2021 Texas Longhorns midseason awards
Seven games into a 12-game schedule, several Longhorns have put together resumes that have them in contention for team superlatives. Some of the options are obvious, especially considering breakout games and moments from players like Bijan Robinson and Xavier Worthy.
Some awards lack quality candidates, indicative of some of the problems afflicting the Texas Longhorns in Steve Sarkisian’s first year as head coach.
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With Texas on bye, it’s the right time to determine who the team’s MVP, offensive player of the year, defensive player of the year, and newcomers of the year are at the midseason juncture.
MVP & OPOY: Bijan Robinson
Stats: 146 carries, 924 yards, 10 touchdowns. 14 receptions, 207 yards, 3 touchdowns
In some seasons, this is not an easy decision. This year, it is.
A significant majority of the Texas Longhorns’ offensive successes can be directly attributed to Robinson’s play, including the win over the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth. Needing everything his best player could offer, Sarkisian gave the ball to Robinson 37 total times. He amassed 238 yards on those touches.
Robinson also had a nationally televised moment versus Oklahoma where he showcased his sudden movement ability, then his strength, then his open field speed. But those types of plays have been happening all year as Robinson is averaging 132 rushing yards per game, with only the Arkansas Razorbacks holding the super sophomore under 100 yards.
That highlight sticks out, but the sum total of his play is pretty good, too.
Offensive newcomer of the year: Xavier Worthy
Stats: 30 receptions, 559 yards, 6 touchdowns
Worthy stepped onto campus in the summer, earned a starting wide receiver spot ahead of his first game, and has become the main downfield threat for the Texas passing game.
There were some slow starts and some hiccups, including a rough outing against TCU with just one catch for seven yards. But there has also been the explosive excellence that quickly earned him the WR1 designation for the Longhorn offense.
Worthy’s first 100-yard game was versus Texas Tech, where he also scored three touchdowns. After the TCU struggles, Worthy caught nine passes for 261 yards and two scores against Oklahoma, finishing just 12 yards short of the single-game record set by Jordan Shipley in 2009.
No matter who has been at quarterback for the Longhorns, they’ve been helped by Worthy’s ability to stretch the defense vertically. His stats could be even gaudier, but through seven games Worthy’s play is indicative of a bright future in the Texas offense.
Defensive player of the year: Josh Thompson
Stats: 26 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 INT, 1 TD
For most of the 2021 season, Josh Thompson has been tasked with defending the top wide receiver target on the opposing team. And for the most part, save missing the TCU game due to injury, Thompson has been up to the task.
According to PFF College, Thompson has graded well in both his coverage assignments and his run defense responsibilities. As Texas’ left cornerback, he typically draws the toughest assignment and thus far has been able to stifle most opponents’ top pass-catchers.
His pick-six against Texas Tech while assigned to Erik Ezukanma is the best evidence of what he has provided this year for Texas. Though the Longhorn defense has broken at several junctures this year, rarely is it due to a gaffe by Thompson. His experience as a corner in this conference has been crucial to a defense that is still finding its footing in year one under Pete Kwiatkowski.
Defensive newcomer of the year: Ovie Oghoufo
Stats: 27 tackles, 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks
Oghoufo was between positions at Notre Dame, eventually leading him to the transfer portal. At Texas, the Lathrup Villiage, Mich. product has found a role as one of Texas’ top pass rushers whether at Buck or at Sam.
Oghoufo started the year backing up fellow newcomer Ray Thornton at Buck and acting as the starting Sam linebacker when Texas was in a base defense. But his play on the field has led him to find a more prominent role for Kwiatkowski’s defense in both of those spots.
He has started three games at Sam linebacker, but continues to see plenty of snaps even if Texas starts out in a base nickel defense with Anthony Cook on the field as the Star defensive back.
The Notre Dame transfer leads the team in sacks, is sixth in tackles, and has found a role on a Longhorn defense that desperately needed an infusion of pass rushing ability in the offseason.
