Texas Longhorns

steve "overthink" sarkisian.
Ventura

Remélem elzavarják, a balfasz arcberendezésével egyetemben. Nem tudom, hogy ennyire fogalmatlan vagy csak töketlen, de buziskodjon máshol.
És Ewers is mehet amerre lát ezt a szintet bárki hozza könnyedén.

steve "overthink" sarkisian.

Vissza akartam nézni az régi eredményeket és látom, hogy 2009 óta nem játszottunk az Ohio State-el.

A legjobb első félidős D# maximum
r.baggio

nem értek egyet. p. kwiatkowski DC vezetésével a védelem igen erős formát kezdett ölteni magára az elmúlt évek alatt. a szezont végig követve való igaz, hogy sok "ups & downs" volt és "drámatagozat" -hoz méltóak vagyunk, azonban, mint mezei néző, én a támadó oldal problémáira vetítem rá a védelem leolvadását. az, hogy az offense - úgymond - was unable to move the chains az első néhány drive után (sorozatos, akár gyors 3 & out) vagy elvesztettük a labdát (2024-ben a 106-ik helyen tanyázunk ebben a statisztikában) vagy éppenséggel a büntetésekkel lőttük lábon magunk, #O és # D egyben (97. hely a teamrankings.com alapján), azt eredményezte, hogy rendre a védelemnek kellett a pályán lenni. egyszerűen elfáradnak. ám ennek ellenére is mérkőzéseket köszönhetünk az egységnek és miattuk tartunk ott ahol, mert ez a tamdósor nem konzisztens és hibát hibára halmozott a szezon folyamán.
az ASU is megfelelő példa rá, gyakorlatilag az arizona-nak nem volt passzjátéka, amilye viszont volt, az egy bivaly erős futójáték (és kockáztató, kreatív playhívás - hello fake punt például). De még az első félidőben Skatteboo sem tudott sokat kezdeni a texas #D-vel.
Nézzük meg közelebbről: az első két negyedben 17-3-ra növeltük a különbséget. Ebből egyetlen egy (!) offense TD volt - a fennmaradó egy FG és punt return TD. a harmadik negyedben a támadósor hozzá sem tudott szagolni a mérkőzéshez: 0 pont, ellenben sikerrel összehoztak az ASU-nak egy safety-t. a nap végén a 60 percnyi játékből 37 perc 54 másodpercet az ASU birtokolta a labdát.
sok vélemény szerint a longhorns OL túlértékelt (kivéve k. banks), illetve egy ball security issue-val rendelkező blue és egy alulméretezett wisner-el a futójáték sem megalapozott, és ha az ellenfél megnyeri a "trench" csatát (ASU ellen wisner 2.5 yard per attempt, míg blue kereken 1.0 yard per attempt-el járul hozzá és összesseégében átlagosan 1.8 ypa a mutató), akkor a texas rendkívül egy dimenzióssá válik, mert quinn ewers még csak nem is dual-threat QB, ennek nyomán még kevesebb fejfájást okozva az ellenfélnek. a clemson ezt nem tudta megtenni a rájátszás első körében, a futójátékunk szárnyalt.
Az októberi georgia elleni óriás pofon is más képet fest a védelemről, és teljes mértékben az offense-re felírható: a bulldogs rommá verte a longorns OL-t, ezzel megsemmsítve a futójátékot és elképesztő nyomás alá helyezve az irányítót - gyakorlatilag már a snap második pillanatában ewers nyomában voltak. említenem sem kell, hogy a team rushing statisztika 1.1 yard per attempt volt (ezzel szemben a védelem 3 INT-et szerzett és a bulldogs csak földön tudott haladni; trevor etienne produkciója 19 kísérletet és 87 yadot ért 3 TD-al megkoronázva). a félidőben 23-0-val vonultunk le, dugig protection issue-val: 5 sack és mindössze (!) 38 témadó yardot szerezve (a SEC döntőben - a georgia ellen - voltunk olyan szerencsétlen helyzetben, hogy a fentebb említett mutató szintén 1.1 yard per attempt volt, ám itt azért már természetesen kérdőre vonható a védelem is, kiváltképp, hogy beck kiesésvel a bulldogs csere irányítóval folytatta).

