IT Roundtable: Keys to the game, players to watch, score predictions for Texas vs. Florida

Texas exits the bye to play Florida for the first time since World War II as the Longhorns celebrate the 100th birthday of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Looking back will be fun, but what should we look forward to when the Longhorns battle the Gators?

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What does the Texas defense need to do versus a hampered DJ Lagway or a third-string QB?

Eric Nahlin – This is easy, just stop the run. Without the run game they can’t utilize play action. Also watch for the fakes.

Justin Wells – Keep the pressure coming from all directions. Billy Napier moved his QB around a lot when Louisiana visited Texas three years ago. Texas should set the edge and attack.

Ian Boyd – Stop the run. Florida ain’t going anywhere on offense if it can’t keep the chains moving with the run game.

Joe Cook – Remember how Davis Warren performed against the Longhorns? Utilize similar schemes to stop Aidan Warner. If Lagway gives it a go, keep him contained in the pocket and let a top-flight secondary go to work against a depleted offense.

Charlie Williams – Give them as many different looks as possible pre-snap to confuse them and bring pressure. Whoever is under center should feel like all 11 guys are rushing.

Paul Wadlington – Stop the run situationally, especially on key downs. Keep limiting explosives. It should be a struggle for QB Aidan Warner to get it going.

Which version of Quinn Ewers do you believe shows up on Saturday?

Eric Nahlin – We won’t see boss level Quinn I don’t think. Florida’s defense is pretty good and will have something to say about things. I do think he’ll have a good game, probably after an early tip interception that sends our game thread into a frenzy. I just want to see him stair step his improvement from Vandy and regain some confidence.

Justin Wells – Great question. His confidence is critical for the Longhorns’ chances this season. Florida has a nice front seven, so it’ll be a nice test for Ewers and the offensive line.

Ian Boyd – I think we’ll see something like Michigan Quinn. He’s healthier now and has had a bye week to dial in on the offensive plan for the final stretch of schedule. Sark has also had some time to draw up some new plays for him.

Joe Cook – The one that is good enough to beat Florida, but I don’t see any reason to make any predictions loftier than that.

Charlie Williams – I feel like we will see Vanderbilt Quinn Ewers. Efficient in the short pass game, then picking and choosing when to take deep shots. Just needs to cut down the turnovers.

Paul Wadlington – Florida is down two starting CBs, so if the Texas passing game doesn’t show up this week, we’ve got issues. Ewers is 34 starts into his Texas career and there’s still an element of unpredictability there.

Offensive and defensive players to watch

Eric Nahlin – DeAndre Moore is hitting his stride, so he’s my pick. On defense, I’m watching Jelani McDonald who I expect to play a lot even with Andrew Mukuba listed as probable. McDonald turned heads against Vandy and I like him better than Mukuba in run support. Florida will definitely try to lean on the run.

Justin Wells – Offense: Jerrick Gibson. He scores twice on Saturday against his hometown team. Defense: Liona Lefau gets better with each game, quarter, and snap. He’s potentially the most instinctive defender on the roster.

Ian Boyd – Watch Jerrick Gibson for whether he’s ready to get in the mix at running back. Jelani McDonald on defense might get another chance to shine.

Joe Cook – On offense I’m going to go with Matthew Golden. He’s been extremely consistent this year and looks to be the red zone guy for the Longhorns. I imagine Texas will have a good number of red zone chances. I’ll go with Jermayne Lole on defense. This is why you transferred to Texas, No. 99.

Charlie Williams – Soon to be Mackey Award winner Gunnar Helm and Mr. Reliable Michael Taaffe

Paul Wadlington – All of the Texas wide receivers will have an opportunity to rack up some numbers on the Florida secondary. I’ll throw a dart and pick DeAndre Moore. Defensively, I like Michael Taaffe to have a pick and for Alfred Collins to continue to show out.

What game, SEC or otherwise, are you paying attention to?

Eric Nahlin – Georgia at Ole Miss. Texas needs one of Georgia or LSU to lose. Georgia ‘appears’ ripe for another loss and Ole Miss just hung a boatload of points on Arkansas. But we saw what happened last time Georgia was ripe for a loss. If Georgia wins I’ll be the biggest Alabama fan west of the Mississippi. Well, since that game is in Baton Rouge that’s not entirely accurate…

Justin Wells – Bama-LSU. ROLL TIDE, PAAWWWWLLL. (Texas needs LSU to lose)

Ian Boyd – Alabama at LSU is the most interesting game to me. I think LSU can win and vault back into the playoff conversation.

Joe Cook – I’m on board with the top SEC games in Baton Rouge and Oxford, but I’ll have an eye on Indiana-Michigan because despite the struggles in Ann Arbor this year that’s a big-boy prove-it game for the Hoosiers.

Charlie Williams – Alabama vs. LSU and Georgia vs. Ole Miss.

Paul Wadlington – I’m paying a lot of attention to LSU-Alabama and Georgia-Ole Miss. SEC title and playoff implications for both.

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Score prediction

Eric Nahlin – 27-10, Texas. That score would indicate some quality play. That score would indicate some ugly play.

Justin Wells – 30-13, Texas

Ian Boyd – 38-10, Texas

Joe Cook – 31-9, Texas

Charlie Williams – 33-16, Texas

Paul Wadlington – 34-10, Texas