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Texas Football: 10 reasons the Longhorns can still win the Big 12 in 2018

By Andrew Miller

DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 06: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns during the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX - OCTOBER 06: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns during the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 13: Collin Johnson #9 of the Texas Longhorns is congratulated by teammates after a first half touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – OCTOBER 13: Collin Johnson #9 of the Texas Longhorns is congratulated by teammates after a first half touchdown against the Baylor Bears at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 13, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

6. Offensive line stepping it up

The one thing that was really missing for this Texas football offense was the play from the offensive line. Last year, this offensive line gave up sacks in bunches and sent the quarterbacks running for their lives out of the pocket quite often.

It couldn’t be more different this year, with an experienced group that made its way back to Austin this year and made a huge difference compared to 2017. Texas is getting a good push on the ground and is holding up for a while in the passing game. The pocket collapsing isn’t much of a thing anymore for Ehlinger when he drops back.

With how quick Ehlinger is getting the ball out of his hands this year too, the offensive line has some support coming back to them. That’s a big reason for the improvement in the efficiency of the offense and Ehlinger’s progress in completion percentage. Having a better offensive line has the tendency to make everything else fall into place.

This line is laden with seniors, and there’s some depth there too. Some breakthroughs like redshirt freshman tackle Sam Cosmi and senior guard/center Elijah Rodriguez made the biggest difference so far. Having lineman like Cosmi establishing a bright future could lead to some longevity for this group so this is not a one off thing.

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