CJ Baxter Praises Texas Offensive Lineman For Taking 'Huge Stride'

The Texas Longhorns had their much-needed bounce-back game against the San Jose State Spartans in a 38-7 victory in the Longhorns' home opener. While much is still left to be desired and can be said about the challenges still left unresolved by the Longhorns' offense, mostly on consistency.

A piece of the offense that has stood out has been along the offensive line, which was highlighted by one of the leaders on the team. At a player's media availability on Monday, running back CJ Baxter singled out interior offensive linemen Connor Stroh for his development during his time in the program and now within the starting lineup.

"Stroh has made a huge stride from the time he got here until now," Baxter said. "Maturing, the willingness to be coached, he's been great. It's only his second ever start; his first start was against Ohio State. The second start was his first start in DKR, so you know there's a lot of emotions and stuff, but I think he's been playing well."

The Longhorns' Offensive Line could still be a Question Mark

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Caden Curry (92) pressures Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16). | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Throughout the offseason, Stroh was not projected by many to be the Longhorns' starter at the left guard spot, as many believed that the job belonged to fourth-year player Neto Umeozulu. However, during warmups before the season opener, Stroh was named the starter at left guard, and against San Jose State, the third-year offensive lineman was the starter once again.

The offensive line received mixed reviews after their performance on Saturday against the San Jose State Spartans, with Steve Sarkisian giving his offensive line a harsh critique over their overall performance in the victory.

"We totally lost our fundamentals. We got off our toes, we were falling over ourselves, we gave up way too much penetration." Sarkisian said. "I think that showed a little bit of our immaturity up front Saturday."

However for Baxter, he sees the improvement from the offensive line, he is running behind, noting that the group is prepared every week, having to practice against one of the best defenses in the entire country and highlights the unit's togetherness and desire to get better.

"First of all, they go against the best defense every day in practice, so you kind of know what you're getting from them on a day-to-day basis," Baxter said. "And then they encourage and push one another, and they challenge each other to get better. So as the season [is] going, they'll just get better and better just like us as a team."

Stroh will look to continue impressing, and the Longhorns' offensive line will have the opportunity to keep improving as the Longhorns host the UTEP Miners on Sep. 13.