The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Wyoming
No. 4/6 Football preview: Wyoming
09.11.2023 | Football
Texas Football will host the Wyoming Cowboys for the first time since 2012.
No. 4/6 Texas (2-0) vs. RV/RV Wyoming (2-0)
September 16, 2023
Where: Austin, Texas
Stadium: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: LHN (Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whitaker, Morgan Uber)
Radio: Longhorn Radio Network (Craig Way, Roger Wallace, Will Matthews)
Spanish Radio: Longhorn Radio Network (Dr. Rubén Pizarro-Silva, Arturo Mata)
THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The University of Texas continues its 131st season of football on Saturday when the Longhorns host Wyoming for the sixth all-time meeting.
• Texas climbed to No. 4 in this week's AP Poll, collecting two first-place votes and earning the highest ranking for the Longhorns since finishing the season at No. 2 after the 2009 BCS National Championship Game.
• The Longhorns are ranked in the top five for the first time since beginning the 2010 campaign at No. 5.
• UT also checked in at No. 6 on the US LBM Coaches Poll, UT's best spot on the coaches poll since ranking fourth in week four of the 2010 season.
• Last week, Texas (2-0) defeated No. 3/3 Alabama, 34-24, in Tuscaloosa, UT's first road victory over an AP Top-3 non-conference opponent.
• Wyoming (2-0) heads into Saturday's game after defeating Portland State at home, 31-17.
• Texas will host Wyoming for the fifth time in series history and first time since the programs last met in 2012.
• Texas currently boasts 938 all-time wins, the fifth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 938-390-33 (.701).
Series History vs. Wyoming
• Texas holds a 5-0 advantage over Wyoming in the all-time series and will face the Cowboys in Austin for the first time since 2012.
• Texas and Wyoming will meet at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the fifth time in series history. The Longhorns hold a 4-0 mark at home against the Cowboys, including a 37-17 victory in 2012.
• The Longhorns have averaged 32.6 points per game in the previous five games against the Cowboys.
• UT is 14-1 against current programs from the Mountain West Conference.
Stopping the Tide
• Texas defeated No. 3/3 in Alabama, 34-24, in Week 2, improving UT's all-time record against the Crimson Tide to 8-2-1.
• The victory was the first-ever non-conference road win for Texas versus an AP Top 3 opponent.
• It marked the first victory on the road against any top-three team since the No. 1-ranked Longhorns won "The Game of the Century" at conference foe and second-ranked Arkansas, 15-14, in 1969.
• The Longhorns victory snapped Alabama's 21-game home winning streak. The Tide had won 57 consecutive regular-season games versus non-conference opponents.
• Texas' win was the first double-digit home loss for Alabama head coach Nick Saban as a college football head coach since 2003.
• Longhorn QB Quinn Ewers threw for 349 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, the first non-SEC quarterback to eclipse 250 passing yards and two touchdowns since Saban took over the Crimson Tide program in 2007.
• Texas had five sacks in the game, the most surrendered by the Crimson Tide since 2021 (at Auburn) and the most at home since 2015 (Tennessee). The five sacks were the most for a non-conference foe at Bryant-Denny Stadium since 2012 (6, Western Kentucky).
100th season of Texas Football at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
• 2023 will mark the 100th season in which Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Campbell-Williams will serve as the home for Texas Football.
• The first game at Texas Memorial Stadium took place on Nov. 8, 1924, as the Longhorns welcomed 13,500 fans for a Southwest Conference matchup against Baylor.
• The stadium was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1924, after the UT student body decided to name the stadium in honor of the 198,520 Texans who fought in World War I and the 5,280 who lost their lives doing so.
• In 1977, the stadium was rededicated to veterans of all wars.
• The stadium was renamed in honor of College Football Hall of Fame Darrell K Royal in 1996.
• In 2020, the field, previously named for Joe Jamail, was renamed in honor of Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.
• The Longhorns have an all-time record at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium of 394-122-10 (.759).
