Texas football midseason report card: Solid all around, but are Longhorns A students?

Every week, the American-Statesman grades the Texas football team at each position as well as on special teams.

How does the report card look for No. 9 Texas (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) midway through the season? Well, the Longhorns look like high B students after the equivalent of one semester, based on the average grade for each game. Let’s break down each category that receives a grade and add an overall grade for the coaching:

Quarterbacks: B+

Weekly grades: Rice B, Alabama A+, Wyoming C, Baylor A-, Kansas A, Oklahoma B

Quinn Ewers, who has thrown all but six of Texas’ passes by quarterbacks, fell just short of an A after committing three of his four overall turnovers in last weekend’s 34-30 loss to Oklahoma. Still, Ewers’ development in his second full season as a starter has keyed an offense that ranks 13th in the nation with 486.5 yards a game. He’s thrown for 1,704 yards and 11 touchdowns on 69.5% passing and has added the occasional run to his arsenal with 140 positive yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

Go figure: An interception in the fourth game of the season against Kansas snapped a string of 245 consecutive passes by Ewers without a pick, which ranks second in school history behind Sam Ehlinger’s 308 in 2018.

More: Can Texas football reach the Big 12 title game and the playoff? Chances good with wins.

Running backs: B

Weekly grades: Rice C, Alabama C, Wyoming A-, Baylor A-, Kansas A, Oklahoma B

A slow start to the season on the ground ended with the emergence of Jonathon Brooks, a third-year sophomore who took over in the backfield after an injury to freshman CJ Baxter. After rushing for a total of 109 yards on 27 carries over the first two weeks, Brooks has barged into Doak Walker Award contention with 617 yards rushing and five TDs on 82 carries in the past four games. Depth is a concern since Baxter remains hobbled by a nagging injury and the other running backs have combined for just 155 yards on 37 carries.

Go figure: With his 726 yards on the ground, Brooks ranks second in the FBS in rushing behind Troy’s Kimani Vidal (835 yards) and leads all rushers in Power Five conferences.

More: Bohls: Texas' C game with moments of brilliance wasn't enough to get past Oklahoma

Wide receivers: B+

Weekly grades: Rice B, Alabama A, Wyoming B, Baylor B, Kansas A-, Oklahoma B

What this position lacks in depth, it makes up for with extreme production. The top three wideouts, Xavier Worthy (34 catches, 453 yards, three touchdowns), Adonai Mitchell (25-354-4) and Jordan Whittington (22-257-0), have accounted for all but five of the 86 catches by a wideout. They have taken turns in the spotlight, too, with each receiver recording at least one 100-yard game. If the Longhorns can get freshman Johntay Cook II loose downfield for more than four catches, this unit can quickly improve its grade to an A.

Go figure: Worthy has caught at least one pass in all 31 of his career games, which ranks fifth on Texas’ all-time list for consecutive games with a catch.

Tight ends: B-

Weekly grades: Rice A-, Alabama A, Wyoming D, Baylor A-, Kansas D, Oklahoma B

When healthy, Ja’Tavion Sanders flashes star power, as evidenced by a 114-yard game against Alabama and a 110-yard game against Baylor. However, an irksome ankle injury has limited the junior to just two catches over the past two weeks. Fortunately for the Longhorns, Gunnar Helm showed he’s more than just a devastating blocker while hauling in four passes for 67 yards and his first career touchdown against Oklahoma.

Go figure: Sanders is the only tight end in school history with two games of at least 100 yards receiving.

More: Big 12 football power poll: For first time in 2023, Oklahoma supplants Texas atop rankings

Offensive line: B

Weekly grades: Rice C, Alabama A, Wyoming B-, Baylor B, Kansas A, Oklahoma C

Injuries have helped lead to some inconsistency for a unit that still paves the way for 35 points a game. Guard Cole Hutson has missed the past two games, and center Jake Majors went down early against Oklahoma. A unit anchored by bookend tackles Kelvin Banks Jr. and Christian Jones also had issues protecting Ewers, with five sacks allowed against OU. Texas needs some of its younger linemen to emerge and provide depth.

