Texas Football vs. Georgia: 5 reasons Longhorns will win Sugar Bowl

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DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 06: Tre Norwood #13 of the Oklahoma Sooners is called for pass interference on a pass intended for Collin Johnson #9 of the Texas Longhorns in the fourth quarter of the 2018 AT&T Red River Showdown at Cotton Bowl on October 6, 2018 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

3. Mismatch at wide receiver

Keeping the offense balanced is going to be an important theme for Texas football in the Sugar Bowl. Part of that balance relies on the effort from the Texas receiving corps. There’s no bigger advantage that the Horns have against the Georgia defense than some of the wideout mismatches against the smaller defensive backs.

You’d have to think that the efforts from junior wide receivers Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Collin Johnson, and Devin Duvernay, will be top notch in the Sugar Bowl. Even senior tight end Andrew Beck is vying for some attention for the 2019 NFL Draft, so he should be ready to go to give Ehlinger yet another weapon in the passing game.

Moreover, the film from this game will be so heavily studied by NFL scouts that Humphrey and Johnson need to really show out. Humphrey has a very volatile draft stock at this point, and his NFL Draft decision could ride on his performance in the Sugar Bowl. Johnson is more stable since he’s projected as an early round selection since the outset of the regular season.

The Georgia defensive backs have a lot riding on this game too. Senior former All-American cornerback Deandre Baker is looking to solidify his status as a first round prospect. Junior former transfer safety J.R. Reed could also be vying for a boost in his draft stock, that is rising for either the 2019 or 2020 NFL Draft. Yet, since both Johnson and Humphrey stand at least at 6-foot-5, the Georgia defensive backs that are mostly shorter than 6-foot-1 have a significant disadvantage in terms of size and length.

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