Texas Football: 3 x-factors for the Longhorns vs. Louisiana

Xavier Worthy, WR

Following the transfer of junior wide receiver Jake Smith from Texas to the USC Trojans this offseason, the door opened for the former Michigan Wolverines commit and true freshman wideout Xavier Worthy to get the start out of the slot. And it will be the speedy 6-foot-1 and 165-pound Worthy starting for Texas in the slot this weekend.

Worthy will clearly be the most unproven of the three starting wideouts for Texas against this experienced Louisiana secondary. It will likely either be senior Ja’len Johnson or junior Kam Pedescleaux that Worthy is primarily matched up with out of the slot this weekend.

Louisiana mostly runs with the STAR position defending the slot wideout, which means that Worthy will be matched up with some of the weaker defensive backs in passing plays this weekend. Two of the most effective defensive backs in coverage for the Ragin’ Cajuns are junior cornerback Mekhi Garner and senior safety Bralen Trahan.

Considering it’s probably going to be Jordan Whittington and Joshua Moore that get to deal with facing up against the likes of Garner and Trahan, Worthy should have more room to run free.

Sark is going to utilize Worthy mostly in glance, post, and corner routes this weekend. If Louisiana shows that the secondary is prone to getting beat over the top, then the deep threat ability of Worthy should come to the forefront too.

Worthy could see at least six or eight targets in the passing game this weekend from sophomore starting quarterback Hudson Card. This will be a big game for Worthy less than six months after he first arrived on campus. That is a lot to digest right away, but he’s got the talent to be a big play threat for Texas in Week 1.