As Texas gears up for their first road test of the season, it’s time to break down the keys to a Longhorns victory. Last season, the Longhorns struggled mightily on the road, going 2-3 in road matchups. This season, they are seemingly more equipped to handle road environments, with a veteran OL and promising run game. However, Neyland is a different beast that Texas will have to contend with.
Here are the things I’m circling for Texas to leave Knoxville with a win:
DTs Winning The Day
The biggest worry around the Tennessee offense seems to be the interior of the offensive line. Considering the Longhorns DTs are a true strength, this could be an area Texas could take advantage of. If they can, the run game can be taken out of the game, the first step to a road win.
It’s a very tough situation to deal with if you can’t but putting this game on true freshman Faizon Brandon’s shoulders is the clearest way to a win.
Muschamp vs. Brandon
This seems to be another area Texas should have an advantage. Faizon Brandon is incredibly talented and can hurt defenses in many ways, but this should be a mismatch in Muschamp’s direction. If Muschamp can confuse him early, force a turnover, the defense will be in great shape. Muschamp has made a career confusing QBs and he’ll need to do it to the talented freshman for Texas to get a win.
Keep Crowd At Bay
This is one of, if not the best crowd in the country. The best way to keep quiet is avoid momentum plays, like turnovers, explosives and sacks. If you allow the crowd to get involved early, it can be tough to deal with. Texas saw this in Gainesville last year and I’d argue this will be an even tougher environment. The easiest way to handle it is to handle the Volunteers early in this game.
Manning Playing On Time
Manning was erratic last week against UTSA, completing just 50% of his passes. This weekend, he’s going against a DC in Jim Knowles that will take advantage of Manning if he lets him. He needs to play confident and on-time to get himself going. He needs to trust the OL to give him time, trust the WRs will make the play and, more than anything, trust his own ability. There can’t be second guessing in this atmosphere if he wants to succeed.
Elite Man Coverage
One of the toughest tasks when facing the Tennessee offense is eliminating explosives. Tennessee does such a good job of stretching defenses, which in turn opens gaps in the run game. Adding extra bodies to the box might be required to slow down Desean Bishop and Daune Morris. That means Bo Mascoe, Graceson Littleton and Kade Phillips need to be ready to hold up in man coverage. If they can’t, it’ll be tough to corral both the pass and run against this Volunteer team.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Longhorns Keys to the Game vs. Tennessee: Keep crowd at bay
