Texas Football: 5 Things To Improve for Week 3 at Cal

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Sep 10, 2016; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receivers Jake Oliver (6) and Jacorey Warrick (11) a touchdown reception against the University of Texas at El Paso Miners during the second quarter at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports /

Cal is not known for their running game, necessarily, but they can still be very dangerous rushing the football. Shutting down the interior running game with the defensive line will be a major factor for the Horns in this game.

The Bears have the ability to spread defenses from sideline to sideline and then gash them up the middle with a long run. Last year, Khalfani Muhammad did it to Texas, rushing for a 74-yard touchdown in the third quarter to put Cal up 45-24. On the day, Muhammad averaged 16.4 yards per carry, finishing with 164 yards on 10 carries.

This season, Texas is stronger and deeper in the middle of their defense but they can still be vulnerable to surrendering big runs. Against UTEP in Week 2, the Miners got their lone touchdown on a 51-yard score from Aaron Jones right up the middle. The Longhorn defense stiffened up the rest of the way, allowing just 134 yards rushing to UTEP as a team but those lapses can hurt if the team gets into another shootout with Cal.

The key will be for the young, talented defensive front to shut down the gaps up front. That will allow the rest of the defense to swarm to the ball and everyone needs to tackle effectively. If they can take away the big plays in the running game, it will make the Bears more one-dimensional and easier to defend.

Next: 2. Penalties

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Texas Football: 5 Things To Improve vs Cal

By Tyler Brett | Sep 14, 2016

Cal is not known for their running game, necessarily, but they can still be very dangerous rushing the football. Shutting down the interior running game with the defensive line will be a major factor for the Horns in this game.