SB Nation - Curtis Brown

Morning Coffee: Sunshine Pumping Edition

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:24:37 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

As mentioned in Sunday's Celebration and Reflection post, there is plenty of time for worrying about what went wrong against Nebraska and what could possibly go wrong against Alabama. In that spirit, here's a sunshine pumping edition of Morning Coffee focusing on the positives.

Eyes on the prize. For the Texas football team, there were three goals for the season -- winning the Big 12 South, winning the Big 12 championship game, and then making it to Pasadena to play for the national championship. With the weak schedule, each goal became absolutely necessary to reach the next. A loss in conference play might not have kept Texas out of the championship game for the Big 12, but it would have kept them from having a chance at Pasadena.

My oponent preview for The Eyes of Texas magazine this summer was entitled "Expect Perfection" -- that's been the narrative the entire season. In fact, that was the narrative even stretching back to last season, the reason why all that success seemed like such a bonus. Texas fans are famous for outsized expectations, but how could there be more pressure than for a fanbase to expect a berth in the national championship game for two full seasons? For anything less than perfection to be a monumental disappointment?

Even though this post will focus on the positives of the Nebraska game and future posts will analyze the numerous breakdowns, ultimately the eyes of Texas rest on the ultimate prize -- that crystal football. The parallels to the last Texas appearance in the Rose Bowl are significant and could grow even more pronounced if Colt McCoy loses the Heisman to Mark Ingram this weekend. Like USC, Alabama is highly favored in the game, with pundits across the country writing off the chances of the Longhorns, just as they did in 2005. Like the 2005 team, these Longhorns are led by an experienced quarterback, one of the greatest in the history of the program, and backed by defenses filled with future NFL players. The visit to Pasadena will seemingly complete the cycle, as McCoy will fulfill the trust that Vince Young put in him when Young told McCoy he would be the next quarterback at Texas before trotting onto the field to win the national championship. The symmetry is perfect, just like this season.

The bottom line is this -- in the only two close games this season, Texas found ways to win, the ultimate mark of a champion. There was no room for imperfection, the disappointment of a loss too great to even fathom. So they did not lose and now have a chance to win it all.

The clutch kicker. Throughout most of the season, the reliability of Hunter Lawrence seemed like a bonus, a luxury even -- just a way to keep putting points on the board even if the offense stalled on a long drive, the guy who would maintain momentum with his solid kicking. Against Oklahoma, he hit all three of his field goals, including twice from 42 yards, each kick crucial to the eventual win. For Texas fans, it was heartening -- proof that the kicker would be reliable in a big game in the distant future. Most believed that if Lawrence was going to kick a game-winning field goal, it would be on the biggest of stages in the Rose Bowl.

Except fate wrote a different script -- the struggling Texas offense, stymied all evening by Ndamukong Suh and a swarming horde of defensive backs, used two big Nebraska penalties to move into field goal range down by a single point, then nearly ran all the time off the clock because the four-year starter at quarterback didn't know that the clock doesn't stop on a ball thrown out of bounds until it hits something. Hardly a chip shot, the subsequent kick was the most pressure-packed of Lawrence's life. To top it all, the senior kicker would attempt the first game-winning kick of his collegiate career.

A miss would mean a lifetime of ignominy, known as the sorry kicker who cost the Longhorns a chance at a crystal football. A make would mean a place in Longhorn lore among the all-time greats, a lifetime of congratulations from strangers and free drinks at the bar. Only this wasn't a chip-shot field goal, it was a 46 yarder, a distance from which even the best kickers in the NFL are not automatic. Hell, the Redskins lost to the Saints this weekend because their kicker, now unemployed, shanked a 23 yarder, the type of kick random fans make at halftime promotions every weekend across the country.

Not only that, but the big Nebraska line stood in the way, responsible for five blocked kicks on the season, with Suh repsonsible for three himself. Perhaps cognizant of their position on the right side of the Texas line and despite kicking from the left hash, Lawrence angled the kick left, wide of the beefy hands raised to deflect it, to destroy the Texas title hopes. Left just far enough, but not too far, with just enough draw to bring it back right to sneak through the left upright with only inches to spare.