úgyhogy az ohio state ellen adott, hogy mit kell, hogy hozzunk: elkerülni az egy dimenzióvá válást és limitálni a penalties-t támadó és védő oldalon egyaránt. akkor játékban tudunk maradni. most az offense-re nagyon nagy szükség lesz és sarkisian-nak is vátlzotatnia kell hamarabb a stratégián mintsem kivárni egy korai leolvadást, ha az OSU front seven feleszi az UT ol-t.

u.i.:
az ASU-nak 91.2%-os győzelmi esélye volt, mikor 4&8-nál 31-24-es hátrányban - overtime-ban - az offensive tackle kelvin banks bemozdult és még 5 yard-al hátrébb kerültünk. ennek tudtában ne hagyjon el minket a remény! 😊 🐂

No. 5 Texas vs. No. 8 Ohio State: Three keys
Offensive efficiency and self-inflicted wounds will be the difference in this matchup.

The No. 5 Texas Longhorns said to start the year that one of their goals of the year was to compete for a national championship. Now they sit just four quarters away from playing in the national championship game, but standing in their way is one of the hottest teams in college football right now — the No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes. While the Longhorns struggled in their quarterfinal matchup with Arizona State, the Buckeyes plowed through the No. 1 Oregon Ducks, 41-21.

With a trip to Atlanta and the CFP National Championship on the line, both teams will need to be on their A-game to get the job done and punch their tickets.

Red-zone conversions
Texas fans have rightfully been frustrated with the the Longhorns’ production in the red zone, not just this year, but in the entire Steve Sarkisian era, and it will be a key factor in the Cotton Bowl. On the year, the Longhorns are No. 95 in red-zone scoring, coming away with points on 80.6 percent of their trips inside the 20. In slightly better news, they are up to No. 52 in the country on converting those trips into touchdowns, doing so on 64.2 percent of their trips. However, the Ohio State defense is elite at stopping opponents inside the 20-yard line, sitting No. 2 in both red-zone scoring and red-zone touchdowns allowed.

Offensively, the Buckeyes have not struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone, sitting No. 5 in the country with 75.9 percent. The Texas defense has been almost as stout as the Ohio State defense in the red zone, sitting one spot behind them at No. 3 in both scoring and touchdowns, with 61.8 percent and 43.2 percent, respectively.

Explosive plays
While the Texas offense has been much maligned in many spots, they have been one of the more explosive teams in the country, sitting No. 6 in plays longer than 10 yards and No. 1 in the country in plays longer than 20 yards. Most of those plays have come in the passing game, with 164 of their 231 explosive plays coming via the pass. They are, however, going against one of the top explosive play defenses in the country — the Buckeyes have allowed just 120 plays longer than 10 yards, good enough for No. 2 in the country.

The matchup between the Buckeyes offense and the Longhorns defense will be just as pivotal, with Ohio State ranking No. 16 in explosive plays, compared to the Longhorns who sit No. 18 in the country. The majority of their explosive plays come through the air, with 138 of their 215 explosive plays coming through the air, while the Longhorns sit No. 18 in the country in passes longer than 10 yards allowed.

Penalties
While explosives and red zone conversions might say a lot, it may be one of the most basic parts of the game that determines the outcome. Ohio State enters the game as one of the least-penalized teams in the country, averaging just 4.1 penalties per game, ranking No. 7 in the country, for an average of 37.1 yards per game. The Longhorns have done a poor job this year avoiding self-inflicted wounds, sitting No. 91 in the country with 6.5 penalties per game, averaging 51.7 penalty yards per game.

Szerkesztette: Ventura

Erre a PO-ra en is felpattantam a Texas bandwagonra, főleg h Danny Ric is nagy Longhorns fan.

Eddig sajnos élőben nem tudtam nézni a meccseket, de a hétvégit mindenképpen akarom majd.

