Texas Football: 4 most disappointing Longhorns players in 2019

2. Malcolm Roach, Defensive End

While the secondary for the Texas football program this season was mostly a letdown, the front seven wasn’t its usual self either. The Longhorns did stifle a lot of their opponent’s ground games. Oklahoma couldn’t get much going on the ground beyond senior quarterback Jalen Hurts and Oklahoma State’s Heisman contending running back Chuba Hubbard was limited too.

However, the leadership that Texas needed in the trenches on defense this season didn’t come from the expected source. Senior defensive end Malcolm Roach hasn’t lived up to the hype this season, which likely won’t help his 2020 NFL Draft stock.

Roach has only one sack on the season, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 33 total tackles. He’s played in every game for the Longhorns this season, so injury isn’t an excuse for him. The lack of a Texas pass rush this season can partly fall on his shoulders. Orlando also didn’t come up with the most creative pass rush looks either.

Facing Texas Tech might be the last chance that Roach has to spark this Texas pass rush. There’s not a single player on the roster for the Longhorns that has even four sacks on the season. That needs to change next season for this Texas defense to actually be more effective. According to FEI advanced analytics, Texas ranks outside the top 70 FBS programs in the nation in defensive efficiency this season. A lack of push up front can be part of the reason for that lame number.