X-Factor
• Junior WR Xavier Worthy is one of the premier wide receivers in the Big 12 and the nation.
• For his career, Worthy has hauled in 134 receptions for 1,906 yards and 22 touchdowns.
• Against Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Worthy had five receptions for 75 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter.
• The 44-yard score was the ninth career reception of at least 40 yards and the fifth touchdown of 40-plus yards.
• His 22 receiving touchdowns are tied for second-most among active FBS receivers and are the most among players who have spent their entire career with a Power 5 program.
• He ranks third in UT history in touchdown receptions and is just one of four Longhorns to haul in at least 20 touchdown catches.
Quinn in Command
• Sophomore Quinn Ewers had a standout performance in week two at Alabama, earning Walter Camp Offensive Player of the Week honors after completing 24-of-38 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns to guide the then-11th-ranked Longhorns to a 34-24 victory over then-No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
• He connected for three touchdowns passes for the second consecutive game and fourth time in his career.
• Saturday's 300-yard passing effort was his third career performance.
• He extended his streak of consecutive passes without an interception to 184, the second-longest streak in program history, 120 behind record-holder Sam Ehlinger.
Sanders is a Sensation
• Junior TE Ja'Tavion Sanders registered his first career 100-receiving yard performance in the victory over Alabama, catching five passes for 114 yards, including a career-long 50 yard reception that set up the Longhorns go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter.
• Sanders' 100-yard receiving performance was the second for a Longhorn against the Crimson Tide, joining Jordan Shipley who had 122 yards on 10 receptions in the 2009 BCS Championship Game.
• His 50-yard reception was the 12th-longest for a Texas tight end in program history.
• For his career, Sanders ranks seventh all-time among Longhorn tight ends in touchdowns (6), sixth in receptions (61) and eighth in receiving yards (771).
Mitchell Makes an Impact
• Junior wide receiver Adonai Mitchell has come up huge in his first two games in the Burnt Orange, tallying six receptions for 104 yards in three touchdowns.
• Against Alabama, he had three receptions for 78 yards and a pair of fourth quarter touchdowns. His first was a 7-yard touchdown that gave Texas the lead for good early in the fourth quarter, while his second, 39-yard score that sealed the win.
• It was the first career multi-touchdown game for Mitchell and the second game in which the Georgia transfer has scored against the Crimson Tide.
• He quickly made his presence felt in his first action as a Longhorn in the victory over Rice, catching three passes for 26 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown catch.
• Mitchell's scores Alabama marked the fourth consecutive game in which he has hauled in a touchdown reception, including 9-yard touchdown in the season-opener against Rice, a 10-yard TD against Ohio State in the CFP Semifinals and a 22-yard score against TCU in the CFP National Championship.
Ford Foundation
• Senior LB Jaylan Ford emerged as one of the top defenders in the nation in 2022, earning All-American honors from the Associated Press and first-team All-Big 12 accolades from the league's coaches and the AP.
• Against Alabama, Ford tallied five tackles (two solo) with one tackle for loss in the victory.
• He opened the 2023 season right where he left off last season, registering five tackles (one solo) and intercepting one pass.
• The interception was the fifth of his career, tying him for fourth all-time among Texas linebackers.
Jahdae All Day
• Senior DB Jahdae Barron's impact in the defensive backfield can be felt throughout the team.
• At Alabama, Barron set the tone for the day, intercepting a pass to shut down the Crimson Tide's first drive and returning it 16 yards to set up Texas' first score.
• Barron added four tackles (three solo) in the win in Tuscaloosa.
Jerrin's Jumpstart
• Senior DB Jerrin Thompson has emerged as the field general of the Longhorn secondary, starting 12 of 13 games during the 2022 campaign as a vocal leader of the defense.
• He came up huge in the victory at Alabama, intercepting an early fourth-quarter pass at the Alabama 37 and returning it 32 yards to the 5-yard line to set up a Jonathan Brooks touchdown that gave Texas a 9-point lead.
• Thompson added four tackles (three solo) in the victory.
