Two games in, Texas is showing off its pass rushing prowess

Two of Texas’ youngest players keep providing some answers to a big question that loomed over the defense in the offseason: Just who in the heck is going to bring opposing quarterbacks to the ground?

Sophomore defensive end Ethan Burke and freshman Anthony Hill Jr. let the nation know in Saturday’s prime-time performance against Alabama, the most-watched regular season game on ESPN since 2015. The pair combined for three sacks to go along with four tackles for a loss and 10 total stops in the Longhorns’ 34-24 win. Better yet, they did it while helping corral one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the country in Alabama's Jalen Milroe.

“That was the game plan, for sure,” said Burke, a lanky 6-foot-7, 255-pound edge who won three state titles at nearby Westlake High School. “He's a great quarterback. You know, the way we had to alter our pass rushes, especially on the edge, you had to go work on speed to power-collapse the pocket and try to keep him in the pocket. We had to dirty up the pocket, so he didn’t have any (running) lanes.”

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So far, so good for Texas' pass rush

Creating constant push on the edge while maintaining the necessary discipline against a dangerous dual threat can challenge even the savviest of edge rushers. But so far, Burke and Hill have met every challenge despite their inexperience. Burke appeared in 11 games as a freshman in 2022 but tallied just six tackles without a sack, and the 6-3, 235-pound Hill is in his first collegiate season after arriving on campus as a five-star recruit from Denton Guyer.

This year, each player already has seven tackles, and they’ve combined for five tackles for a loss. Together, they have four of the Longhorns’ seven sacks on the season while rejuvenating the pass rush. Entering this week’s game against Wyoming, Texas is on pace for 45.5 sacks in 13 games, which assumes a bowl game. A year ago, the Longhorns managed 27 sacks in 13 games, and only 11 of those came from an edge position.

The Longhorns’ pass rush even caught the eye of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, who could sympathize — kind of — with Milroe.

“I know it's scary when you've got those guys coming right after you,” Ewers said. “It's definitely tough going against those guys. I’m lucky; they can’t touch me (in practice).”

Ford: Young pass rushers ‘trusting scheme’

According to senior linebacker Jaylan Ford, the ability of Burke and Hill to individually shine without sacrificing their responsibilities in the team’s defensive scheme has added an extra element.

“I think they've been able to really trust what their coaches are telling them and know their role in the scheme,” Ford said. “Just having faith and doing their role and trusting their teammates to do theirs — that's how they make their plays.

“You know, if everyone does everything they're supposed to and everyone does their job, someone's going to make the play. I think last game (against Alabama), they showed up and stepped up and made plays that they needed to make.”

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian agreed. He credited Burke, Hill and the other linemen as well as Ford and fellow linebacker David Gbenda for unsettling Alabama’s schemes.

“That front continues to grow in a way where they were really active,” Sarkisian said. “I thought we were very disruptive up front. Our ability to create kind of chaos in the backfield was huge.”

While Milroe spent much of his game trying to dodge Burke, Hill and the other UT pass rushers, Texas' offensive line kept Ewers clean. Alabama didn’t get a single sack and only had three pressures. After facing the Longhorns’ pass rushers in practice, guard Hayden Conner said, games offer some relief.

“They (Burke and Hill) have some really good pressures on defenses that we don't get to see a lot in games, and they get to practice it against us,” Conner said. “I think the good-on-good periods that we have against each other (in practice), they're great. We scrap, and it helps us because they do some pretty interesting stuff. It's good to get those different looks in practice, and it also helps them as well.”

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Hill’s ‘versatility’ special, says Sarkisian

Burke’s development doesn’t come as a surprise, considering how Sarkisian and the coaching staff praised him throughout the offseason. And with his long, lean frame that seems ready to pack on a few more pounds, Burke looks like a natural defensive end.

The athletic Hill seems more difficult to pigeonhole into a position. Recruited as a linebacker, he has the skill set to play multiple positions on the defensive front seven, Sarkisian said. So far, he’s made his biggest impact on the edge as a pass rusher in obvious passing situations.

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“I think that's the beauty of Anthony Hill and recruiting that type of player and continuing to try to recruit that type of player is him being versatile,” Sarkisian said. “He's got a really versatile skill set, and his ability to play off-the-ball linebacker, his ability to play true edge and come off the edge and then his ability to blitz the quarterback from an off-the-ball position. I think all three of those, that's a real skill set that he has that.”

But Sarkisian said it’s far too early to commit to Hill as primarily an edge rusher despite his early production at the spot.

“I don't want to pin him down to one thing,” Sarkisian said. “Now, as his career grows and what that looks like, we'll see game to game. That may change some, but his career is two games in.”

Of course, Hill still has lots to learn as Ford found out in Saturday’s game. After his second-half sack that helped force an Alabama punt, Hill bounded to the back of the end zone to exchange a few words with Crimson Tide fans. Ford immediately raced toward Hill and escorted him to the Texas bench before an official could consider pulling out a flag.

“Did you see me running to go get him?” Ford said with a grin. “I was, like, ‘Oh, boy.’ But, hey, I get it. The passion is there. I've done it a couple of times myself. But you know, all jokes aside, I think he knows now what to do and what not to do. Just kind of act like you've been there. But I think for him, being a freshmen out there on that stage, how could you not, you know?”

Saturday's game

Wyoming (2-0) at No. 4 Texas (2-0), 7 p.m. LHN, 1300

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas football is thriving defensively behind new-look pass rush