Cfp, masodik kor, Mini movie!
Texas 🐂 vs. Arizona state 🔱

Whatever it takes 🤘

Texas vs. Arizona State: The Mini-Movie 🎬#HookEm | #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/c7HxWhNqgD

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) January 6, 2025

A legjobb első félidős D# maximum
r.baggio

Menetrendszerűen leolvadunk, ez tény.

A legjobb első félidős D# maximum

Sokkal több kell!
Nem látom, hogyan tudnák összeszedni magukat. Pontosabban tudom csak nem igen lesznek rá képesek.
🤘 gaben 🤘

A Sun Devils a maxot kijátszotta ellenünk, de összességében jobbak voltunk, még a Sark-féle leolvadást is tudtuk az OT-ben menedzselni.
Az Ohio State ellen pedig megmutatjuk, hogy a miénk a liga legjobb D-je, bár már az elején írtam, hogy az Ohio State a legkonzisztensebb csapat és a full favorit. De underdogként is van esély 😊

Sokkal több kell!
Nem látom, hogyan tudnák összeszedni magukat. Pontosabban tudom csak nem igen lesznek rá képesek.

With their win at yesterday's Peach Bowl, Texas becomes the first team to win all 6 NY6 bowls at least once. pic.twitter.com/p2vn5yg814

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) January 2, 2025

gyorsan, így egy óraval kezdőrugás előtt, nézzük a matchup-okat a rájátszás második körére a sun devils ellen.
🐂 vs. 🔱

a belinkelt video pedig elég minőségi.



No. 3 Texas vs. No. 12 Arizona State: Five matchups to watch

Texas’ run defense vs. Cam Skattebo

This is pretty self-explanatory for this matchup for Texas. Cam Skattebo is one of the best running backs in the country and he is THE focal point of Arizona State’s offense. He has rushed for 1,568 yards on the ground with 19 touchdowns and is ASU’s second-leading receiver with 37 receptions for 506 yards and an additional three touchdowns.

He is a very physical back that runs through contact and breaks a lot of tackles. Arm tackles are not going to get it done when you are trying to defend him. Any time he touches the football, there needs to be 11 hats to the football and you need to be trading paint with him and getting him to the ground.

Texas has been effective against the run this year, and has not allowed many 100 yard rushers. The Longhorns will enter this matchup allowing 104.5 rushing yards per game, which is good for 10th nationally this season. They have allowed 1,463 rushing yards on the season, which is good for 23rd nationally.

The Texas defense knows that have a tall task in front of them going about against Skattebo. They faced a similar task last year in the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma State when they were tasked with defending Ollie Gordon. Gordon finished that game with 34 rushing yards on 13 carries and the Longhorns rolled to victory.

If you are Pete Kwiatkowski and Johnny Nansen, you can’t let Skattebo beat you in this game. You make any other player in a Sun Devil jersey do it, and that includes quarterback Sam Leavitt. But under no circumstances do you let Skattebo wreck this game for you.

Texas’ secondary vs. Arizona State’s wide receivers

The Texas secondary has been one of the best in the country this year, but they are coming off their worst performance of the year in the first round against Clemson. Cade Klubnik threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns and while he didn’t come out on the winning side of things, he certainly showed that the Texas pass defense could be had.

The big note in this matchup is that Arizona State’s leading receiver Jordyn Tyson will not be playing due to a season-ending injury. Tyson recorded 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year on the way to being named an All-American for the Sun Devils.

Tyson being out simplifies things a little bit for Texas on the back end. As I mentioned in the previous section, Skattebo is ASU’s second-leading receiver. Their best receiving option not named Tyson or Skattebo? That would be Xavier Guillory, who has 19 catches for 320 yards and five touchdowns. With Tyson out, I don’t think ASU’s wide receiver group will be able to challenge the Texas secondary like we saw Clemson do in the last game.

The Tiger trio of Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco, and TJ Moore might be the best group of receivers the Longhorns have seen all year, and I don’t think Arizona State has that kind of talent on the roster to stress the Texas secondary.

