Texas Longhorns
Alabama should be pretty confident coming in to their match-up with Auburn, as their defense returns 10 starters to wreak havoc on Auburn's brand-new offense. The Crimson Tide's offense, however, is undergoing significant changes itself, so it may need all the help the defense can give it.
Texas' 5-7 record in 2010 is somewhat misleading as to the quality of the team. The Longhorns, while no means impressive on offense, were barely in the bottom half of the FBS, as they placed 66th in running and 50th in passing. Their defense was actually quite good, ending up at 44th in rushing defense and 6th in passing defense; four of their losses were by 8 points or less. While it may have been emotionally devastating for fans and players, as well as devastating career-wise for several assistant coaches let go at the end of the season, the outlook for 2011 is good because the outcome in 2010 wasn't atrocious.
The biggest problem may be the whole slate of new assistants. The loss of Will Muschamp to Florida creates a big question mark in the defensive scheme; even though eight defensive players are returning, they may have to learn a whole new defensive scheme from new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. It is also uncertain who will be preferred by new coaches; returning players may have to fight for their spots against freshmen. A top name to watch for is five-star linebacker recruit Steve Edmond, known for his run-stopping prowess, speed and size. He will make trouble for running backs as soon as he gets playing time. Kendall Thompson and Chet Moss are also highly touted newcomers to the linebacker corps. Desmond Jackson (defensive tackle), Quincy Russell (defensive tackle) and Cedric Reed (defensive end) could all provide quick changes at their position.
While the defense has to adjust to new leadership, the offense was ready for a change. In only returning six offensive starters, the Longhorns will have a rare opportunity to work almost from the ground up. Junior Garrett Gilbert will still be behind the tackle, while freshman running back Malcolm Brown has Texas fans excited over the possibility of a revitalized run attack. Brown is huge, at 6-0, 220 lbs, and has speed to match. He should make an instant dent in the yards per carry column, as he is highly prized for his ability to gain yards after contact. The offensive line was bulked up with five new recruits, which will only help Brown in his hole-bursting duties. With Gilbert progressing as a quarterback and a dynamite new back behind a fresh line, the Longhorns may have the pieces for a solid offensive year.
With so many questions coming in to the season, it may take until the OU/Texas game or beyond for the Longhorns to find their stride. But with fresh blood at almost every player and coaching position, the potential upside is nearly unlimited for the 2011 Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns will also benefit from playing Oklahoma State and Texas Tech at home and Iowa State away. The biggest challenges for this squad will be the early OU/Texas game, an early away game at UCLA and high-profile visits to Missouri and a revitalized Texas A&M.
Oklahoma Sooners
Even though OU was ranked third in passing yards in 2010 (an eye-popping 343.4 yards per game), the team ranked 83rd in the nation in rushing yards. Even though only high-flying Hawaii and rival Oklahoma State averaged higher passing numbers, the Sooners' 138 ground yards per game placed them above ACC's Maryland (9-4, 2010) and below C-USA's Southern Methodist University (7-7, 2010). In the Big 12, only Kansas and Colorado had worse rushing statistics, at 85 and 87, respectively.
Oklahoma's plan to address its rushing deficiencies is partly already in place. Fans got a glimpse last year of then-freshman Roy Finch, whose 398 yards on 85 carries averaged out to an impressive 4.7 yards per attempt. He has shown that he has the speed to make a difference, but his 5-8, 173 pound-frame has already proved to be injury-prone. Finch missed the first five games of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot, while a surgery to insert pins in the aggravated foot sidelined him for the Fiesta Bowl.
With workhorse back DeMarco Murray graduated, the Sooners needed a feature back or a rotation of runners to keep the ball moving on the ground. Finch, true freshman Brandon Williams and sophomore Brennan Clay are likely to make up the three-pronged attack that the Sooners want, as neither Williams (5-11, 189 lbs) or Clay (5-11, 185 lbs) have the size of prototypical Sooner runner Adrian Peterson (currently 6-1, 217 lbs at the Minnesota Vikings).
Brandon Williams, although slight, has good vision for a runner and quick feet to juke larger opponents. Once defenders have been faked, they can rarely catch up, as Williams possesses breakaway open-field speed. He does not play as aggressively as Brennan Clay, who runs similar to Adrian Peterson in a slashing, attacking style. Clay's running could result in more yards after contact than either Williams or Finch, but Clay has yet to show an extra gear to beat safeties and cornerbacks in the open field.
Sophomore Marshall Musil will bring some bulk for short yardage situations, as the fullback is listed at 6-2, 230 lbs. Musil, however, is quite athletic, and will be able to pick up the slack if one of the three underperforms or gets injured.
Oklahoma returns four starting offensive linemen, and the off-season practice is expected to show in marked improvement for all of them. Overall, OU is returning 14 experienced offense players, which will make for much cleaner blocking assignments, ensuring that the OU runners will not have to be hammered in the backfield as often as they were in 2010. Sooner rushers were part of the 83 tackles for loss absorbed by the OU offense in the previous campaign, coming in 10th in the Big 12 and 93rd nationally.
With increased experience protecting the many available Sooner running backs, the Sooners hope to improve upon 2010's 23 rushing touchdowns and 1942 total running yards. Taking some pressure off quarterback Landry Jones and running back Ryan Broyles is hoped to result in an evenly balanced offense.