Joey McGuire Details Challenges Of Star-Studded Texas Longhorns Interior Defensive Line

Texas Tech's Joey McGuire is still young in status among Big 12 head coaches, but he's well-versed in understanding the recruiting trail and the type of talent that resides in Austin.

In fact, he tried his best to land several high-profile prospects who joined other conference programs to head to Waco during his time as an associate head coach at Baylor.

McGuire, who's closing in on a potential seven-win second season in Lubbock, understands everything for No. 7 Texas starts in the trenches. The offense predicates on protection for Quinn Ewers behind a stout line. It runs through the legs of names like CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue, and provided promising results for Big 12 breakout player Jonathon Brooks prior to his torn ACL.

As for the defensive line, few college football teams possess the talent that rotates in between plays. Prospects like Byron Murphy, T'Vondre Sweat, Alfred Collins and others don't grow on trees, even if they are built like one.

“I know Murphy really well. I recruited him," McGuire said. "He’s from DeSoto, so I watched him grow up being at Cedar Hill. He’s turned himself into such a great player. I knew he was going to be a good player but he’s turned himself into a great player."

Murphy has been one of the standouts on a Longhorns' defense that ranks eighth defending the run. Through 11 games, Murphy has recorded 24 tackles and five sacks to match his 7.5 tackles for a loss.

If Murphy is the appetizer, consider Sweat the main course. The 6-4, 360-pound senior from Huntsville, Texas, might be one of college football's most underappreciated players for his ability to make offenses one-dimensional.

"I don’t know who’s blocked him," McGuire said of Sweat. "He’s such a big human, 360 pounds, very physical. As a football guy of watching guys progress if you turn on the tape two years ago, I don’t know if he was trending in that direction. As far as the way they’ve been able to develop him and how hard he plays.”

The Red Raiders (6-5, 5-3 Big 12) have turned the corner since their 1-3 start back in September. They've won five of their last seven contest, notching wins over programs like Houston, Central Florida and No. 16 Kansas.

Texas Tech features a balanced offense, but it's headlined by senior running back Tahj Brooks. After splitting reps with SaRodorick Thompson in Year 1 of the McGuire era, Brooks became the feature runner in Year 2, totaling over 1,300 yards and nine TDs.

Among Big 12 opponents, Texas (10-1, 7-1) has only allowed Oklahoma quarterback Dillion Gabriel (113) and TCU running back Emani Bailey (98) to rush for more than 65 yards per contest. Wyoming's Harrison Waylee also surpassed the triple-digit marker (110 yards) in a 31-10 loss to the Horns back in Week 3.

Old Texas teams would have fallen victim to the preseason hype. This Longhorns roster has allowed opponents to hang around but has always kept full speed ahead heading into the closing minutes.

Texas Tech Coach Joey McGuire Praises Longhorns 'Home Run' Offensive Line

Even McGuire has taken notice of the Longhorns' resiliency under third-year coach Steve Sarkisian heading into their final matchup as Big 12 rivals.

"When you can go into Alabama and beat them and you can turn around and go into overtime against a K-State team that I have a lot of respect for, that’s extremely tough, and beat them then you can definitely see that he’s doing something that some guys before him weren’t able to do," McGuire said of Sarkisian's efforts. "Nothing against them but he’s doing a great job culturally."

Kickoff for Texas' final regular season game as a member of Big 12 is scheduled for Friday at 6:30 p.m.