How Will Muschamp Will Solve Texas' Biggest Problem on Defense

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian had the same defensive coordinator, Pete Kwiatkoski, from when he took over in Austin in 2021 up until midway through December 2025. During that span, the Longhorns won 10 or more games, a feat they accomplished just once between 2009 and 2021, three years in a row.

So, why the change?

For one, the available coaching talent likely had something to do with it. Texas may indeed have stayed the course with Kwiatkoski instead of rocking the boat in the face of mounting pressure had a 30-year Southeastern Conference veteran like Will Muschamp not been available.

As true as that is, Sarkisian also knew that Kwiatkoski's defensive style created a problem for the Longhorns, one which Muschamp is well-versed in solving.

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Texas Longhorns assistant head coach Will Muschamp after a game against the Rice Owls | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texas was 19th in the FBS in yards allowed per play last season and 12th in yards allowed per rush. Despite that, the Longhorns also finished 110th in time of possession.

How does a team that opponents can not ground-and-pound get so dominated on the clock? Easy-access quick passes.

Kwiatkoski lived in cover four and other two-high safety coverages, with his cornerbacks rarely ever lining up within three yards of their man. This gave Texas' defense a bend-but-do-not-break quality, which prevented explosive plays but allowed teams to consistently hit receivers underneath and build drives gradually.

This led to opponents throwing against Texas 54% of the time, the 11th-most in FBS. While they only averaged 6.6 yards per attempt on those passes, the sheer consistency with which they were able to do so caused issues for the Longhorns.

In steps Muschamp, whom Sarkisian has specifically noted as a solution to this issue.

“We felt like we wanted to get back to playing a style of defense that I was accustomed to," Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days in Tampa. "An aggressive, in-your-face, tighter coverage kind of approach to things."

What does that look like? Here is one example:

Georgia shows a 3x1 set and Texas responds with a rare single-high look. The Longhorns are running a match-coverage blitz, which will ultimately put strong safety Jelani McDonald in man coverage against Zachariah Branch.

The Bulldogs are running a spread-offense staple: H-cross with a frontside go and backside dig. This means Branch will run across the middle of the field looking to get into the space cleared out by the go route.

Despite the Bulldogs keeping seven men in the pass-protection scheme, the Longhorns are able to generate pressure and knock quarterback Gunner Stockton off of his spot. Unfortunately, McDonald was playing so far off Branch that he is able to slow all the way down and pluck the pass from behind him before turning upfield for an explosive gain.

Compare that to a similar play from the last time Muschamp was a defensive coordinator in the SEC Championship:

Here, Georgia is also using a five-man pressure, blitzing the nickel defender and leaving the frontside with a two-on-two matchup that gives strong safety Chris Smith II the same responsibilities that McDonald had.

Despite having largely the same job, the two were coached to play their assignments very differently.

Whereas McDonald's first step is backwards to prevent getting burnt down the seam, Smith stays planted and is able to drive on the same crossing route that Branch ran, causing the ball to get tipped up into the air before Georgia is able to complete a circus interception.

While there were differences in exactly what each offense and defense was doing in those examples, the clips serve as microcosms of each coaches' overall philosophy.

While both Muschamp and Kwiatkoski major in two-high coverage shells and five-defensive-back personnel, the way they use their players is nowhere near the same.

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