Texas is back at home at Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium for the first time in a few weeks, and the return to Austin is much-needed. The Longhorns are coming off their first loss of the season, a 27-24 defeat to Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas..
The Gators come into Austin off back-to-back SEC losses to Missouri and South Carolina, and neither game was particularly competitive early on. Those losses came after Florida dominated a top-10 Ole Miss team.
To put into perspective the importance of Saturday’s game for both teams, for all intents and purposes, this is a playoff elimination game. Florida already has two losses, and if Texas loses again this week, we all know the likelihood of the Longhorns running the table the rest of the season is slim.
The Special Teams Unit Must Improve Now
The Texas special teams unit has been one of the worst in the country – not just among special teams units, but among any unit in college football. The mistakes keep coming, week after week. This isn’t simply an issue with punting, kicking or kick coverage. It’s all of it.
Texas had been playing with fire and winning in spite of its special teams play. Against Oklahoma, those mistakes finally caught up with the Longhorns in a big way and became the difference between a win and a loss.
Texas opened the game by kicking the ball out of bounds. That simply cannot happen. It gives the opponent a short field and momentum, even before the game gets going. The same thing happened against Tennessee, and that trend needs to stop.
The Longhorns nearly had their first punt blocked against Oklahoma. Everyone watching could see the problems with the punt protection, and in the second quarter, Oklahoma blocked a punt in the end zone. That’s seven points handed to the opponent on an easily avoidable mistake.
It didn’t stop there. A 29-yard punt late in the third quarter set up Oklahoma’s only offensive touchdown. To make matters worse, Texas kicker Gianni Spetic missed a 53-yard field goal that would have given the Longhorns the lead with under two minutes remaining. The kick had the distance, but not the accuracy.
It’s hard to put too much blame on Spetic for missing from 53 yards, but there will be another game when Texas needs a long field goal. He has to be able to make those kicks when they matter.
Stopping Florida’s Run Game Is Pivotal
The Texas defense has been elite this year, and you could argue it’s one of the best in the country. It just isn’t getting enough support from the offense or special teams.
Those units need to step up, but there’s no time for finger-pointing. Texas has to keep playing good defense and hope the other two units improve as the season goes on.
Florida will bring the most playmakers Texas has faced outside of Ohio State. After what happened last year, the Longhorns shouldn’t need a reminder of how much talent the Gators have. Florida’s season is on the line this week, so Texas needs to expect a real challenge from its offense.
First-year head coach Jon Sumrall brought in Buster Faulkner from Georgia Tech to run the offense. Faulkner has a great scheme, and through the first four games, the Gators’ offense looked unstoppable.
Florida running back Jadan Baugh is the best back in the country. Through four games, he was averaging 150 rushing yards per game. Against Missouri and South Carolina over the last two weeks, that average dropped to just 36 yards, and Florida struggled offensively in both games.
Stopping Baugh has to be the top priority for the Texas defense. But even if the Longhorns force Florida to throw, quarterback Aaron Philo has weapons at wide receiver.
That group includes sophomore Dallas Wilson, who torched Texas last year, along with Vernell Brown and Eric Singleton. Brown and Singleton have both missed the last two games. Brown was close to playing last week, while Singleton may be further away from returning. Even getting Brown back would give Florida’s passing game a boost.
The Texas corners will need to have a good day, especially with the Longhorns likely putting extra defenders in the box to stop Baugh. Texas has to prepare as though all of Florida’s weapons will be available and ready to play. Otherwise, it could be another long day for the defense, just like we saw last year.
