UT Preview: Key Players to Watch on the Longhorn Defense

Earlier this week, I covered the key players to watch on the Texas offense. Now, I’ll be moving to the defense to discuss two Longhorn players fans will need to keep their eye on when Oklahoma State has the football.

Charles Omenihu | DE | 6-6, 275 | Sr.

Omenihu is the most talented player on this Texas defensive line. He’s listed on the depth chart at defensive end, but he’s more of a hybrid tackle/end type player who has the size, speed and strength to cause problems for even the best offensive linemen. He’ll primarily be lined up in either a 3 (outside shoulder of a guard) or 4i technique (inside eye of the offensive tackle), but you will also see him in a 5 technique (outside shoulder of a tackle) on occasion. Examples of these alignments are shown below.

The senior defensive lineman flirted with the idea of leaving school early for the NFL draft, but decided to return for his senior season. I’d say he’s made the most of it as he’s recorded 21 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss (tied for 5th in the Big 12) and 6 sacks (2nd in the Big 12).

He’s incredibly tough to block with his long arms and he can get by you with his speed. He caused problems for Baylor last week, as you can in this clip.

In addition, he not only uses his lengthy, strong arms to fight through defenders, but also to knock the ball out of the opposing quarterback’s hands, which he put on display against USC.

Outside of Omenihu, no one else on the Longhorn roster has more than 2 sacks, so he will be someone the Cowboys need to key on this Saturday. If he’s able to get to Taylor Cornelius early and often, it could be a long day for the Pokes.

Caden Sterns | S | 6-0, 205 | Fr.

The younger brother of former Oklahoma State safety Jordan Sterns is currently tied for the Big 12 lead in interceptions with 4. He’s got insane speed and does a great job of breaking on the football and creating turnovers for this Longhorn defense.

Even when he takes a bad step in coverage, or initially whiffs on a tackle, his amazing speed allows him to quickly recover and still make the play. The speed also helps after he makes the big play as well, as we see him with a nice return after an interception against TCU.

As he progresses through his career, and learns to minimize some of these miscues, he’s going to be one of the best defensive players in the Big 12. Cornelius will have to keep an eye out for the former OSU recruit this weekend, as you know he will come ready to play in his return to Stillwater.

Oh, and along with Corn Dog, the Cowboy special teams units will need to keep an eye on Sterns as well, or he could do something like this…