Texas Longhorns’ defense dominates SEC debut season

Texas Longhorns’ Defense Shines as SEC Title Hopes Loom

The Texas Longhorns are making waves in their first year in the SEC, and it’s not just their offense grabbing headlines. Ahead of their much-anticipated showdown with longtime rival Texas A&M, the Longhorns are proving they have a championship-caliber defense. In fact, they’ve climbed to No. 3 in this week’s updated stop rate standings, a testament to their defensive dominance.

For those unfamiliar, stop rate is a straightforward yet telling metric. It measures the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers, or a turnover on downs. In today’s fast-paced college football landscape, it’s a simple way to gauge how effective a defense is at shutting down opponents. Last year, Michigan, the national champion, led the nation with a stop rate of 81.6% in games against FBS opponents. The top 25 teams in the final 2023 stop rate standings combined for 249 wins, with seven of them claiming conference titles. The takeaway? Great teams know how to get stops when it matters most.

While stop rate isn’t as advanced as metrics like Bill Connelly’s SP+, it offers a unique lens to evaluate defensive success. And right now, Texas is excelling in that department.

Breaking Down the Numbers

Texas (10-1, 6-1) is coming off a stellar defensive performance in their 31-14 victory over Kentucky. The Longhorns managed to get stops on nine of Kentucky’s 10 offensive possessions, improving their season stop rate to an impressive 80.5%. Even more remarkable, they’ve held nine opponents to 17 points or fewer this season. Defensive coordinator Peter Kwiatkowski, now in his fourth year, has built a unit that’s fast, tough, and deep.

The Longhorns lead the FBS in several key defensive categories. They rank No. 1 in passing yards allowed per attempt (5.1) and boast a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4-to-17. They’ve also been the best in the nation at preventing explosive plays, allowing just 22 plays of 20-plus yards and only seven plays of 30-plus yards. This defense is stacked at every level, with standout players like Jahdae Barron, Michael Taaffe, and Andrew Mukuba leading the secondary. Sophomore linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. is playing at an All-America level, while fifth-year senior Alfred Collins is having a breakout season on the defensive line.

The Road Ahead

As Texas prepares to face Texas A&M in College Station, their defense will need to maintain its high level of play. A win would secure the Longhorns a spot in the SEC title game, but it won’t come easy. In their lone loss of the season, a 30-15 defeat to Georgia, the Bulldogs capitalized on turnovers by Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning, turning short fields into 20 points. Texas can’t afford similar mistakes against the Aggies.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian praised his defense for stepping up in tough moments, particularly in last week’s win over Kentucky. Despite a rough third quarter that included a fumble returned for a touchdown and a missed field goal, the defense held firm, shutting out the Wildcats in the second half. On the season, Texas is allowing just 6.5 second-half points per game, the sixth-fewest in the FBS. If the Longhorns’ offense can avoid costly turnovers, their defense is more than capable of carrying them to victory.

Stop Rate Standings: Week 13 Highlights

• Notre Dame and Ohio State: The Irish and Buckeyes held onto the top two spots in the stop rate standings after dominant performances. Notre Dame’s defense was particularly impressive, scoring touchdowns on seven of 10 drives against Army, which dropped the Black Knights from No. 3 to No. 6.
• Oklahoma’s Resurgence: Brent Venables’ defense has been a bright spot all season, and they delivered a statement performance in a 24-3 upset win over Alabama. Despite their struggles on offense, the Sooners’ defense has remained in the top 25 in stop rate.
• Penn State and Iowa Swap Spots: The Nittany Lions fell from 13th to 22nd after a narrow 26-25 win over Minnesota, while the Hawkeyes climbed to 15th with a strong showing in their 29-13 victory at Maryland.
• New Faces in the Top 25: Ohio and Cal cracked the top 25 this week, while Colorado and UConn dropped out. The Buffaloes, who had been solid defensively all season, failed to record a single stop in their 37-21 loss to Kansas.

Note: All data is courtesy of TruMedia. Games against FCS opponents and end-of-half drives in which the opponent took a knee or ran out the clock were filtered out.