Texas Football: 3 most impactful injuries after Week 1

3) Most impactful Texas football injuries post-Week 1: Jake Smith

Texas missed out on the sophomore wide receiver and former four-star recruit Jake Smith in the season opener against UTEP. Smith was one of the more productive returning wide receivers for the Longhorns this season, but he didn’t get to play alongside the other leading player at the position in the season opener.

Granted neither of the two most productive wide receivers from last year for the Longhorns had much to do with the win in Week 1. Junior wide receiver Brennan Eagles did get one touchdown catch, but not much production beyond that. And with Smith dealing with his lingering hamstring injury, he didn’t get to play against UTEP.

Smith should make his season debut for the Longhorns in the Big 12 opener in two weeks on the road in Lubbock against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. But he will have to shake off the rust from missing three weeks of full speed practice and the first game of the regular season in the first Texas game of conference play.

Last season, Smith registered 25 catches for 274 yards (11.0 yards per catch) and six touchdown catches. He was a real threat in the red zone early in the 2019 season, but his numbers slowed down as his freshman campaign waned. He did have one fumble and three drops last season, but it wasn’t all that bad for a talented true freshman like himself.