Texas football looks for a fifth straight win. Texas is currently ranked tenth in the College Football Playoff rankings. A loss would likely knock them out of the playoff race, and this week, the Longhorns face fifth-ranked Georgia. It is time to make bold predictions for the Longhorns in their game with Georgia.
Texas is now 7-2 on the season, but has a chance at the SEC title game with a 4-1 conference record. After losing in the opening game to Ohio State, Texas rolled off three wins over Group of Five teams. They then lost in the conference opener on the road to Florida. Since then, the Longhorns have won four straight, including wins over Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. The team also had an open week to prepare for this game, after beating Vanderbilt last time out.
Meanwhile, Georgia is 8-1 on the season. The only blemish on the record came in the fourth game of the season, when Georgia fell 24-21 at home to Alabama. Since then, they have rolled off five straight wins, including a victory over Ole Miss. They now face their fourth ranked team of the season, looking to move to 3-1 against ranked opponents.
The Texas defense shines
The defense has been stellar this year. They are tenth in the nation in opponent points per game while sitting 17th in opponent yards per game. They have also been great against the run, sitting third in opponent rushing yards per game while sitting 84th against the pass. Still, the pass rush has been great, as they are ninth in FBS in sack rate this year.
The pass rush will be a major player in this game. Gunner Stockton, the Georgia quarterback, has been solid at avoiding the sack this year, being sacked just ten times. Still, some solid defenses have gotten to Stockton. Tennessee sacked the Georgia QB four times, while both Alabama and Florida got to him twice.
Colin Simmons is going to make his impact on this game. He leads the team with eight sacks so far this year, while also forcing two fumbles and recovering one. Meanwhile, Anthony Hill Jr. has four sacks on the year, with three forced fumbles and a recovery. They are also the two leaders in tackles for a loss. Simmons has 9.5 while Hill has 6.5.
They have also been active in run defense as well. Georgia has been stellar in the run game, running for 198.9 yards per game, 19th in the nation. Nate Fraizer and Chauncey Bowens have combined for over 1,000 yards this year. Texas is going to slow them down in this game. Expect the defense to get to Stockton at least twice while holding Georgia to under 150 yards on the ground in this game.
Arch Manning has a stellar game
The Texas offense has been solid, but not great, this year. They are 46th in the nation in points per game while sitting 68th in yards per game. They are 86th in the running game but 45th in the pass. The passing game is led by Arch Manning. Manning has not had the year that he expected. The quarterback has completed 168 of 268 passes for 2,123 yards and 18 touchdowns. Still, he has been picked up six times this year.
Meanwhile, Manning has run for 203 yards and six touchdowns, but the yardage is sack yardage adjusted. Without the sack yardage, he has run for 308 yards on the season. The Longhorn quarterback has been much better as of late. In his last two games, Manning has passed for 674 yards and six touchdowns, while also running for one touchdown.
Georgia has not been amazing against the pass. They are 56th in the nation against the pass, but struggle getting to the quarterback or creating interceptions. The Bulldogs are 119th in the nation in interception rate and 128th in sack rate this year. When Manning has struggled the most this year, he has been under pressure, which has led to his interceptions. He will be well protected in this game. Another 300-yard game and multiple touchdowns are in store for Manning in this one.
Texas puts Georgia on upset alert
Texas needs to start strong in this game. Georgia has led at halftime in just four of nine games this year. Texas is 5-0 this year when they have the lead heading into the halftime break. They are just 2-2 when they are behind. The two comeback victories are also over rival Oklahoma and a lowly Mississippi State team.
The only time Georgia lost this year, they were behind at halftime, but in that game, Alabama was dominant on defense in the second half. They allowed just seven points in the second half. If Texas is going to win this game, they have to hold the halftime lead and then drain the clock out in the second half. This is going to require the running game to be sharp, and Manning to make safe throws.
Texas also needs to learn lessons from the game with Vanderbilt, where they allowed 21 points in the fourth quarter. Odds at the time of writing, provided by FanDuel, have Georgia as a 6.5-point favorite in the game. Texas is going to cover that, and could pull the upset if they can control the second half of the game.
