Texas Football: 5 Startling Statistics for the Longhorns Through 6 Weeks

Texas enters its bye as, statistically, one of the more interesting teams in the country.

Following their 24-17 upset of Oklahoma, the Longhorns get a break before they hit the second half of their season. They've certainly earned it, facing off with five Top 25 teams that have put them in a 2-4 hole.

But while Charlie Strong's team has a lot of work to do, it's hung in there. With a chance to get healthy and bring more of the young players up to speed, the Horns should be a pretty fun team to watch down the stretch.

Opponents Ranked in the Top 25: 5

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Texas' win over then-No. 10 Oklahoma gave Jerrod Heard something to smile about after a brutal opening slate.

The Longhorns have had little room for error so far this season, already playing five teams that are currently ranked in the AP Top 25. 

Of those five teams, two were ranked in the Top 10, Notre Dame is in the Top 15 and Oklahoma State sits at No. 16. It should also be noted that No. 23 Cal just hung in there with fourth-ranked Utah on the road.

Overall, these five teams combine for a 26-3 record, and all of them were undefeated when they faced the Longhorns. This is undoubtedly one of the toughest opening slates for any team in the country, and the Horns are lucky to have emerged with even one victory over then-No. 10 Oklahoma. 

That 2-4 start may be tough to swallow for some, but there's room for this battle-tested team to make a run. The Longhorns' remaining opponents combine for a mere 17-14 record, with only Baylor sporting less than two losses.

Even though they're a long shot for a bowl appearance, these Longhorns have a chance to make things interesting.

Point-Differential Versus Cal, Oklahoma State: 4

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Dickson's gaffe kept the Longhorns out of their second possible overtime of the season.

Four more points, or two more properly executed special teams plays, and Texas could be 4-2 headed into its bye.

The Longhorns' first blown opportunity came in a 45-44 Week 3 loss to Cal. Quarterback Jerrod Heard, who set a school record with 527 total yards, scored the would-be tying touchdown to complete a 21-point comeback. Then Nick Rose shanked the extra point that would have sent Texas to overtime with everything working in its favor.

Week 4 against Oklahoma State was just as devastating. The Longhorns battled everything from injuries to questionable calls to get in position for overtime, only to watch their freshman punter, Michael Dickson, bobble the snap from inside their own 25. The Pokes took over and kicked an easy field goal to win.

Regardless of what would have happened in overtime, the Longhorns were in position to beat two good teams. And both had at least 16 returning starters (per PhilSteele.com). 

Had the Horns found those extra four points, they'd currently have a convincing case as the best 4-2 team in the country.

Freshmen Who Have Seen the Field: 24

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Cornerback Holton Hill has been among the most impressive freshmen in the country.

Not only has Texas come close to a winning record against a loaded schedule, the Longhorns have done it with 24 freshmen getting on the field.

Of the two dozen redshirt and true freshmen taking the field, seven have started at least one game. Malik Jefferson, Connor Williams, Patrick Vahe and John Burt, all true freshmen, have been first-stringers for all six games, while redshirt freshman Jerrod Heard took over as quarterback in Week 2.

Focusing on the true freshmen, only five* of 2015's non-transfer recruits have yet to play this season. Even more surprising, they've been among the best players on the field.

According to Pro Football Focus, Williams continues to be recognized as one of the eight best freshmen in college football. Cornerback Holton Hill has also made that list, and Jefferson earned multiple honors for his two-sack performance against Oklahoma.

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#Texas FR LB Malik Jefferson is the Walter Camp National FBS Defensive Player of the Week for his 2-sack game in the win over #OU.

@BruceFeldmanCFB, 11 Oct 2015

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Those are just the ones getting national recognition. Vahe's tenacity up front made it possible for the Horns to pile 313 rushing yards on the Sooners, while Burt leads the team in receiving yardage.

Throw in Heard's emergence at quarterback, and it's easy to see why so many of the young guys are getting run. Their involvement will only increase following the extra week off.

*Corrected from four

Yards Per Play with Kent Perkins: 8.1

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A healthy Perkins should make a major difference for the Longhorns.

The absence of right tackle Kent Perkins drifted into the background following the upset over Oklahoma, but his return will be a major storyline moving forward.

Perkins actually sat out Texas' bulldozing of the Sooners, the second-straight game he's missed with a knee injury. One of Texas' best linemen will get the bye week to finish recovering, and the coaches hope to have him back for Kansas State.

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Strong said they’re hoping to have RT Kent Perkins (knee) back for the #KState game Oct. 24. He’ll continue to rest through the bye week.

@JeffHowe247, 12 Oct 2015

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We bring this up, because the Texas offense with Heard as the starter was absolutely humming before Perkins went down. The Horns were averaging 8.1 yards per play and 11.7 yards per passing attempt in those 10-plus quarters, scoring 113 of the team's 147 points this season. For reference, those numbers would rank among the best in the nation, per CFBStats.com.

Sure the sample size is small, and the Cal and Rice defenses are nothing to check your closet for. But we've seen Perkins' value by subtraction before. He also missed most of last season's Kansas State game, in which the Horns were shut out on 196 yards of offense. 

Perkins makes a major impact when he's on the field. Now that Texas has found some success with the ground-and-pound style, the junior could have a great finish to the year.

Turnover-Margin Ranking: 11th

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The young Longhorn defense has done a great job forcing turnovers so far this season.

Per CFBStats.com, Texas ranks outside the top 50 in scoring defense, passing yards per attempt allowed and yards per carry allowed. And were it not for that six-sack performance against OU, the Horns would be in the cellar in sacks per game as well.

The one thing they've done well? Force turnovers.

Texas has forced 11 turnovers on the year, returning three for touchdowns. According to NCAA.com, that's good enough to tie for 35th in the nation, though it's only one away from being tied for top 20. (Remember that Kris Boyd interception that was called back?)

Even better, the Horns have done a great job protecting the ball. CFBStats.com has the Longhorns as the 11th-best team in the country with a plus-6 turnover margin, a category in which they ranked 84th last season.

This is on a team that started a total of seven freshmen against a Top 10 team last week. That's pretty remarkable.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats and information courtesy of TexasSports.com.