Now that the Longhorns are less than a day away from kickoff against San Jose State, the hopes are that the Longhorns have spent their week reflecting and improving after the disappointing season-opening loss.

This is a game in which No. 7-ranked Texas is favored to beat the Spartans by 36.5 points. However, just because this game should be easier, it does not mean the Longhorns don’t have an opportunity to answer some important questions.

Will QB Arch Manning improve?

Quarterback Arch Manning entered the game against Ohio State as a preseason Heisman favorite; however, his play throughout the game quickly tanked his odds to win the award. This leaves us with the question: Will Manning improve?

From an inability to read the field, to set his feet in the pocket, or even just throw an accurate ball, Manning struggled all through the game, resulting in a lot of backlash and comments about his performance post-game.

However, fans must consider the situation he was in: insanely high expectations before he even secured the starting job, and then making his first start against a team like Ohio State in a hostile environment.

Yes, he played badly. But he is not a bad player, and we know that. If he were, then he wouldn’t be where he is now.

Entering this game against SJSU, Manning now has the opportunity to bounce back, redeem himself, regain confidence, and get some momentum going for himself and for the whole team. So, how will Manning look tomorrow?

Who will be WR1?

Throughout the offseason, it was known that the wide receiver corps is somewhat young, with a few extremely talented incoming freshmen. But, it was also known that this was going to be a dangerous position room.

Well, as Texas struggled in its loss to the Buckeyes, none of the wide receivers seemed to truly stand out. The player who led the team in receiving yards was actually a tight end; however, WR Parker Livingstone did receive the sole touchdown.

Also, the Longhorns were without Stanford transfer WR Emmett Mosley, who was expected to be a main role player in the offense. Mosley has been dealing with a leg injury, but should be back for the game tomorrow but will be limited.

Although the answer to the lack of production and standout performances from the receivers is, for the most part, due to Manning’s performance, we’re still left with the question: Which receiver will stand out among the rest?

Can the defense create turnovers?

Although the defense was the star of the show, holding the Buckeyes to 14 points and proving to be championship caliber, the Longhorns were not able to create a single turnover, meaning Texas lost the turnover battle after Manning threw an interception.

So not only did Texas lose the turnover battle, but they also snapped a 24-game streak of creating at least one turnover. Turnovers are essential; takeaways can give the defense, and the whole team, momentum and energy.

The defense played great on Saturday, that’s true. It did its job for the most part, but it couldn’t exactly make a difference. Sure, in no way were the Longhorns expected to not let the Buckeyes score, but the defense was not able to succeed in the big moments. Turnovers and fourth-down stops were almost non-existent, and it hurt.

So it leaves the question: Will the defense be able to continuously perform, but also produce turnovers? We’ll get another look at the defense tomorrow. But just because any of these questions do seemingly get answered in tomorrow’s game, SJSU is like a stepping stone. Success in tomorrow’s game does not guarantee success in all future games.

The Longhorns will have to consistently put in the work and use this game to carry the success and momentum from one game to the next, to hopefully give good answers to these three questions.