AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Big 12’s best defense comes to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, and the Texas Longhorns’ high-flying offense will be tested.
When asked what the Cyclones do well defensively, Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian deflected the question during Thursday’s media availability.
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“Won’t they do well?” he said. “They do everything. They minimize the run game and explosive passes, do a good job of defending the red zone and keep you out of the end zone.”
Statistically speaking, the Cyclones are the best defense the Longhorns have faced since the Alabama Purple Tide. Iowa State is No. 8 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 13.67 points per game, and No. 11 in total defense with 277.5 yards allowed per game. They allow just 91 rushing yards per game, No. 13 in the country, and are No. 24 in pass defense with 186.5 yards allowed per game.
Don’t let the undefeated record in the Big 12 conference fool you, the defense they have is legit. They lost all three games by a combined 11 points, including a 10-9 loss to Kansas State last week and a 14-11 loss to Kansas the week before. Baylor defeated them by a touchdown 31-24 in the conference opener on September 24.
Two things will be paramount for Texas against the Cyclones – good third-down defense and trying to find a way to create explosive plays. If the Longhorns can get Iowa State’s ball-control attack off the field and keep them from long, sustained drives, Texas can put the ball in the hands of their playmakers — and they have plenty of them.
Texas is averaging 445.3 yards per game on offense, No. 34 in the country, and the offense is averaging just under 39 points per game, tied with Big 12 foe Kansas for No. 19. The Longhorns are top 50 both in rushing , as well as passing , averaging 178 rushing yards (No. 47) and 267.3 passing yards (No. 39) per game.
Leading the offense is redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers, and Sarkisian said that while Ewers has a unique skill set from other great quarterbacks he’s coached, there is one thing that reminds him of a certain Trojan quarterback.
“I’ve always called Matt Leinart a cool customer, and I think Quinn has a lot of that in him,” Sarkisian said. “It performs at an optimal level when most people are tense or tight. He stays calm and does what he needs to do.
Last week, Ewers was named Big 12 Conference Rookie of the Week after leading the Longhorns to a 49-0 victory over Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown in Dallas. He threw for four touchdowns and amassed 289 yards on 21-of-31 passing in the blowout victory.
Trying to figure out the Cyclones’ secondary should test Ewers since they’ve been so stingy all season, but there is one aspect where the teams are quite similar — red zone defense.
The Longhorns’ improved defense was a top 50 team in red zone defense this year. Texas has allowed 15 field goals on 19 opponent possessions, nine touchdowns and six field goals, for a .789 percentage and tied for No. 47 in the nation.
Meanwhile, Iowa State has allowed eight touchdowns and three field goals in the red zone for a .783 percentage, tied for No. 45 in the country. The Cyclones allowed teams into the red zone 14 times.