Texas Football: 5 Things That Must Change for the Longhorns to Improve in 2015

The Texas Longhorns' improvement in 2015 will depend almost exclusively on the development of their offense and the quarterback that leads them.

Head coach Charlie Strong's defense can't do much better than it did last season. It led the Big 12 in passing yards per attempt and sacks while allowing 3.9 yards per carry on the ground. The defense in 2015 may not be as stout as it was this past year, but there's no reason to doubt what Strong and his staff are doing on this side of the ball.

The offense is another story, as the Horns were below average in just about every category. Of course, the quarterback position remains an issue, but more changes must be made for this team to improve on its 6-7 record.

The Quarterback Struggles

LM Otero/Associated Press

Texas' aggressive pursuit of Kyler Murray illustrates its desperation to find a solution at quarterback.

Whether it be through an improved Tyrone Swoopes, a promoted Jerrod Heard or the accelerated path of a freshman, Texas must fix its quarterbacking issues to improve in 2015.

Last season, the Longhorns averaged less than 200 passing yards per game and 6.2 yards per attempt, per cfbstats.com, leading to a pitiful 21.4 points per game. All those statistics rank 88th in the nation or worse, with the scoring figure ranking in the bottom 20.

You can point to myriad issues on that side of the ball, but it starts with the quarterback. When Swoopes is accounting for 286 total yards and seven turnovers against TCU and Arkansas, there isn't much the rest of the team can do to stop the bleeding.

However, an effective quarterback can cover up the weaknesses, such as youth, that Texas will have in 2015. 

That's why it is so important for the Longhorns to find some success at this position. The coaches know it, too, which is why they're playing such a dangerous game to stay in the hunt for 5-star quarterback Kyler Murray, as explained by SB Nation's Wescott Eberts.

"

If Strong can land Kyler Murray, that changes the equation drastically. Murray can marry systems in a way that Heard and Swoopes cannot.

— Ian Boyd (@Ian_A_Boyd) January 22, 2015"

Heard, the highly regarded redshirt freshman, will get the longest look at reversing Texas' fortunes here. But all bets are off if he struggles, because this staff knows that 6-7 won't cut it in 2015.

The Porous Offensive Line

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Texas' offensive line has no excuse for struggling to block for a healthy Gray and Co.

Due to history and Swoopes' meltdown at the end of the season, the quarterback position has taken the most heat for Texas' struggles. The criticism has been fair, but the offensive line never did its part in 2014, either.

Forced to replace three starters before the second game of the season, the Horns had one of the softest fronts in the country. The patchwork offensive line ranked 80th in the country with 29 sacks allowed and 93rd in yards per rush at 3.77.

Say what you will about Johnathan Gray and Malcolm Brown not living up to their 5-star billing, but there's a reason they each turned in career-worst seasons on a per-carry basis.

Joe Wickline is considered one of the premier position coaches in the college game, and he has to prove it this season. Especially since his group will block for a healthy Gray, an underrated Kirk Johnson (highlights courtesy of Hudl) and possibly another 5-star back in Soso Jamabo.

Add in the high likelihood that a dual-threat quarterback will be taking control of the offense, and there's no excuse for the Horns to look overmatched here for a second straight season.

Increased Involvement of Playmakers

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Daje Johnson leads a group of playmakers who need much bigger roles in 2015.

For all of Texas' struggles to move the ball and put up points last season, there was little effort to manufacture offense through its most talented playmakers. No matter what the offensive scheme looks like, that has to change.

Only five Longhorn skill players touched the ball more than 25 times last season. Baylor had four running backs do that in 2014, whereas a team like Ole Miss, which ran about as many plays as Texas, had 11 players record at least that many touches.

Of the five players that did it for Texas, only Johnathan Gray and, to a lesser extent, John Harris could be considered explosive playmakers. Malcolm Brown did most of his work between the tackles, Jaxon Shipley is more of a possession receiver and Marcus Johnson seldom resembled the downfield threat he was in 2013.

Sure, Daje Johnson was hurt or suspended for most of the season, but how do you justify giving Armanti Foreman only 12 offensive looks all year? The freshman only averaged 19.1 yards every time he handled the rock.

From here on, Foreman should be a lock for six or seven targets per game as an every-down receiver. But Johnson and redshirt freshman Donald Catalon, along with recruit Kirk Johnson and target Ryan Newsome, each have some special talents that need to be featured.

Otherwise, multitalented athletes like this are just going to play football somewhere else.

Incomplete Usage of the Receiving Corps

Clearly, the Longhorns had trouble making use of their full complement of offensive weapons in 2014, and that issue was most apparent in the receiving corps.

Receiver John Harris was one of the best stories of Texas' up-and-down season, emerging from the abyss to turn in the program's sixth 1,000-yard season. He was also a pretty good gauge of the offense's performance, as the Horns went 1-5 and averaged barely over 12 points per game when he was held to 60 yards or less.

Translation: Texas leaned too hard on its top receiver and was easier to defend because of it.

The Horns have to find a way to distribute the ball more effectively through the air, especially because they only return 661 receiving yards from last season.

Between Ryan Newsome, John Burt, DaMarkus Lodge and Dominque Reed, the Horns should land at least one impact receiver for 2015. They also have a potential playmaker in tight end Devonaire Clarington.

It's a young receiving corps, but Texas will have talent at its disposal. It's up to the coaches, especially new hire Jay Norvell, to get them ready to make an impact because the one-man show obviously doesn't work.

Poor Play on Crucial Downs

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The red zone and third down were unkind to Tyrone Swoopes and the Horns in 2014.

Culminating from all of the previous issues, the Longhorns were among the worst teams in the nation at converting third downs and red-zone opportunities. Without proficiency in either category, we can't expect much from this Longhorn team.

Texas converted 34 percent of its third downs in 2014, "good" for 106th in the nation and tied with Kansas for worst in the Big 12.

The Horns weren't much better in the red zone, scoring only 79 percent of the time they got within the opponent's 20-yard line. Most of that ineffectiveness can be attributed to their three turnovers and two failed fourth-down attempts in that area of the field.

Now a young team down 10 starters from a season ago, Texas has to find a way to convert on these crucial downs, especially when it gets into scoring range.

It will have to be a team effort on this side of the ball, and it would make a major difference for a defense that got worn out at times in 2014.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com, with recruiting data coming from 247Sports.com.