Not only are the Texas Longhorns among college football’s small handful of true blueblood programs, but the Washington Huskies just played them — and won — a little less than a year ago.
So you might recognize some of Texas’ key playmakers from last season’s Alamo Bowl, which the Huskies won, 27-20, to finish 11-2. The stakes are just a little higher for the rematch in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1.
Before the Huskies arrive in New Orleans later this month, let’s take a look at 10 Texas players who could factor significantly into the outcome of UW’s College Football Playoff semifinal.
All recruiting rankings are via the 247Sports Composite. Where cited, the “stops” statistic, via Pro Football Focus, refers to tackles made on plays that constitute a failure by the offense.
1. DT T’Vondre Sweat
As a recruit: 3-star, No. 605 overall (2019)
Stats: 42 tackles, 25 stops (PFF), 8.0 TFLs, 2 sacks
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and Outland Trophy finalist goes 6-foot-4 and 362 pounds. Those aren’t measurements the Huskies often see in the Pac-12. UW’s offensive line is coming off its best performance of the season against Oregon in the conference championship game, and now faces an even bigger test: keeping Sweat out of running lanes, and preventing him from wrecking the pocket when Penix drops to throw. Even as he consumes double-teams, Sweat has 28 pressures and 23 hurries this season, per PFF, and is a big reason why Texas ranks fifth in FBS in yards per rush allowed (2.87).
