When Trevor Goosby went down with a torn patella tendon in the first quarter against Ole Miss, Texas had to make a quick pivot at left tackle. The Longhorns turned to Andre Cojoe, a 6-foot-6, 339-pound senior who had spent most of his Texas career waiting for a shot like this.
Cojoe entered the game with just 56 career snaps for the Longhorns. An early enrollee in the 2022 recruiting class who arrived just before he turned 17, he was never a can’t-miss blue-chip headline when he got to Austin.
He ranked outside the top 100 prospects in Texas, but his athletic tools at that size gave Texas something to work with over time. Now, after years of development, he’s the guy at left tackle for the rest of the season unless Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood decide to make a surprise switch and move senior Melvin Siani back to the left side he played last season at Wake Forest.
That’s not a simple call, either. Flipping Cojoe to the right side would break up the continuity the staff had managed to keep even after Goosby missed multiple weeks of practice during preseason camp with a bone bruise in his knee.
Against Ole Miss, Cojoe’s sheer size and movement in the run game helped Texas, especially on outside zone. But his most glaring moment came on the play that helped swing the game back toward the Rebels. On the opening drive of the third quarter, on first down and in what looked like a play-action call out of halftime, Cojoe lost the speed rush, was forced over his toes, and gave up the sack-fumble that Ole Miss recovered for a touchdown.
Sarkisian said Monday that the issue was as much mental as physical.
“You can’t have those plays where you think, ‘Hey, let me relax right here,’ because really, that’s kind of what happens on the sack fumble,” Sarkisian said Monday. “I think he felt like he was in a little bit of a comfort zone, a little bit of a groove, and boom, next thing you know, he gets beat, sack, fumble, balls out, bang, touchdown, and the game changes that quickly. So I think there’s a mental intensity component.”
There’s likely more to it than that. At 340 pounds, Cojoe has to pick his spots with his sets.
If he stays with that 45-degree B set to help protect against inside moves, he risks getting beaten by speed off the edge. If he goes to a C set, he can open himself up even more quickly inside.
With only 37 pass-blocking reps this season - and not all of them true pass sets - it’s too soon to make sweeping judgments about how often he should use each technique.
Sarkisian also hinted after the game that Texas adjusted its approach once Goosby was out. He said the staff was careful about protection and leaned on the run game while being selective with deep shots.
“I was really kind of leery of exposing ourselves from a protection standpoint and so we were kind of selective with some of the shots that we did take. We were trying to get the ball out, and then we just tried to lean into the run game, and it was effective enough for us,” Sarkisian said.
Texas still took a big shot play after the injury, with the 50-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wingo showing how the offense can attack without putting Cojoe in the kind of vulnerable pass set that led to the sack-fumble.
Sarkisian’s offense is built around outside zone, and that can help Cojoe too. The run game pairs well with slide protections that resemble outside zone, which can sell the fake to safeties and keep tackles from having to sit in obvious pass sets. It also tends to slow edge rushers just enough to matter.
That may become even more important now. With Cojoe at left tackle, Texas could lean more heavily on quick passing, something Sarkisian has already used more often as frustration has grown over Arch Manning’s hesitation in the pocket.
That could end up helping the Longhorns. More chips from tight ends and more check releases from the running back could also be part of the answer.
On the other hand, more max protection and fewer receivers in routes would feel like a move back toward Sarkisian’s more conservative tendencies.
What Cojoe clearly does bring is force in the run game. His mass showed up on outside zone, where he can wash defenders away when they give him a shoulder.
He was especially effective on Raleek Brown’s 47-yard run early in the fourth quarter when he was uncovered and sealed a linebacker trying to fill. He also did the same kind of work against a much bigger defender on Brown’s cutback in the first quarter.
His teammates trust him, too. Center Connor Robertson made that clear Monday.
“The good thing for us is Andre’s a guy that we all trust and know he’s going to step up, so I feel good about him,” Robertson said Monday.
This is also different for Cojoe in a practical way. For the first time in his Texas career, he spent game week getting first-team reps and preparing as the starter rather than preparing like one from the outside. Sarkisian said that matters.
“Having a week of preparation allows him to prepare for that physical and mental grind, the nuances of the plan, the communication with the guards, so I feel good about it. I think he should have a real sense of confidence,” Sarkisian said.
Cojoe still needs more live snaps to settle into the job, and Sarkisian made it clear last week wasn’t spotless.
“Was he perfect last week? No, but I think there was plenty from last week’s game that he can build off of,” Sarkisian said.
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Raleek Browns 157 rushing yards gave Texas the kind of ground production it needed in a tight SEC-style game, while Michael Terry added 41 yards and a touchdown to keep the pressure on Ole Miss. Even with the win, the Longhorns now have to figure out how much of this offensive success can travel forward if Goosby is out for good and Cojoe remains the answer on the edge. [Read more 🡒]