Texas football: Young corners must show up for Red River Showdown

According to multiple comments from head coach Tom Herman, Texas football entered the season with one solid corner and a bunch of question marks.

The Longhorns felt great about one side, where Jalen Green had locked down a starting spot but the team was still waiting for either Anthony Cook, D'Shawn Jamison or Kobe Boyce to separate himself and seize the other spot.

The problem continued in the season and even prompted the staff to move Josh Thompson over from safety to help bring some consistency to the position against Oklahoma State.

Unfortunately for Texas both Thompson (broken foot) and Green (sprained knee ligament) went down to separate injuries during the win over the Cowboys.

That sent the Longhorns back to the drawing board at not just one, but two cornerback spots.

Todd Orlando told the press going into the West Virginia game that Cook, Jamison, Boyce and even possibly Kenyatta Watson could see the field at the position as Texas looked for guys to once again step up and take over the two starting spots.

Watson certainly looked the part on one side, coming up with a pair of interceptions of West Virginia's Austin Kendall. He not only stole a 50-50 ball from a Mountaineer receiver but also baited Kendall into a throw across the field on an out route, a veteran move for the young corner.

On the other side, Cook seems to be progressing as the potential starter after a solid outing against the Mountaineers.

Altogether a beat-up Texas secondary came out of the game with four total interceptions that led to three Texas touchdowns. The two in the fourth quarter helped to turn a 21-17 game into a 35-17 lead and ensure a Texas win.

While those plays were big for the Longhorns' confidence, the whole secondary knows that the competition will be turned up to a whole other level in the Cotton Bowl against one of the best wide receiver units in the country.

At least they won't be alone.

The Texas corners will have veteran safeties B.J. Foster and Brandon Jones there to help provide some help when it comes time to cover the likes of CeeDee Lamb, Charleston Rambo, Jadon Haselwood and a host of others.

“I know for sure, when I got lined up on Anthony Cook's side, he'd always look at me for the last confirmation,” Jones said. “I think that helped him out a lot because he realized what I was telling is actually helping him out in the long run."

Will the Texas corners continue to turn potential into production on Saturday?

The answer to that question will probably go a long way in determining which team dons the Golden Hat when it's all said and done.