While the best piece of the linebacking corps for Texas football isn’t junior B-Linebacker Malcolm Roach, he’s an important part to the effectiveness of the front seven as a whole. The Texas linebacking corps is at its most consistent and productive point when Roach is present alongside the seniors Gary Johnson and Anthony Wheeler.
Roach missed a good portion of the regular season with a foot injury. The Sugar Bowl will be his ninth game of the 2018 campaign, and could be his final of his collegiate career with the Horns. There’s still some chatter as to whether Roach will declare for the 2019 NFL Draft one year early. That discussion hung around since the beginning of the 2018 off-season.
The numbers that Roach posted during the regular season weren’t something that would blow anyone away. His presence once he made his way back into the lineup is something that all Texas football fans noticed right away. He was able to get after it against Will Grier and the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Oklahoma State Cowboys when he first returned from the foot injury.
Moreover, Roach will be looking to finally put it all together statistically with a big outing in the Sugar Bowl. His physical presence and pass rushing ability will be needed to blow up the Georgia backfield and limit its ground game. Roach could have his best game of the season, and move past the measly 20 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss he posted in the regular season.