Five Things That Will Decide Texas Longhorns Season Opener vs. Texas State

The Texas Longhorns look to get off to a flying start to open the season against the Texas State Bobcats, here are five things that will define the game.

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian looks on in the first half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

College football is in the air across the country, and it will finally return to Austin after a long offseason as the Texas Longhorns get back to the field of Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to open the season against the Texas State Bobcats.

The Longhorns roll into their season opener heading into a season filled with lofty championship expectations, and head coach Steve Sarkisian will look to get the season started on the right track, facing a Bobcats team that should not be completely overlooked.

Texas State takes the short trip up I-35 from San Marcos, and head coach GJ Kinne takes the Bobcats into a new era in their first year in the newly revamped Pac-12. While the Longhorns head into the season opener as overwhelming favorites, here's a look at five things that will decide the ballgame on Saturday afternoon.

1. Can Texas' Offensive Line Control the Line of Scrimmage

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Brandon Baker (73) runs onto the field before a game against the Michigan Wolverines at Camping World Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Longhorns did a lot to rebuild and restructure the offensive line, which was one of Texas' fatal flaws a year ago.

Texas poured in resources to bring in several players from the transfer portal, bringing in two starters, right tackle Melvin Siani and left guard Laurence Seymore, and moved Brandon Baker to right guard to become more athletic in the interior.

Now the Longhorns need to see the choices they made at offensive line pay off on the field, and a dominant offensive line performance against the Bobcats would be a step in the right direction to quiet the question marks about the unit.

2. How Does a Will Muschamp Defense Come Out Firing

Texas Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp discusses a call with officials in a game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second half at Texas Memorial Stadium. Texas beat Texas Tech 34-24. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bobcats will undoubtedly come out swinging on the offensive side of the ball as Texas State heads into Austin playing with house money. And the Bobcats have the talent to put up points with returning quarterback Brad Jackson and two returning 1,000-yard receivers, Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr.

With the Longhorns awaiting a fast-paced offense, defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will need to have his defense ready to fire. The addition of Muschamp was one of the headlines of the offseason, and now the talking is over; his defense will hit the field.

Now, with Muschamp calling the shots, the Texas defense is expected to take on another personality with aggressiveness at the forefront, and that will need to be seen when facing the Bobcats.

3. Which Offense Will Create the Most Explosives

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) runs with the ball against the Michigan Wolverines during the first half at Camping World Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Both offenses pride themselves on the ability to create explosive plays both in the pass game and in the run game. And when the Longhorns and the Bobcats head out on the field, the play-calling chess match will be just as important as the players running those plays.

Sarkisian will look to get his offense back to its explosive nature after taking a step back a year ago, while Kinne looks to keep his offense rolling, which scored the 12th-most points per game and totaled the fifth-most yards per game.

4. The Texas Defense Must Contain Brad Jackson's Legs

Texas State Bobcats quarterback Brad Jackson (8) looks downfield in the first quarter of the game between Arizona State Sun Devils and Texas State Bobcats. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texas State quarterback is obviously the biggest player to watch for the Texas defense as Jackson can impact the game not only with his arm but with his legs, an area in which he excelled a year ago.

Jackson totaled 744 yards on the ground and an eye-popping 17 rushing touchdowns, which placed him tied for the fourth most in the country, not by a quarterback but by any player.

The Longhorns' linebackers will need to have elite eye discipline on designed runs for Jackson and plays where he puts his head down and begins to scramble in order to minimize the impact he can have on the game.

5. Does Texas Get Back to Running the Ball Effectively

North Carolina State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers (3) runs with the football to score a touchdown during the second half of the game against Virginia Cavaliers at Carter-Finley Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another big flaw that hurt the Longhorns all of last season was their inability to run the football effectively and consistently. And just like the offensive line, Sarkisian poured in resources to revamp his running back room.

New faces in Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers were brought to Austin to get the Texas rushing attack back to being a feared part of the Longhorns' offense. And for the Longhorns to avoid any upset, controlling the time and tempo of the game against the Bobcats by running the ball will be key to the game.

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