Texas’ offensive line vs. Arizona State’s defensive front

Stop me if you have heard this before — the game is won and lost in the trenches. The Texas offensive line has had a Georgia problem this year, but last week against Clemson, they looked like a unit that was getting rolling at the right time even when they had to shuffle things around when guys got banged up.

The Longhorns generated almost 500 yards of offense against the Tigers and that was due to the way the Texas offensive line opened up holes and protected quarterback Quinn Ewers over the course of the ball game.

Speaking of protecting Ewers, the Texas offensive line will be opposed by an Arizona State defense that ranks 89th in the country in sacks with 21 on the season. The only opponent on Texas’ schedule that had less was Mississippi State (10!!), a pretty bad defensive team this year.

All-American left tackle Kelvin Banks was back and looked very healthy against Clemson, while center Jake Majors and right tackle Cam Williams are both expected to play against Arizona State. Even if there needs to be some shuffling up front, Texas has shown they have quality depth with guys like Trevor Goosby and Cole Hutson able to rotate in off the bench.

Texas holds a big advantage here in my opinion and that could prove huge in the overall outcome of this game.

Texas’ run game vs. Arizona State’s run defense

I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve watched that clip from Coach Casey’s account, but I will probably watch it another dozen times before the night is over. The Texas run game was absolutely clicking against Clemson, as they ran the damn ball to the tune of 292 yards and absolutely bulldozered the Tigers defensive front from the opening snap to the final whistle.

Running backs Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue will enter this matchup with some momentum behind them and Wisner will have a chance to keep Steve Sarkisian’s 1,000-yard rusher streak alive, as he enters the matchup with 973 yards on the ground thus far this season. It looked very shaky that Texas would be able to produce a 1K rusher halfway through the season, but things have picked up significantly down the back half of the schedule and into the postseason.

Arizona State will prove to be a challenge in this regard though defensively. The Sun Devils are ranked 27th in rushing defense, as they are allowing 117.5 yards per game on the ground with opposing rushers averaging 3.8 yards per carry. Something will have to give in this matchup. Will the Texas offense continue to get things rolling on the ground, or will it be a struggle that results in Ewers having to shoulder more of the load offensively?

Texas’ wide receivers vs. Arizona State’s secondary

The Texas wide receiver group has been led by Matthew Golden down the back half of the season due to Isaiah Bond being hampered with an injury, and during that time Golden has really proven why Texas went hard after him in the transfer portal in the offseason.

Bond not being himself has lowered the ceiling of the position group for sure, but Golden has stepped up in his place and proven to be a very reliable target for Ewers in the passing game. The good news for Texas is that Bond appears to be looking much healthier heading into the Arizona State game after sitting out against Clemson.

If Bond is healthy again, I think people need to be reminded of the dynamic he can bring to this Texas offense as they try to move deeper into the postseason.

Bond, Golden, Gunnar Helm, DeAndre Moore Jr., and Ryan Wingo make up a very formidable skill position group at 100-percent health and they will have the Arizona State secondary that ranked eighth in the Big 12 in passing defense (219.4 yards per game) and 69th nationally opposing them in Atlanta.

Texas has a skill group that can stretch you both vertically and horizontally when they are firing on all cylinders, and if Bond is back to a point where he can threaten a defense vertically he brings back another dimension to this offense that makes it tough to contain.

The Arizona State defense has done a good job of producing turnovers this year, so that is certainly something Texas will have to be mindful of in this matchup since they have struggled with turning the ball over this year.

Szerkesztette: Ventura

rájátszás első kör, mini-movie: clemso at texas.

igencsak látványos lehetett élőben 03:40-nél a fényjáték. : - )

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Texas Football (@texasfootball) által megosztott bejegyzés

Szerkesztette: Ventura

Lb collin simmons nyerte a shaun alexander freshman player of the year díjat. 🟠

Simmons arrived to Austin last offseason as an in-state five-star recruit out of elite Duncanville High School.

Despite all the hype, he has arguably exceeded expectations during his first collegiate season.
Headed into the College Football Playoff quarterfinals against Arizona State, Simmons has tallied 39 total tackles (27 solo), a team-leading eight sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. He managed to snag his first-career pick off of a tipped pass in the CFP win over the Clemson Tigers. Six of his eight sacks have come against SEC competition this season.

