Protecting QB Quinn Ewers From Washington's Pass Rush Will Be Key To Texas Longhorns Win

The Texas Longhorns are set to take on a talented Washington Huskies team in New Orleans with a trip the title game on the line.

The Texas Longhorns are still a couple of weeks away from taking on the Washington Huskies in their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.

A Huskies team that beat Texas 27-20 in the Alamo Bowl in 2022, and is looking to get the best of them again this year. 

While much of the attention has gone to the quarterbacks and elite pass catchers that they will be chucking the ball to, there is an intriguing battle in the trenches that will take place. 

As a unit, Washington isn't renowned for being one of the most prolific pass-rushing groups in the country by any means.

Washington EDGE Bralen Trice  / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

In fact, as a team, they rank No. 120 in the country in total sacks with just 19 on the year. A mark that is the worst in the Pac-12, and makes life much more difficult for their secondary to hold up. However, there is one player in particular that is worth highlighting from this Husky line, which is Bralen Trice. 

He is a one-man wrecking crew that Texas' offensive line needs to contain by any means necessary, as he is constantly in the backfield and is putting pressure on quarterbacks. 

According to PFF, he holds a pass-rushing grade of 88.8 For reference, the player with the second-highest grade has a 78.3 pass-rushing grade. 

Houston Star WR Matthew Golden Commits to Texas

He alone has six sacks and 49 quarterback hurries, which is 32 more than the next player. In terms of stopping the run, this unit has been quite effective, allowing just 133 yards rushing per game, which ranks as the No. 38 team in the country. 

If they are able to take away Texas' run game, it will put all of the pressure on Quinn Ewers to make the right throws and capitalize on big plays when available.