Texas Michael Taaffe speaks about the reaction of the team after their loss to Georgia, looks ahead to the SEC Championship Game

It's only Texas Longhorns' first season in the SEC, but they are already making their presence felt. They hit the ground running, winning their first six games by an average of 37 points en route to an 11-1 record, which is atop the division. Their lone blemish came in Week 8, falling to an equally spectacular team in division rival Georgia 30-15. They have had time to lick their wounds, and now they look ahead to the SEC Championship Game this weekend.

Speaking with reporters, after their win against Texas A&M, DB Michael Taaffe had this to say when asked about their loss to Georgia and their upcoming game.

"Obviously there is talks that if we do what we got to do, we handle our business this season, we’ll see these guys again, but it was more so that, ‘Alright, we lost! There’s nothing we can do to change that.’ So, you got 12 hours to dwell on it but we got a good opponent next week…It’s just so hard to win, especially on the SEC, but lucky for us we get a new opportunity at the Georgia Bulldogs."

Texas defense looks to make up for their lone loss this season

Taaffe has been impressive this season, tallying 28 tackles (2nd among DBs, 3rd on the team) while assisting on 22 (leads all DBs, 2nd on the team), and being two of only three defensive players with multiple interceptions, with fellow safety Andrew Mukuba having four.

His fellow star DB, Jahdae Barron, has also put up solid numbers, scoring 30 tackles with 8 assists, and grabbing four interceptions. He and DB Jaylon Guilbeau will look to man those corners and put up better numbers than their performance on Week 8.

The most important person on the defense, meanwhile, is Anthony Hill Jr. He accounted for half of the three sacks Texas scored on their last meeting with Georgia. He’ll also look to put up a better pass rush this time around along with fellow linebackers Liona Lefau, and David Gbenda.

The SEC Championship Game between Georgia and Texas will be played this Saturday, December 7, 2024, at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 4 PM ET.