It may only be the second game in his tenure as Texas Longhorns head coach, but it’s safe to say Tom Herman caught a quick lesson in how the masses can turn on you in Austin. While there was so much optimism to start the season, that quickly dissipated as the Longhorns completely flopped. They were a 19-point favorite against the Maryland Terrapins in their opener and even though the Terps lost their starting quarterback in the second half, the Longhorns still couldn’t get the win. Worse yet, the Longhorns defense – which has had all sorts of issues in the Charlie Strong era – does not seem like it’s improved.
Things got ugly for the Texas Longhorns as they were booed loudly throughout this past Saturday’s defeat and fans threw trash on the field. Now Texas turns its attention to a San Jose State Spartans team fresh off its first win of the season versus Cal Poly and attempting to cover the number for the third consecutive week. The bad news for Texas is this is a can’t-win situation. Stomp San Jose State and cover the spread, and that’s what fans expect. Struggle in any way, shape or form and the already-sour mood in Austin will start to get even darker.
Details
Odds: Longhorns -26
Date & Time: Saturday September 9, 3:30 PM ET
Location: Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium
Broadcast: Longhorn Network
Reasons To Bet On The San Jose State Spartans
On the surface it is never much fun betting on a team with a significant talent disadvantage, which is what San Jose State will enter with Saturday. However, the 26 points give the Spartans a good starting point and Texas’ defense showed last week it was very poor, specifically against the pass. Spartans quarterback Montel Aaron and wide receiver Bailey Gaither have already connected for two scores on the young season and the Spartans have moved the ball both on the ground and through the air. Though they ended up giving it back and then some, this was a Spartans team who jumped out to a 16-0 lead on South Florida in the opener. They can put up some points, the question is can they slow the Texas Longhorns.
Reasons To Bet On The Texas Longhorns
You have to feel like the Texas Longhorns are going to bring their A game on Saturday. Coming off the defeat already mentioned, at home and against a far inferior opponent, this feels like a game in which Texas gets back on track. The Longhorns started slowly but got the offense rolling in the second half and even made a game of it in the fourth quarter. While Texas did most of its damage in the air, a big reason for that was the game situation. Facing a Spartans team which has conceded over 255 yards per game on the ground so far this season, expect Texas to get much more out of the ground game. Also expect to see a balanced attack that will lead the Longhorns to move the ball at will. If Texas can improve defensively from a week ago, even marginally, the Longhorns have a realistic shot at the cover.
Outlook
In general, in the day and age of offensive numbers going through the roof, it’s much easier to take the 26 points here, knowing even a last-minute touchdown could steal a backdoor cover. Going back to the first thing said in the Texas section however, this game has the feel of one in which Texas gets up big and never looks back. With the Longhorns facing public backlash, against an overwhelmed opponent perhaps feeling good about itself after an easy win, expect the Longhorns to issue a reality check to San Jose State and start the process of rewriting the narrative on this team. They don’t feel good about how things went last week and while their schedule is going to get much harder in the coming weeks, they will look good against San Jose State and cover the big margin. Lay the points in this spot.
Prediction: Texas -26
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