To those who have said Texas is not in the same breath as Florida speed-wise, I beg to differ. Trust me, they are. In fact, one could say we have "too much" speed, because our LB's have a tendency to overrun plays. That would be absolutely disastrous against Ingram and Co. But I don't believe we're faster than Florida, either. I doubt any team is faster than Florida; it's enough that we're very much in their league on that score.
To the poster who would love to see man coverage on Julio Jones, I suspect you'll get your wish in Pasadena. With all respect, we saw how LSU did against Julio. Patrick Peterson helped keep him in check most of the game. As soon as Peterson went out with an injury, Julio caught the quick hitch, put a move on Peterson's sub, and took it to the house. Texas has a CB named Aaron Williams whom I believe to be as good or better than Peterson. If you look at his stats (pbu's, int's), you may not be impressed, but that's because opposing offenses pay him the ultimate compliment of simply not throwing his way.
If I sound overconfident, I'm not. Far from it. I think our defense will do fine, as long as the LB's remain disciplined, but I worry about our offense. Our offensive coordinator, Greg Davis, is capable of putting together some good game plans but he's also capable of lethal brain lock. Our running game is IMHO ill-conceived and not well coordinated with our passing game. Why it should be this way is a long story, but in a nutshell I see it as a hangover from the Vince Young days. Our RB's are much better than you probably think. If they get some seams to run through, you might be surprised. Whether that happens, of course, is problematic. Among other things, Greg Davis is often criticized for giving up on the running game way too quickly.
In the passing game, there is an area of the field that extends from tight end to tight end and about twenty yards downfield. Coach Davis will not willingly throw the ball there, except for very short crossing routes to Shipley, and slant passes. He can be very stubborn about this; just look at film from the Nebraska game. It wasn't until things got dire in the fourth quarter that Texas began throwing over the middle. When they did, they started moving the ball.
Over the years, I have seen games where the Texas defense played very well, but the offense kept going three-and-out while running the same futile plays over and over. Eventually the defense gives out. Against Alabama, that is my great concern. Bama is much too good to play the waiting game with. The Horns' offense needs to take on a sense of urgency in its first possessions. If Texas' offense opens with a quick hitch, followed by a zone run with Tre Newton carrying across the formation, followed by a slant pass to Shipley, get the champagne chilled, fellows. I will be scrambling for a bottle of Tito's vodka and praying for a miracle. If Texas breaks from its tendencies instead, I will be scrambling for the Tito's and settling in for what should be a great game.
