The Longhorns season falls into the hands of Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. In many ways, the team’s chances of winning depend on its defensive play caller. In this case, that’s probably a good thing.
Kwiatkowski’s philosophy is built to stop an offense like Washington. That fact proved true last bowl season when his defense held the high-scoring Huskies to 27 points. In addition, his unit limited Washington quarterback Michael Penix to 5.3 yards per attempt with his leading receiver amassing 58 receiving yards.
The Washington offense was more explosive last year than it is this season. Penix threw for over 400 more yards in 2022 without a Pac-12 title appearance. In last year’s Alamo Bowl, Kwiatkowski shut them down. Texas’ offense didn’t produce.
We don’t expect the Texas offense to no show this season. As we noted before, the Washington defense is remarkably poor. In particular, the team is far more vulnerable than Texas is against the pass. Simply capitalizing on opportunities can keep the Longhorns offense moving the football.
The challenge will come on defense. Stop the pass, and Texas probably wins the game.
The Longhorns’ title chances will be entrusted to Kwiatkowski on New Year’s Day. In this matchup, that favors Texas. The Texas defense will look to be the reason the team advances to the next round.