Texas Football: 5 Things Longhorns Should Improve vs UTEP

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Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) runs for a touchdown as Texas Longhorns safety Kevin Vaccaro (18) defends in the third quarter at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas won 50-47 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

One of the most glaring issues for the Texas defense coming out of Week 1 was the alarming number of missed tackles. Notre Dame is extremely talented and athletic, so some of that can be excused. But for the Longhorns to compete in the Big 12 race, they need to improve their tackling.

Playing a team like UTEP will give the defense a chance to get back to fundamentals. On several occasions last Sunday, Texas defenders flew into a play out of control to the play and missed their mark. One of those missed tackles allowed DeShone Kizer to scramble 29 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. That touchdown sparked a 21-0 run for the Irish that forced Texas to rally late.

This week, the Miners don’t have the firepower that Notre Dame does, but they could be dangerous. UTEP running back Aaron Jones currently leads the nation with 249 rushing yards. He averaged 8.0 yards per carry in the Miners’ 38-22 win over New Mexico State in Week 1 and scored twice, including once on a 75-yard scamper. He’s no Kizer, but he will still demand good, sound team tackling to contain him.

As the season goes on, Texas will face better playmakers. Best to work out the fundamentals of tackling now before it’s too late.

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