The Texas Longhorns are about to play in the biggest game the program has seen in nearly 15 years when they take on the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl on Monday night. Unsurprisingly, the Washington offense – which ranks as one of the top offenses in the nation and has the No. 1 passing attack in college football – has been a major topic of discussion throughout the week. However, the Huskies’ defense cannot be overlooked, and according to Texas offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Kyle Flood, it is going to present a unique challenge to the Longhorns offense.

“It’s very much an NFL-style defense,” Flood said. ‘They play with base personnel, meaning seven true front players. Which is a little bit unusual in this day and age of college football.”

The Huskies have struggled at times this season on the defense side of the ball, ranking 51st in scoring defense, 40th in rush defense, 123rd in pass defense, and 93rd in total defense. That said, they have also shown a propensity to confuse defenses as well, sitting tied with the Longhorns at No. 8 in the country with 16 interceptions. Part of that is due to the playmaking of the defensive backs, but the other part is the Huskies’ pass rush, which despite its low sack numbers, has been impactful.

“They play nickel defense to 11 personnel,” Flood said. “They’ve got excellent edge players in their defensive angles that are as good as anybody we’d play this year. They play at a really high level.” Not to mention, the Longhorns have struggled to protect the quarterback at times this season, ranking 72nd in the country with 26 sacks allowed. So how do the Longhorns combat that unique, NFL-style defense? Balance. “When we’re at our best, we have balance,” Flood said. “When people ask me to describe our offense, we are built on running the ball and play-action pass.” Kick-off from the Sugar Bowl is set for 7:45 pm central time.