Wide Receivers Building Momentum Heading into SEC Play

 The Texas Longhorns put up 607 total yards of offense against Sam Houston on Saturday night in an offensive showcase that fans have been waiting for since the start of the season.

From the offensive line to injuries, inconsistencies, and straight-up bad performances, it’s no secret that Texas had a sluggish start to the season. But it appears as though head coach Steve Sarkisian and the team have found the fix.

Texas managed to spread the ball out in every way to almost every player, and saw success everywhere it turned. But perhaps the most significant thing we saw was the entire wide receiver room stepping up.

When Sarkisian was asked about the offense after the game, that’s who he pointed out.

“[The receivers] made some really good catches tonight. We’ve been on these guys about it’s not always going to be perfect,” Sarkisian said. “This isn’t a walk-through; there’s guys under duress in the backfield, there’s DBs guarding you.”

No matter the level of competition, it’s games and performances like these that will give the team the confidence and experience that it needs going forward as the team prepares for conference play.

The Longhorns still have work to do, but after weeks of underwhelming performances, this will build momentum for the entire team and hopefully keep them fired up and ready to work throughout the bye week.

Sarkisian specifically mentioned how it will be good for younger guys, like freshman wide receiver Daylon McCutcheon, who made a big 21-yard catch just before the Longhorns went into the half.

“I think building that confidence of making your own plays when they come your way is helpful,” Sarkisian said.

But it wasn’t just the younger guys that got their confidence built up; Sarkisian also praised DeAndre Moore and Ryan Wingo for their breakout performances after they had both struggled to make plays so far this season.

“I thought DeMo was a great spark for us, getting him back in practice and then getting him back playing,” Sarkisian said. “I think for Ryan, you know, his first touchdown catch was not easy, a diving catch. But I thought the adjustment that he made on the deep ball back over his shoulder for that catch was a heck of a catch.”

Moore made his return after sitting out the previous game due to a concussion, so it was nice to see him make a notable return.

Many had predicted Wingo to be Manning’s go-to guy, at least for the deep ball, but that had been nonexistent until this game, so it was also good to see him finally make a big impact as the team’s leading receiver with 125 total yards and two touchdowns.

All Texas needs to do now is continue to trust in Sarkisian’s ability to draw up plays and scheme the receivers open, and play with this same emotion. If that can continue, then Texas could be in for a deep postseason run.

For now, the Longhorns will get some time to recover, heal, and prepare for a showdown in The Swamp on Oct. 4.