Payton here, one of the OTF interns, back with this week’s By the Numbers. With LSU up next, I dug into the matchup I think decides Saturday night: the Texas offensive line against the LSU front seven.

The numbers are lopsided. LSU has 36 sacks through nine games, third in the FBS. Texas has allowed 27, which is tied for 124th out of 138 teams. Tackles for loss tell a similar story. LSU ranks 12th in the country with 65. Texas ranks 135th in tackles for loss allowed with 71.

For LSU, pressure has been the whole season. When the Tigers get three or more sacks, they are 6-0. When they get fewer than three, they are 0-3. The tackles for loss split is identical: 6-0 with seven or more, 0-3 with fewer. In all three losses, to Ole Miss, Kentucky and Alabama, LSU finished with exactly three tackles for loss.

That is the problem for Texas this saturday. The Longhorns allow 3.0 sacks and 7.9 tackles for loss a game, both above the benchmark where LSU has not lost. And it has gotten even worse in conference play. Of the 27 sacks Texas has allowed, 23 have come in six SEC games. Texas has given up three or more sacks in four of those six, and seven or more tackles for loss in five of them.

The good news is that Texas has shown it can win anyway. The Longhorns gave up five sacks against Mississippi State and won. Pressure has not decided Texas’s season the way it has decided LSU’s.

Texas has also seen a front like this once already. Tennessee leads the country in sacks and got to Arch Manning six times in Knoxville, and Texas still won. LSU ranks third. If the line holds the Tigers under three sacks, history says Texas wins. If it does not, the Longhorns will have to do what they did at Tennessee and win despite the pressure.

Can this line keep LSU under three sacks in Death Valley, or does Texas need to win it the way it did at Tennessee?

Texas needs to create a ton of pressure and avoid sacks/negative plays. We can’t win a game in BR like we did in Knoxville the QB difference is too much and we won’t be able to match or exceed their sack numbers.

Just now, Alex Butler said:

Texas needs to create a ton of pressure and avoid sacks/negative plays. We can’t win a game in BR like we did in Knoxville the QB difference is too much and we won’t be able to match or exceed their sack numbers.

Turnovers will be imperative, not forcing any against Tennessee made that game closer than it should’ve been. Leavitt will put the ball in harms way, and winning 4th down defensively off Kiffin’s aggressiveness like we saw last week could turn the tide of that QB difference if the offense struggles.

Edited 2 hours ago2 hr by PaytonOTF

27 minutes ago, PaytonOTF said:

Turnovers will be imperative, not forcing any against Tennessee made that game closer than it should’ve been. Leavitt will put the ball in harms way, and winning 4th down defensively off Kiffin’s aggressiveness like we saw last week could turn the tide of that QB difference if the offense struggles.

Love it @PaytonOTF I’m worried about this game and getting out of BR with a win!!

2 minutes ago, Alex Butler said:

Love it @PaytonOTF I’m worried about this game and getting out of BR with a win!!

Would make a much better drive back and nice cap to the end of my last football regular season as a student, should be an amazing environment and experience nonetheless.

1 hour ago, PaytonOTF said:

Would make a much better drive back and nice cap to the end of my last football regular season as a student, should be an amazing environment and experience nonetheless.

Bring home the dub!!!

2 hours ago, PaytonOTF said:

Payton here, one of the OTF interns, back with this week’s By the Numbers. With LSU up next, I dug into the matchup I think decides Saturday night: the Texas offensive line against the LSU front seven.

The numbers are lopsided. LSU has 36 sacks through nine games, third in the FBS. Texas has allowed 27, which is tied for 124th out of 138 teams. Tackles for loss tell a similar story. LSU ranks 12th in the country with 65. Texas ranks 135th in tackles for loss allowed with 71.

For LSU, pressure has been the whole season. When the Tigers get three or more sacks, they are 6-0. When they get fewer than three, they are 0-3. The tackles for loss split is identical: 6-0 with seven or more, 0-3 with fewer. In all three losses, to Ole Miss, Kentucky and Alabama, LSU finished with exactly three tackles for loss.

That is the problem for Texas this saturday. The Longhorns allow 3.0 sacks and 7.9 tackles for loss a game, both above the benchmark where LSU has not lost. And it has gotten even worse in conference play. Of the 27 sacks Texas has allowed, 23 have come in six SEC games. Texas has given up three or more sacks in four of those six, and seven or more tackles for loss in five of them.

The good news is that Texas has shown it can win anyway. The Longhorns gave up five sacks against Mississippi State and won. Pressure has not decided Texas’s season the way it has decided LSU’s.

Texas has also seen a front like this once already. Tennessee leads the country in sacks and got to Arch Manning six times in Knoxville, and Texas still won. LSU ranks third. If the line holds the Tigers under three sacks, history says Texas wins. If it does not, the Longhorns will have to do what they did at Tennessee and win despite the pressure.

Can this line keep LSU under three sacks in Death Valley, or does Texas need to win it the way it did at Tennessee?

Great breakdown and analysis, Payton!