What are some things you think that offense has to do against UT in order for KU to make this a competitive game?
Two main things for me
1.) OL has to play their best game of the season
I don't think it is completely out of the question for this to happen as the OL has been improving throughout the season, but they will have their hands full this week. In addition to UT being fairly good against the run (roughly top 40 in rushing yards per attempt allowed), they are very good at getting to the QB. They are currently 3rd in the nation at getting to the QB with 3.6 sacks per game. While they have given up some points, they are an aggressive defense, so the OL has to come to play this week for us to have a chance.
2.) QB has to keep his composure
So UT has been relatively good against the run and gets a lot of pressure on the QB. UT has also been fairly good at creating turnovers ranking in the top 50 in turnovers created. On top of that, UT has one of the best punters in the nation who is currently 3rd in nation in punting average, so they can flip the field on us there and pin us on our side of the field.
Looking at all of that, I think it is safe to say that UT will put our offense in some difficult situations. But one thing I noticed is that UT has not been good this season in stopping opponents on third down, currently ranking 95th in opponent 3rd down conversion percentage. So it is going to be key that our QB keeps it together during these difficult situations and make sure one mistake doesn't compound into another mistake. If they can weather those difficult situations, they can make UT pay on those critical 3rd down situations IMO
Two main things for me
1.) OL has to play their best game of the season
I don't think it is completely out of the question for this to happen as the OL has been improving throughout the season, but they will have their hands full this week. In addition to UT being fairly good against the run (roughly top 40 in rushing yards per attempt allowed), they are very good at getting to the QB. They are currently 3rd in the nation at getting to the QB with 3.6 sacks per game. While they have given up some points, they are an aggressive defense, so the OL has to come to play this week for us to have a chance.
2.) QB has to keep his composure
So UT has been relatively good against the run and gets a lot of pressure on the QB. UT has also been fairly good at creating turnovers ranking in the top 50 in turnovers created. On top of that, UT has one of the best punters in the nation who is currently 3rd in nation in punting average, so they can flip the field on us there and pin us on our side of the field.
Looking at all of that, I think it is safe to say that UT will put our offense in some difficult situations. But one thing I noticed is that UT has not been good this season in stopping opponents on third down, currently ranking 95th in opponent 3rd down conversion percentage. So it is going to be key that our QB keeps it together during these difficult situations and make sure one mistake doesn't compound into another mistake. If they can weather those difficult situations, they can make UT pay on those critical 3rd down situations IMO
