Position Battles: Utah vs Texas

The wait is over and the Alamo Bowl is finally here. The Utes are in San Antonio to face the storied Texas Longhorns. The 11th-ranked Utes (11-2) took a steep fall after their loss in the Pac-12 championship to face the five loss Longhorns. Both teams are looking to end their season on a high note going in to next year. Vegas predicts the Utes as touchdown favorites but let’s take a closer look at the matchup position by position.

Quarterback: Utah

Despite playing below his potential in the conference championship, Tyler Huntley wins this matchup comfortably. On the season, he is completing close to 75% of his passes and just thrown 4 interceptions this year, two of which came in the Pac-12 championship. He has a quarterback rating of 181.8 this year and is still arguably one of the ten best quarterbacks in the nation. For the Longhorns, quarterback Sam Ehlinger has had a decent season up to this point but has made plenty of mistakes on the way. He has been sacked 32 times this year and has also thrown nine interceptions. He has great escapability and play making ability and has thrown for 3,462 yards this year but has gotten in trouble too many times to keep his team in the game.

Running Back: Utah

All eyes will be on Utah running back Zack Moss as he will attempt to break the Utah single season rushing record. He needs just over 160 yards to do so and the Utes will give him every chance they can. He has dominated Pac-12 defenses all year, leading the league in yards per game and touchdowns. Texas is a pass-happy team and tends to lean on the air attack for offensive production. However, keep an eye on Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson, who lead the Longhorns in rushing. Johnson is a freshman who was a four-star recruit as a dual threat quarterback who has now switched to running back to increase production out of the backfield.

Receiver: Texas

In the Pac-12 conference game it was evident that Utah was missing Bryan Thompson and his ability to stretch the field. This might be the case against Texas. This group for the Utes has been consistent and productive all year but has struggled to consistently have a threat to stretch the defense. For the Longhorns, Devin Duvernay is the player to watch. He has over 100 catches and close to 1,300 yards on the year. The Utes will be without Jaylon Johnson, their top cornerback which means this could be a matchup problem for the Utes. Brennan Eagles is the next top producer for the Longhorns and is averaging 17.3 yards per catch this season.

Tight End: Utah

Before the Pac-12 championship game, Brant Kuithe was exploding with production for the Utah offense but he was not featured as much against the Ducks a few weeks ago. However, this could be another week in which the Utes’ leading receiver could have success. Texas’ run defense has struggled all year and will have to do everything they can to stop Zack Moss which could lead to success in the passing game. Cade Brewer leads this group for Texas and only has 10 catches for 149 yards.

Offensive Line: Texas

Despite the fact that this group has given up 32 sacks on the year, they have been great all year for Texas. The sacks are more of a reflection on the type of offense they run and how much Sam Ehlinger gets out of the pocket and tries to make plays. Left tackle Samuel Cosmi will be a great matchup for Bradlee Anae. This stout group is probably the second best that the Utes have faced this year. On the other side, the Utah offensive line struggled immensely against Oregon a few weeks ago and their weaknesses were exposed. The more athletic and faster defensive ends of Oregon had their way against the Utes and this could be the case once again.

Defensive Line: Utah

Consensus All-American Bradlee Anae leads this group for the Utes and just needs one more sack to break the Utah record for career sacks. He will be hungry to break that record and the Utes will have plenty of opportunities to rush the quarterback. Even after an uncharacteristic performance against Oregon, the Utah defense still leads the nation in rushing yards allowed per game as well as total yards allowed per game. Texas does not have a defensive lineman that has more than 2.5 sacks this year and they give up about 140 rushing yards per game. Combine this with a new defensive coordinator for Texas and it is not a recipe for success.

Linebacker: Utah

Texas is extremely thin at this position after sending two of their linebackers home for breaking team rules this week. David Gbenda and Byron Vaughns were not starters but contributed significantly this year. This should not affect the game too much but Texas will need all the help they can to stop Zack Moss. Also, Texas is playing without a linebackers coach in this game after their defensive coordinator was fired just a few weeks ago. Joseph Ossai is the leader of this group and has 81 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions this year. On the flip side, the Utah linebackers have been consistent all year. Francis Bernard and Devin Lloyd continue to lead this team in tackles and both have accounted for interceptions this year.

Secondary: Tie

This is where the game could get interesting. The Longhorns are allowing 300 yards per game through the air and Utah is without their two best defensive backs in Julian Blackmon and Jaylon Johnson. Texas loves to throw the ball around to all of their playmakers and this could mean trouble for the Utes as they are forced to play their backups, including Nephi Sewell who has only played in one game this year. Brandon Jones is the name to look out for on the Texas side. He has 86 tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions on the year, leading this Longhorn defense. This senior safety has had his NFL draft stock go up all year and is the player to watch on this side of the ball.

Special Teams: Tie

This one is a wash. Both teams’ kickers are about 75% on all of their field goals and the Utah punt return is slightly better than Texas’ but the Longhorns are more of a threat on the kickoff returns after returning one for a touchdown earlier this year.