Texas Football: Position-by-position report card after loss to LSU
Defensive line
For yet another season under third-year Texas football defensive coordinator Todd Orlando, the front seven looks stout. The Longhorns got contributions all over the place along the front seven, and the defensive line did its best to hold its own. Texas fans are accustomed to seeing this front seven give up less than four yards per carry. That could happen again this fall.
The best stat on the day for the Texas defensive line against LSU was allowing just 102 rushing yards on 3.5 yards per carry despite a good effort from running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. On the day, Edwards-Helaire helped to flank senior LSU quarterback Joe Burrow nicely with 87 rushing yards and one touchdown on 5.8 yards per carry.
The ball was getting out of Burrow’s hand so fast that it was difficult for the defensive line to get all that much pressure on him. The defense did still get four sacks and six tackles for loss. But only one of those you could argue came from a player lining up along the defensive line, with B-Linebacker Joe Ossai.
However, the Texas defensive line could have more urgency and clog up the middle more in bigger upcoming games like the Big 12 opener on Sep. 21 against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. For now, they can be happy with the fact that they were one of the more impressive levels of the defense in this Week 2 loss.