Texas Football: 3 takeaways from blowout opening win over UTEP

1. Sam Ehlinger looks to have taken that next step

It’s odd to say that a quarterback who has started for three straight seasons and has over 8,500 career passing yards and 68 touchdowns has taken that “next step” but it looks like Sam Ehlinger may have done just that this offseason.

Granted, UTEP isn’t the greatest measuring stick but Ehlinger looked fantastic, throwing over 400 yards and five touchdowns in just the first half. If he had played the entire game, he was on pace to have 858 yards and 10 touchdowns through the air. He only carried the ball three times for 12 yards as it looks like he’s focusing more on the pass first.

Whenever a dual-threat quarterback is running just a few times, that means that he trusts in his arm just that much more. If that’s the case, the Big 12 needs to be on alert.

Ehlinger was already arguably the best quarterback the conference had to offer entering the 2020 season, but he only furthered that notion with his performance against the Miners.

It looks like he’s getting even better. Scary.