Texas Football returns to the field after their final bye week of the season. They will take on the Florida Gators on Saturday morning. I know it's a bit early for a Texas Longhorns football game, but they need all the support after narrowly escaping Vanderbilt with a conference road win.
The Gators will give everything they have to pull off a major upset on the road. The Longhorns can't come into the matchup already looking at next week.
I'm concerned about the Florida Gators because they are a veteran SEC team that knows how to compete on the road. While their current record doesn't show it, they have nothing to lose heading into this weekend's matchup in Austin.
However, the Longhorns are 4-1 at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium this season, and I know they will defend their home turf. Let's examine why the Longhorns should beat the Florida Gators on Saturday.
Why Texas football will defeat Florida: 4. Quinn Ewers getting the football out faster on third down
I know that Texas Longhorns Football Head Coach Steve Sarkisian looked back at the footage from the Vanderbilt game. He knows Quinn Ewers has to get the ball out of his hand faster to be effective against the Gators' pass rush this weekend.
That means having an emergency receiver to throw to. I bet we will see more post routes from receivers on third down this week in case the Gators cover the deep routes. If Ewers can get the ball out quicker on third down, the Longhorns should win this weekend.
3. Longhorns Defense controlling the Gators on third down
The Longhorns' defense should easily control the Gators on third down. The Gators are only converting 36% on third down this season. With how good the Longhorns' defense is, they should have no issue controlling the Gators from getting to the first down marker.
The Longhorns have 20 sacks this season, and opponents have lost 119 yards combined on those sacks. If the Longhorns stop the Gators on third down, they should have no issue winning on Saturday.
2. Longhorns rushing attack
The Longhorns are averaging five yards a carry this season. They aren't having an issue moving the ball down the field. I expect Sophomore running back Quintrevion Wisner to get most of the carries against the Gators this weekend.
He should have no problem having a career week against the Gators. The Longhorns' run game opens up their passing attack. If they can attack the Gators' defense on the ground, the Longhorns are well on their way to a massive victory over the Gators.
1. Get back to what's working
The last thing that will put the Longhorns over the Gators is returning to what was working at the beginning of the season. In the previous two games, it seems like Sarkisian was gambling with deep passes against Georgia and Vanderbilt, and the gamble didn't pay off.
They have to start running the ball more, which will open the passing game for Ewers to thrive in. If they return to what was working near the beginning of their SEC schedule, they will beat the Gators by more than 21 points.