Texas' Breakout WR Worthy Hitting Stride at Right Moment
Xavier Worthy is a California kid at heart. He didn't know much about Texas when de-committing from Michigan last April.
The only thing he knew of Texas was Steve Sarkisian was the head coach. That was enough of a sales pitch to sign on the dotted line.
"We had that relationship before I committed to Michigan," Worthy said Tuesday. "I wanted to come build with him from the start."
Sarkisian's "All Gas No Breaks" motto will be an instrument in building No. 25 Texas (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) back in the right direction, and hopefully into a College Football Playoff contender. If anything, players are building into the culture found in Austin.
Worthy is one of them. He's also just transformed into one of the marquee playmakers for the new offense.
Six games into the season and Worthy has solidified his status as Texas' go-to target. Age is number. So is production. Despite being the young buck for Sark's passing attack, his receiving numbers would make it look as if he's been in the system for years.
“Even though he's young, he understands what he has to do for this team,” quarterback Casey Thompson said Saturday.
Most young wideouts likely would be rattled by a mistake in the biggest game of the season. Worthy could have called it quits following a crucial fumble against No. 4 Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0 Big 12) in the Red River Showdown.
Following a scoring drive, Worthy would be stripped by Oklahoma's Caleb Kelly in a game tied at 41. One play later, running back Kennedy Brooks would score an 18-yard touchdown to take the lead.
Some coaches' first instinct is to give a player the earful of why they are the scapegoat for the afternoon. Instead, Sarkisian went in a different direction.
"Sark came up to me first, and said, ‘Give me a smile, man,'" Worthy said. "'You’ll be alright. We’re gonna come back at you and give you a chance to make that up.'"
Within two plays, Worthy brought Texas back in the fight. A 14-yard acrobatic grab would give the Longhorns the ball in Oklahoma territory. On the next play, Worthy would win his matchup and score a 31-yard touchdown, tying the game at 48.
"Xavier never got rattled or got worried or anything," Thompson said. "He just stayed on the grind and kept his mind clear."
Saturday's 261-yard, two-touchdown performance from Worthy might have been his best, but it's not the only great outing from the freshman. Against Texas Tech, Thompson connected with him five times for 100 yards and three touchdowns.
And to think he almost found another home in college football.
The Horns will rely on Worthy even more following the injury to Jordan Whittington. The emerging slot receiver will undergo surgery to fix an injured clavicle, making his status for the remainder of the season unknown.
Texas still will trust veteran Josh Moore, and Sarkisian has praised the development of Kelvontay Dixon and Marcus Washington. Worthy, who leads the team with 514 yards, remains the first option for Thompson in the passing attack.
Sarkisian said Monday that the offense could look to run more of a 12-man personnel set, or a two running back formation this week against No. 12 Oklahoma State (5-0, 20 Big 12) in order to make up for the loss of Whittington. They also could pass to different targets in different locations.
Texas' goal is to have a rematch against the Sooners in Arlington come December. That starts with daily preparation to make sure minor mistakes won't turn into massive mishaps.
"We just want to take it week by week and make it to the Big 12 Championship," Worthy said.
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