The No. 8 Texas Longhorns head into Death Valley with a major problem waiting for them on the other side: LSU tight end Trey’Dez Green.
Texas is trying to grab its fifth-ranked win tomorrow against the No. 24 Tigers, and LSU comes in after a 31-13 loss to Alabama.
That defeat knocked the Tigers’ College Football Playoff odds down to 20.1%, according to ESPN. Even so, the numbers still say LSU is dangerous, with Football Power Index giving the Tigers a 52.6% chance to beat Texas.
A huge reason is Green, the 6-foot-7 junior who has become one of the most difficult matchups in the country. He was an All-SEC Second-Team pick last season, and the case can be made that he has been even more effective this year, even while missing four games because of a knee injury.
After watching every snap Green has taken this season, the picture is clear: Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has a real assignment on his hands.
Green’s game starts with the obvious stuff. At 6-foot-7, he brings a rare mix of length and speed that lets him separate from man coverage, threaten vertically and pick up extra yards after the catch.
He moves with more fluidity than most players his size, and he can break into routes quickly enough to create space in zone coverage. He also knows how to use that frame to shield defenders, giving quarterback Sam Leavitt a massive target.
His hands are strong, and contact usually doesn’t bother him much. Those same hands help him as a blocker, though that part of his game is not as polished. In space, he can get beaten to the spot, and in-line he can be overwhelmed.
Under head coach Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr., LSU has built a plan that has only made Green more dangerous. The result has been a step forward from his All-SEC 2025 season.
Before the injury, he was flying. Green piled up 222 yards over LSU’s first three games.
Kiffin has also wasted no time getting him back involved since the injury. Against an overmatched Auburn team, Green was on the field for 49 of a possible 83 snaps. Against Alabama, he played all 83 and posted a career-high 10 catches.
Green says he feels fully capable even with the knee brace he now wears for extra support.
"I can do 100% of anything that I want to do with the knee brace on," Green told reporters at a media availability.
For the most part, that tracks. He still looks fast, fluid and dangerous.
The one area that appears to have taken a hit is his run-after-the-catch ability. Whether that comes from the brace or the injury itself, he is tougher to shake loose now, and he may also be protecting the knee a little more when there’s extra yardage available.
The difference shows up on tape. He looks the same until the ball is in his hands, and then the burst after the catch is not quite what it was. The competition level between the samples is a factor, but the drop is noticeable enough to matter.
Even with that limitation, Kiffin found ways to feature him against Alabama’s defense, and Green still looked like a major part of the LSU passing attack.
Texas has been excellent against tight ends all season, allowing no more than 29 receiving yards to the position in any game. But the Longhorns have not seen anyone quite like Green.
Muschamp will have to sort out a coverage answer for him snap after snap if Texas wants to keep its playoff hopes alive. That is far easier said than done.
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