'Powerful' Texas Longhorns Front Seven Could Cause Problems for TCU Horned Frogs

TCU Horned Frogs head coach Sonny Dykes gushed about the Texas Longhorns defensive front on Tuesday

It feels like just not too long ago that the Texas Longhorns were relying on Joseph Ossai to put all of the pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Longhorns now have one of their most complete units in possibly a decade, as the defensive front has become a major strength for them in stopping the run and also in getting pressure on the quarterback. 

Something that TCU head coach Sonny Dykes is well aware of, as when speaking to the media ahead of their Week 11 matchup, the second-year coach explained what makes them so good.

“It’s easy to see on tape. That’s the thing about it," Dykes said. "When you turn the tape on, you can see how big, how powerful, how strong, and how deep the group is."

Texas Longhorns defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat vs. the Baylor Bears / © Chris Jones, USA TODAY

Dykes also spoke highly of the defensive front and how difficult they make it on offenses when it comes to short-yardage situations. Unlike in previous years, this Texas defense specializes in getting off the field as they rank No. 2 in the country in third-down conversion percentage, giving up first-downs just 26% of the time.

"Then you look at the success they’ve had in short yardage situations, 4th and 1 and 3rd and short, those types of situations," Dykes said. "You’re good at those situations when you have really dominant, physical, strong, hold-the-line kind of guys. That’s what they are defensively. They’re big, they’re powerful, and they’re athletic. They can rotate a lot of different guys and it creates problems for you.”

The Longhorns come into the game as 10-point favorites and are hoping that starting quarterback Quinn Ewers is able to return after missing the past two games.