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Texas Football: 5 Improvements Longhorns Need to Make During Bye Week

By Tyler Brett

Sep 17, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele (7) warms up prior to the game against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Shane Buechele (7) warms up prior to the game against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Malcolm Roach (32) celebrates during the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 4, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns linebacker Malcolm Roach (32) celebrates during the third quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

Charlie Strong has never been shy about playing young players. Coming out of the bye, he should embrace the youth movement and get more of his young stars onto the field.

Since taking over Texas, Strong has dominated on the recruiting trail. The influx of talent in Austin has been incredible to see and many of those young studs have played an integral role in the Horns on-field success. However, there are a few underclassmen stuck behind veteran starters who should get more opportunities going forward.

Freshmen like Brandon Jones and Malcolm Roach or sophomores such as Breckyn Hager and DeShon Elliott have made great impact on the game despite seeing limited snaps. Jones has blocked a punt in back to back games, putting his athleticism and playmaking ability on display. Roach and Hager are co-lead the team with two sacks apiece despite playing as rotational players. Elliott has a sack and a pass breakup at safety coming off the bench.

These younger players provide an upgrade in terms of athleticism and playmaking ability even if they don’t have the experience or knowledge of some of Texas’ more veteran players. As we saw at Cal, however, experience does not always equal wins. Upgrading the overall talent level of the team on the field by using more young players should be a point of emphasis.

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