Texas HC makes candid admission on one of Ohio State’s greatest strengths

Texas Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian and his squad are set to face the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton Bowl on Friday. While Sarkisian plans to do everything he can to defeat the Buckeyes, he knows some things are out of his control.

On Friday, Sarkisian spoke at a media availability. He was asked what he thinks about some of Ohio State's top playmakers, wide receivers Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. He talked about how you cannot completely shut down players like that. Instead, you need to try to contain them as much as possible.

"They’re both big, physical players," Sarkisian said. "They have length. They have speed. They have play-making ability on the ball. They have really big catch radiuses. They’ve got the scheme to go with it, with Coach [Chip] Kelly and Coach [Ryan] Day. They’ve got a quarterback who delivers them the ball."

"So, you add all that up, these guys are impactful players that are real issues. We’re going to have a hard time guarding them."

Texas would not be the first elite team to struggle to shut down the Buckeyes' dynamic wide receiver duo this season. In the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff in the Rose Bowl, the Oregon Ducks struggled immensely. Smith caught seven passes for 187 yards and two TDs, whereas Egbuka had five receptions for 72 yards and a TD.

Steve Sarkisian will need to rely on Texas' strengths to defeat Ohio State

If Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns can't stop the things that make Ohio State great, they will need to rely on the things that make them great to win the Cotton Bowl. For the Longhorns, they have proven to be an excellent passing team with Quinn Ewers running the offense. He is one of the most accurate passers in college football.

Although there was a lot of discussion before the start of the playoff that Arch Manning should play instead of Ewers, Ewers has done a good job of securing his starting role. He has been a driving force for the Longhorns in the CFP, especially in the quarterfinal matchup against Arizona State. His most notable play came in overtime when he threw a TD pass on fourth down to keep the Longhorns alive.

The winner of the Cotton Bowl will advance to the national championship game to face the winner of Notre Dame vs. Penn State.