Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the Texas Longhorns

BamaOnLine caught up with Joe Cook, managing editor at Inside Texas, for a breakdown of Alabama’s Week 2 opponent. The Crimson Tide will host the Longhorns at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 9. Kickoff of the top-15 matchup is set for 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.

BamaOnLine: Last year’s game came down to a last-second field goal, and Texas returns quite a bit from its 2022 squad. Where have the Longhorns improved most since the last meeting?

Joe Cook: There have been incremental improvements along the defensive line and in the secondary to where the Longhorn defense appears as stout as it was last season. Texas’ front four (strongside to weakside) of Barryn Sorrell, T’Vondre Sweat, Byron Murphy, and Ethan Burke made running the ball impossible for the admittedly offensively-challenged Rice Owls in the season opener. The defensive tackle position is deep, with Alfred Collins and Trill Carter providing enough depth to rotate without a significant drop-off and keep the frontline guys fresh.

In the secondary, Texas starts an experienced group that features only one player, starting field corner and 2022 On3 five-star Terrance Brooks, classified as a sophomore or younger. Ryan Watts, missed sack on Bryce Young aside, is a physical boundary corner with some coverage limitations who makes up for it elsewhere. Arkansas transfer Jalen Catalon has remained healthy through the preseason and drew rave reviews during training camp for his football IQ at one safety spot. Jerrin Thompson is an experienced field general who will do more to keep things in order in the secondary but can make his fair share of plays. Jahdae Barron may not fill the stat sheet but he does so much in Pete Kwiatkowski‘s defense to where he is often an unrecognized difference-maker when Texas deploys nickel personnel. Plus, Wake Forest transfer Gavin Holmes and true freshman (and one-time Bama target) Malik Muhammad make corner four-deep for the Longhorns.

Granted, the season-opening win was against Rice, but it was still a dominant performance at all three levels. The front will be tested by the Alabama O-line, but there are a number of players who return from last year’s thriller (including Sweat, who Longhorn fans believe should have one more sack and safety to his name from last year) that want to put on a similar performance in Bryant-Denny Stadium and keep the Crimson Tide a 20 or under.

BOL: Quarterback Quinn Ewers didn’t finish last season’s matchup due to injury. What does he need to do this time around in order for the Longhorns to have success against the Tide?

JC: Hit the deep ball. If your only impression of Ewers was the first quarter versus the Crimson Tide, you missed an up-and-down redshirt freshman season where he struggled to convert the signature downfield passing attempts of Steve Sarkisian‘s offense. That was an area where improvement was not evident versus the Owls. Ewers is in better shape and is in his second season in the system, but the next deep ball he completes, whether to Xavier Worthy or Adonai Mitchell or any other Longhorn receiver, will be the first of the year.

BOL: What would you say is the strength of this Texas defense? With Jalen Milroe set to make his third career start, how do you think the Horns match up with a dual-threat quarterback?

JC: The middle of the defensive front. Murphy, Sweat, and Collins are players who will likely hear their names called in the NFL draft in 2024. The linebacker corps also has AP All-American Jaylan Ford, who is as effective in run support as he is in coverage. The weak link is likely starting Will LB David Gbenda, who though experienced and athletic can struggle to process the picture in front of him. That might be the sole weak link in that interior.

Kwiatkowski has made life difficult for an Alabama dual-threat quarterback in the past, and now that he’s in year three of his Texas tenure there is increased familiarity from those in burnt orange with what he’s trying to accomplish in Austin. You’ll see a variety of guys who will keep their eye on Milroe. I’d imagine Texas will force the one-time Texas commit to prove he can process multiple coverages at the necessary level.

BOL: Alabama has some injury concerns heading into this one with two banged-up defensive backs. Where does Texas stand from an injury standpoint before leaving for Tuscaloosa?

JC: Five-star freshman running back CJ Baxter looked great in his first few opportunities. He was the first Longhorn running back to start the first game of his true freshman season since Ricky Williams in 1995. But after a 30+ yard scamper in the second quarter of Week 1, Baxter fell awkwardly on his right side and did not return to the game. Sarkisian said he was at practice on Monday, but Sarkisian is stingy with injury information. Jonathon Brooks, a co-starter, will pick up the slack if Baxter can’t go.

The other notable spot is at right guard. Sarkisian said postgame Saturday that sophomore Cole Hutson, last year’s starter at the position, was “nicked up” and so he was kept out of the opener as a precaution. The man in his place, former five-star DJ Campbell, put on a volatile performance and even had to leave during the Week 1 contest after a short stint on the turf.

BOL: Finally, how do you see Saturday’s game playing out? Care to give a score prediction?

JC: Last year, I had the viewpoint that Texas would only lose to one team wearing Crimson on its 2022 schedule (After losing 20-19 to the Crimson Tide, Texas demolished Oklahoma 49-0 in a rivalry matchup). I suppose my prediction is similar this year. The only time Texas plays in front of 100,000+ fans is when it plays at home with its current schedule. Many of the players on the team have experience in a tremendously hostile SEC environment, but it’s a memory they might not want to pull from since it was a 40-21 drubbing at Arkansas in 2021.

I think this game will be similar to the one Texas played versus TCU last year in a 17-10 loss to the national finalists. The Horns had two major busts on defense, one on a long run and one in pass coverage, that gifted the Horned Frogs 14 points. Seven of Texas’ 10 points came via a fumble returned for a touchdown late in the game. The run offense — one that included Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson — struggled mightily and Ewers handled the yoke placed on him by Sarkisian. I think Ewers will put in a better performance, but between the road environment, Ewers’ struggles with the deep passing game, and the Bama defensive front ready to put pressure on the Longhorn O-line, I see Alabama winning a low-scoring game worthy of the Saturday prime time slot.

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