OTF Premium Matchups that will matter when Texas takes on Texas State

[Jeff Howe]

AUSTIN, Texas — Justin Cryer earned the opportunity to be a significant piece of what Steve Sarkisian believes is a championship-caliber puzzle because of the work he’s put in since joining the Texas program in January.

Cryer will wear the green dot on his helmet as the Longhorn defender who will receive in-helmet communication from Will Muschamp when he’s on the field in Saturday’s season opener against Texas State (2:30 p.m., ESPN). According to Sarkisian, that happened because the 6-foot-1-inch, 241-pound Cryer “immersed himself to the process and the schemes” after transferring to Texas from Florida State, establishing himself as a leader and key defensive cog for the Longhorns before logging his first snap in burnt orange.

“This guy is very, very smart,” Sarkisian said. “He's a really good communicator and it's not just communication with the players. He's a really good communicator with the coaches. He can talk and say exactly what he sees. Half of communicating is listening, right? His ability to listen to a call from Coach Muschamp, maybe a reminder, and then relay that communication to the defensive front or the other 'backers or the DBs, I think all of that is really important.

“He's earned that because he's immersed himself in the scheme,” he added. “I think he knows it as good or better than anybody.”

Cryer’s ability to operate efficiently within Muschamp’s scheme will be tested against a Bobcat offense led by Brad Jackson, one of the top returning dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.

As an inside linebacker, Cryer should face more run/pass conflicts than any other Texas defender on Saturday. The design and function of GJ Kinne’s balanced, up-tempo offense (Kinne played for Gus Malzahn and Chad Morris at Tulsa and was with Chip Kelly in the NFL for three seasons, all of whom have influenced Kinne's offensive ethos) will keep Cryer on his toes.

Cryer’s biggest challenge is the role he’ll play in defending Jackson, who finished seventh in the country in total offense in 2025 (305.2 yards per game). Jackson completed his redshirt freshman season with 3,968 total yards (3,224 yards passing and 744 yards rushing), breaking a program record that Barrick Nealy (who led Texas State to the then-Division I-AA semifinals in 2005, with Tom Herman calling the offensive plays for David Bailiff in San Marcos) held for two decades.

“You don't get over 700 yards rushing on accident,” said Sarkisian, who acknowledged that defending Jackson requires accounting for three things.

The game plan starts with preparing for Jackson’s ability to get the football out quickly to Beau Sparks (84 receptions, 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns last season) and Chris Dawn Jr. (65 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns in 2025). It also means dealing with intricately designed quarterback runs, with Jackson’s prowess as a scrambler (his 391 yards gained on scrambles tied for the ninth-most in FBS, according to Pro Football Focus) adding another degree of difficulty.

Whether he’s trying to stop Jackson from gaining yards with his legs or protecting the middle of the field as a pass defender, where the Longhorns will be most vulnerable to play-action passes and Jackson’s ability to manipulate the eyes of defenders at the mesh point, Cryer will be under the microscope from the jump. If Cryer, who allowed 13 receptions for 105 yards (8.1 yards per reception) and a touchdown on the 20 times he was targeted last season, according to PFF (a 41.5 season-long coverage grade was the third-worst among the 42 Seminole defenders who recorded at least one coverage snap across Florida State's 12 games), holds his own against one of the most potent offenses in the country (the Bobcats tied for 21st in FBS with 70 plays from scrimmage of 20 or more yards and averaged 6.68 yards per play last season, tying Ole Miss for No. 15 nationally), it’ll send a signal to opposing offense to think twice before immediately identifying him as the path of least resistance when trying to move the football against the Longhorns.

TEXAS SAFETIES vs. TEXAS STATE WIDE RECEIVERS

It’s a safe bet that Kinne and Jackson will force Cryer to make plays in space. The same is true for the Longhorn safeties, who will likely find themselves in one-on-one situations against Sparks and Dawn, the Bobcats’ 1,000-yard receiving tandem.

Whenever Jelani McDonald, Derek Williams Jr., Jonah Williams or Kobe Black find themselves all alone against one of Jackson’s downfield threats, the goal should be to minimize the damage. Above all else, that means stopping the ball where it’s caught and limiting yards after the catch, a category in which Sparks (558 yards after the catch) and Dawn (535) ranked seventh and ninth among FBS wide receivers last season, respectively, according to PFF.

TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE vs. TEXAS STATE DEFENSIVE LINE

After an offseason chock-full of talk about the Longhorns running the football more effectively and efficiently than they did in 2025, it would be a welcome sight to see Kyle Flood’s group lean on the Bobcats’ defensive front. Although Texas State made a coordinator change on defense, with Will Windham coming over from South Alabama, and attempted to bolster their defensive front through the transfer portal, the Bobcats allowed 164.9 yards per game (91st in FBS) and 4.24 yards per attempt (71st in FBS) last season, while opponents recorded 74 rushing attempts of 10 or more yards in 13 games (tied for 28th in FBS).

The Texas ground game needs to make a statement out of the gate that 2026 will be different when it comes to pounding the rock. A revamped running back room must do its part. Still, Longhorn fans would feel a lot better going into the Ohio State game (and beyond) if the new-look offensive line can generate a consistent push and clearly win the line-of-scrimmage battle against Texas State.

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[Jeff Howe]

This is Jackson's passing depth chart, according to Pro Football Focus.

When he threw the ball beyond the line of scrimmage last season, he was more efficient outside the numbers than in the middle of the field. The Gus Malzahn/Chad Morris offense that GJ Kinne's offense is rooted in is similar to the Art Briles veer-and-shoot in that the middle of the field opening up is to support the running game. Malzahn and his disciples use the middle of the field in the passing game a lot more than the guys who are descendants of the veer-and-shoot.

Regardless, if you're looking for the path of least resistance against Texas, you'll try to make Cryer make plays in space. Saturday is a tremendous opportunity for him to get off on the right foot and set the tone because it won't be the last time teams come after him.

[Califashorn75]

All I want to see is less goofy penalties, Cam catching 7 to 10 passes, a few sacks by our defense, a strong running game, and no injuries. 

[Joe Naural]

if SwT wants to stack the box…. Give Arch leeway to  change n go   light em  up.   From the very 1rst play to the End of Game.    

Edited 8 minutes ago by Joe Naural