2 Texas players making first career starts vs. Vandy

Coming off the humbling loss to the No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs on the road last weekend, Texas football and head coach Steve Sarkisian faces a big test in Week 9 against the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt has its best team in at least the past decade in the SEC this season, going 3-1 in its first four contests against P4 opponents.

Texas football expected to have a few new starters needing to step up on both sides of the ball vs. Vanderbilt

It hasn't been easy for ranked opponents to walk into FirstBank Stadium in Nashville and leave with a victory. Vanderbilt has an upset victory against the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide and an overtime loss to the No. 7 Mizzou Tigers against the two ranked opponents its faced in SEC play at home this season.

Vanderbilt is a very tough team to prepare for, and the Longhorns will be down a handful of key starters on each side of the ball this weekend due to injuries. Texas needs to set the physical tone at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, while getting the offense going with quarterback Quinn Ewers early in the first half.

Texas's offense has been lackluster in the first quarter of games in SEC play. In the past two games in the SEC, the Longhorns have only combined for three first downs in the first quarters against Georgia and the Oklahoma Sooners.

Sarkisian and the Longhorns also need some new players to step up to help replace key injured starters on each side of the ball on Saturday afternoon on the road against Vanderbilt. Here are two Longhorns players who will likely be first-time starters this weekend vs. Vanderbilt.