Texas Football: Collin Johnson expected to be a full-go for Alamo Bowl

Texas head coach Tom Herman says the Longhorn wide receiver is 'running around great'

SAN ANTONIO - Texas' wide receiver corps should be at full strength on Tuesday for the Valero Alamo Bowl against Utah with the return of Collin Johnson. 

Johnson - who came into the season as the Longhorns' top receiver - has missed a large chunk of games this year with a nagging hamstring injury suffered in the opener against Louisana Tech. 

The senior has 35 catches for 497 yards and two touchdowns so far this year and 185 catches for 2,562 yards and 14 scores during his Texas career. 

"Collin's running around great," Herman said. 

His return should be a boost to the Texas passing game and pull attention away from leading receiver Devin Duvernay as the Longhorns prepare to face off against a top-10 Utah defense. 

Texas fans got more good news on the receiver front during Herman's press conference as the Texas head coach made it a point to praise freshman Jake Smith's growth during bowl practice. 

"I think he's kind of on the other side of that freshman hump and really continuing to progress," Herman said. 

Texas is hoping to wipe some of the bad taste of a disappointing 7-5 season out of its mouth with a win over a potential top 10 opponent in Utah (11-2), which looked to be in position to make the College Football Playoff prior to a loss to Oregon in the Pac 12 title game. 

The Longhorns and Utes are set to kick off at the Alamodome on Dec. 31 at 6:30 p.m.