SALT LAKE CITY — Utah isn’t sure what to expect from Texas in the Alamo Bowl. The Longhorns fired defensive coordinator Todd Orlando at the end of the regular season, leaving the Utes facing several possible scenarios when the game kicks off in San Antonio on New Year’s Eve.
“It could go a lot of different ways,” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “They could do exactly what they’ve been doing and just hang onto that. They could have a wholesale change because they have time to do that. They have time to make some significant changes, or they could just tweak things.”
As such, Whittingham acknowledged, the Utes face uncertainty in that regard — noting it’s a big question.
“We’re just not positive and won’t know until we get out there in that first series what their M.O. is going to be,” he said.
The possibilities are intriguing for a Texas defense that has battled injuries and ranks among the nation’s most generous statistically. The Longhorns are 47th against the run (139.8 ypg), 108th in total defense (446.3 ypg) and 127th in passing yards allowed (306.4 ypg).
Orlando, who directed Utah State’s defense in 2013 and 2014, was let go after the team went 7-5 overall. He was replaced by former Rutgers coach Chris Ash, who worked with Texas coach Tom Herman. The two worked as coordinators for ex-Utah coach Urban Meyer at Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes win the national championship in 2014.
“They play in the Big 12 — that’s a passing league. So it’s going to be a different experience for them seeing a team run the ball like we do.” — Texas transfer Cameron Rising
Ash will reportedly join the Longhorns this week but isn’t expected to assist them in the Alamo Bowl. Co-defensive coordinator Craig Naivar, who also coaches the Texas safeties, took over Orlando’s duties on an interim basis after the firing.
“They have a lot of injuries, for one, and the coach being fired is definitely going to change some things up,” said Utah running back Zack Moss. “So you may see a lot of guys being disciplined, you may see guys not being disciplined.”
For the most part, Moss expects to see Texas play a majority of the same defensive schemes it has all season.
“Because there’s not much you can really change in about 15-16 days before a game,” Moss said. “But, you know, it’s going to be a really good game. ... We’ll be ready for the task whatever it is.”
Quarterback Cameron Rising, a transfer from Texas, has a similar take on the situation. Knowing what he does about the Longhorns, the sophomore thinks they will try and stop the run, forcing the Utes to pass the ball
“That’s pretty much what I expect,” said Rising, who is eligible to make his Utah debut in the Alamo Bowl. “They play in the Big 12 — that’s a passing league. So it’s going to be a different experience for them seeing a team run the ball like we do.”
While noting that Texas has a lot of good athletes, Whittingham mentioned that there’s a little bit of an unknown element with the coordinators. Besides the firing of Orlando, Herman also dispatched pass game coordinator Drew Mehringer and took offensive coordinator responsibilities away from quarterbacks coach Tim Beck.
The changes, Whittingham added, could lead to alterations schematically. The Texas defense mostly used an odd front. The Longhorns may mix things up and incorporate an even front against Utah. Whatever the case, Whittingham said they’re solid on defense.
Utah’s offense, thus, could face a challenge in bouncing back from a subpar performance in the Pac-12 Championship Game. In the 37-15 loss to Oregon, the Utes rushed for just 116 yards. They gave up six sacks and were intercepted twice.
“We definitely didn’t play to our level and our standard that we played all year,” Moss said. “So with a very good, historically nice program here we’re going against in Texas, I think the guys are going to be hyped up and geeked up and ready to go for this one.”
“We definitely didn’t play to our level and our standard that we played all year. So with a very good, historically nice program here we’re going against in Texas, I think the guys are going to be hyped up and geeked up and ready to go for this one.” — Utah running back Zack Moss
Although several of the sacks against Oregon came late, Whittingham emphasized that there’s no excuse for the poor protection of quarterback Tyler Huntley.
“They were there. It doesn’t matter when they occurred. We need to get that shored up. That was one of the big factors in the game was the amount of sacks we gave up,” Whittingham said. “We had given up only 18 all year and then all of sudden we gave up six in one game. There was a lot of that in that game, a lot of things that we had been doing well all year that all of sudden was not so good.”
At 11-2 overall, the back-to-back Pac-12 South champions have relied on the leadership of a talented senior class. They set the tone during an eight-game win streak that landed Utah a berth in the conference title game. The Alamo Bowl marks the end of their successful tenure with the Utes.
“It’s always good to send the seniors out the right way and our team, traditionally, has been very good in bowl play, and that’s due to their preparation,” Whittingham said. “They work hard in the preparation and it translates to good play.”
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2019 Alamo Bowl
No. 11 Utah (11-2) vs. Texas (7-5)
Alamodome, San Antonio
Dec. 31, 5:30 pm. (MST)
TV: ESPN
Radio: ESPN 700AM