Texas Football: 5 key injured Longhorns players heading into Texas Tech
![Xavier Worthy, Texas football Xavier Worthy, Texas football](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/d6c010df49f0c688c1ecbbd842c306720348def5175ddcceec7ab62e20390c26.jpg)
Xavier Worthy, WR
The biggest late-game injury the Longhorns suffered in the win over Iowa State was dealt to junior wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Texas lost Worthy in the second half after he had a productive first half with some explosive plays on offense and special teams.
Worthy suffered the injury in the third quarter and was taken to the locker room for further evaluation. Early in the fourth quarter, Worthy was seen on the sideline in street clothes and missed the rest of the game along with Campbell.
It was reported during the broadcast on Saturday night that Worthy suffered a lower-leg injury. He was having trouble putting pressure on his left leg on the sideline in that game.
The good news regarding Worthy’s status is that Sark said he essentially expects Worthy to be good to go for the Texas Tech game on Black Friday. But it’s worth noting that Worthy could be limited in practice this week due to the injury he suffered in the Iowa State game last weekend.
Before Worthy suffered the injury in the second half against Iowa State, he looked to be on track for his second consecutive 100-receiving yard game. He reeled in four catches for 77 receiving yards in nearly three quarters of action in Week 12. Worthy also had one rush for 16 yards that resulted in a fumble within Iowa State’s 20-yard line.
Unfortunately, Worthy’s long punt return for a touchdown in the first half was called back on a block in the back foul.
After Worthy suffered the injury, the Longhorns gave true freshman wide receiver Johntay Cook II the reps at the field spot. But Cook was taken out of the game after just a handful of snaps at receiver after a snafu where he wasn’t lined up on the line of scrimmage, forcing Sark to take an abrupt timeout.
After Xavier Worthy was sidelined against ISU in the second half due to an injury, Texas turned to utilizing more two tight end sets on offense. Here are the splits of two tight end sets for Texas before and after the Worthy injury.
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) November 21, 2023
-Pre-Worthy injury: 38.4%
-Post-injury: 79.0%
Sark utilized more two tight end sets against Iowa State in the fourth quarter due to a combination of the Cook mistake and Worthy’s injury.