Texas Football vs. USC: 5 overreactions from win over Trojans

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Save to Board Tulsa v Texas AUSTIN, TX – SEPTEMBER 08: Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando walks to the field before the game against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

5. Todd Orlando is the best defensive coordinator in the nation

No one should be questioning the ability of second-year Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando at this point for his capability of managing this defense. The Texas defense had its ups and downs through the first two weeks of action, but this win over USC proved that the Horns could still be the best defensive unit in the Big 12 this fall.

All three levels of the defense have something to be proud of for the Horns, and there was another true freshman that stepped up and stood out on the defensive side of the ball. First-year cornerback Anthony Cook stepped up in the place of senior cornerback Davante Davis at times and played big against a very talented USC receiving corps.

The front seven for the Horns emerged huge once again, actually giving up negative rushing yards from the Trojans. USC wound up with -5 rushing yards and the leading individual rusher was sophomore running back Stephen Carr who finished with just 13 yards and one touchdown. Outside of one 23-yard rushing touchdown, the Trojans couldn’t find any room on the ground.

This Texas linebacking corps showed that it can be the best in the Big 12 this fall when all of its pieces are actually on the field. The pair of senior linebackers in Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler are huge for this team. In fact, Wheeler had a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown that was one of the biggest moments of the game.

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