Texas Football: 3 bold predictions in must-win vs. Baylor

3) Bold predictions for Texas football vs. Baylor: Jake Smith leads the game in receiving yards

If there’s one player in the receiving corps that the Longhorns really need to get back on track this weekend against Baylor out of the bye week, it’s the former highly touted four-star recruit and sophomore slot wide receiver Jake Smith. It looks like Smith should be ready to go for the Longhorns this weekend, coming off a nagging hamstring injury that limited him at multiple points of the season so far.

Smith has only played in one game this season, which was in the loss to TCU back on Oct. 3. He registered six catches for 49 receiving yards (8.2 yards per catch), good for one touchdown catch. But Smith also had a key drop on a wide open crossing route in the middle of the game, and a costly offensive pass interference call.

It’s not all that surprising that Smith was out of rhythm with senior star quarterback Sam Ehlinger and this Longhorns offense three weeks ago. He didn’t get a full offseason of work and already dealt with various ailments early in the altered 2020 season. Hopefully a full week of practice and some extra rest during the bye week helps Smith get his game right.

The 6-foot and 200 pound Smith was good for the Longhorns as a true freshman last season. He registered 25 catches for just shy of 275 receiving yards (11.0 yards per catch), along with six receiving touchdowns. With Jordan Whittington and Brenden Schooler both dealing with injuries of their own at the moment, Smith needs to be big for Texas out of the slot against Baylor.