Texas football has another bye week after its game against Kansas got postponed due to COVID-19. Here are three ways the extended break can help the Longhorns out.
Getting healthy
The Longhorns have had a few injuries in the past couple of weeks. This extended break gives those players a chance to get their bodies healthy before the Longhorns game against Iowa State. Texas is going to need some of those players if it hopes to win out and qualify for the Big 12 Championship.
It’ll be a wait and see approach regarding the Keaontay Ingram situation. Ingram suffered an ankle injury a few weeks ago. Bijan Robinson has played outstanding as a freshman for the Longhorns. He might be ready to be their running back of the future. However, having Ingram back only helps the Longhorns in terms of depth. Robinson is playing better than Ingram this season and is showing that with the new opportunity he’s been given. We’ll have to see if Ingram can come back against Iowa State. If he does, Tom Herman must figure out how he is going to distribute the carries.
Cameron Dicker
Dicker doesn’t need any help with his kicking, but with the season-ending injury to Longhorn punter Ryan Bujcevski, Dicker has taken on the role of punter and kicker. The extra few days gives Dicker a chance to work on his punting before the game against Iowa State. It’s a good thing he’ll be able to practice his punting because it’s a vital part of the game when your punt determines where the opposing offense starts its next drive. We’ll have to wait and see what happens when Dicker punts against Iowa State.
Sam Ehlinger
Ehlinger has struggled these past few weeks. While Texas hasn’t announced if he is dealing with any sort of injury, something is clearly off. If it’s an injury, the extra few days gives him an opportunity to fully rest and make sure there aren’t any lingering effects from all the hits he’s taken this season.
Ehlinger must focus on correcting the mistakes he’s made these past few weeks. He does a great job taking care of the ball, but he needs to focus on playing better. Ehlinger hasn’t looked the same, and his play has showed that. He needs to do a better job protecting himself. As a Texas fan, you want your quarterback to push for those extra yards on a third down or when fighting to get in the end zone. Ehlinger must make sure he is doing everything he can to protect himself from taking big hits the rest of the season.
The extra bye week is going to benefit the Longhorns and help them get ready for the last three weeks of the regular season. Things are tight in the race towards the Big 12 Championship, and the Longhorns are part of that. Texas football needed this bye week to get healthy and correct its past mistakes. Now we’ll have to wait and see if it made a difference.
Photo courtesy of WVUSports.com