In the ensuing celebration, Lawrence found himself at the bottom of a exultant dogpile, then lofted on the shoulders of his teammates as the Longhorn nation let loose with a hearty exhale. Though the game may have ultimately been unsatisfying, there could be no doubt that Lawrence had proved his mettle in the most clutch of situations, making sure that if there is a next time for such a kick, it will be on the biggest of stages. And the anxiety for Texas fans will be much less pronounced -- after all, Hunter Lawrence has done this before.

Malcolm Williams and a double move. The big sophomore receiver didn't have a particularly high number of catches against Nebraska, but each of his three was important in the context of when they occurred -- the first catch, for 16 yards, picked up a first down to move Texas deep into Nebraska territory on the drive that resulted in the only touchdown of the game, the second catch came as McCoy was under pressure on the long drive that ended with Dejon Gomes taking the ball from Dan Buckner, and the final catch came on 3rd and 16 on the same drive with McCoy under pressure again. All three catches came with a defender in his face and all three were difficult. In pressure moments, Williams made the catches.

In a game when the Longhorn receivers had trouble getting separation, it was Williams who most consistently was able to beat press man coverage by getting inside releases on two of his catches. On the third, he paused in his stride and gave just enough of a shake to get the defender to bite on the hitch and, had McCoy had time to set his feet and deliver the ball downfield, beat the defender enough to pick up a huge gain on the play. The concern on the part of the Nebraska cornerbacks to match his physicality with physical play of their own also led to a pass interefence penalty, as the Husker corner had his hands on Williams trying to push him towards the sideline after McCoy had released the ball.

And it could have been an even bigger day -- Williams got behind a Nebraska defender on another third-down play, but McCoy threw the ball out of bounds, failing to give his open receiver a chance to make a play on the ball. Unlike the smaller Texas receivers, Williams is better suited to beating press coverage, using his strength to get off the line of scrimmage and when he does get an inside release, he can screen defenders with his size. When McCoy is under pressure, the ability to throw the football up for Williams to go get it makes him a security blanket for the senior quarterback almost on par with Jordan Shipley.

Shovel passes, quarterback draws, and a zone read. It was an astounding sight. On the second play from scrimmage, following a terrible chop block penalty on Chris Hall (one of two such terrible calls on the night), Greg Davis dialed up a shovel pass to Tre' Newton and it worked, picking up 25 yards, perhaps the first time in years that Davis not only called it at the right time, but that the Longhorns executed it correctly, with Hall getting downfield and delivering a block. Twice more Davis called the play and twice more it worked. Against a defense with aggresive defensive tackles trying to get upfield, using the shovel pass was some of Davis' best work in the game.

Likewise, with the Nebraska defensive tackles getting upfield and the linebackers either bailing out into coverage or not on the field at all, the quarterback draw was also an effective play for Texas, as McCoy scored the only touchdown of the game on the play and picked up positive yardage every other time the Longhorns called it with the exception of the final drive when the Texas was already in field goal range. Besides the shovel pass, one of the few other positive plays early in the game was a zone read McCoy kept for a 14-yard gain, but only called one other time. In fact, besides an eight-yard run by Newton, all the other runs of eight yards or more came from McCoy.

Looking back, Davis probably should have called the quarterback draw and used the zone read more often because the zone play and counter were not particularly effective in the game and power was only slightly better. One of the benefits of running the zone read is that the inside zone play becomes more effective because it puts doubt into the mind of the defenders, particularly the backside defensive end and linebacker and giving the offensive line better numbers and an extra combo block. Since Nebraska contained McCoy in the pocket on passing plays, the called runs were the only way use McCoy's legs and his legs were the most effective weapon for the Texas running game.

Playmaking defense. It's been a theme all season, so it's no surprise that the Texas defenders were able to make plays in big moments, particularly the secondary. The Nebraska offensive plan revolved around setting up play-action passes downfield with their running game and mixing in some screens, but the Longhorns never sold out to stop the run, instead controlling the line of scrimmage with the front four and strong play from Keenan Robinson, Roddrick Muckelroy, and Emmanuel Acho, while keeping the secondary back to take away deep passes.

