Texas Football: 5 Things Longhorns Should Improve vs UTEP

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns players are introduced before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Texas football is coming off their biggest season opening win in years and has set themselves up to make a run in 2016. They face a difficult stretch of games in the coming weeks, but first they have to take care of business against UTEP in Week 2.

This is definitely the most winnable game on Texas’ schedule in the first half of the season. The Miners are the only non-Power 5 team on the Longhorns’ schedule this season and provide a nice buffer between the highs of the season-opener and a grueling stretch at Cal, at Oklahoma State, and against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

But Texas should not overlook this UTEP team. While the Horns come into the game as 29 point favorites, this game is an opportunity to build more momentum moving forward. The win against Notre Dame was great and exciting, but there are definitely areas where this team has room to grow.

The Miners, no offense, present a perfect opportunity to tune up. Texas has raised the level of expectations on this season astronomically after the Notre Dame win. They can’t rest on their laurels this week if they hope to get where they want to be. This is an opportunity to improve as a team and the Horns must attack it as such.

Charlie Strong and his coaching staff aren’t going to be satisfied after their season opening win and that attitude will permeate to the roster. Every week is a chance to get better and Texas’ young roster needs to take advantage of any opportunity to grow.

With that being said, here are five things we would like to see Texas improve on in Week 2 against UTEP.

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver John Burt (1) catches a touchdown pass during the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Nobody would deny that Shane Buechele had a tremendous debut against Notre Dame. But the young man is still a true freshman and has room to improve.

One thing that stood out in the season opening win was how aggressive this Texas passing offense can be. Buechele was not shy about taking his shots and often attacked the Irish secondary deep. While he connected with John Burt for a long score to start the second half, the Texas offense needs to connect on those long passes more consistently moving forward.

A number of passes fell incomplete for any number of reasons. Burt had a huge drop in the first half and Buechele was not on the same page with his receivers on a couple of others. This Texas offense has the talent to stretch opponents vertically in 2016 but they need to get more efficient with their attack.

Against UTEP, Texas should continue to be aggressive in their offensive attack and focus on connecting on more long passes. Making opposing defenses respect their deep passing game will open up things underneath for the short passing game and the power running game.

If they can consistently hit those home run plays in the passing game, it will make them a very dangerous team in Big 12 play.

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; ATexas Longhorns linebacker Malik Jefferson (46) sacks Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The Texas defense looked pretty good at times against the Irish, coming up with key stops when they needed them the most. But the one thing the Longhorns didn’t do against Notre Dame was create turnovers or generate consistent pressure.

As the season progresses, the ability to create turnovers and negative plays will have a major impact on the success of this team. Texas needs its stars on defense to come up with a game-changing play. The secondary got their hands on passes to knock them away against Notre Dame. Against the Miners, they need to show an ability to hang onto them and create quick-change opportunities.

The defensive line, meanwhile, needs to improve their pass rush. While Texas managed three sacks against the Irish, two of those were from defensive backs on blitzes. The defensive line managed just two quarterback pressures on the night and struggled to get pressure without help from a blitz. Bringing additional pressure should be a boost to the pass rush, not a requirement.

UTEP will provide the Texas defense to take steps forward on creating more negative plays. That will build confidence that will help this team against some of the tough competition coming up on their schedule.

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) runs for a touchdown as Texas Longhorns safety Kevin Vaccaro (18) defends in the third quarter at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas won 50-47 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

One of the most glaring issues for the Texas defense coming out of Week 1 was the alarming number of missed tackles. Notre Dame is extremely talented and athletic, so some of that can be excused. But for the Longhorns to compete in the Big 12 race, they need to improve their tackling.

Playing a team like UTEP will give the defense a chance to get back to fundamentals. On several occasions last Sunday, Texas defenders flew into a play out of control to the play and missed their mark. One of those missed tackles allowed DeShone Kizer to scramble 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. That touchdown sparked a 21-0 run for the Irish that forced Texas to rally late.

This week, the Miners don’t have the firepower that Notre Dame does, but they could be dangerous. UTEP running back Aaron Jones currently leads the nation with 249 rushing yards. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry in the Miners’ 38-22 win over New Mexico State in Week 1 and scored twice, including once on a 75-yard scamper. He’s no Kizer, but he will still demand good, sound team tackling to contain him.

As the season goes on, Texas will face better playmakers. Best to work out the fundamentals of tackling now before it’s too late.

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns running back D

With so much hype surrounding the season opener, Charlie Strong leaned on his more experienced players to get things done. That prevented some talented freshman from making an impact. This week, it’s time to get those young studs involved.

All summer we heard about how talented this incoming freshman class would be. While we saw key contributions from some of them, like Shane Buechele and Zach Shackleford, many others were left on the sideline. Young players who are going to play a major role in Texas’ success in 2016 still need to find their way onto the field.

This week, players like Devin Duvernay, Collin Johnson, and Brandon Jones (just to name a few) should see extended playing time. This will help build the depth of the team as they head into the meat of their schedule. That depth will be vital for the Horns to survive this season and continue to win games.

Last week’s game dictated Strong lean on his experienced players more heavily. This week, the team needs to seize the opportunity to incorporate their young talent into the mix.

Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Charlie Strong reacts on the sidelines against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Texas had Notre Dame against the ropes in Week 1, jumping out to a 31-14 advantage early in the second half. But for one reason or another, the Horns took their foot off the gas, allowing an Irish rally and needing a late touchdown of their own to secure the win.

When you have a 17-point lead, you have to show the killer instinct to finish games off. Notre Dame is a talented team that wasn’t going to go away on their own. When Texas relaxed just a bit, the Irish stormed back, scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half to turn a 31-17 lead into a 31-35 deficit.

The Longhorns have to find that killer instinct to press their advantage and put teams away. After watching TCU struggle against South Dakota State and Mississippi State losing to Southern Alabama, there’s no reason to overlook what should be an easy win for Texas. They have the advantage in talent and momentum but they have to stay focused and finish.

That focus is going to serve them down the line when the games get big once again.