Washington Huskies' LB Room Could Create Opening For Texas Longhorns' Offense In Sugar Bowl
Believe it or not, Washington and Texas emulate each other in countless ways, but one area separates the two heading into the College Football Playoff semifinal outing at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.
The Huskies feature a program headlined by an offensive-driven head coach in Kalen DeBoer. The Longhorns are led by offensive mastermind Steve Sarkisian.
A former transfer portal quarterback roams Washington's backfield and has three stable pass-catchers at his disposal. A former transfer quarterback has control over the Longhorns' passing game, though his trio of weapons features a tight end over three receivers.
The No. 2 Huskies (13-0) rank 11th in scoring (37.7 points per game) and 12th in total yards. The No. 3 Longhorns (12-1) rank 16th in scoring (36.2 points per game) and ninth in total yards. Both even struggle immensely in pass defense.
So where's the difference? Look at the middle and you'll find the answer.
Texas linebacker room features proven commodities like Jaylan Ford and David Gbenda. It has an emerging star in Anthony Hill Jr., who is already securing first-team reps.
Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) scrambles away from defensive pressure by Washington Huskies edge rusher Maurice Heims (45) and linebacker Carson Bruener (42) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium.
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Washington, meanwhile, has struggled to find consistency in the position. Edefuan Ulofoshio leads the unit with 83 stops and three sacks, but the Huskies' top tackler is cornerback Dominque Hampton.
If a defensive back leads the team in any category, a defense has a problem.
Three Huskies have totaled at least 70 stops. Junior Carson Bruener also has three pass deflections, and Alphonzo Tuputala has an interception. Outside of a few highlights sprinkled in, the linebacker corps has been Washington's Achilles heel.
The Huskies allowed over 4.2 yards per attempt per run. Linebackers can't close the gap in time. Washington is allowing opponents to covert inside the red zone nearly 85 percent of the reps. The linebackers aren't adding enough pressure.
Texas features a dynamic offense that can attack in multiple forms. Sarkisian will trust the passing attack if the run game isn't working. If the ground game is stalling, it's time to go through the air.
Pressuring Quinn Ewers off the edge could be a concern if Bralen Trice wins his one-on-one battle against Kelvin Banks or Christian Jones. Up the middle? DeBoer might be spending a few more hours trying to gameplan how to defend Texas in that sense.
