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How do the 2024 and 2025 Texas teams compare statistically after three games?

by: Justin Nash2 hours ago
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Arch Manning (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

The 2025 Texas Longhorns are already very different from the 2024 team that finished in the semifinals. Let’s take a look at the defensive and offensive ranks through three games to see where they have notable differences as well as some similarities.

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Let’s start with the good.

This defense is legit. Through three games, the 2025 defense’s stats are nipping at the heels of the 2024 team. The keen eyes will have recognized that despite having a worse rank, the 2025 defense actually has better stats when looking at yards per game and yards per play.

An area where fans had massive question mark was the defensive interior. With the portal, you never truly know what you are getting until they acclimate with the team. The portal additions have been fantastic. Pair that with an experienced and deep linebacker room, and you get an excellent run defense. The safeties and corners also deserve plenty of credit. This is an elite run defense.

The area that statistically is performing “worse” than the 2024 Texas Longhorns is the passing defense. Though there isn’t a big difference between the two as you will see in a second, the opposing completion percentage is hardly an identifier of an elite passing defense.

When you remove stats from games where Texas had a lead of 17 or more (three scores), you see just how elite the Texas passing defense was last season. Though part of the decline for 2025 could be placed on an inconsistent offense keeping games in theoretical reach for weaker teams, causing them to pass more frequently.

Now it’s time to take our medicine. This offense has been awful especially when you compare it to the 2024 offensive statistics.

Texas went from having a strong offense to an offense that is at the bottom of the barrel. This has been an embarrassing start for the offense.

While Steve Sarkisian has placed an emphasis on trying to get the run game going, the results haven’t followed. Texas is getting more rushing yards per game, but the Longhorns are doing so with more attempts and fewer yards per carry.

Opposing completion percentage is not a stat that identifies an elite defense, but the same thought process doesn’t work for the offense. Right now the Texas team is a passing attack away from having figured out this side of the football. An increased threat through the air will ease the defense against the run and unlock the explosive plays in Sarkisian’s offense.

The stats are telling us a story that many of us already knew. Texas has an elite defense that is potentially better than last year’s amazing defense. The offense? Well, there’s a LOT of room for improvement.

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