NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Georgia Bulldogs (8-1, 6-1 SEC) have their hands full against an elite Texas Longhorns team (7-2, 4-1 SEC) that had an extra week to prepare for UGA. Texas is healthy and is ready to put their season on the line against Georgia.

The Longhorns present a significant challenge for Georgia. Texas has the SEC’s most productive pass rush and the conference’s best run defense. The Longhorns are difficult to score on and have elite players at every level of their defense.

Texas’ offense has not been as statistically impressive as their defense, but the Longhorns still have a ton of talent on that side of the ball. It starts with quarterback Arch Manning, who is a dual-threat passer. Manning has played his best football recently. He has seven total touchdowns and just one interception over his past two games. Manning helped Texas score over 30 points in back-to-back games for the first time all year.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart knows the challenge he is up against. The Bulldogs beat Texas twice last season, but Smart does not think that means anything for this year’s game. Smart describes Texas as “one of the premier programs in the country” and has been involved in several notable recruiting battles with the Longhorns recently. The Georgia-Texas game could be a turning point for both teams.

What Georgia coach Kirby Smart said about Texas

On Texas’ run defense

“They were really effective in that area last year,” Smart said. “They’re built on the line of scrimmage. They’re built to be physical. They fit things really well. Pete (Kwiatkowski) does a great job as a defensive coordinator. They’re very disruptive. They create turnovers. They are aggressive, they’ve got good players. At the end of the day, they have big, physical, good players on the line of scrimmage, which allows you to stop the run.” 

Texas has the SEC’s best run defense. The Longhorns are allowing just 78.2 rushing yards per game, which is second in the country. Texas has allowed just six rushing touchdowns this season and is giving up an average of 2.41 yards per carry (No. 1 in the SEC).

On Texas’ pass rush

“They’re tremendous,” Smart said. “They have great effort. They rush really hard. They’re leaders. They’ve got stars all over their defense. They’re very talented. When you watch that defense play, they play hard. They get after the quarterback.

“They disguise things well, they are very disruptive. There’s a lot of challenges when it comes to dropping back, throwing the ball, and trying to run the ball. When you want to be balanced, they’re really good at making you not be balanced.”

No team in college football has more sacks than Texas’ 34. The Longhorns are led by Colin Simmons, who has eight sacks this season.

On last year’s games against Texas

“This team didn’t beat Texas, and Texas hasn’t played this team of ours,” Smart said. “These are two completely different teams, in my opinion. I think it has zero effect on it.”

On Steve Sarkisian’s offense

“Explosive, attacking, window dressing,” Smart said. “They’ve got a lot of shifts motions. They employ tempo, and they’ll go fast on you. They do a really good job of mixing things up and creating a lot to work defensively.”

On Texas QB Arch Manning

“He’s playing with more confidence,” Smart said. “I think No. 1, he’s getting better protection. He’s seeing things well. He’s making good decisions. He’s getting the ball out of his hand quickly.”

Follow UGA Wire on Instagram or Threads for more college football coverage!

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Kirby Smart explains the tremendous challenge of playing Texas

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos