Bowl Opponent First Glance: Texas Longhorns

TEXAS LONGHORNS

RESUME STATS

Record: 8-4

SP+: 24.3 (7th)

Best Win: 55-14 at Kansas

Worst Win: 24-21 vs. Iowa State

Best Loss: 20-19 L vs. Alabama

Worst Loss: 37-34 at Texas Tech

OFFENSE STATS

Points per Game: 35.7 pts (17th)

Yards per Game: 430.3 yds (37th)

Yards per Play: 6.2 yds (22nd)

Pass Yards per Game: 230.8 yds (68th)

Rush Yards per Game: 199.6 yds (21st)

DEFENSE STATS

Opp. Points per Game: 21.2 pts (20th)

Opp. Yards per Game: 362.0 yds (39th)

Opp. Yards per Play: 4.7 yds (19th)

Opp. Pass Yards per Game: 239.0 yds (87th)

Opp. Rush Yards per Game: 123.0 yds (24th)

COACHING STAFF

Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian

Outside Linebackers Coach, Defensive Coordinator: Pete Kwiatkowski

Inside Linebackers Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator: Jeff Choate

It’s a shame no one in the Washington football community knows anything about any of these guys. I guess we’ll just have to find out about their resumes from the commentators on the broadcast once the game begins.

KEY OFFENSIVE PLAYERS

RB Bijan Robinson (1,580 rush yards, 15 rush TDs, 6.1 YPC, 314 rec yds, 2 rec TDs)

There’s a very good argument to be made that Robinson is the best running back in the country. He saved the best for last as in Texas’ final 2 games of the year he had 422 yards on 54 carries (7.8 YPC) with 6 TDs. He forced at least 5 missed tackles in every game this year except against TCU and had at least 101 rushing yards in every P5 game except against Alabama and TCU (a pair of top-6 teams).

Robinson is another of the 5-star recruits from Pac-12 territory (Arizona) who got away and thrived elsewhere. He should be the first running back selected in this year’s NFL draft. That means there’s definitely a chance that Robinson decides to sit out this game to avoid getting hurt and if he does it greatly increases Washington’s chances of winning.

QB Quinn Ewers (1,805 pass yards, 13 pass TD, 6 INTs, 56.2% comp, 7.2 YPA)

Coming out of high school Ewers was the #1 overall recruit in the country. He graduated early and went to Ohio State for a reported $1 million NIL deal but without having stepped on the field went back to his home state of Texas and won the starting job. It looked like Ewers was going to be a sensation as he lit up Alabama early but got hurt in that game and left averaging 11.2 YPA as the Tide made a comeback.

Ewers came back to light up Oklahoma for 4 TDs on 9.3 YPA but then went 5 straight games failing to surpass 6.6 YPA before a finale win against Baylor. Ewers’ specialty is the deep ball. He finished tied for 12th in the country in PFF’s Big Time Throw rate among QBs with as many dropbacks. He also had the 4th highest Turnover Worthy play rate among that grouping. His TWP rate was double his actual INT numbers so he clearly got a little lucky over the course of the season.

WR Xavier Worthy (673 receiving yards, 8 receiving TDs, 12.9 YPC)

Worthy was one of the best wide receivers in the country as a true freshman but his numbers went down across the board this year. He only ended up with a single 100-yard receiving game and had 3 fewer yards per catch despite his average depth of target going up by 4 yards. Ewers tried to connect with Worthy on almost nothing but deep shots rather than allowing him to also show off his skills after the catch. He’s still very much a threat though to house one at any point against the Husky secondary.

KEY DEFENSIVE PLAYERS

DT Moro Ojomo (18 solo tackles, 5 sacks)

The 6’3, 281 lb senior out of Katy, Texas had a phenomenal season as an interior pass rusher with the ability to disrupt the opposing offense at the point of attack. The guards and center for the Husky offensive line will have their hands full with Ojomo upfront.

LB Jaylan Ford (83 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions)

It’s not all that often that you see someone lead a team in both tackles and interceptions but that’s what Ford did this season with the Longhorns. At nearly 240 pounds, Ford has the size to be a thumper in the middle but is still agile enough to hold up in coverage.