Mostmar láthatta mindenki miért nem kell ewers-el szamolni. Nem bajnok kaliber az offense, ebben sarkisian is kiveszi a részét termeszetesen. Jövőre már jöhet manning végre.

Ami számomra nagyon pozitív volt, és tartottam, elkerultuk az októberi bulldogs #D dominanciat.
Ventura

Ettől függetlenül én a védelmet próbálnám fejleszteni. Persze az nem sexy.

Kijött a 2025-os menetrend (ohio state, augusztus 30. 🏈🌰):
 fbschedules.com/2025-texas-football-schedule/

Mostmar láthatta mindenki miért nem kell ewers-el szamolni. Nem bajnok kaliber az offense, ebben sarkisian is kiveszi a részét termeszetesen. Jövőre már jöhet manning végre.

Ami számomra nagyon pozitív volt, és tartottam, elkerultuk az októberi bulldogs #D dominanciat.

nos, míg tart az nsd, addig 6 perces mini-movie a texas-texas a&m-ről.

: - )

Texas vs. Texas A&M

The Mini-Movie 🎬 pic.twitter.com/pqeYkRa16b

— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) December 4, 2024

- örülünk, vincent?
- örülünk.

Am ezzel az offense-el nem sokra fogunk menni a bulldogs ellen. Ewers arnyeka már onmaganak.

A védelem fantasztikus volt.
Ventura

Arch Angelt többször kell bevetni, sztem ez meg is fog történni, a D nem húz ki minket mindig a slamasztikából.

- örülünk, vincent?
- örülünk.

Am ezzel az offense-el nem sokra fogunk menni a bulldogs ellen. Ewers arnyeka már onmaganak.

A védelem fantasztikus volt.

10-1, immáron sorozatban a második évben.

s igen, visszatér a college football világába az egyik legrégebbi rivalry, amit 1911 és 2011 között mindig megrendeztek és összességében 118 alkalommal találkoztak - először 1894-ben - mignem a tamu lelépett a SEC-be. tradicionális hálaadás napi összecsapás volt, s ezuttal sem lesz majdnem másként (csak csütörtök helyett szombaton).

vissza 2011-hez, egy igazán kiváló búcsú mérkőzésnek lehettek tanúi akik követték (bruhh, én csak 1 esztendővel később határoztam el, hogy megismerkedem az egyetemi szinttel is), 1:48-al a vége előtt a tannehill (dolhphins-t vitte a dicsőségbe az nfl-ben) vezette aggies még átvette a vezetést, ám a longhorns kicker, justin tucker (baltimore ravens) egzenesen a történelem könyvekbe lőtte a labdát.
🏈 az utolsó 4 perc:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=EINgyJMHdKg


nem igazán tudom, hogy az offense melyik arcát fogja mutatni, én személy szerint ewers-ből már kiábrándultam: nem konzisztens, sérülékeny (igen, most is problémája van a bokájával), mélységi passzokkal meggyűlik a baja és check-down mester (ne dőlj ne a completion százaléknak). attól függ milyen napja van - ha jó akkor kimozog a zsebből és kreatív, ha nem akkor szoborként várja, hogy valaki cipóra verje. botrány amit most múlt héten a kentucky ellen leműveltek a harmadik negyedben (sarkisian-al együtt). teljes káosz uralkodott a fejekben, olyannyira, hogy gyakorlatilag át is álltunk futójátékra (természetesen ewers sérülése is megkívánta, ám sokan vitatják, miért kockáztatta épségét, ha van egy manninged, egy domináns védelmet, és vezetsz). a futójáték az utolsó negyedben olyan jól sikerült, hogy a drive a saját 14 yardos vonalról indult és 15 play-en keresztül wisner-blue páros által szereztük meg a TD összességében 86 yardot megtéve és 08 percet elfogyasztva az órából.

