What Stood Out During Texas Football's Open Practice On Wednesday?
The Texas Longhorns hosted an open practice at DKR on Wednesday night, as fans and media alike got the chance to see up close and personal what the team has been working on in preparation for the upcoming season.
LonghornsCountry.com got a chance to oversee the action as well, so what stood during the teams' drills and scrimmage portion?
The hottest topic of the summer has been the battle for the starting QB position between Hudson Card and Casey Thompson. Both guys looked sharp for the most part on Wednesday night, making plenty of precise throws from the pocket and quick plays with their feet.
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While it's worth noting that Card got the initial reps during the first seven-on-seven drills, Thompson got the start with the first team once scrimmages began during the back-end portion of the practice.
This might not mean anything in the grand scheme for which QB gets the start on opening day, but it's certainly telling that Steve Sarkisian chose to roll with Thompson. The defense didn't take it easy on the experienced signal-caller throughout the night either, as Thompson was forced into a few errant throws that led to back-to-back interceptions during seven-on-sevens.
Joining Thompson in the starting group for the scrimmage portion was running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Jordan Whittington, wide receiver Joshua Moore, wide receiver Marcus Washington, and tight-end Cade Brewer.
Robinson was eye-popping in the limited touches he got during scrimmages. He received his fair share of "oohs" and "ahhhs" from the Texas faithful that were in attendance on Wednesday. The Heisman hopeful is without a doubt the star of this offense.
Moore was also impressive, as Texas' projected number one receiver for the upcoming season made some nice catches in traffic and outside on the numbers throughout the night. His goal-line touchdown catch from Card signaled the last play of practice for the team and a productive day for the receiver overall.
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While he may not have made as many catches as Moore, Washington was a consistent target for both Thompson and Card. A few drops including one in the end-zone and throws behind him limited Washington's overall practice production, but it's a welcoming site for Longhorn fans to see the junior receive consistent attention in an offense that is looking for a breakout season from multiple receivers.
New defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski made sure his group was clicking on all cylinders as well, as the front seven and the secondary made a number of plays during scrimmages.
Of course, in practice, the defense can never give their 100 percent tackling effort in order to avoid injury of a QB or key offensive player. Yet, this didn't stop them from showcasing breakthrough speed at the line or all-out effort on pass defense.
Senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown is fixing to be the leader for this defense, and he showed why on this speedy delayed blitz. Opposing QB's will need to keep their eyes peeled.
Returning as a starter at defensive back, senior Josh Thompson showed some nice flashes on the night as well, contesting multiple passes and getting some deflections. He even caused a key pass breakup against Moore off of what would've been a highlight touchdown catch.
The team has been working all summer and the hard work definitely showed during Wednesday's session. We're now about two weeks away from the season's opening kick-off, as the long-awaited college football season draws closer and closer.
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