker booted seven punts for 362 yards and a career-best average of 51.7 yards per punt. He tied his personal record with three punts of 50-plus yards, equaling his output of the prior game versus Oklahoma.

Full Steam Ahead

The running backs ran wild in Texas' 58-0 win over Rice with three Longhorns breaking runs for over 60 yards, the first time in program history that three different players have registered rushes of over 60 yards in the same game.
Junior Roschon Johnson started things off with a 72-yard jaunt for a score in the first quarter and sophomore Bijan Robinson followed with a 62-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Not to be out done, sophomore Keilan Robinson added a 65-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
Texas finished the game with a program-single-game record 10.4 yards per carry (41 carries for 427 yards).
The last time Texas had three different players with a run of 60 yards or more in a season was 2004. Romance Taylor had a 74-yard touchdown run in the season opener against North Texas and Cedric Benson busted a 60-yard run at Arkansas the following week. Vince Young added one of his own with a 60-yard run in the Rose Bowl against Michigan.
Texas' previous season with at least three runs of 60 yards took place in 2015, when D'Onta Foreman had three (Kansas – 93 yards, Oklahoma – 81 yards, West Virginia – 65 yards) and Chris Warren III had one (Texas Tech – 91 yards).
The last time there were three plays of 60 or more yards in a single game occurred against Oklahoma in 2005 when Jamaal Charles ran 80 yards for a touchdown, Rodrique Wright scored on a 67-yard fumble return and Vince Young connected with Billy Pittman for a 64-yard touchdown pass.
In addition to three players busting 60-plus yard runs, four different players rushed for touchdowns against Rice, with freshman Jonathon Brooks joining the trio with a 17-yard score in the fourth quarter.

Breaking Big Plays

Texas has registered 600 yards of offense in each of their two games (620 vs. Rice/639 vs. Tech). That's just the second time in school history that the Longhorns have had back-to-back 600-yard games. UT had 3-straight 600-yard games in 2005 (606 vs. Oklahoma State/645 vs. Baylor/617 vs. Kansas). The 1,259 yards over two games are the second-most yards in a two-game stretch in UT history.
Texas rushed for 427 yards against Rice and 346 against Texas Tech, the first time rushing for more than 300 yards in back-to-back games since 2016 against Cal (307) and Oklahoma State (329).
The Longhorns surpassed 300 yards passing and 300 yards rushing on the day, which was last accomplished against Colorado in the 2020 Alamo Bowl.

Passing on Punts

Against Rice and Texas Tech, the Longhorns did not attempt a single punt, the first time in program history that UT had not punted in consecutive games.
Between a punt following their first drive of the second half against Arkansas and an early second quarter punt at TCU, the Longhorns went 29 consecutive drives without attempting a punt, the third longest streak since 2005.
The Longhorns streak included 10 full quarters without attempting a punt.
The only other season in which Texas had two games with zero punt attempts was in 2011 (vs. Texas Tech, at Baylor).

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

Players Mentioned

Junior Angilau

Cade Brewer

Luke Brockermeyer

Jonathon Brooks

Keondre Coburn

Anthony Cook

Cameron Dicker

B.J. Foster

D'Shawn Jamison

Roschon Johnson

Derek Kerstetter

Jake Majors

Ovie Oghoufo

Moro Ojomo

Denzel Okafor

DeMarvion Overshown

Bijan Robinson

Keilan Robinson

Brenden Schooler

Casey Thompson

Josh Thompson

Marcus Washington

Jordan Whittington

Xavier Worthy