a védelem nagyon összeállt (és a georgia ellen is jól játszott, csak hát a bulldogs szétszedte az offense-ünk). az espn szerint a harmadik legkevesebb pontot kapjuk (12.1 p/g), a második legkevesebb passzolt yardot engedjük (143.5 y/g). a matchup itt a texas a&m futójátéka lesz (top 20, illetve sec-ben top 3) vs. longhorns rush #D (ám azért ebben a mutatóban is top 15 egység, sec-ben no. 4.). a SEC konferenciát nézve két longhorns játékos vezeti 4-4 INT-el, jahdae barron (aki jim thorpe finalist), illetve a korabbi clemson transzfer, andrew mukuba.
anthony hill már tavaly fontos szerepet töltött be, idén már vezére lett a csapatnak és most co-defenseive player of the week cimet is kiérdemelte (11 tackle, 2 sack, 4 tfl), illetve a true freshman colin simmons is myles garrett ösvényein jár (2024: 12 tfl, 7 sack VS. 2014: 14 tfl, 11.5 sack). elég fizikális, jövőbeli első körös, ha így halad.

bejtunk e rájátszásba? ez a tét (bár cbs azt gondolja a múlt szombati sec káosz után, mi már mindenképp bejutunk, még ha vereséget is szenvedünk).
 sports.yahoo.com/cbs-sportsline-says-texas-longhorns-034938148.html?guccounter=1

érdekesség:
forbes hozta le, hogy a minden idők legdrágább egyetemi mérkőzése lesz (az egyik online értékesítő alapján) a maga átlagos 1072 usd jegyárával. szintén drágább mint bármelyik nfl alapmérkőzés volt valaha. az eddigi rekordot a tavalyi ohio state-michigan mérkőzés tarotta a 763 usd átlagárával.

Szerkesztette: Ventura

Texas CB Jahdae Barron vs Arkansas:

🤘 19 Yards Allowed (5 Targets)
🤘 1 INT | 1 PBU
🤘 28.3 Passer Rating Allowed
🤘 1 Sack | 3 QB Pressures@TexasFootball pic.twitter.com/Nes28oiY8s

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 17, 2024

Florida ✅, persze azért szignifikáns hiányzójuk is volt sérülés kovetkezteben. Felüdülés volt látni a tamadojatekot, ewers career high TD-t osztott (5).

Illetve a bye week-rol eme remek művel rukkoltak elő:

Orbit Sweep + Spinner G/H Counter + Bluff Reverse 🥵 pic.twitter.com/MQDahJYiQf

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) November 9, 2024

Tartottam tőle, hogy csak lufi az egész és igazam lett. Kár érte.
🤘 gaben 🤘

Vandy, Gators, Hogs, Kentucky és a Falusiak az upcoming schedule, azért az SEC döntő még meglehet.
Dzsokijuing

A vedelmunk top, ez nagy segitseg lehet, akárcsak tavaly a michigan-nek. Az offense-nek és inkább ewers-nek össze kell kapnia magat. A Georgia tanitando példaként felkészült e a merkozesre ellenunk, am kétség kívül ewers sem érezte a zsebet, van nehany elemzes, ahol ezt alatamasztjak.

No.5 Texas vs. No.25 Vanderbilt: Four Matchups To Watch

Texas takes the show on the road this weekend to Nashville to take on Vanderbilt in a top 25 showdown that many didn’t have pegged entering the season. The Longhorns are looking to rebound after their loss to Georgia last week in Austin and they will to take down a very plucky opponent in the Clark Lea’s Commodores.

Vanderbilt has long been a doormat program in the SEC, but their 2024 iteration of the team is anything but that. They flat out took it to Alabama earlier this season to give themselves a program changing win and they will now try to take down another top 5 opponent in the Longhorns this week.

The Commodores won’t be sneaking up on anyone this week with how their season has played out and with the Longhorns having the taste of blood in their mouth. Lets take a look at some of the key matchups for this week’s game.

Quinn Ewers vs. Vanderbilt’s Defense

Ewers is in need of a big rebound game after struggling considerably against Georgia last week. Fortunately for Ewers, nobody left on the schedule will be able present the same issues defensively like the Bulldogs did last week in Austin from a personnel standpoint.

