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Texas Longhorns Orange-White game: 5 top plays

The quarterbacks and two young defenders made the standout plays on Saturday.

By Wescott Eberts
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Don't have the Longhorn Network?

No worries, because here are five of the top plays from the Texas Longhorns Orange-White game on Saturday.

1. Malik Jefferson forces fumble, Edwin Freeman scoops and scores

The ability to change direction here and close on the play from freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson is truly remarkable. He doesn't just make the tackle on a speedy player, though -- he knocks the ball out, the type of playmaking that the Horns missed on defense last season.

Head coach Charlie Strong also mentioned the speed of redshirt freshman linebacker Edwin Freeman in picking up the fumble and getting it quickly into the end zone, as not many players at his position can accomplish that feat with such alacrity.

Are these two players the future of the Texas linebacker corps? It certainly looks like it, at least on this particular play.

2. Jerrod Heard shows off his wheels on TD run

Strong said it best in his post-game interview on Longhorn Network -- when defensive ends get up the field in the pass rush, Heard has the ability to quickly make them pay with his feet. Texas has had some good athletes at quarterback in the past, including brief cameos from John Chiles and Jalen Overstreet, but Heard is by far the best quick-twitch true quarterback at the position for the Longhorns since Vince Young.

3. Tyrone Swoopes takes the corner for a score

Heard isn't the only dual-threat quarterback on the team, as Swoopes is able to get out of the pocket and take the edge on freshman linebacker Malik Jefferson, no easy task, before finding the end zone for his only score of the day. Is Swoopes faster than last season? He certainly has a little better burst on this play than he did last season when moving laterally.

4. John Bonney delivers a crushing hit

To demonstrate that a similar hit on a screen pass in practice wasn't a fluke, redshirt freshman nickel back John Bonney reads another perimeter pass and beats an attempted block by Daje Johnson to lay out walk-on running back Gaston Davis. The key piece of the 2014 Texas defensive back class, Bonney looks ready to start at a critical position for the defense.

5. Jefferson slices through OL to make TFL

The early enrollee doesn't have much experience playing an inside linebacker position, but that's not apparent from the instincts that he shows here diagnosing the play and getting through to the running back before the offensive line can get off the initial combo blocks.

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