Go figure: Texas is tied for 65th among FBS schools in red zone offense with a scoring percentage of .833, getting 11 touchdowns and nine field goals on 24 trips inside opponents’ 20-yard line.

Defensive line: B+

Weekly grades: Rice A, Alabama A, Wyoming B, Baylor A, Kansas B, Oklahoma C

The tackle rotation of starters T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II along with Alfred Collins, Vernon Broughton and Trill Carter anchors a rock-solid run defense that ranks third in the Big 12 with 112.3 rushing yards allowed per game. But the pass rush from the edge has slowed down as the season has worn on; over the past three games, Barryn Sorrell, Ethan Burke, Justice Finkley and the other edge rushers have a total of one sack and three quarterback pressures.

Go figure: Of the 23 hits on a quarterback this season by the Longhorns, 11 have come from the defensive tackle position and five have come from a blitzing linebacker or defensive back.

Linebackers: B

Weekly grades: Rice B, Alabama A-, Wyoming C+, Baylor B+, Kansas B, Oklahoma C-

Jaylan Ford, the unquestioned leader of the defense, has been steady all season with a team-high 40 tackles and five stops for a loss. However, the Big 12’s preseason defensive player of the year needs more impact plays besides his two interceptions; he doesn’t have a sack nor has he forced or recovered a fumble. Fellow senior David Gbenda is enjoying a solid season in his first year as a starter with 29 tackles, and freshman Anthony Hill Jr. has flashed the ability that made him a five-star recruit while racking up 25 tackles, three sacks and 3½ tackles for a loss from both the linebacker and edge spots.

Go figure: Hill is on pace to become Texas’ best pass rusher as a freshman in a generation. Tim Campbell holds the freshman record for most sacks in a season with 13 in 1975, and Tony Brackens had 10 sacks as a freshman in 1993. No other freshman has more than 5½ sacks in his debut season.

Defensive backs: B+

Weekly grades: Rice A, Alabama A, Wyoming A-, Baylor B, Kansas B, Oklahoma C

The secondary impresses when it comes to statistics, helping the Longhorns hold opponents to 211 yards a game on 54% passing with six interceptions and four touchdown passes allowed. Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel exposed a unit that played without injured cornerback Ryan Watts last weekend, especially with the deep ball. Nickel back Jahdae Barron is in the middle of an All-Big 12 type of season with 32 tackles, an interception, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup and has been the defense’s best player not playing tackle. Freshmen Malik Muhammad at cornerback and Derek Williams at safety might see more action as the season wears on.

Go figure: Barron's 11 tackles against OU and Wyoming are the two best single-game performances this season for Texas in that category.

Special teams: B-

Weekly grades: Rice A, Alabama B, Wyoming B+, Baylor D, Kansas D, Oklahoma B

Aside from a flurry of muffed kicks against Baylor and two missed field goals against Kansas, the special teams have made a lot more plays than they’ve allowed. Those include a blocked punt for a touchdown against Oklahoma and a well-designed fake punt that led to more points against the Sooners. Kicker Bert Auburn shook off his forgettable game against Kansas by going 3-for-3 against Oklahoma, including a late 47-yard field goal that briefly gave Texas the lead. Punter Ryan Sanborn has excelled since arriving from Stanford and would rank in the top 10 in the nation if he had enough kicks to qualify, but the Horns’ inability to do much in the return game has caused some head-scratching among the coaches.

Go figure: Texas has a glaring tendency to either fair-catch punts or let the ball hit the turf; the Longhorns have just 11 returns on 33 punts by opponents.

Coaching: B+

The Statesman doesn’t do weekly grades on coaching, but it’s hard to deny what Texas has accomplished in the first half of the season, even considering the loss to Oklahoma. The Longhorns have arguably the best win in all of college football with the road triumph over Alabama, and head coach and primary play caller Steve Sarkisian is on track to produce yet another 1,000-yard rusher despite losing a pair of running backs, Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson, to the NFL. The red zone miscues mar the offensive success a bit, and defensive communication issues at the end of the Oklahoma game are an area of concern.

Go figure: Sarkisian has a 13-6 record as a head coach over the past two seasons, and all six losses in that span have been by seven points or fewer.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: How does Texas Longhorns football team do on midseason report card?