Texas Football: 3 problematic Red Raiders players for the Longhorns
Erik Ezukanma, WR
The other breakout skill position player for the Red Raiders that stuck out in the first three weeks is the 6-foot-3 and 220-pound redshirt junior wide receiver Erik Ezukanma. Although you could make the argument that Ezukanma already broke out a few years ago for Texas Tech, he is on pace to have his best season of his career this fall.
Through the first three games, Ezukanma registered 16 catches for 350 receiving yards (nearly 22 yards per catch), and one receiving touchdown. And since the start of the 2019 season, he’s registered more than 1,750 receiving yards and 11 touchdown catches.
More often than not when Ezukanma is targeted in the passing game, he’s found. He’s caught 64 percent of the balls that were thrown his way, and that includes any penalties and “uncatchable throws”. He’s also done well bringing in contested catches, hauling in 60 percent thrown his way through three games.
Ezukanma also had a big game against the Longhorns in the Big 12 opener for each team last season. He hauled in seven catches on nine targets, good for 91 receiving yards and one touchdown catch. Most of the damage that Ezukanma did to the Longhorns last season came against D’Shawn Jamison and Jalen Green.
It will be up to Jamison and senior corner Josh Thompson in this game to deal with Ezukanma. Texas had trouble at times with larger wide receivers against Arkansas and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns. The secondary needs to make more plays this weekend, or else receivers like Ezukanma could torch the Longhorns.
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Ezukanma actually does a good amount of damage between the numbers. That is something of note for the Texas linebackers, and could be a saving grace for Pete Kwiatkowski given how quick the likes of Overshown, B.J. Foster, and Anthony Cook, are in pass coverage.