Texas Defensive Preview: Beefed-Up Bevo

Here we are. At the beginning of the season if I had told you that Oklahoma State would be fighting for bowl eligibility with Texas, would you call me crazy? Probably, but hey, this is the hand Pokes and Longhorns fans have been dealt.

Texas may have a new coach, but the strong, burnt orange defense has hardly changed. The Horns allow 22.4 points per game, giving their offense that much wiggle room to win games, but that's a seperate post.

The defense is led by Jordan Hicks, who leads the team with 130 tackles and two interceptions.  He is assisted by Steve Edmond, 108 tackles with 4.5 sacks for 19 yards. As a whole, the Longhorn defense has recorded 907 tackles, 78 sacks and 13 interceptions.

Sounds fun, huh? But don't worry, there's an upside.

The Fighting Strongs' pass defense allows 184.4 yards per game (9.3 YPP) but has only allowed eight touchdowns through the air. As for the rush defense, UT gives up an average of 177.6 yards per game (4.0 YPP), but has allowed 14 touchdowns in this manner.

Texas has shown that it still has some of that powerhouse gusto and is surging toward the end of the season and a possible bowl game. Standing in the way is Tyreek Hill, who, if actually given the ball in open space, can make the Longhorns' run defense look like a paper wall.

The OSU offense may not be like high-octane 2011 was, but with a solid game plan and efficient offensive execution, the Pokes may very well squeak out a bowl game and continue the postseason streak.