Texas has more than a dozen freshman on its depth chart.
Coach Mack Brown doesn't see that as cause for concern as the Longhorns prepare for Saturday's opener against Rice.
"Youth is an excuse," Brown said. "These guys are good players, and they came to play. It's our job to get them in the right places. It's our job to teach them what to do and then they'll get the experience."
There's Jackson Jeffcoat, son of former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jim Jeffcoat at reserve linebacker and Case McCoy, brother of Colt McCoy at backup quarterback.
More important than any freshman who might play on Saturday is the performance of sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert. Gilbert takes over for Colt McCoy full-time this season after an inauspicious start filling in for the star in a 37-21 loss to Alabama in the BCS title game.
Gilbert threw four interceptions in that game after taking over McCoy in the first quarter. That fact hasn't left him now that this is his team.
"I think as a quarterback the thing that's been the most important for me is to be able to be the leader; the guy that manages the game well and doesn't turn the ball over — doesn't make mistakes with the ball," he said.
Brown wants Gilbert to understand he doesn't have to try to be McCoy and that he wants him to have fun and enjoy the moment. The high-school All-American will get show his stuff against a Rice defense that allowed 464 total yards and more than 273 yards passing a game last season.
Still, the coach knows it will take some time for things to run smoothly with his new signal caller.
"He's going to have some problems, but the way you overcome your problems is the way you win," Brown said.
The Longhorns also have a new look at running back with hard-running junior Cody Johnson earning the starting job. The 5-foot-11, 250-pound Johnson nabbed the position after finally getting health and shedding some extra pounds. Brown is looking forward to how Johnson can change the Longhorns' running game, but that doesn't mean they're going to abandon the passing game with McCoy gone.
"We just want to run the ball better when we run it," Brown said. "Everybody's talking about how we're going to line up and run it every play. That's not going to be the case. We're going to do whatever we need to do to win. We'll still throw the ball ... we want to be wide open, but we want to be able to run the ball and not lose yards."
Brown believes this team has all the pieces to be successful despite their youth. He's eager to see how they'll respond this season and says they "can't play with complacency."
"The question will be their chemistry, their motto, 'Every play, every day,'" he said. "Are they going to do that or will it be a team like in '06 and in some times '07 early, that played up and down?"
They'll get their first tuneup against a team that is almost always overmatched when facing the Longhorns and is a more than 30 point underdog on Saturday.
Coach David Bailiff didn't shy away from that fact and figures things will be most difficult for his offensive line against the Texas defensive front.
"Earlier I called (Houston Texans coach) Gary Kubiak to see if we could get a scrimmage last week but they were busy," Bailiff joked. "That's about the same type of people the Longhorns have. I think they have a bunch of future Hall of Famers. They're a good football team. Is it a gauge? I don't know, but I would sure like to see some improvement."
Owl fans are looking forward to the Rice debut of running back Sam McGuffie, who sat out a year after transferring from Michigan following a freshman season where he gained 486 yards and scored three touchdowns. He was a high school star in the area, with 5,847 yards and 83 touchdowns in his career at Cypress-Fairbanks high school.
"He's a difference maker in the program.," Bailiff said. "He's a lot like all the great ones. He's the first one here and the last to leave. He loves the game of football."
Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson knows McGuffie is good, but thinks the Longhorn defense is ready for the challenge of facing him.
"He's very fast," Robinson said. "He's very athletic, and I just think that our scheme that we have this weekend — I think we will be able to play well against him and play well against the other running backs we face."
