Previewing Texas - The Longhorn Defense

Up until last Saturday I had the Texas defense pegged as the best in the Big 12. Now I'm not quite as sure. While I clearly think that as of now the distinction of best in the Big 12 goes to Nebraska the Longhorns are still a defensive unit that you don't want to take lightly. They're usually disciplined in the secondary, ultra athletic and hard hitting

Once stories emerged that Texas defenders were frustrated at UCLA players for holding their blocks an entire new perception of the Longhorn defense began to emerge. They're still going to come after you, hit you hard and make it a nightmare for quarterbacks to complete passes against them. Junior linebacker Keenan Robinson may be the best player on the defensive unit but defensive end Eddie Jones and cornerback Aaron Williams deserve to be mentioned in the same breath though. In addition to Williams stats mentioned above you can add 5 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles.

Even after Saturday's drubbing by UCLA the Longhorns are still in the top half of the Big 12 in points allowed (18 PPG/5th), passing defense (128.8 YPG/ 3rd), and rushing defense (99 YPG/4th). The new perception, however, is that this is a frustrated defense. Not frustrated with themselves but with their offensive teammates who are currently producing the nation's 77th ranked offense in terms of yards and 68th in terms of scoring. It appeared that they sensed that all hope was lost against UCLA because the offense was incapable of mounting a comeback and it greatly affected the way that they played. That's an attitude issue that, if not corrected, can cause a serious rift between the two units.

Get complete Longhorn coverage and their perspective on the game at Burnt Orange Nation