Top PFF grades from No. 7 Texas' 31-24 win over Houston
After the No. 7 Texas Longhorns’ 31-24 win over Houston from TDECU Stadium on Saturday, Inside Texas takes a look at the Pro Football Focus grades on offense and defense after the Longhorns moved to 6-1 in the 2023 season.
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OFFENSE
QB – Quinn Ewers, 68.3
Before going down to injury, Ewers was sharp on 23-of-29 passing, 211 yards, and two touchdowns on 58 snaps. After the injury, Ewers’ right arm/shoulder was in a sling. Maalik Murphy replaced him.
RB – Jonathon Brooks, 71.3, Cedric Baxter, 70.8, Savion Red, 80.7
The trio of Brooks, Baxter, and Red notched 204 total yards and two touchdowns, including Red’s keeper in the red zone and Baxter’s game-winning 16-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. Brooks added a career-high eight catches in the winning effort.
WR – Xavier Worthy, 73.0, Adonai Mitchell, 57.5
The duo of Worthy and Mitchell were productive on Saturday, with both finding the end zone. Worthy notched 92 yards receiving on six catches and a score from an absolute dime by Ewers, while Mitchell had one grab, a 14-yard touchdown catch to open the scoring for the Horns.
TE – Ja’Tavion Sanders, 59.8
Sanders was closer to 100% on Saturday, tallying 29 yards receiving on two grabs on 54 snaps. Gunnar Helm had a pair of catches for 13 yards.
OL – Christian Jones, 66.3, Kelvin Banks, 70.5, Jake Majors, 66.0
Offensive tackles Banks and Jones and center Majors paced the O-line attack. All three played all 69 snaps on offense. The unit gave up three sacks.
DEFENSE
DL/EDGE – T’Vondre Sweat, 72.4, Alfred Collins, 73.2, Byron Murphy, 72.4, Ethan Burke, 67.2
Sweat (36 snaps) and Murphy (35 snaps) once again paced the defensive interior, while Collins added a defensive line-high 73.2 on 20 snaps before exiting with an injury. Burke was solid in 43 snaps, adding a sack.
LB – Anthony Hill Jr, 58.6, Jaylan Ford, 69.2
The true freshman Hill Jr and the elder statesman Ford combined for 11 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one critical forced-fumble in the fourth quarter by Ford.
CB/N – Jahdae Barron, 78.8, Jaylon Guilbeau, 69.6
Barron began the game on the sidelines, nursing a recent injury but was called upon into action to begin the second half and played admirably at nickel and cornerback after Terrance Brooks went down. Guilbeau started and was strong in the first half with a pair of tackles. Both played 32 snaps).
S – Michael Taaffe, 62.8, Derek Williams, 72.6
The former Westlake walk-on played one of his best games in a Texas uniform. He tallied eight tackles, important last drive pass breakup, and a critical four-quarter interception of UH QB Donovan Smith in the end zone.
The true freshman Williams added six tackles as well with strong play for the Horns secondary.
