Texas Football: 3 reasons the Longhorns are toast after the USC loss

AUSTIN, TX - SEPTEMBER 09: Sam Ehlinger #11 and P.J. Locke III #11 of the Texas Longhorns sing The Eyes of Texas after the game against the San Jose State Spartans at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 9, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Sam Ehlinger #11 of the Texas Longhorns is tackled by Jack Jones #25 and Uchenna Nwosu #42 of the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

1. Sam Ehlinger won’t pan out as expected

There’s no denying the clutch performance that true freshman quarterback Sam Ehlinger displayed against the USC defense. Against one of the fastest and most athletic defenses in the country, Ehlinger kept the Horns in the game every time USC was about to pull away.

Ehlinger finished the game with nearly 300 yards and two touchdowns passing. He also did throw two interceptions. However, it will be interesting to watch what happens in the Texas quarterback battle moving forward.

Since sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele injured his shoulder against Maryland, he has sat the bench in every game. If Herman is just waiting for Buechele to get healthy again, he’ll have a tough decision to make.

Next: The Big 12 is the best conference in the country

Right now, Ehlinger is the best option to go with in the Longhorns’ next game against the Iowa State Cyclones. Yet, we saw a freshman quarterback in Buechele get off to a hot start and tail off down the stretch last year.

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