On the first attempt downfield, Blake Gideon intercepted a Zac Lee pass thrown too far inside and with too much air under it. Then, after Nebraska blocked Justin Tucker's punt at the start of the second quarter, the Huskers took a shot at the end zone, but unfortunately decided to pick on Aaron Williams, who intercepted another pass with too much air under it, perhaps keeping points off the board -- Nebraska needed only a handful of yards on that drive to reach field goal range. In the third quarter, Muckelroy's interception, only the second of his career, helped the Longhorns win the field position battle over the next several possessions that eventually led to a field goal, as Texas needed no more production than a 12-yard run from McCoy and a pass interference penalty to get into range.

Those were the big plays, that ones that show up in the box score as turnovers. However, there were other plays equally as important, ones that don't show up in the box score. At the start of the fourth quarter, Nebraska had the ball at the Texas 38 yardline, right at the edge of Alex Henery's field goal range -- he hit one early in the game from 52 yards that looked like it had enough distance to have been good from nearly 60. On second down, the Huskers went downfield to their best deep threat, Niles Paul, who had worked behind Curtis Brown just enough to be open. Lee finally delivered an accurate pass and Paul went up over Brown to make the catch. But just as he secured the football, Earl Thomas launched his body into the Nebraska receiver and jarred the pass loose, a play that might have saved the game for Texas. The type of play that only the best defensive backs in the country make. Still, Henery would have had a good chance at making the 55-yard field goal, but the Longhorns defense made another play on third down -- Keenan Robinson read the screen pass from the start of the play and beat a blocker to take down Rex Burkhead and knock the Huskers five yards back and out of field goal range, forcing a punt.

Then, the Nebraska offense got the ball at the Texas 10 yardline following the long punt return by Niles Paul, the defense stopped Burkhead twice and on third down Chykie Brown's defense was just good enough to force Brandon Kinne to catch the ball out of bounds. Nebraska kicked a field goal when a touchdown probably would have won the game.

With the offense providing the defense with almost no margin for error, the defense made no errors and came up with big plays with the game on the line. Without having to load the box, the front six and seven of the Texas defense stopped the downhill rushing game of Nebraska, holding the line and disengaging from blockers to make plays. Ben Alexander played more snaps than he ever has and effectively plugged the middle, while Sam Acho led the team in tackles. Nolan Brewster rebounded from a poor game against A&M to blow up two plays by submarining Suh -- excellent work by a safety taking on a big defensive tackle. And all that makes the struggles against A&M seem like a thing of the past.

A Time to Celebrate, A Time to Reflect

GhostofBigRoy — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:24:57 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

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The Longhorns may have needed a few lucky breaks to overcome the Cornhuskers and the incomparable Ndamukong Suh and any proper analysis of the game will reveal a litany of complaints regarding every facet of the offense. But with more than a month until Texas faces off against Alabama in Pasadena, there will be plenty of time for to analyze, further analyze, and overanalyze the Nebraska game and everything related to the match up between the SEC champion and the Big 12 champion.

Today, however, is a day for celebration, for reflection. For celebrating a team that accomplished a feat that only the 2005 team accomplished under Mack Brown -- beating both Oklahoma and A&M in the same season while finishing undefeated and winning the Big 12 championship. For celebrating a team that replaced three starters along the defensive line, lost a starting linebacker to injury in the first game, and absolutely counted upon improvement from the entire secondary and role players like Sam Acho, Eddie Jones, Kheeston Randall, and Ben Alexander. For celebrating a team that replaced two starting receivers after the departure of ultra-reliable Quan Cosby and the academic ineligibility of Brandon Collins, who broke out in the final games of 2008.

For celebrating a team that discovered leaders in Sergio Kindle, Lamarr Houston, and Roddrick Muckelroy. For celebrating the effort of Marquise Goodwin against Oklahoma, Colt McCoy's year-saving tackle after his late-game interception, interceptions by Earl Thomas, Curtis Brown, and Blake Gideon against Oklahoma State, exorcising the demons of a certain Halloween past. For celebrating Hunter Lawrence, one of the greatest kickers in Texas history. For celebrating a team the lived up to the highest of standards -- perfection. Losing was not an option and this team did not lose.

