Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has yet to officially name Kizer the team’s starting quarterback, but many expect the announcement to come before the team’s Saturday game against the Nevada Wolf Pack. “I haven’t got a chance to speak with our group, and I mean our group being the offensive staff and the two quarterbacks”. But you go into the fourth quarter; guys did a good job. The balanced UTEP offense accounted for 518 yards on the day.
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UTEP matches up size wise, but the quickness, physicality, and overall talent Texas will lineup along their front seven is something the Miners have never had to prepared for.
Size and speed are the biggest advantages as the Miners young and growing corners Nik Needham and Kalon Beverly will be tested against the Longhorns speed and length on the outside.
Fighting Irish fans have been less than pleased with defenses that have ranked 73rd and 45th in total defense over the past two seasons and they were looking for big signs of improvement in this year’s season-opener. They connected for a 72-yard touchdown against Notre Dame and would have had an 85-yarder, but Burt dropped a perfectly-thrown ball.
UTEP switched to the 3-4 defense to cut down vertical passing threat, and Texas will put it to the test at an elite level.
Now, as Bedford emphasized numerous times throughout his media availability, Texas’ attitude and belief needs to shift towards stopping a legitimate threat in UTEP’s backfield in senior running back Aaron Jones. But in Week 1 of the college season this year, the school introduced young Bevo XV, and unranked Texas defeated No. 10 Notre Dame, going from unranked to No. 11 in the top 25. “One is 249 pounds and one is 252 pounds”.
Foreman was the week one rushing star, but I would guess Warren sees close to 20-carries in week two.
Strong knows the win over the Fighting Irish – who fell to No. 18 – was meaningful. By the time the Irish offense started to gel in the second half, Kizer was the only quarterback. Tuesday night, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon included an anecdote about freshman quarterback Shane Buechele’s surprise birth in his opening monologue.
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Texas had one of its better recruiting classes heading into this season.
