Texas Longhorns football returns to DKR Memorial Stadium this weekend as they host the UTEP Miners, and it'll be a battle of two former top-ranked QBs from the class of 2023. Even though this might be another dominating win for the Longhorns, they have to treat the game as they would any other.
Malachi Nelson has an excellent arm and could put up some impressive passing numbers this weekend. It will be a fun game to watch on television as the Longhorns prepare for the Florida Gators in a few weeks.
Don't be surprised if the Longhorns flat-out dominate the Miners this weekend. They aren't the San Jose Spartans, who performed really well, despite scoring only seven points. Even though Quintrevion Wisner will be out again this weekend while healing his injury, C.J. Baxter and Jerrick Gibson could put up some impressive numbers on the ground against the Miners.
Here are four bold predictions that could trap the Miners inside the mine this weekend:
1. Dominating the ground game
As previously mentioned, Wisner won't be playing against the Miners this weekend due to his injury. That will allow Baxter and Gibson to run all over the Miners' defense. We could see the rushing total between both running backs around 250 yards. The Miners' defense is known for sending the house to blitz the QB. That will allow Baxter or Wisner to break through the first wall of their defense, and they will be off to the endzone.
2. Manning has a masterclass game
I don't know why people are saying that Arch Manning is injured. He did take some shots against the Spartans, but that's a part of playing the quarterback position. I think he could put up 350 yards of offense against the Miners this weekend. UTEP's secondary isn't the strong part of their defense, and Parker Livingstone could have another great game on Saturday. Having Manning throw for around 350 yards against the Miners is the type of momentum the Longhorns need as they get closer to their matchup with the Gators.
3. Nelson running for his life
Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons are going to have a field day this weekend against the Miners. Nelson hasn't seen an elite pass rush like the Longhorns have, and it's going to cause problems for him all day long. Hill and Simmons could combine for eight sacks against Nelson this weekend. Given the weakness of their offensive line, these two could cause some issues for Nelson by forcing him to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible.
4. Punting the football
I hope the Miners' punter is ready to use his leg this weekend to boom the ball. Based on how good the Longhorns' defense is at shutting down teams like UTEP, that punter could be punting more than ten times. The Longhorns' defense needs a game like this as they get ready for their SEC portion of the schedule.
Even though the Longhorns have one more non-conference game after this weekend, forcing an opponent to punt ten or more times is something every defensive coordinator wants his defense to achieve.