Texas Football: 3 major concerns for the Longhorns vs. Houston

Donovan Smith’s dual-threat ability

The quarterback run game is the other phase of Houston’s offense that presents problems for opposing defenses. Smith is a capable runner with the wherewithal to scramble when the pocket breaks down to turn broken plays into positive gains. He can also pick up yards in chunks on designed QB runs.

Smith ranks third among Big 12 quarterbacks this season in scramble yards (141) and is tied for best in the conference in first downs on scramble plays (eight). Texas can’t lose track of his running ability when the pocket breaks down this weekend, especially on money downs.

That’s where Smith did the most damage to the Texas defense when he was Texas Tech’s quarterback when these two teams met last season. Smith converted multiple key third and fourth down plays to keep the chains moving for the Texas Tech offense.

Holgorsen and the Cougars have also found different ways to exploit opposing defenses in the tighter areas of the field and in key-down situations with designed QB run plays with Smith. Half of Smith’s designed QB rushing attempts have either come on money downs or in the red zone this season.

Smith’s dual-threat ability is a sort of ace up Holgorsen’s sleeve in different critical live-game scenarios on offense. He can use his size and speed to run between the tackles in short-yardage situations and on key money downs. It is also something Texas will need to watch out for in the red zone, given that Smith has three rushing scores on the season on snaps within the opponent’s 20-yard line.