The Texas offensive line saw one of the biggest upgrades in all of college football this offseason. It has led to the Horns giving up just four sacks through the first three games of the year (including a matchup against the former No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes).
And, even when breaking down what went wrong on those four sacks, quite a bit of the blame could actually be placed on quarterback Arch Manning for holding onto the ball too long.
In other words, the Texas Longhorns' offensive line has been turned into a nearly immovable force in front of Manning and his backfield co-stars, running backs Hollywood Smothers and Raleek Brown.
However, the Horns are about to go up against a defensive line that has, in turn, looked seemingly unstoppable throughout the beginning of the season, as they take on the Tennessee Volunteers this weekend.
So far this season, the Vols have earned 13 sacks, the third most in the country, only trailing the LSU Tigers and the Virginia Tech Hokies in that department, who are tied at 14 sacks apiece.
Volunteers's defensive line could pose a first true test for Longhorns
While the Buckeyes presented an undeniable challenge for the Horns' offensive linemen, Ohio State's defensive line just isn't quite what it has been in recent years, missing a bit of that "oomph" factor up front. For reference, Ohio State has earned just four sacks so far this season.
So, as offensive linemen like left tackle Trevor Goosby, center Connor Robertson, left guard Dylan Sikorski, and the rest of the unit take the field, they are going to face a group unlike one they have seen so far this year.
The good news is that this is not the first trip around the sun for leaders like Goosby and Robertson, who have 29 combined starts for the Longhorns. Additionally, Sikorski has been one of the happier surprises of Texas's offense this year, stepping into the starting role that many expected Laurence Seymore III to take.
On the other hand, the absence of tight end Nick Townsend from the depth chart takes away an additional blocker up front, but fellow TEs Spencer Shannon, Emaree Winston, and Michael Masunas have been doing an admirable job at filling his role.
Additionally, Smothers and Brown are going to have to provide pass protection of their own when head coach Steve Sarkisian doesn't call a designed run play and does not have them running a route to provide an additional target for Manning.
Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel hired defensive coordinator Jim Knowles at the end of last season, and the Vols are already seeing the payoffs of having an elite DC holding the reins.
Sarkisian and Kyle Flood, Texas's OC and offensive line coach, are going to have to get their guys ready to face one of the best pass-rushing defenses in the country, or it could quickly spell ruin for the Horns.
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