As Texas turns their attention from the Red River loss to Florida coming into town, it’s time to highlight the Longhorns that need strong performances. Obviously, the Texas offense has left much to be desired
early in the season and the defense is set to face a stiff challenge in the Florida offense. For Texas, there are seven players I believe need to play good football for Texas to avoid the upset.Texas Longhorns QB Arch Manning
This is obvious. Arch Manning’s two fourth quarter mistakes put Oklahoma in position to upset Texas and he needs a bounceback here. The good news is Florida ranks 131st in pass defense, including 305 passing yards allowed/road game. Manning should have more time in the pocket and more openings in the secondary to attack. One of the biggest issues
with the Texas offense has been Manning’s overall confidence. This weekend(and the next three weeks) is a chance to earn that confidence back.
Texas Longhorns RB Derrek Cooper
The Texas run game had a very poor performance against Oklahoma. When they did find some rhythm, it was at the end of the first half with Derrek Cooper toting the rock. They need to get the freshman RB on the field more, especially running outside zone. While Smothers and Brown should dominate the snaps, Cooper’s can be incredible if given more chances. Allowing the two-headed monster to turn into a three-headed monster could be a key to the Texas run game.
Texas Longhorns WR Jermaine Bishop Jr.
Another freshman that needs to be on the field more is Bishop Jr.. He’s proven to be a dangerous playmaker when he’s on the field, especially when Texas is running more 10 personnel. I’d bet Sarkisian leaves a TE on the sideline more often to include the freshman WR in more snaps moving forward. Particularly against this secondary, opening things up with four WRs could lead to an explosive afternoon for the Texas pass offense.
Texas Longhorns DE Lance Jackson and Zina Umeozulu
When playing Florida, there is one thing you HAVE to do: set a strong edge in the run game. Florida thrives running stretch and outside zone, both of which rely on getting the edge on a defense. Jackson and Umeozulu are two important players to step up, keep the OTs from getting off the ball and shutting down run lanes. Both have done a very nice job thus far this season, but this could be the toughest challenge to date for the Texas DEs in the run game.
Texas Longhorns LB Rasheem Biles
Another aspect of this offense that’s difficult to defend is the WR/TE slips. On play action, Faulkner does a great job getting easy completions for his QB and allowing their playmakers space to work. That means the LB and secondary are required to pursue and tackle at a high level. Biles leads the way, with his sideline-to-sideline ability. He can keep those slips at 5 yards, instead of 35-40 yard explosives.
Texas Longhorns CB Kade Phillips
It seems Florida is going to get an elite playmaker at WR back for this game, with Vernell Brown returning to practice. That means the Longhorn secondary needs to be prepared to matchup with some elite WRs all afternoon. Kade Phillips is in a particularly tough position, likely facing Dallas Wilson for much of the game. He’s done a nice job thus far, including leading the SEC in coverage snaps/target. He’ll need to step up in this one and keep No. 6 from changing the game the way he did last season.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Longhorns to watch vs. Florida: Manning badly needs bounce back game
