Texas Enjoying a Bye-Week Break

The Texas Longhorns head into their bye week sitting at No.2 in the country. They hold a 5-0 record, a top 10 win and a 1-0 start to SEC play.

After a five-game season-opening stretch, the Longhorns finally get a break. This comes after beating every opponent by at least 19 points.

Perfect Timing

The break comes at the perfect time, considering after the break they will enter a season-defining stretch of games. Starting with their matchup against the No.19 Oklahoma Sooners and the No.5 Georgia Bulldogs in Austin.

The Longhorns are also suffering from some key injuries, most notably starting quarterback Quinn Ewers. Ewers has been out for a little more than two and a half games with an oblique injury sustained in the win against UTSA. However, according to reports Ewers is set to start on Oct.12 against Red River Rival Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

Ewers suffered an oblique strain in Week 2 against UTSA, and Arch Manning came in to relieve him. Manning has started in Ewers’ place against UL Monroe and Mississippi State.

#Texas #Longhorns' redshirt junior QB Quinn Ewers is expected to return to the starting lineup against the #Oklahoma #Sooners on Oct. 12 after missing the last two and a half games due to an abdominal strain, a source close to the situation told https://t.co/RFQ2dWW2eV.…

— Chip Brown (@ChipBrown247) September 30, 2024

Ewers getting to have one full week of rest before the Oklahoma game is the best-case scenario for everyone.

In the works

For the first time in well over a decade, the Longhorns go into the bye week with an undefeated record and a top two ranking in the AP Poll and Coaches Poll this week.

Texas can come out of the bye week well-rested and with more confidence before OU if a few issues that arose during the Mississippi State game are addressed.

One being the offensive line. Penalties and occasional miscommunication in run blocking and pass protection off the snap at the line of scrimmage have cost the Longhorns at times.

The defensive could also use some minor improvements when it comes to starting out hot. Testing out different pass rush schemes and personnel sets and alignments could help the Longhorns get better and even more consistent. Putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks in key games against good quarterbacks in the regular season’s second half for the Texas defensive front will be key when it comes to their OU and Georgia games.

Oklahoma is also in a bye week for Week 6, meaning both teams will be well rested when they face off Oct. 12.

Are your calendars marked? Allstate Red River Rivalry is almost here!@Allstate | #OUDNA pic.twitter.com/7WIUZJpPnU

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 3, 2024