With less than 70 days until Texas kicks off its 2024 season against Colorado State at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, we’re taking an early look at the Longhorns’ opponents in their first season as members of the Southeastern Conference. This series will feature analysis on each of Texas’ 12 regular-season opponents as Texas seeks to return to the College Football Playoff for consecutive seasons as Steve Sarkisian’s fourth season in Austin is rapidly approaching.
Week 4: Louisiana-Monroe
Game date: Sept. 21
Location: Darrell K. Royal Texas-Memorial Stadium – Austin, Tex.
2023 record: 2-10 (0-8 Sun Belt Conference; last-place finish in conference)
Head Coach: Bryant Vincent (first season), 0-0 overall record
Early betting line: N/A
Returning starters: 6 (one on offense, five on defense)
Key returners: RB Hunter Smith (94 carries for 507 yards and three touchdowns), OL Elijah Fisher (12 games, 741 snaps, 64.6 overall grade, per Pro Football Focus), DT Jaylan Ware (54 tackles, six for loss, one pass breakups), DT Adin Huntington (63 tackles, 16 for loss, 8.5 sacks, two pass breakups, three forced fumble), LB Carl Glass Jr. (59 tackles, seven for loss, 1.5 sacks), LB Trevor Randle (40 tackles, 1.5 for loss), DB David Godsey Jr. (36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, two pass breakups), DB Car’lin Vigers (54 tackles, three pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery)
Most critical offseason departures: QB Jiva Wright (1,246 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions), WR Tyrone Howell (49 receptions, 590 yards, seven touchdowns), WR Dariyan Wiley (24 receptions, 400 yards, two touchdowns), LB Michael Batton (80 tackles, three for loss, .5 sack, LB Max Harris (79 tackles, one for loss, two pass breakups, one forced fumble)
Key offseason additions: QB General Booty (2,506 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and eight interceptions, 86 carries for 323 yards and four touchdowns)
Texas storylines:
Replacing Jonathon Brooks:
Both CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue have been on the record about not feeling pressure to replace Jonathon Brooks and declaring that they both not only anticipate that they will split carries – but that each player looks forward to sharing the load with the other.
“If you’re a running back, you should want to split carries with at least one or two other great backs because there’s a wear and tear on your body,” said Baxter in reference to embracing the Longhorns loaded running back room under position coach Tashard Choice.
By the time late September’s contest arrives, there should be a solid feel for what the run game looks like in 2024.
After Brooks’ season-ending injury, Baxter earned 64 carries (275 yards) to Blue’s 40 carries (231 yards).
Four weeks into the season will help establish where Texas’ rushing attack sits entering SEC play and what the breakdown of touches could look like between Baxter, Blue and emerging sophomore Tre Wisner.
Here comes the SEC:
ULM represents the final non-conference game for the Longhorns before the team begins their first season of conference play in the Southeastern Conference. This isn’t meant with any disrespect to Colorado State, UTSA or Louisiana-Monroe. However, outside of taking care of business, the most ideal scenario is that Steve Sarkisian’s club gets out of the four-game stretch without suffering any major injuries.
If this year’s team is as good as we believe them to be, than there won’t be a situation like last season, where non-conference games against Rice and Wyoming were much tougher than needed – but also revealed areas that the Longhorns’ were vulnerable in – ones that would go on to be exposed a few weeks later in the team’s loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Shootout.
ULM storylines:
Bryant Vincent and General Booty:
First-year Louisiana-Monroe head coach Bryant Vincent’s story is a testament to being a football lifer and one that any diehard sports fan can appreciate. The 48-year-old Vincent began his coaching career at the Division II level in Alabama before spending the majority of the next decade at the high school level before getting an FBS job with South Alabama. Vincent’s first big break came to a screeching halt as after leading UAB to bowl-eligibility for the first time in over a decade as the Blazers’ offensive coordinator, the program was shut down.
Vincent would rejoin UAB after football was reinstated three years later and had a highly successful tenure as coordinator and then served as interim head coach, before not being selected for the permanent position. Now, he gets his shot with one of the nation’s worst programs and has his work cut out for him.
The first measure of order was to find a quarterback and Vincent turns to former Oklahoma backup General Booty. A former 247Sports three-star recruit, Booty will be at the controls of Vincent’s offense, which looks to push the ball downfield – as evidenced by his time at UAB where Blazers’ quarterbacks ranked among the top-10 in the nation in yards per pass attempt in each of his final four seasons as offensive coordinator.
A Texas win would mean: Nothing of major significance, provided the Longhorns take care of business in a fashion that’s representative of the talent gap between the two teams.
A Texas loss would mean: What’s worse than DEFCON-1?
Up next: Mississippi State
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