The Ole Miss Rebels are coming to town to take on the Texas Longhorns at DKR on Saturday night. We’ve got a big one, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
Can Texas bounce back after two straight losses?
The matchup I’m most curious about is Trinidad Chambliss versus Will Muschamp without Colin Simmons.
Texas kind of has to become another version of Oklahoma at this point, where you can’t trust your quarterback, you can’t trust your offense, but if you lean on this defense, you can steal some possessions and get some easy layups to score points.
You can’t run the football. Your quarterback is not trusted with the football himself. You can’t protect him either.
There’s no explosiveness coming from your offense.
Who Replaces Colin Simmons?
Without Colin Simmons, who’s Texas’ best pass rusher?
Is it Zina Umeozulu? Lance Jackson?
Who’s the guy that’s actually going to win at a high rate?
Because Colin was unblockable for the 35 or 36 games he played in college football.
Honestly, maybe the answer’s in the linebacker room. Maybe that’s where you survive by finding your wins in the pass rush.
That’s what Georgia was really good at when Muschamp was helping out there. Georgia’s linebackers were the ones getting quarterbacks on the ground and creating pressure.
Muschamp May Have to Get Creative
In a weird way – and obviously you would much rather have Simmons on the field than not – maybe him not being on the field opens up a world of possibilities for Texas where you have to get creative in your pass rush.
You have to get creative in the ways you mug up. You have to get creative in who you’re bringing and when you’re bringing them.
Whereas you get kind of comfortable with, “Yeah, we’ve got Colin Simmons. Just let him do his job.”
It could unlock an entirely new realm of pass-rush capabilities for Texas’ defense.
Obviously, if Colin Simmons were out there, it would be much better for them.
Ole Miss vs. Texas Prediction
My prediction is that Trinidad Chambliss takes a front-row seat in the Heisman race after this weekend.
Texas has lost its last two football games 27-24.
They lose a third one in a row by the same exact score.
- Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 27, Texas 24
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