Texas Football: Revisiting one of most dominant Horns D-Lines ever

A good defensive line to revisit for the current Texas football coaching staff to learn from for the coming season is that stout group from back in 2017.

At least as far as advanced analytics are concerned, there really wasn’t a better defensive line that the Texas football program put forward (especially in the last decade) than they had in 2017. Texas had the Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2017, along with numerous All-Big 12 selections and players that had their best years on the Forty Acres back in 2017.

This was almost a spillover of some of the talent that former head coach Charlie Strong pieced together on the defensive side of the ball during his roller coaster of a three year tenure with the Longhorns. Texas only allowed around 107 rushing yards per game during the 2017 season, and allowed under 80 rushing yards per game on the road. They also allowed just three yards per carry during the 2017 season, and 1.1 rushing scores per game.

Moreover, the advanced stats for the Longhorns were even more impressive from the 2017 season. According to Football Outsiders, Texas ranked sixth among FBS programs in standard downs line yards (2.22), second in power success rate (46.3 percent), and fourth in stuff rate (an astounding 27.1 percent).

And when Texas was on point in stuffing the run and, in effect, holding the opposition’s passing game in check, they usually won. In games that Texas won back in 2017, they allowed just 72.7 rushing yards per game (2.4 yards per carry), and 0.6 rushing scores. They also held their opposition at a completion percentage around 55.0 and around 230 passing yards per game.

Texas wasn’t particularly astute at rushing the passer back in 2017. Their leaders saw a three-way tie between linebacker Malik Jefferson, and defensive ends Charles Omenihu and Breckyn Hager. They each had four sacks. But there was a double-digit number of players in the front seven that registered at least three tackles for loss that season.

Jefferson was likely the best player on the defensive side of the ball for the Longhorns. He registered 110 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks, during his junior campaign. Jefferson formed a very good trio that included the 2017 Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year and defensive tackle Poona Ford and All-American safety DeShon Elliott.

Ford is currently standing out as a former undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks. And Jefferson is still trying to find his way around the NFL, now with the Los Angeles Chargers.

A supporting cast in the trenches that also included defensive tackle Chris Nelson, edge rusher Naashon Hughes, defensive end Malcolm Roach, and rising senior defensive end Ta’Quon Graham was stellar for the Longhorns. The depth is not there yet along the defensive line for recently hired defensive coordinator Chris Ash, but maybe the stout recruiting efforts for Texas in the last couple of cycles will get him there soon.

During the 2017 campaign, Texas was still in the first year under current head coach Tom Herman. And that was also the first year under now former defensive coordinator Todd Orlando (recently hired in the same position with the USC Trojans). Texas won just seven games that season, but finished it on a high note by beating the Mizzou Tigers in the Texas Bowl.