Today is a day for reflection. Reflection on the how the seasons ended in 2006 and 2007, with the Longhorns dropping games to Kansas State and Texas A&M late in the season, causing both teams to lose opportunities to play for the Big 12 championship and make it to big-money BCS games. Reflection on why those teams fell apart -- mostly the complete and utter inability of those defenses to stop the passing game and imperfect defensive coordinators. Reflection on the best decision that Mack Brown has made as head coach at Texas in his hire of Will Muscahmp as defensive coordinator and the subsequent decsion to name him the next head coach of the Longhorns. Reflection on the other hard decisions that Brown made to forge this team into a champion -- bringing Major Applewhite back to Austin, moving Ken Rucker into an administrative position, instituting a higher level of accountability, looking hard at himself as a coach.

Most of all, it's a day for reflection on just how far the Longhorns have come since last season. Reflection on the feeling of complete and utter lack of control, having relinquished all power to determine the ultimate destination of the team with the last-second loss in Lubbock. Reflection on the 45-35 campaign, all the politicking and arguments about the meaning of head-to-head victories and resume ranking, planes with banners flying over stadiums, accusations of whininess directed towards a heartbroken fanbase. Reflection on the hatred of Bob Stoops after risking the health of his starters to string together 60-point scoring games. Reflection on how karma can be a bitch, can't it Big Game Bob? Reflection on how 0.128 is now in the past, just a small wound now healing, a footnote to history. Reflection on just how hard this team worked to avoid a repeat of last season, how hard they worked to keep their BCS destiny in their own hands.

Yes, today Burnt Orange Nation must celebrate and reflect, look back upon the road now traveled, full of victories and nary a defeat. The cycle is now complete -- Texas returns to the Rose Bowl four years after Vince Young stood there in confetti, having won one of the greatest college football games ever played. After the loss by Florida, the Longhorns have the nation's longest winning streak, now standing at 17 games. Not only that, but Tim Tebow's college career is all but finished, with the lasting memories an impotent speech to his defense and him crying on national television like a six-year-old Sooner fan. After a long season, Texas is undefeated and headed to Pasadena. There is time in the coming month for all the worry a Longhorn fan desires, so what is there to do today but celebrate and reflect, with a strong emphasis on the former?

Upon Further Review: Defense vs A&M (First Half)

Peter Bean — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 01:30:04 -0000

Even blogging full time, I now fully understand why Brian Cook usually isn't getting these things out until Wednesday, at the earliest. Finishing one half of one side of the ball took me far longer than I anticipated, for a multitude of reasons, some for reasons beyond my control (e.g. technology issues with the torrent file), and plenty that were my own fault -- mistakes and inefficiencies made because I'd never put one of these together before. One look at the monstrous chart and you'll sympathize. (Given that it's Wednesday night and I'm behind on pretty much everything -- behind on Life -- I may not get to do the second half to review the defense's forgettable second period.)

Let me preface the chart with a few key notes, for navigating what you're reading. Columns indicate, from left-to-right: Line of Scrimmage (Line), Down (Dn), Distance (Ds), Offensive Formation (OForm), Defensive Formation (DForm), Type, Play, Player, Yards Gained/Lost (Yds). Within the notes on each individual play, you'll see various +/-s sprinkled in behind player names or to conclude a note. These indicate a notable strong (+) play or mistake (-). Where the team's pressure is implicated, positively or negatively, that gets charted; ditto for coverage (Cover). At the conclusion of the chart is the aggregate chart for each player and the team pressure/cover metrics. There is some art to this particular science, but each play was scrutinized closely, two or more times almost every time. The chart, and the notes embedded within, pretty well captures everything that happened of import in the first half when A&M had the ball. If you have questions, pop 'em in the comments.

FIRST QUARTER

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
O29	1	10	Ace H-Back	4-2 Base	Run	Dive	Michael	3
Ags actually execute picture-perfect zone blocking initially, but LT Grimes can't hold Lamarr Houston (+1), who sheds his block and makes the primary stop, with help from Acho (+0.5).
O32	2	7	Shotgun Trips Left	4-2 Base	Pass	Slip screen	Swope	-2
A&M tries a quick slip screen to the left flat with Swope, but Williams pushes his blocker back and Earl Thomas (Cover +1) comes racing forward to make a strong open field tackle for a loss of 2.
O30	3	9	Shotgun 4-wide	4-2 Up	Pass	Fly	Fuller	70 (TD)
Zone blitz disaster. Gideon comes on a delayed blitz, and three Horns (Chykie, Keenan, ET) triangulate on slot man Morrow in the underneath zone as Fuller streaks past Chykie Brown (-0.5). I'm also tallying this one (Team Cover -2), as it's impossible to tell who among the three is at fault, or, if we take Muschamp at his word, the DC's fault.
DRIVE NOTES: 3 plays, 71 yards, 7 points, 1:16. A busted coverage puts Texas in the early hole. Nothing else to say about it. On the bright side: a mistake that's correctable.

