Should Texas’ offensive game plan be in the air or on the ground?
Texas could go either way when it comes to the Baylor defense. From a fans perspective, we would love to witness the Quinn Ewers connection to star receivers, but that may not be what we see.
Baylor has a decent pass rush, with Byron Vaughns leading the charge holding a 78.9 PFF pass rush grade, followed by linebacker Mike Smith Jr. and defensive lineman Devonte Tezino. Vaughns is Baylor’s best pass rusher, with six pressures on the passer, two sacks and four hurries.
Ewers is not the best when pressured so if the Bears want to make Ewers uncomfortable they will need to put pressure on him.
Baylor has decent cornerbacks in Carl Williams IV and Caden Jenkins. Williams has an 81.6 coverage grade and is the top corner for the Bears’ defense.
If Steve Sarkisian wants to air it out then he will have to have his wide receivers make big time plays and try to avoid the costly drops. They cannot afford to miss wide open touchdowns and easy targets dropped.
As much as the deep ball is pretty, the game plan might be better on the ground. Texas is expected to have freshman running back CJ Baxter back on Saturday and with Brooks coming off a phenomenal game against Wyoming, the backfield is in good hands.
The Longhorns have averaged nearly 150 rushing yards per game, and the Bears have allowed 170 rushing yards per game. If Baxter is 100% without limitations, it will be very exciting to see what he can do as he has had unfortunate injuries to start his young collegiate career.
The Texas Longhorns kickoff against the Baylor Bears at 6:30 P.M. CT.
