Texas Football: 5 thoughts after Longhorns drubbing of Rice

3. Texas offense can survive without Collin Johnson

Week 3 was a great look into the new wave of potential stars at wide receiver for the Texas football program. The leading receivers in this game for the Longhorns included freshman standout Jake Smith, senior Devin Duvernay, and redshirt freshman Malcolm Epps.

This was a great opportunity for Herman to see the depth he has in the receiving corps. Texas might have one of the two deepest receiving corps in the Big 12. Only the rival Oklahoma Sooners really have a claim that they could have a deeper group of wide receivers in the Big 12 than Texas.

Yet. one big loss for the Longhorns ahead of kickoff against Rice was the announcement that senior wide receiver Collin Johnson would be sidelined with a hamstring injury. Resting Johnson was a good move since he needs to be healthy ahead of the Big 12 opener. Texas was fine without him in the mix too.

There’s no guarantee yet that Collin will be back for the Longhorns against Oklahoma State. He’s definitely not off the start he wanted to for a player that had All-American aspirations in 2019. There’s still time to respond but the emergence of Smith, Duvernay, and Brennan Eagles makes it difficult for the passing game to get held back all that much.