Texas freshmen tracker: WR Jermaine Bishop Jr. stays involved in loss to Florida

The Texas Longhorns suffered their second consecutive loss over the weekend, as the Florida Gators rallied from a 17-3 deficit to beat the Longhorns 27-24 at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin. As those in attendance and viewing from afar alike witnessed, Texas couldn’t sustain its early momentum, but several freshmen still contributed on offense, defense, and special teams.

WR Jermaine Bishop Jr. stays involved

Bishop continued to earn opportunities in the passing game, playing 18 snaps and finishing with three catches for 24 yards against Florida, including 34 yards after the catch. His longest reception went for 15 yards.

Bishop saw action early on, as he caught a two-yard pass from Arch Manning on Texas’ opening possession. Later, he added a seven-yard reception during the drive that ended with Gianni Spetic’s 38-yard field goal that extended the Texas lead to 10-0.

His longest catch came in the second quarter as the Longhorns were backed up on third and long play. Manning connected with Bishop for 15 yards, but an official review overturned the initial first-down ruling, leaving Texas short of the line to gain.

The Longhorns attempted to convert on fourth down but were stopped for a turnover on downs.

Bishop didn’t score this week. However, his three receptions gave him a larger receiving role than in the previous game against Oklahoma, when he finished with one catch for 15 yards and a touchdown.

EDGE Richard Wesley generates pressure

Wesley recorded a quarterback hurry in the second quarter that helped pressure Florida quarterback Tramell Jones Jr., the Gators’ backup filling in as starter, into an incomplete pass.

Wesley also recorded two total tackles, including one solo and one assist. The official play-by-play credits him with a tackle on a completed pass during the same Florida possession. Wesley played a total of 17 snaps, the second most of the season behind 24 snaps against UTSA.

Because star edge Colin Simmons sustained a high ankle sprain in the fourth quarter against the Gators that is expected to keep him out for three or four games, expect Wesley to see more action in the coming weeks.

Consider Texas fifth-year defensive tackle Hero Kanu impressed by what he’s seen from the former consensus five-star prospect.

“He came in ready to play — he’s not one of those guys that wants to wait around. He came in and attacked it. I think you see it, the moment he stepped on campus, he was locked in. He’s really locked in on learning the playbook. That’s something young guys usually struggle with the most, and he’s totally dialed. I think physically he’s ahead of his time. He’s still young, but physically he’s so developed. I think he can go out there and really make an impact as well,” Kanu said.

Senior left tackle Trevor Goosby added that Wesley already has more pass-rushing moves than most edge rushers.

LB Kosi Okpala contributes on special teams

Okpala made a tackle on the opening kickoff of the second half, which stopped Florida returner London Montgomery after a 24-yard return. Texas’ official statistics credited Okpala with one solo tackle while Pro Football Focus assessed a missed tackle to the freshman linebacker.

It wasn’t a headline-grabbing performance, but it was a recorded contribution in the kicking game, as well as another data point worth noting in this season’s Texas freshmen tracker. Okpala played 17 total snaps on four special teams units on Saturday (six on kick return, five on kick coverage, three on punt return, and three on punt coverage).

Notable absence

After leading Texas with 41 rushing yards on eight carries against Oklahoma, running back Derrek Cooper did not appear in the loss to Florida. In Steve Sarkisian’s post-game press conference, he said that Cooper was not 100 percent, even though the freshman ball carrier did not appear on any of the SEC-mandated player availability reports before the game.

With reports that senior running back Hollywood Smothers missed practice on Monday and is expected to be questionable for the Ole Miss game, Texas may need Cooper to be healthy enough to play on Saturday.

A Texas freshmen silver lining

Texas football must end its losing streak, but these individual performances provide a few concrete developments to follow as the freshmen continue adjusting to college football.

Essentially, there remains promise on the horizon for the Longhorns.

Even if the present seems bleak.