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Who's next for Texas football: A look at the Sam Houston State Bearkats

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook21 hours agojosephcook89
Phil Longo
Phil Longo (Marco Garcia-Imagn Images)

The Longhorns wrap up their non-conference slate on Saturday with Sam Houston State. Texas welcomes the Bearkats to Austin for their first battle since 2006. What do the Bearkats bring with their first-year coach?

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Upcoming opponent: Sam Houston State

Head coach: Phil Longo (1st season at SHSU), 7-17 overall

2025 record: 0-3

Last game: SHSU lost at Hawaii on September 6, 37-20.

Star offensive performer last time out: Landyn Locke – 6-for-10, 68 yards, 1 TD

Star defensive performer last time out: Emon Allen – One pick-six

Quarterbacks:

Offense: Longo runs the Air Raid, which he picked up not via coaching under Mike Leach or Hal Mumme but rather just by jumping on a phone call with the Pirate. However, Longo believes in utilizing the ground game more than play-callers like Leach or Mumme at least in ideal situations. Longo has run the ball 98 times and has passed 93 times this year.

Defense: The Bearkats’ defensive coordinator is Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay, who arrives in Huntsville after five years at his alma mater NC State. Aughtry-Lindsay was the nickels coach for the Wolfpack, but had defensive coordinator experience at the lower levels of the NCAA. They appear to run a system similar to Texas’ with an even front and five defensive backs.

Texans on the roster:

  • A lot. More on this as the week progresses

Former Longhorns on the roster:

  • None

This guy is on their team?

  • RB Alton McCaskill – McCaskill is on his fourth school and is back closer to home after stops at Houston, Colorado, and Arizona State. After a 961-yard debut season at Houston, he missed the 2022 campaign due to injury. He transferred to CU but couldn’t find many opportunities with Deion Sanders. At Arizona State, he had fewer opportunities and has moved home to be a regular part of SHSU’s running rotation.

All-time series: 1-0 Texas

Last matchup: The Longhorns faced the Bearkats on September 30, 2006, winning 56-3. Colt McCoy passed for two touchdowns and Jevan Snead threw for a score and rushed for another. Henry Melton had two touchdowns, and Limas Sweed, Nate Jones, and Jordan Shipley all had touchdown receptions. Marcus Griffin and Aaron Ross each had interceptions. Quan Cosby returned a punt for a touchdown. This was the most recent occasion where the Longhorns faced a team from Division I-AA or the FCS.

Upcoming matchup

  • Teams: Texas vs. Sam Houston State
  • Date: September 20
  • Time: 7 p.m.
  • Location: Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium
  • TV: ESPN+/SEC+

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