Texas football will take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington, Kentucky, this weekend and the Longhorns are coming off an upset of the Oklahoma Sooners at the Cotton Bowl. With that win, the Longhorns were put back into the AP Top 25 at number 21.
With Texas heading over to the Bluegrass State, they will face another challenging road environment. I'm sure other SEC teams would agree that Kroger Field is a difficult place to play, and that means we could see some lopsided stats from the Longhorns this weekend. For example, Texas might have a lot of rushing yards if the Wildcats' secondary can shut down the Longhorns' receiving core.
Here are four bold predictions for the Longhorns as they take on the Wildcats this weekend:
1. Arch Manning continues to evolve
The first bold prediction on my list for this weekend has to involve Arch Manning. I think he will continue to improve his game and become a better quarterback moving forward. I think there's a possibility he could throw for over 250 yards against the Kentucky Wildcats.
He appears to have figured out his passing game woes, and it will show against a struggling Wildcats' secondary. This might be the game where teams finally see what Manning is capable of.
2. Wisner running over the opposition
Another thing that the Longhorns might have discovered last weekend at the Cotton Bowl is their run game identity. Quintrevion Wisner rushed for 94 yards against the Sooners, and he might be in for an even bigger game this weekend.
There's a chance that Wisner could rush for over 150 yards against the Wildcats this weekend. Wisner is going to be used quite a bit this weekend with the Longhorns easing CJ Baxter back into the lineup. Wisner needs to take advantage of getting a majority of the snaps this weekend.
3. Defense bringing the pressure
The Longhorns' defense undoubtedly brought the pressure last weekend at the Cotton Bowl. Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons led the pass rush against John Mateer and the Sooners and you can expect them to bring the pressure against the Wildcats on Saturday night.
I predict the Longhorns' pass rush to have over seven sacks against the Wildcats.
4. No touchdowns allowed
The Longhorns' defense was able to pull off a rare feat last weekend: no touchdowns allowed.
With a desperate Wildcats team looking for its first conference win of the season, the Longhorns might not be able to accomplish that this weekend, which is why I think they will.
What a statement the Longhorns' defense could make if they don't give up a touchdown this weekend in Lexington. It'll be tough to pull off, but I know the Longhorns are capable of it.