Clark Lea will certainly try to throw some of same looks that Kirby Smart and Gen Schumann did, but he won’t have guys like Jalon Walker and Mykell Williams screaming off his defense’s edges. The Commodore defense ranks 68th in passing yards allowed and is 40th in total defense. Certainly improved by Vanderbilt’s standards from years past, but they’ve allowed 27 points to Virginia Tech, 36 points to Georgia State in a loss, 30 to Missouri, and 35 to Alabama. They can certainly be had and Ewers playing confident and key will be the key.

If Ewers starts slow and displays some of the same issues we’ve seen in recent weeks then Texas is going to find itself in a rock fight with a team that is looking for another top five upset.

Vanderbilt loves to play keep away with the football offensively, so the Texas signal caller will need to keep the Texas offense ahead of the chains and be sure to convert on opportunities in the red zone when they present themselves.

Texas’ Offensive Line Vs. Vanderbilt’s Defensive Front

Similar situation for the Texas offensive line like with Ewers in the previous section. They had their roughest outing by far last week against the Georgia defensive front and will have to play a much better game against a Vanderbilt defense that will likely try to duplicate the same game plan to try to bust their protections.

Kelvin Banks fared better than I thought watching live, but it was still a legit dogfight for him from snap to snap.

Communication, execution, and cohesion will have to be much improved this week for Kyle Flood’s bunch in Nashville. The best possible way for Ewers to have a bounce back game on the road this week is to make sure he has time to execute the offense from the pocket and not feel as sped up like he did last week.

The Texas Wide Receivers vs. Vanderbilt’s Secondary

Texas’ depth at wide receiver is going to be tested this week in Nashville, as Isaiah Bond was downgraded to doubtful for the matchup. Bond had an early exit against Oklahoma and was ineffective last week against against Georgia despite grabbing a touchdown and a two point conversion in the second half.

With Bond out, Inside Texas has reported that true freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo is slated to get his first collegiate start on the road in Nashville.

Wingo is 4th on the team in receiving yards with 308 and leads the team in yards per catch at 19.3. Wingo has been a big play waiting to happen every time he touches the ball, and now he will have a chance to get a full load of snaps against the Commodores on Saturday.

Texas will trot out Wingo, Matthew Golden, Deandre Moore, and Gunnar Helm as their top receiving options and it will need to be a group effort as usual. Vanderbilt is ranked 52nd in scoring defense (22.1 points per game) and is ranked 68th in passing yards allowed (215.1 yards per game).

There will be opportunities for the Texas receiving group as a whole, but they will need to make the most of those opportunities when they are presented to them.

Diego Pavia vs. Texas’ Defense

Diego Pavia is a lot of fun to watch and is easy to root for as long as he isn’t on opposing the team you root for. He’s a former high school state wrestling champion who didn’t get a single FBS football offer out of high school. He went the JUCO route and led New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) to a national championship in 2021 before eventually landing at New Mexico State where he led the Aggies to a 10-win season and their first ever victory over an SEC opponent at Auburn.

He’s confident, plays fearless, and he takes care of the football. He has only tossed one interception on the year with 154 pass attempts on the books, so he hasn’t been reckless with the football. He is a threat with his feet and isn’t shy about pulling the ball down to run with it. His decision making at the helm of Vandy’s offense has led the Commodores to being 11th in the country in time of possession, as they specialize in paper cutting defenses to death and shortening the game.

Their style of play was on full display against Alabama, where they were 12/18 on third down conversions with 26 first downs on the night. They didn’t turn the ball over that night and sat on the ball for 42 minutes and 8 seconds of the game. Texas can’t allow them to get comfortable on offense and has to get off the field consistently when they get them into third down situations. Vandy’s offensive style requires good eyes and discipline much like any other triple option attack you will see across college football. Best way to limit them is to keep them behind the sticks by inflicting negative plays and making them become more dependent on the pass.

You know Pavia is chomping at the bit to add another notch in his belt in the form of the Longhorns. Texas will have to show up ready to play from the jump because Pavia and the Commodores most certainly will be.