Texas Football: Ranking the Longhorns' 5 Most Impactful Injuries in 2015

Texas has been fortunate enough to avoid any crushing injuries thus far this season.

Right now, things are looking up for the Longhorns. Thanks to wins over Oklahoma and Kansas State, they're back on the path to a bowl game with one of the country's youngest teams. They're also getting healthy.

With a little more than half the season in the books, injuries have only forced five starters to miss a combined eight games. Compared to losing a quarterback, like Baylor has experienced with Seth Russell, that's not half-bad.

But injuries certainly played a part in Texas' 1-4 start. Hassan Ridgeway and Holton Hill each got off to slow starts because of preseason injuries, Kent Perkins' missed two games with a knee injury and Daje Johnson lost time to a concussion.

These guys make an impact every time they're on the field and could have been difference-makers in a couple of Texas' losses.

1. DT Hassan Ridgeway (back)

Without a doubt, Ridgeway's preseason back injury has had the biggest impact on Texas' season. Fortunately, Texas' star defensive tackle has rebounded in a big way.

Ridgeway has yet to miss a game, but health was clearly an issue for him earlier in the year. A preseason back injury kept him out for most of fall practice, which also forced the coaches to manage his snaps for Texas' first three games. He didn't start those games, and Texas gave up an average of 37 points per game while he was getting up to speed.

Ridgeway's been healthy since, and he's been absolutely tearing it up. With two sacks and a fumble recovery for a touchdown, the splash plays are back for one of the conference's best linemen. InsideTexas.com's Justin Wells vividly described Ridegeway's skill set: 

But what's setting Ridgeway apart isn't showing up in the stats sheet. The 314-pounder is commanding double-teams on almost every play, freeing up guys like Poona Ford and Bryce Cottrell to get into the backfield. This is why 247Sports' Jeff Howe is saying, "There might not be a better tackle in the Big 12."

Based on what we've seen, a healthy Ridgeway would have been the difference in the 45-44 loss to Cal.

2. OT Kent Perkins (knee)

3. CB Holton Hill (leg)

It doesn't get much closer than these two, so we're pooling tackle Kent Perkins and cornerback Holton Hill together here.

Perkins went down with a knee injury in the third quarter of Texas' loss to Oklahoma State. In the first five quarters he missed, the Longhorns averaged 3.4 yards per play and scored only seven points, which came in garbage time. They were completely lost without his steadying presence on the right side, and it was painfully obvious.

Of course, the Horns got it together with a 313-yard rushing performance against Oklahoma. But they were just as good with Perkins against a Kansas State team that knew what was coming, running for 274 yards on 53 carries en route to the win. As Howe noted, Perkins threw the key block on the game's longest play.

All the evidence points to Perkins being one of this team's most important players, yet the impact of his injury barely edges out that of Hill. And that's because the freshman is already Texas' best defensive back.

Like Ridgeway, Hill was slowed this preseason by a leg injury. It kept the freshman out until the middle of fall camp and left him with a ton of ground to make up. The lack of reps kept Hill out against Notre Dame and limited him through the Horns' next two games.

Hill finally got his chance against Oklahoma State and has yet to look back. The freshman returned an interception for a touchdown in that game, fought hard in a tough matchup against TCU and has been generally avoided by both Oklahoma and Kansas State. Ryan Autullo of Austin American-Statesman and William Wilkerson of HornsDigest.com noted Hill's impressive performance:

Yes, at this point in the season, teams would rather try Duke Thomas and two returning starters at safety than go near Hill. Now imagine how good he would be, and would have been all season, had he practiced throughout the fall.

Perkins is a rock, but Hill is becoming one. If forced to choose one over the other at this point in the season, you can make a strong case for either of them.

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

4. WR Daje Johnson (concussion)

When healthy, Daje Johnson is the only Longhorns receiver guaranteed to get the ball. That, and his special teams value, made the senior's concussion a tough blow to this team.

Johnson got popped hard on Texas' first play against TCU and sat out through the Oklahoma game. 

The Texas offense bounced back without Johnson against the Sooners, but the Horns made it clear that they missed him. Johnson got the ball six times in his return against Kansas State, mostly on the jet-sweep action that Jay Norvell has made into a staple of the offense.

Just as important is Johnson's impact on special teams. He's by far the most explosive playmaker the Horns have in that phase of the game, making him one of the hardest guys to replace on the entire team.

5. LB Edwin Freeman (shoulder)

Despite being listed as day-to-day over a month ago, emerging linebacker Edwin Freeman has missed the last four games with a shoulder injury.

Freeman went down as if he was taking a dive against Cal, but he was actually severely injured on the previous play. He could miss as many as four more games with that shoulder, which has forced true freshman Anthony Wheeler into more action.

Fortunately Wheeler and, even more so, senior Peter Jinkens have been solid in Freeman's absence. But before then, Freeman was playing quality football, showing good speed and showing the ability to make plays in the backfield. He and Malik Jefferson should be fun to watch for the next couple of years. Back in September, Andrew King of the Football Brainiacs described Freeman and Jefferson as "freak athletes": 

The redshirt freshman proved in his three games that he has real talent. Let's hope he's able to come back and contribute before the season ends.

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