The Texas Longhorns entered the week knowing depth at edge rusher was slim after star pass-rusher Colin Simmons exited the loss to Florida with an apparent lower-body injury.
After a report on Monday revealed that Simmons had an ankle sprain that could sideline him at least until Arkansas, it was no surprise that the first availability report of the week listed him as “doubtful.”
Despite head coach Steve Sarkisian's unwillingness to discuss the injury's severity with the press ahead of Wednesday’s availability report, many already assumed Texas would be without Simmons. But ruling out true freshman edge rusher Richard Wesley was a major shock.
What Now?
Wesley, the former blue-chip recruit from California, was expected to be one of the major players Simmons leaned on at JACK linebacker. However, with a seemingly recent, undiagnosed injury, Wesley’s absence leaves the Longhorns in a predicament.
They will be down to Colton Vasek and Smith Orogbo at JACK, while Lance Jackson and Zina Umeozulu will play opposite them at defensive end. Now, with JACK's depth even thinner, the Longhorns could move Jackson and Umeozulu around.
Replacing Simmons would never be easy. The Longhorns and everyone else knew there was a reason the former All-American left the Florida game leading the nation in sacks and is a projected first-round NFL Draft pick.
Yet, when asked about playing without Simmons, Sarkisian noted earlier in the week that it wouldn’t come down to just one player.
“I think that when you think about Lance Jackson, you think about the growth of a Richard Wesley, and obviously Zina,” Sarkisian said. “The versatility of Raheem Biles and what he can do, and then all of the guys on the interior defensive front.”
Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp will now have to get creative with his pass rush. Facing a quarterback like Trinidad Chambliss, who, if the defense isn’t careful, can carve them up with his arm or extend plays with his legs outside the pocket, getting him on the ground will be key.
So far, the success of the Texas pass rush has been simple: let the front four do what it does. According to SEC StatCat, Texas enters Saturday with a blitz rate of just 16.3%, the second-lowest in the conference, just ahead of Missouri.
Yet they rank 5th in the SEC in pressure rate (34.9%) and No. 1 in sack percentage (15.1%), while tied for the conference lead in sacks with 13. All of that is despite averaging just 4.16 pass rushers this season, the fourth-lowest amount in the SEC.
Considering Chambliss’s lethality against the blitz, Pro Football Focus shows he completes 62.7 percent of his passes for 608 yards and six touchdowns on just one interception. Texas is in a predicament.
The thinned-out edge room could force Muschamp’s hand into manufacturing more pressure if he cannot consistently win with his front four. Yet adding an extra rusher, likely a linebacker, means one less defender in coverage to slow down the Ole Miss passing attack.
Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram for the latest news.
Add us as a preferred source on Google