Texas Football vs. Georgia: Pass rushing edge goes to Longhorns

Of the advantages that Texas football enjoys over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl, there’s a few it can ride thanks to the front seven.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl features two front sevens that are among the fastest and most athletic in the nation. Texas football and the Georgia Bulldogs are lined with former four and five-star recruits that could be taking talents to the NFL soon. Georgia has the defense that sticks out in this New Years Day matchup in New Orleans, LA, but no one should take this talented Texas football front seven group lightly.

For Texas football, the front seven mainly relies on a pair of seniors, defensive end Charles Omenihu and linebacker Gary Johnson. Those two standout seniors are also the main culprits responsible for blowing up the backfields of opposing offenses this season.

The former JUCO transfer Johnson is the rangiest player in the front seven for Texas football. He also leads the linebacking corps of the Texas Longhorns in nearly every major stat category at the position. Johnson is second on the team overall in tackles for loss and sacks. Omenihu is the only Texas football player ahead of Johnson in tackles for loss and sacks.

On the season, Johnson has 15.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. He has the ability to wreak havoc in the pass rush and stopping the run. That’s going to be huge against a Georgia offense that features a top tier one-two punch at running back and a future NFL Draft prospect under center.

However, the main threat that the Georgia offensive line needs to plan for is Omenihu. The First-Team All-Big 12 honoree and the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss (with 9.5 and 16.0 respectively). Omenihu could be a name to watch in the 2019 NFL Draft too.

Texas second-year defensive coordinator Todd Orlando has a lot of pieces to work with to get Georgia’s offense uncomfortable early in the first half. Orlando can also use the sneaky pass rushing abilities of the reliable senior linebacker Anthony Wheeler, veteran pass rusher Breckyn Hager, and the agile freshman safety B.J. Foster.

On the season Wheeler, Hager, and Foster, have combined for eight sacks and 22 tackles for loss. A solid Georgia offensive line will be tested by the five aforementioned linebackers and linemen for the Horns that could get into the backfield and rattle the quarterback and rushers.

For the Georgia side, the pass rush hasn’t lived up to the hype yet this year. Most of the pass rushing duties fell to senior edge rusher D’Andre Walker. He leads the team in sacks and tackles for loss (7.5 and 11 respectively) this year. The next best pass rusher for the Dawgs this season was freshman linebacker Channing Tindall, with just two.

SEC offensive lines are no joke, but the Georgia pass rush left a lot to be desired during the regular season. Barring what Walker was able to do this fall, Georgia’s front seven got very little push in the pass rush or stopping the run. Georgia barely got more than 1.5 sacks per game this year.

Meanwhile, the Horns averaged just over 2.3 sacks per game while facing a schedule that had a few NFL-caliber offensive line, like that of the Oklahoma Sooners. Georgia hasn’t faced a line the caliber of what the Sooners have.

This is an edge that the Horns can use to get a hold on the balanced Georgia offense and try to keep the Sugar Bowl close on the scoreboard. Texas football can also give its sophomore quarterback an advantage, over Georgia’s, with some early stops sparked by the pass rushing efforts.