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HawgBeat's 2021 Sneak Peek: Texas (Sept. 11)

We are inching closer and closer to what everyone hopes will be a normal college football season in 2021 after the pandemic threw a wrench into last season.

It will be Year 2 of the Sam Pittman era at Arkansas. The Razorbacks are looking to build on a solid year in which they snapped their lengthy SEC losing streak and went 3-7, with three of those losses decided by a total of seven points.

Fall camp will be here before you know it and the Arkansas staff is still focused on preparing for the season, which it will undoubtedly "take one game at at time," but we can peek ahead.

HawgBeat is previewing each of the Razorbacks' 12 opponents over the next few weeks and our series continues with a look at former Southwest Conference - and potential future SEC - rival Texas...

Bijan Robinson and Texas come to Fayetteville for Week 2 of the 2021 season.
Bijan Robinson and Texas come to Fayetteville for Week 2 of the 2021 season. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
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WHO: Texas Longhorns (7-3, 5-3 Big 12)

WHEN: Sept. 11

WHERE: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (76,808)

LAST GAME: Arkansas routed Texas 31-7 in the 2014 Texas Bowl, allowing only 59 total yards of offense

HEAD COACH: Steve Sarkisian (46-35 as HC at Washington and USC)

WHAT’S NEW: Everything basically. The only holdovers from the previous staff were wide receivers coach Andre Coleman and running backs coach Stan Drayton. Here's a look at the rest of the staff and where they came from...

Texas' 2021 coaching staff
Coach Previous Job New Position

Steve Sarkisian

Alabama OC

HC

Jeff Banks

Alabama STC/TE

STC/TE

Jeff Choate

Montana State HC

Co-DC/ILB

Bo Davis

Detroit Lions DL

DL

Kyle Flood

Alabama OL

OL

Blake Gideon

Ole Miss STC

S

Terry Joseph

Notre Dame DB

DB

Pete Kwiatkowski

Washington DC

Co-DC/OLB

AJ Milwee

Alabama Analyst

QB

*Already was coaching at Texas

Sarkisian poached renowned offensive line coach Kyle Flood from Nick Saban, along with special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Jeff Banks. On the defensive side, Pete Kwiatkowski got the call to man the defense (after Barry Odom was rumored as a candidate before receiving an extension) and brought along Montana State head coach Jeff Choate to serve as co-defensive coordinator. They run a 3-down front the majority of the time, with multiple fronts being in the playbook. Former Alabama and most recently Detroit Lions defensive line coach Bo Davis will handle the big guys up front. The backend will be handled by former Notre Dame defensive backs coach and defensive passing game coordinator Terry Joseph taking on the same role, and former Texas player Blake Gideon working on the safeties after being the special teams coordinator at Ole Miss.

As far as the roster is concerned, Texas' biggest loss is four-year starting quarterback Sam Ehlingher, who was a sixth-round pick by the Colts. With the quarterback battle still ongoing, redshirt junior Casey Thompson (6-1, 194) is expected to start as of now over redshirt freshman Hudson Card (6-2, 195).

On the defensive side, All-American defensive end/linebacker Joseph Ossai was drafted in the third round by the Bengals and will be hard to replace. Transfer Ray Thornton (6-3, 242) from LSU could be the guy to take over his position after a good spring.

WHO TO WATCH (OFFENSE): Sophomore running back Bijan Robinson (6-0, 215) is all Texas can talk about. The former five-star recruit was lightly used his freshman year, but was still able to notch 703 yards on 86 carries in nine games. That broke a school record of 7.9 yards per carry, ahead of guys like Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams, and has made one of a several preseason favorites for the Heisman Trophy. Sarkisian has compared him to Reggie Bush, who he coached as the offensive coordinator at USC. During Big 12 Media Days, Robinson even said he wears No. 5 because of Bush The offense will run through Robinson, regardless of what else is going on with the Longhorns.

WHO TO WATCH (DEFENSE): In a 3-down scheme, an efficient nose tackle is a must. The Longhorns think they have that with Keandre Coburn. Measuring at 6-foot-2, 348 pounds, he has proven to be a hard man to move out the way. His 81.6 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 21st nationally among interior defensive linemen who played at least 75 run defense snaps. The coaching staff has raved about his offseason improvement despite putting up solid numbers in 2020. The defense will need big play from Coburn to be able to run the scheme implemented.

OVERVIEW: After a mediocre year that saw the decommitment of No. 1 overall prospect and in-state recruit Quinn Ewers, a coaching change was made in hopes of giving Texas the bump it needs to climb to title contention. In comes Steve Sarkisian, the former Alabama offensive coordinator responsible for arguably the best offense in college football history. Sarkisian brings an offensive mind that helped the Crimson Tide average 48.2 points per game last season to a Texas team that has struggled to find consistency on offense in recent years. With almost the entire starting offensive line returning and a new quarterback, this team will look to pound the football, more than likely handing the ball to Robinson 30-plus times - especially in the early matchup at Arkansas.

The Razorbacks will probably look to get the ball to Treylon Burks early, as the Longhorns' secondary has no one capable of shadowing the preseason first-team All-SEC wide receiver. If the Arkansas offense can stay on the field, it will have a great chance to pull off the upset. It will also be interesting to see if defensive coordinator Barry Odom is able to generate pressure, as Ehlinger was one of the 20 most pressured quarterbacks in 2020.

This game will be a good indication of the direction Sam Pittman has his team headed in Year 2, and if Texas is going to be able to compete in the SEC in the near future.

2021 Sneak Peek series

Sept. 4 - Rice
Sept. 11 - Texas
Sept. 18 - Georgia Southern
Sept. 25 - Texas A&M (Arlington, Texas)
Oct. 2 - at Georgia
Oct. 9 - at Ole Miss
Oct. 16 - Auburn
Oct. 23 - UAPB (Little Rock)
Oct. 30 - OPEN
Nov. 6 - Mississippi State
Nov. 13 - at LSU
Nov. 20 - at Alabama
Nov. 26 - Missouri

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