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
O33	1	10	Shotgun Trips Left	4-2 Base	Pass	Out	Tannehill	14
Ags take over after ridiculous, predictable fake punt by UT. Aggies open with the same play as 2nd and 7 from their first drive, but this time, because Texas is blitzing Williams -- easily picked up by the LT (Pressure -1) Tannehill releases upfield on an out as Swope slides towards the sideline. ET charges up (Cover -1), reading another screen, but because Williams has vacated, Tannehill is free behind him on the out. After holding the LBs with play action, Johnson makes the right read and hits him for 14.
O47	1	10	Ace 3-wide	4-2 Base	Run	Sweep	Gray	5 (Pen -15)
The Aggies run a sweep to the right, which would have been a nice first-down gain, but lose 15 yards on a chop block penalty called on Grimes. Keenan (-1) takes a terrible angle on the run, plowing himself into pinned inside position as Gray gets outside.
O32	1	25	Shotgun 4-wide, Trips L	4-2 Base	Pass	Shovel	Gray	0
Texas sends Randall on a stunt and for a moment it looks like Texas is in trouble, as right before Randall arrives (Pressure +1) Johnson flips the shovel pass to Gray right in the area where Randall vacated, but Muckelroy (+1) is there, dodges a block, and makes the tackle for no gain.
O32	2	25	Shotgun empty	4-2 Wide	Pass	Shovel	Gray	6
A&M goes 5-wide from the empty set and runs a quick bubble screen to Gray. Keenan recovers nicely from an initial block to keep Gray from cutting inside, while ET (+1) comes up quick and strong to make the initial hit, with Muckelroy finishing the tackle.
O38	3	19	Shotgun 4-wide, Doubles	3-4	Pass	Scramble	Johnson	0
Texas brings in E-Acho for its first true 3-4 look of the game. Three-man rush gets no pressure on Johnson, who has a huge pocket to throw in, but doesn't like what he sees downfield and scrambles, making Kindle miss before getting run out of bounds by Muckelroy. (Team Cover +1)
DRIVE NOTES: 5 plays, 5 yards, Punt, 2:01. The chop block puts A&M in big hole they don't get out of. Texas D does nice job tackling what's in front of them. Fake punt doesn't hurt Texas on the scoreboard.

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
O34	1	10	Ace 4-wide, Doubles	4-2 Base	Rush	Stretch	Michael	4
Another nice bit of execution by A&M zone blocking, as the guard gets a good block taking Muckelroy (+1) to the ground, but the linebacker nicely absorbs the blow and is on his feet very quickly to make the tackle with ET (+0.5), who avoided the WR block while coming up in run support. Keenan (-0.5), apparently on outside contain, lightly dances (much too far) outside trying to avoid a Tannehill block, and effectively runs himself out of the play.
O38	2	6	Ace 4-wide, Bunch L	4-2 Base	Run	Counter	Michael	3
A&M bunches three WR to the left, then runs a counter to the right with Michael. The blocking is excellent up front and at the second level on the playside, but Keenan (+1) does a good job decisively cutting to cut off Michael before he can make much yardage, slamming him to the ground with a strong tackle.
O41	3	3	Empty, 5-wide, Trips L	4-2 Under	Pass	Dig	McCoy	7
Texas rushes four while playing A&M in man underneath, with Muck spying Johnson in the middle of the field. Johnson has a comfortable pocket and clear lane to zip a pass to McCoy just beyond the LOS. Williams' coverage is strong -- McCoy is smothered as he receives the ball -- but it's just a perfect throw by Johnson, good for a 1st Down.
O48	1	10	I-Form	4-2 Base	Run	Dive	Michael	1
After mindlessly lining up on the wrong side of the field, Aaron Williams (-0.5) is belatedly sprinting across the field at the snap and is lucky Johnson didn't audible to a quick pass to the uncovered slot on the strongside. No harm on the play, however, as Acho and Randall tie up blockers, and Chykie (+1) beats a block and combines with Keenan for a stuff near the LOS.
O49	2	9	Ace, Twin-TEs	3-4	Run	Dive	Michael	6
Hard to see this one very well as ESPN gives us a meaningless Packers-Lions update from six hours earlier, but it's another good job of zone blocking by A&M, although Muck (+0.5) once again does a good job shedding engagement to help ET make the tackle.
UT45	3	3	Shotgun, 5-wide, Trips R	3-3-5	Pass	Drag	Tannehill	INC
Texas rushes three, and drops LBs into zone. Tannehill drags across and is actually open in the zone when Johnson releases the ball, but Lamarr Houston (+1) pushes to JJ with an outstanding rush from the weak end position (Pressure +1) and bats down the pass as it's release.
DRIVE NOTES: 6 plays, 21 yards, Punt, 2:32. No real problems here for the defense; A&M picks up a first down on nice execution, but Texas is solid throughout.

