Tests for Texas' No. 1-ranked defense are on the way

As is often the case with teams that find themselves at the top spot of the college football AP Poll, the Texas Longhorns have had a number of critiques thrown around about the validity of their No. 1 ranking for the fourth week in a row.

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As many of the elite-looking teams have been hit with upsets, the Longhorns have stayed true to course. Texas beat Michigan in week two and has not looked back since, outscoring opponents 176-26 in the team’s last four games. Preseason powerhouse SEC teams have all taken losses during this time. Alabama beat Georgia only to lose to Vanderbilt the very next week. Tennessee was upset by Arkansas, and Ole Miss has already seen its second loss in conference play, almost capsizing any chance at an SEC title for the Rebels.

The most recent challenger to Texas’ throne is now No. 2 Oregon, whose epic home victory against Ohio State moved the Ducks up in the rankings from No. 3 to No. 2. Oregon stole six first-place votes from Texas this week, but questions from Duck fans and Texas haters have begun being asked. The most popular?

Who has Texas played?

While Texas’ wins over Oklahoma and Michigan haven’t aged super well, they are still holding the Longhorns ahead of fellow undefeated teams in the Ducks and the No. 3 Penn State Nittany Lions. The big problem with the resume Texas possesses is its lack of challenging offenses faced thus far.

Texas now has the No. 1 ranked defense in nearly every category with the biggest jump of productivity coming from the pass defense, which now gives up the second-fewest passing yards per game and is only second to Washington.

Texas has the statistics, but have the Horns really been tested? Here’s what the numbers say.

So far Texas has played six games against teams with many different characteristics that have given the Longhorn defense a lot of easy assignments. Mississippi State looks like the only offense with a pulse on this schedule so far, but most of that came from early-season magic from QB Blake Shapen. Don’t remember that name? That’s because backup quarterback Michael Van Buren was playing in his place when the Longhorns gave up 13 points against the Bulldogs in a 35-13 win. The freshman bounced back against Georgia last week, scoring 31 with nearly 400 yards of offense, which does help the argument in favor of the Longhorns.

The prolific offenses aren’t there in the first half of Texas’ campaign. Michigan and Oklahoma, the two best teams on the schedule, have two of the worst offenses in the Power Four. Oklahoma has PFF’s worst offensive grade among P4 teams, and Michigan is in the bottom 15.

Van Buren is the only QB you could even make an argument for being average, and he was starting in his first-ever college football game when he faced the No. 1 Horns. That was a disaster waiting to happen, and he still created some plays. PFF likes Davis Warren on a play-to-play standard, and UTSA’s Josh McCown has okay volume numbers, but these are not quality signal-callers.

Overall, the Texas’ defense has had a relatively easy path to get to this No. 1 defense slot. A group of five stars, coached by one of the best defensive coordinators in the country in Pete Kwiatkowski, should always be able to dominate three Group of Five QBs, a true freshman, a terrible passer from Michigan and another true freshman down five receivers. 

The Longhorns have performed as expected against these moribund offenses, which is to be commended as a key reason behind an undefeated start.

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t good like critics may claim. Good teams will be tested, and the test is coming down the pike for Kwiatkowski’s crew. Take a look at the difference between the offenses Texas saw in the first half of the season, and the ones they’ll see on the rest of the schedule. Perform well against these teams, and there won’t be any doubt about the quality of the defense in Austin.

Georgia might not be an elite offense the way Miami, Alabama or Ole Miss are, but the Bulldogs offense is far, far better than anything the Longhorns have seen so far. Saturday is not just a test, it is an opportunity for players like Anthony Hill, Malik Muhammad, Michael Taaffe, and Andrew Mukuba.

After the Dawgs, Texas plays three straight quality offenses with Vanderbilt having already proven to be able upset top teams thanks to Diego Pavia.

Another player to look out for is Arkansas’ Taylen Green, who, when healthy, is a dynamic playmaker with the experience to give the defense fits on a road game. 

Both Weigman and Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff project to be the worst starters Texas plays in the back half, but both statistically would be the best ones Texas would have seen so far if they were in the first portion of the Longhorns’ schedule. Texas will play good quarterbacks to end the year, and this defense will be tested by quality offenses.

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Will the Longhorns finish as the No. 1 pass and No. 1 overall defense at the end of the year? Maybe not, there are some challenges left. But this week is one where the players will do the talking instead of the numbers.

Beck is a good quarterback, and the Bulldog offense itself is very good. If Texas’ defense can hold Beck and his offense to middling yardage and point totals in a win, then it would be clear this defense is for real and any questions about the validity of Texas’ No. 1 ranking would be answered.