Texas Football: Mid-season report card for every position
Defensive Backs
One of the most loaded position groups for the Horns lies in the secondary. This set of standout defensive backs mostly held their own in the first six games of the season. Senior cornerback Kris Boyd, junior safety Brandon Jones, and true freshman safety Caden Sterns, led the way for the secondary so far.
The defensive backfield is not the level of the defense in which the Horns usually thrive. But, there’s been marked progress for them this fall compared to what we saw in 2017. Texas is only allowing opposing passing games an average of around 234 yards per game this season, which is down more than 20 yards from last year.
Not all the credit for the improved play of the pass defense can be given to the secondary, but it does bode well for facing some more high-powered offenses for the rest of the season. This secondary is also nabbing interceptions at a mark nearly equal to the amount of passing touchdowns. Texas allowed only one more passing touchdown than interception in the first half of the year.
A lot of the numbers for the pass defense for the first half of the regular season is going to be diluted by facing Kyler Murray and the Sooners last week. Boyd and fellow senior cornerback Davante Davis could tighten up the coverage a bit on the outside, but both are looking to have their best seasons on the Forty Acres. This secondary is playing well this year, but it needs to keep up in the second half.