AUSTIN, Texas — Florida’s defense chased Arch Manning to the point of exhaustion, leaving the Texas quarterback with enough bruises to make him ache for days.
Now comes Oklahoma, which leads the nation in sacks per game. The Sooners have battered opposing quarterbacks with the consistency of a ticking clock that can strike midnight on just about any play.
Texas (3-2, 0-1 Southeastern Conference) and No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0) will clash in their annual Red River Rivalry matchup Saturday at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, and how well the Longhorns protect Manning will likely swing the day.
Offensive tackle Trevor Goosby said he’s ready for a fight in the trenches with an Oklahoma defensive front known as the “Dog Pound.”
“They’re an amazing defense. A lot of stout guys,” Goosby said. “Try to cause a lot of chaos.”
The Sooners have been punishing quarterbacks all season. Their 21 sacks average out to 4.2 per game, tied for best in the Football Bowl Subdivision this season.
A big chunk of those came against Auburn, when the Sooners bulled their way to nine sacks in a 24-17 home win on Sept. 20 to open SEC play, tying a program record. The exclamation point was R. Mason Thomas’ sack and safety inside the final two minutes of the game.
Thomas is one of three Sooners’ defensive linemen with at least three sacks this season in a deep rotation that keeps fresh bodies flowing onto the field.
“You know, when they said ‘Dog Pound,’ we just started barking because we liked it,” said defensive lineman Gracen Halton, who has 1.5 sacks and two quarterback hurries this season. “Everybody’s a dog on our D-line. We really like to eat.”
Sooners fourth-year head coach Brent Venables, who is calling plays for the defense this season, loves it. With that group up front, the Sooners have allowed their fewest points through five games (36) since 1987. Venables embraces the “Dog Pound” mentality.
“I like the engagement. To me, that says there’s great ownership in that group,” Venables said. “If they named them something and they play like a bunch of pansies, it wouldn’t be good.”
The Sooners are eager to chase Manning, who was on the run all afternoon last Saturday in the 29-21 loss at Florida. The Gators sacked Manning sacked six times and had him under pressure in seemingly every passing situation.
Manning said this week the game in Gainesville left him “pretty sore,” but he wasn’t inclined to publicly chide his offensive line that replaced four starters from last season’s team that reached the SEC title game and the College Football Playoff semifinals. Manning has endured his own struggles and criticism over poor play in his first season as the full-time starter.
And he was willing to take some of the blame for the poor pass protection.
“I think honestly, a few of those sacks, I could avoid and get rid of it, switch protection,” Manning said. “But we’re going to play better than that. I’m fully confident of that.”
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said he expects his team to be better up front Saturday.
“Right now, we’re just not an experienced group, especially not an experienced group playing together,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got to keep pushing those guys to be the best that they can be. I know there’s more in there. I know there’s better play in there.”
Manning’s day on the run exposed the biggest weakness for the Texas offense, but it also proved the quarterback is tough enough to take a licking and keep grinding through a close game. The redshirt sophomore finished 16-for-29 passing with 263 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against Florida. He also ran for a team-high 37 yards.
“That guy’s got a lot of courage, he’s got a lot of toughness. I think he gained a lot of respect from his teammates Saturday, which is a great thing,” Sarkisian said. “Does he need to play a little better? Sure. Do we need to play better around him? No question.”