SECOND QUARTER

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
O35	1	10	Shotgun 4-wide, Trips R	3-3-5 Under	Run	Dive	Michael	2
Texas is playing three down, with Kindle upright on the strongside. Lamarr Houston (+1) absolutely destroys Patrick Lewis at the LOS and makes the primary tackle.
O36	2	8	Shotgun Trips Left	4-2 Base	Pass	Screen	Michael	7
A&M shoots both receivers on the right downfield while slipping Michael out on a quick screen. Muck does a great job reading it, but Johnson completes a nifty pass and Muck (-0.5) overruns Michael, whiffing on the tackle. Fortunately, Kindle reads it nicely as well and is able to wrap the RB with Chykie before A&M can get a 1st Down.
O30	3	1	I-Form, Twin-TEs	4-2 Up	Pass	Sack	Johnson	-1
Out of the I-formation with two tight ends, it might be a questionable play call on 3rd and short, except that Texas's tackles (Houston especially) have begun really disrupting the interior. A&M tries Play Action instead, but the short zones are blanketed by Longhorns. Randall (+0.5) and Kindle (+0.5) close in on Johnson (Pressure +1) and get the sack for a loss of 10, as JJ nearly fumbles.
DRIVE NOTES: 3 plays, -1 yards, Punt, 2:20. Texas fans start to relax as it looks like the D is going to do what it always does: shut opponents down after giving up an early score. Horns lead 14-7.

