Texas football begins the SEC portion of their schedule on the road against the Florida Gators this weekend. The Longhorns are coming off a relaxing bye week, which they badly needed. They aren't getting an easy opponent this week in the Gators.
They might be 1-3, but they have the talent and experience to upset the Longhorns this weekend.
1. Arch Manning's run game domination
Though Manning has done a fairly good job this season with his legs, it wouldn't be surprising to see him absolutely erupt against the Gators. I'm predicting that he'll score more than three rushing touchdowns against the Gators this weekend.
He has shown during the non-conference schedule that he has the wheels to get out of the backfield and into the endzone. If Quintrevion Wisner can't play this weekend, expect a lot of Manning scrambles and designed runs.
2. DeAndre Moore's career game
If Manning isn't able to scramble out of the pocket, Texas Longhorns wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. better be ready to catch the ball. I think Moore could have a breakout game of over 150 yards and 3 touchdowns. Moore had two touchdown catches against the Sam Houston State Bearkats two weekends ago. That sparked the Longhorns' offense and lead to the massive blowout before the bye week.
If Moore shows up against the Gators, it could be another massive route by the offense.
3. Wisner's rampage
During the press conference this week, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian mentioned that Quintrevion Wisner has a good shot of returning against the Gators this weekend. That would be a massive boost to the Longhorns' offense. If he does return and suit up against the Gators, I could see Wisner running all over Florida. Wisner could have more than 150 yards rushing and scoring 2 touchdowns.
4. D.J. Lagway
Florida's quarterback has had a rough start to the season and maybe it's because of the lack of reps he's had due to his injury. However, I don't know how long Billy Napier will keep him in the game if the Longhorns' defense begins to beat him up.
I think Lagway could get benched in the second half of the game if the Longhorns are well on their way to a blowout. There's no need to keep a struggling QB in the game if you are losing that bad. Florida might need to pull him to keep him healthy for the remainder of the season.