Texas Receivers Looking To Feast vs. Vulnerable Washington Secondary in Sugar Bowl
The Texas Longhorns are now less than a week away from taking part in their first College Football Playoff in program history.
Standing in front of them will be the 13-0 and No. 2 ranked Washington Huskies, who will without a doubt provide their toughest test of the season to date.
As we have discussed throughout the month, Washington's elite quarterback play and dominant group of wide receivers will be a major obstacle for the Longhorns - who rank 95th in the country in pass defense - to overcome.
Texas Longhorns wide receivers Adonai Mitchell (5) and Xavier Worthy (1) celebrate a touchdown by Mitchell during the Big 12 Championship game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at AT&T stadium on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023 in Arlington.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
However, the same can also be side on the other side of the coin, with the Longhorns possessing an elite QB of their own in Quinn Ewers, and just as talented of a receiver group - if not more so - than the Huskies.
And fortunately for the Longhorns, the Huskies' secondary might be even more vulnerable than their own.
The Huskies, who rank No. 123 in the country in pass defense, give up an average of 263.2 yards per game through the air. They also rank 94th in the country in passing touchdowns surrendered.
Meanwhile, the Horns rank 18th in the country in passing, and their duo of Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell have combined for 15 touchdowns and 1,782 yards. Not to mention the 607 yards from Ja'Tavion Sanders.
So, on paper, it looks like the Horns should be able to have their way vs. the Huskies in the passing game.
That said, there is also one glaring stat that could be the key for the Washington secondary vs. the Texas receivers - their ability to force turnovers.
Like the Longhorns own secondary, Washington's might give up a boatload of yards, but they are also adept at intercepting the football, sitting tied for sixth in the country with Texas with 16 interceptions on the year.
And those interceptions have come from all over the secondary as well, with seven different Huskie defensive backs tallying at least one interception this season, and five of those players being responsible for two or more.
All of that said, Texas QB Quinn Ewers is not exactly a turnover machine, with the sophomore completing 70.6 percent of his passes with just six interceptions.
He has thrown three interceptions in his last four games, but by and large, Ewers has been a maestro of ball security throughout the season.
In other words, if the Horns are allowed to do what they have done over the last few weeks in the passing game, their elite pass-catching group of Mitchell, Worthy, Sanders, and Jordan Whittington should feast on New Year's Day.
