Houston Chronicle

There’s a need for speed in the Longhorns’ new uptempo attack.

- mfinger@express-news.net twitter,com/mikefinger

AUSTIN — During the oppressive­ly sweltering middle portion of August, right about the time when a fever of delirium settles across the region, residents of Central Texas begin to say things no one actually believes.

“Might get some rain next week. Should cool off then.”

“They’re supposed to be finished with the MoPac highway constructi­on by Christmas.”

“Hey, Texas might be pretty good on offense this year.”

Any utterance of that last one usually is enough to snap locals back into reality. Six summers in a row that claim has been made, citing a new coordinato­r or a promising quarterbac­k or a revamped system as proof, and every autumn it’s been exposed as fantastica­l, heat-induced fiction.

Focused on speed

But the more a visitor sat and listened to Longhorns coach Charlie Strong and offensive lineman Kent Perkins talk at UT’s football complex this week, the more tempting it was to fall for the same bait-and-switch all over again.

“It’s a thousand times faster than last year,” Perkins said, trumpeting the benefits of switching to an up-tempo spread-oriented attack. “We’re going to beat teams with speed.” Sounds promising. “I’m surprised right now how well we’re functionin­g,” Strong said. “We keep getting better. We haven’t taken a step back yet.” Sounds even better. But in the Longhorns’ first preseason scrimmage, how did the unit fare against a defense that’s carried the team in recent years?

“We beat them up pretty good,” Perkins said. “We didn’t win too many of those last year.”

Stronger line up front

Perkins understand­s why people might be reluctant to believe him. This is, after all, the same group of guys who, the last time they played a game that mattered, managed to amass a mere 59 yards against Arkansas in the Texas Bowl. And that was before they lost two starting receivers ( John Harris and Jaxon Shipley) and tailback Malcolm Brown.

Still optimism abounds. The most tangible reason for it lies up front, where an offensive line ravaged by injuries and dismissals in 2014 finally boasts more than five able bodies. Perkins admitted there were multiple games last season when he desperatel­y needed a rest, but couldn’t afford to come off the field because UT had no one to replace him.

“It was exhausting,” he said.

All shades of Gray

But the additions of freshmen Connor Williams and Patrick Vahe and junior college transfer Tristan Nickelson give the unit depth, and that should mean better protection for the quarterbac­ks.

Tyrone Swoopes, the Longhorns’ presumptiv­e starter who will share at least some time with redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard in the season opener, spent most of last season backpedali­ng from pressure, and the results often were disastrous. Now, Strong and offensive play-caller Shawn Watson insist he’s a changed quarterbac­k — remember, it’s the middle of August — and is ready to thrive.

Maybe he will. Or maybe the source of the thriving will be Heard, a dynamic runner who told Strong, “I’ll show you,” when the coach joked about keeping him on a short leash when he takes the field at Notre Dame.

For either quarterbac­k to succeed, though, the Longhorns will need Johnathan Gray to live up to his five-star billing. They will need a young receiver like Armanti Foreman or John Burt or DeAndre McNeal to emerge as a threat.

And they will need the twisting saga of Daje Johnson to continue trending toward a happy ending. After years of suspension­s and slumps, the immensely talented senior wide receiver has been one of the stars of the preseason, scoring two touchdowns in last week’s scrimmage.

“Even my man Daje looks good,” Strong said, and as he spoke, he knocked his knuckles on a wood table five times.

After all, it’s August in Central Texas.

 ?? Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News ?? Texas wide receiver Daje Johnson’s preseason performanc­e suggests the senior is poised for a breakout year.
Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News Texas wide receiver Daje Johnson’s preseason performanc­e suggests the senior is poised for a breakout year.
 ??  ?? MIKE FINGER
MIKE FINGER

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