clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

How to watch No. 11 Texas vs. Rice: Game time, TV, streaming, and more

The Texas Longhorns take the field for the first time of the 2023 season with high expectations.

By Gerald Goodridge Updated
/ new

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Texas Spring Football Game Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images

After a relatively uneventful offseason, the No. 11 Texas Longhorns are back on the field at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday to take on the Rice Owls and kick off their final year in the Big 12 with high hopes.

The 2023 offseason started with Texas adding a few key pieces from the transfer portal, most notably wide receiver AD Mitchell and safety Jalen Catalon, and finished with Texas picked to win the conference and with some expecting them to compete for the College Football Playoff. Head coach Steve Sarkisian has said that part of the team’s mentality is to embrace the expectation and has made jokes about the less-than-warm feelings from the remaining members of the Big 12 as Texas makes its final run through the conference.

For Texas, much of the reason for the expectations starts with the passing game and quarterback Quinn Ewers, who has reshaped his body in the offseason in an effort to step into his leadership on the team. He has a bevy of options to choose from at wide receiver, as Texas returns not only preseason All-American Xavier Worthy and senior leader Jordan Whittington but adds in the aforementioned Mitchell and freshman Johntay Cook. They also return elite tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and hope to get a big contribution from Isaiah Neyor after his return from a preseason ACL tear a year ago.

The hope is that the passing game can help bolster what Texas lost in the run game, with both Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson serving as starters in the NFL. That being said, Jonathon Brooks has already shown that he’s a playmaker, and former five-star recruit CJ Baxter look to take on the load and hope to lessen the dropoff behind an offensive line that should take the next step in its development.

“One of the main things I needed to fix was the overthinking,” Worthy said this week. “I feel like when I got past that, I’m the only one that can stop me.”

The Owls defense, which returns 62 percent of its starters, is headlined by their linebacker corps, led by redshirt junior captains Myron Morrison at Will linebacker and Josh Piercy at rush end in a multiple scheme designed to highlight that linebacker room.

Injury Report:

  • Junior LB Morice Blackwell (knee) — out

How to Watch:

TV: FOX

Time: 2:30 p.m. Central

Livestream: Fox Sports App

Radio: Texassports.com. Broadcasts are also available on Sirius 132, XM 199, and App Ch. 953

Odds: The Longhorns are a 35-point favorite at DraftKings.

Odds/lines are subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

More From Burnt Orange Nation

Loading comments...