3 reasons why Texas football will dominate UTEP in Week 1

1) Why Texas football will dominate UTEP: Sam Ehlinger

Not only is senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger going to come into this game with a large chip on his shoulder, but the rest of his position group will too. Ehlinger and the Longhorns have been waiting to get this season underway for an offseason that seemed like it lasted three years up to this point. But here we are at the start of the 2020 season at last.

Ehlinger is a true Heisman contender this fall, and can lead the Longhorns to even bigger heights this fall than he has at any point in the last three years. Texas had a decent run during the 2018 campaign, which was Ehlinger’s breakthrough to stardom, as a sophomore. But he had an even more productive season statistically last year.

He amassed more than 4,200 total yards, 39 total touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 151.8 passer efficiency rating, and 8.5 adjusted yards per passing attempt. Continue to increase the production like he has in each of the last two years, and Ehlinger should be present as a Heisman finalist to round out the season.

And not only could Ehlinger be a problem for the Miners this weekend, but the rest of the quarterbacks that get any significant level of playing time could too. This could be a game where we get a good bit of exposure out of potential future starting quarterback and redshirt sophomore backup Casey Thompson.