Texas WR corps poised for show-stopping performance with OU injury struggles at DB

While Texas's wide receivers have been good this year, as a whole, they haven't been necessarily as great as many people expected them to be.

The Texas Longhorns have averaged barely over 230 receiving yards per game, and that includes WR1 Ryan Wingo and WR2 Cam Coleman both averaging less than 60 yards per game through the air.

However, as the Horns stare down the barrel of the Red River Rivalry, the Texas wide receiver room is primed to have an earth-shattering performance because of just how beat up the Oklahoma Sooners' defensive backs are.

Well, if we're being completely honest, the entire Oklahoma roster is pretty beat up.

Both safety Michael Boganowski and cornerback Jacobe Johnson were included on Oklahoma's initial injury report ahead of the rivalry matchup, and that means Sooner head coach Brent Venables would have to tap at least one DB with little to no experience so far this season.

Ryan Wingo, Cam Coleman, and Emmett Mosley can eat Trystan Haynes or Dakoda Fields alive

As of right now, it looks like Venables will have to turn to either Trystan Haynes or Dakoda Fields for that third cornerback position, filling in for Johnson's absence. Neither Haynes nor Fields has actually played any meaningful snaps this season. In fact, both players have just one solo tackle apiece through the first four games of the year.

While Wingo and Coleman may be man-marked by OU's top two CBs, Courtland Guillory and Eli Bowen, that leaves either Haynes or Fields to cover Mosley, who we have already seen the potential for when Texas's top two wideouts are covered tightly.

In the Longhorns' win over the Ohio State Buckeyes, both Wingo and Coleman were repeatedly shut down on pass plays, leading quarterback Arch Manning to target Mosley drive after drive. Mosley finished the game as Texas's top receiver, earning 65 yards on five catches.

Of course, even beyond Mosley going up against an categorically unworthy opponent, the Horns' wideout room is simply a tier above the Sooners' defensive backs. So far this season, OU has given up 122.5 receiving yards per game. Get ready for Texas to blow out that out of the (Red River's) water.

If Texas can unlock air-raid offense, it will also open up running attack

Making this an even better matchup for the Longhorns is the fact that if Manning can easily connect with his wideouts and tight ends, it would alleviate pressure from the backfield, allowing Texas's star running backs to get their game going as well.

If Venables is forced to put an additional defensive back on the field because his corners are outmatched by the Longhorns, then it would take away from an edge rusher or defensive lineman trying to penetrate the backfield.

That would, in turn, allow more freedom for running backs like Hollywood Smothers (freshly back from injury), Raleek Brown, and Derrek Cooper to take over the game as well.

In other words, everything is coming up burnt orange right now, and it is a great sign for the undefeated No. 1 Texas Longhorns.

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