Despite being ranked eight spots lower in the polls the Texas Longhorns head into their their bowl game against [tag]Arizona State[/tag] as a 2.5 point favorite. Year after year the [tag]Holiday Bowl[/tag] is one of most exciting bowl games and this year should be no different.
Here are the keys for Texas to come out on top:
1. Pressure Rudy Carpenter.
Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter has spent a lot of time on the turf this season. He was sacked 51 times this year, more than any other QB in Division 1A college football. The Texas front four has gotten virtually no pressure and no defensive lineman has more than Frank Okam‘s five sacks, that’s a big reason the pass defense is one of the worst in the country. If those guys can’t pressure and hurry Carpenter Thursday night he’ll have a huge game and it’ll be a very long night for Texas fans.
2. Don’t turn the ball over.
This one is kind of obvious but if [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and the Texas offense don’t protect the football better they’ll fail to reach 10 wins for the first time since 2000 ended with a Holiday Bowl loss to Oregon. After throwing only 7 interceptions last year McCoy made enough bad decisions and bad throws that he’s thrown 18 this season. He has to get rid of the ball before taking the big hit and not continue to force passes into coverage. If Colt finishes the game with no fumbles and no interceptions Texas beats the Sun Devils.
3. Don’t forget about the run game.
Despite the game never being out of reach and [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] having good success running the football, the Longhorns went away from the run early in the November loss to the Aggies. Charles averaged 5.4 yards on only 17 carries in that game. To beat Arizona State the Horns can’t make that mistake again. A heavy dose of Charles on the ground would also have the added benefit of keeping the ASU offense off the field. Even if Texas gets behind early there’s no need to abandon the gameplan.
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