Texas 45, Louisiana Tech 14: Answers to our five questions for Texas

Let's go back to our five pre-game questions the Longhorns faced before Saturday's win over Louisiana Tech.

Here is how they were played:

1. Who was the biggest hunter in Texas?

Keaontay Ingram.

Ingram, who was injured in the first qualifying session and subsequently held the rest of the training camp, averaged 7.1 yards per race. He finished with 78 yards and one touchdown on 11 races to lead Texas. Jordan Whittington aggravated his groin and ended up not being considered a factor. Rookie quarterback Roschon Johnson, who had been injured on the third rope, had seven runs for 26 yards.

2. What did Jake Smith in his debut?

The rookie had four catches for 31 yards. His longest seizure was 18 meters. Sam Ehlinger shot him in the end zone in the third quarter, but they could not connect.

3. How did Johnson, Roach and Jones do it?

Three Longhorns – wide receiver Collin Johnson, defensive wing Malcolm Roach and security Brandon Jones – have decided to return rather than embark on the NFL draft in 2019. They have had mixed results in the first match. Johnson scored his 13th career touchdown and earned four points for 59 yards, but made the first U-turn of the season in Texas after losing a fumble in the first quarter. Roach had two tackles, including one for defeat. And Jones was third on the team with seven tackles and recovered a fumble, but he also made a costly penalty when his hard call canceled an interception return by Joseph Ossai of 82 yards for a touchdown.

4. Did Texas avoid another slow start on special teams?

Yes.

Cameron Dicker missed a field goal of 49 yards, but was good after 43 yards. It was his 19th career goal. Ryan Bujcevski had 41.0 yards in three shots and Devin Duvernay opened the match with a 36-yard kickoff return.

This is a big improvement over what happened during the last two openings. The Longhorns did not score any ground goals, they missed a 42-yard goal in 2017 and also gave up a blocked investment that was returned by Maryland for a touchdown.

5. Did Texas Beat the Bulldogs … and Spread?

Yes.

Of course, Louisiana Tech is a team of five, but the Bulldogs are not cupcakes; They hooked up with LSU last year and have won at least eight games in four of the past five years. And the Longhorns ranked 10th were favorites with 20.5 points, so they easily covered the gap.