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Horns247 will count down the days to the 2017 Texas football season with a series of player profiles, statistics and historic moments that represent each day.

As of today, the number of days remaining until the Longhorns kick off the season against Maryland on Sept. 2 at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (11 a.m., FS1) stands at...

61.

Lorenzo Joe saved the biggest play of his junior season for a time when Texas needed it most. Trailing Baylor, 34-26, in the fourth quarter and with the Longhorns facing a third-and-5 at their own 26 with just over eight minutes to play, Shane Buechele hit Joe for a 61-yard gain that set up a critical 7-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Beck.

That helped the Longhorn claim a 35-34 win over then-undefeated Baylor. It was also the last snap Joe played last season as a shoulder injury cost him the final four games of the 2016 season.

Joe returns as a senior under Tom Herman, which is technically the third head coach he’s signed up to play for on the Forty Acres. After committing to Mack Brown prior to his junior year, Joe wound up signing with the Longhorns shortly after Charlie Strong was hired and is now set to use his final year of eligibility playing for Herman.

And even though Joe ended spring practice without a defined role (and seemingly without a spot on the depth chart), he’s a perfect candidate to be the Fozzy Whittaker (2011), Chris Whaley (2013) or John Harris (2015) for the 2017 squad.

There’s more than one member of the roster who can be the senior who, whether it was injuries or simply that they weren’t given an opportunity, put it all together and produce at a high level during their last season in the program.

Naashon Hughes has been a productive player during his career (37 games played and 26 career starts) with 10.5 sacks and 16.5 tackles for loss over the last three seasons. But can Hughes take the next step from being a reliable, dependable part of the defense to being a difference maker?

This makes the third different coaching staff that’s liked Hughes’ potential to be more than just a contributor. Will this be the year that he realizes the potential that so many have seen in him?

Antwuan Davis (31 games played with five starts in his career), the only fifth-year senior on the roster other than Hughes, would be a pleasant surprise if he were able to break through. It’s going to be tough for Davis to do so considering how deep the Longhorns are the two positions he plays, nickelback and safety, but he embodies what the senior breakout star who goes on to become a program folk hero is all about.

Last year was the most productive year in the career of Armanti Foreman (34 receptions, 420 yards, and three touchdowns). It seems, however, that while the flashes have been there, the burnt orange faithful have yet to see Foreman at his peak for an extended amount of time.

Health is going to determine how much Beck is able to improve on the four receptions for 82 yards and two touchdowns he recorded last season. Herman wants to have the tight end more involved within the flow of the offense, but Beck’s recurring foot issue that required two surgeries this offseason could be the biggest detriment to what he’s able to contribute in 2017.

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