What I want to see when the Longhorns take on Texas Tech

On3 imageby:Bobby Burton09/23/22

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Last week, I wrote what I wanted to see the Texas Longhorns do against UTSA.

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– Play a clean game
– Be disciplined on defense
– Put the ball in the hands of your playmakers.

The Horns sputtered at the start. There were a couple of procedure penalties, an offsides and a kickoff out of bounds. The first quarter wasn’t horrible but it certainly wasn’t clean.

Yet as the game wore on, not only did the Horns play a relatively clean game, they also remained disciplined on defense and Sark definitely put the ball in the hands of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson.

So the first quarter and a half against UTSA wasn’t great, it was shades of a year ago even. But after that, the Horns settled in and played well.

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So what do I want to see this week? What do I think is a proper recipe for success in Lubbock?

A defense flying to the ball.

That means gang tackling. It means unbridled enthusiasm from the outset.

In the first road game of the year, the defense needs to come out with its hair on fire. Period.

They can set the tone and effect the crowd as much or more than a strong Texas offense.

More Xavier Worthy.

Tech is going to challenge the Texas receivers more one-on-one. Whether it’s Hudson Card or Quinn Ewers, the Texas QBs need to get Worthy involved. He can be a true X factor.

Turnovers.

Tech has not protected the ball well this season. They had four turnovers against NC State a week ago and three the week prior vs. Houston. However, Texas has not been great at taking it away from opponents either, forcing just two turnovers on the season. Texas needs to win the turnover battle.

Confidence.

The Horns’ O needs to play with the same sort of confidence and efficiency that they finished the second half against UTSA with.

Red Zone.

Texas performed much better in the red zone against UTSA than Bama. That’s to be expected based on the level of competition.

So how does the O fare in a step up against Texas Tech? The Red Raiders may not be Alabama but they have the most experienced defense in the country.

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One stat to know:

Tech QB Donovan Smith leads the Red Raiders in rush attempts on the season, even though Tech has two more than capable RBs.

Expect Tech offensive coordinator Zach Kittley to have a wrinkle or two up his sleeve to attempt to get the Tech run game going. The Red Raiders will need to take some pressure off of Smith.

If Tech somehow establishes the run, that won’t be a good sign for the Horns.

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