The Texas 20, No. 16: Can Allen keep dominating without Kyler Murray?

[caption id="attachment_17821" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Gary Sanderson Photo by Gary Sanderson[/caption] This is the Texas 20, DCTF’s countdown of the 20 biggest storylines heading into the 2015 football season.No. 20: Is there a college sleeper in Texas?No. 19: Which Texas high school football records will be broken? No. 18: State title games headed to Houston No. 17: Will anyone play defense this season?Today, we’ve reached No. 16: Can Allen keep dominating without Kyler Murray? It would be easy to declare that without departed quarterback Kyler Murray, the Allen Eagles’ run of dominance must surely be over. You can’t possibly replaced 10,386 passing yards (good enough for 9th all-time in Texas). You can’t possibly expect someone to step into the shoes of the Gatorade National Player of the Year and two-time Mr. Texas Football. And Allen won’t, but it’s important to remember that the Eagles were 46-6 in four seasons before Murray took the helm. The team will be formidable no matter who takes the snaps. The Eagles are currently in the midst of a 43-game winning streak, and while that has them sitting 7th all-time, it speaks to reason that head coach Tom Westerberg would be fine losing that streak if the team ultimately found itself hoisting hardware at the end of the season. How far they go will depend on who wins the quarterback competition between senior Seth Green and junior Mitchell Jonke. All reports indicate that both are getting equal repetitions in practice, and the chance for significant separation may come during Allen’s scrimmage against Arlington Martin on Aug. 21. Green is a blue-chip prospect and Oregon commit who transferred in from Minnesota and was assumed to be the heir apparent to Murray from the moment he set foot on campus, and on the face of it, it’s easy to wonder if he takes the reigns and perhaps finds the same gear Murray did. But there is also an argument to be made for the veteran (Jonke) who knows the system and oh, by the way, could probably start for every other team in the state. Whoever wins will have plenty of things working in their favor beyond their individual contribution. First, Allen plays eight of its 10 regular season games at home thanks to playing most on the road while structural damage at Eagle Stadium was repaired. Second, there is a whole lot of talent returning for the Eagles. Arguably the best offensive lineman in Texas returns in Greg Little, the defense is loaded with players like defensive back Jaylon Jones and defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike, along with six other returnees. Allen opens the season with the AP No. 1 ranking in Class 6A, a formidable winning streak on the line, a shot at a fourth-straight title at the toughest level in the state, and a salty opponent in Denton Guyer on Aug. 28. The expectations are astronomical, but they are also incredibly reasonable. Whoever takes over for Murray will have much to prove, but all the support in the world to prove it. But it will still be a long, brutal road to Week 17 in Houston.