ESPN college football analyst Greg McElroy believes that the Texas Longhorns will need to be creative offensively if they hope to perform well against the Ohio State Buckeyes later this week. While discussing the College Football Playoff semifinal, McElroy outlined how strong the Buckeyes’ defense has been as of late and how important it will be for the Longhorns to establish the running game early in the contest.
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McElroy detailed how establishing the run game, potentially through some unique and creative packages, could be the key for Texas to overcoming the talented Ohio State defensive unit.
“It’s really coming down to, can they run the football? And the two games that they didn’t run the ball very well, it did not end well for them.
“Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue, they’re going to have to get theirs, they’re going to have to get touches, they’re going to have to manufacture opportunities to have maybe extended handoffs. It might go down in the box score as a reception, but it’s no different than a toss sweep,” McElroy explained.
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As McElroy expressed, the Buckeyes have numerous defensive players that could make it difficult for the Longhorns to win the Cotton Bowl. Specifically, linebacker Cody Simon has been dominant as of late, having recorded two sacks against the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinal. On the year, Simon has seven sacks and one forced fumble.
Ohio State’s defensive unit also features Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year Caleb Downs.
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Establishing the rushing game could be crucial to opening up the field for the Longhorns’ passing attack this weekend. Against Arizona State, Texas failed to truly get the running game going, which led to a much closer overtime shootout than many fans and analysts were expecting.
Running back Quintrevion Wisner rushed 18 times for only 45 yards against the Sun Devils, while Jaydon Blue had four carries for four yards. Wisner did add four receptions for 40 yards, while Blue hauled in one reception for 11 yards.
As is clear, McElroy believes that both star running backs will need to be better if the Longhorns have any chance of defeating one of the strongest defensive units and team’s in the nation this weekend.
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