How to watch Texas football vs. UL: TV, live stream, game time, and pick
Texas football is set to kickoff a new era for this program this weekend under new head coach Steve Sarkisian. No. 21 ranked Texas has a tough battle out of the gates this season against the No. 23 ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns and head coach Billy Napier.
This will also be the first game of the presumed era of sophomore Hudson Card as the starting quarterback for Sark and the Longhorns. Card will get the nod this weekend against Louisiana over redshirt junior Casey Thompson. But we could still see both quarterbacks getting reps this weekend.
The last time that Texas was on the field in game action, it resulted in a dominant Alamo Bowl win over the Colorado Buffaloes to cap last season. Texas finished up last season under former head coach Tom Herman with a record of 7-3 (5-3 Big 12) following that Alamo Bowl win over Colorado.
Meanwhile, Louisiana is coming off one of the best seasons in program history in 2020. Napier and the Ragin’ Cajuns finished up last season with a record of 10-1 (7-1 Sun Belt). The lone loss for Louisiana last season came at the hands of the eventual Sun Belt Champion Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, by just a three-point margin.
Entering this game, Texas is a narrowing favorite by about an eight-point margin in the betting line as of the morning of Sep. 2. The over/under for this game is currently sitting at around 58 points. And the ESPN matchup predictor (based on the Football Power Index) gives Texas around an 87 percent chance to win this game.
Here’s a look at the live stream, kick off time, pick for the game, and more as Texas takes on Louisiana to open up the 2021 regular season slate on Sep. 4.
How to watch/live stream Texas football vs. Louisiana
Texas and Louisiana kick off at 3:30 p.m. CT at Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. Here’s more on the live streaming/TV channel information for this weekend’s regular season opener.
TV: Fox
Live Stream: Fox Sports App
Radio/Audio Stream: Longhorn Radio Network
Fox will be the TV network that live streams and broadcasts the Texas-Louisiana game this weekend. And if you have that channel with your television package then you can live stream on Fox Sports App. The audio stream/radio broadcast will also be available via the Longhorn Radio Network.
Injured Texas football players
As of Sep. 2, there’s a trio of key injured Longhorns players worth noting ahead of Week 1. We will continue to monitor the injury report as it updates in the 48 hours ahead of kickoff this weekend.
For now, though, Texas has a trio of skill position players that are out for the regular season opener at a minimum. Unfortunate injury news did surface this week for redshirt sophomore tight end Brayden Liebrock, who will likely miss the entirety of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury.
Texas will also be without true freshman wide receiver and former four-star recruit Jaden Alexis, who is set to miss the entire season with a knee injury.
The injuries to Alexis and Liebrock are setbacks for some of the younger skill position players for Sark and the Longhorns, which were announced this week.
Moreover, the most notable injury news for Texas solely for Week 1 has to do with the fellow former four-star recruit and redshirt freshman wide receiver Troy Omeire. We will have to wait for Omeire’s debut at least until the second or third game of the season as he’s still dealing with a nagging lower-body injury.
Card will have the likes of redshirt sophomore Jordan Whittington, freshman Xavier Worthy, and redshirt junior Joshua Moore as his starting receivers in the absence of Omeire this weekend. Omeire did miss the entirety of last season with a knee injury.
Whenever it does come, Omeire’s debut will be highly anticipated this fall. At this point, we’re looking forward to either the Sep. 11 meeting with the Arkansas Razorbacks on the road or the Sep. 18 meeting with the Rice Owls at home to see Omeire make his Texas debut.
Picking Texas football vs. Louisiana
A lot of this game will be in the hands of the Texas offensive and defensive lines. Sark spoke on the matter earlier this week that this game will be won in the trenches. If Texas can give Card time in the pocket to go through his progressions, and get star sophomore running back Bijan Robinson off and running out of the gates, the control will be in their hands.
This is no doubt a difficult matchup, as Napier and senior quarterback Levi Lewis and the Ragin’ Cajuns will have a chip on their shoulder heading into this season opener. Louisiana is definitely one of the top Group of Five teams in the country this year.
3 x-factors for Texas vs. Louisiana. dark. Next
Texas will try to spark the offense by way of Bijan, and that’s a great player to rely on to get going out of the gates. Expect Bijan to open up the offense for Card to start getting the ball to one of a number of his talented skill position targets.
Lewis and the Ragin’s Cajuns will keep this one close, but the lack of a proven ground game for Louisiana could cost them in the end. Sark will escape his first game as Texas head coach with a win.