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
O08	1	10	Shotgun, Ace Right-Over	3-3-5 Under	Rush	Zone Read	Johnson	14
Texas is in 3-4 with Kindle upright on the weakside, with Houston line up in 5-technique on the strongside. At the snap Johnson correctly reads Houston (-1), who crashes inside too quickly, pulls the ball back, keeps it, and rips off a 14-yard run before an open field tackle is made by Nolan Brewster, who's in the game because Williams is for the first series this game on the sidelines (ET taking nickelback duties).
O22	1	10	Ace, Doubles	4-2 Base	Rush	Dive	Michael	8
Great zone blocking once again by A&M: the tackles are sealed and Muck can't immediately shed the second-level block this time, allowing Michael to rip it up the gut before Gideon makes the stop with Muck.
O30	2	2	N/A	N/A	Rush	N/A	Michael	1
ESPN misses the entire play while Reece Davis shows a meaningless picture of fans in Boulder while talking about the (not at all breaking) news that Dan Hawkins will return next year. Thanks, guys. Houston and Robinson are credited with the tackle of Michael, who picks up 1 on a rush.
O31	3	1	Ace, Twin-TEs	4-2 Base	Rush	Dive	Michael	3
Keenan had an indirect shot at Michael in the backfield, but couldn't quite knock him down and Michael kept his balance and stumbled forward for the first down. Thomas on the tackle.
O34	1	10	Shotgun, Ace Trips L	3-3-5	Pass	Fly	Tannehill	36
Texas in its 3-4 with Kindle upright. Horns blitz 5 at the snap, Kindle from the weakside and Muck from the strongside, but there's no pressure generated at all (Pressure -1). With Muck vacating, Keenan (-1) has responsibility for the strongside slot, but he's a second slow making his break over and Tannehill, who's running a fly, has a full step edge on him. Johnson lobs a perfect pass that hits the WR in stride as Keenan tackles from behind. (Coverage -1) Absolutely no reason, given Texas' scheme and A&M's alignment, that Robinson shouldn't have been leaning towards Tannehill sooner, in time to be there in coverage.
UT30	1	10	Shotgun, Ace Doubles	4-2 Base	Pass	Scramble	Johnson	8
Texas plays A&M in Cover 2 man and blankets all the downfield receivers nicely (Coverage +1), but the front four can't get anything on Johnson (Pressure -1), who eventually tucks it in, jukes Kindle (-0.5), and is barely tripped up by Acho after picking up 8 yards.
UT22	2	2	I-Form, Twin TE	4-2 Base (?)	Rush	Dive	Michael	8
Texas is scrambling to align itself at the snap, making the job easy for A&M, who easily win the LOS and open the way for Michael to grab 8 and the first down. (Pressure -1)
UT14	1	10	Ace, Double Stacks Gun	3-3-5	Pass	Slant	Fuller	14
Texas aligns in 3-4 (Kindle upright) and blitzes the nickelback ET, dropping the remaining 7 in zone. Problem 1: Absolutely no heat from the four man rush (Pressure -1). Now, take a look at this snap shot. Problem 2: Dustin Earnest (-1) stands like a statue and just watches, opening a gap behind him for Fuller. Problem 3: Nolan Brewster (-1)not only fgails to engage Fuller at the 10, but more or less propels him forward with a light push, meekly releasing him to the second level. Problem 4: As Fuller is released, Curtis Brown (-1) does absolutely nothing about it, instead doubling over the top of the underneath man releasing outside. On TV it looks like Gideon is the one late coming over, but it's not his play to make. There was no way he could get over -- it was Brown's responsibility. (Cover -3)
DRIVE NOTES: 8 plays, 92 yards, TD 14-14, 2:53. Prior to this drive, A&M had 7 points and 70 yards on a busted coverage and nothing else of too much concern -- just 32 yards on 6-7 passing and 25 yards rushing on 8 carries. With Texas' two scores to take a 14-7 lead, this would have seemed the moment when the Longhorns would begin to pull away. Instead, pinned on their own 8 yard line, Jerrod Johnson led A&M on an 8-play, 92-yard scoring drive, 72 of which were all Johnson -- 2 rushes for 22 and 2 passes for 36 and 14. Tempting as it might be to feel modestly assured that all four of the biggest plays featured dumbfounding mistakes by Texas, we have to wonder: how many mistakes did Texas make in the first 11 games this year that teams simply weren't able to capitalize on? There's no question this defense is strong, but the lack of QBs able to capitalize on Texas' mistakes may have made the unit look better than it is. I'll stop now, as we're only in the second quarter here. More pain to come.

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
O33	1	10	Shotgun Ace Trips R	3-3-5 Under	Pass	Curl	Nwachukwu	13
Another soft zone by Texas, another country afternoon for JJ to survey the field (Pressure -1). The Aggies send Swope from the slot towards the sideline, occupying nickelback ET near the LOS, send Fuller deep to draw the safety, and hit Nwachukwu on a 10-yard curl, who Beasley (-1) is only nominally covering. (Coverage -1) Second straight series without A-Williams and it's showing.
O46	1	10	I-Right Wing	4-2 Base	Rush	FB Dive	McCoy	-1
Johnson hands to the fullback on a quick dive play that A&M's blocking right; if McCoy heads for the B gap on the right side, there's a big hole and 6-8 yards waiting for him, but he hesitates and steps left, where Sergio Kindle (+1) is crashing down the line. Kindle wraps up for a 1-yard loss.
O45	2	11	Shotgun, Ace Right	4-2 Base	Rush	Zone Read	Gray	3
Seeing Kindle staying home this time, Johnson hands to Gray, who's got nothing to his right and is forced towards Kindle for what looks like will be a no-gainer, but Kindle (-0.5) can't finish the tackle as Gray makes a spin, allowing him to scamper forward for 3 yards, where Muck (+0.5) is in position to clos him out.
O49	3	7	Shotgun empty 5-wide	3-3-5	Pass	Sack	Johnson	-10
Texas aligns in 3-3, man under, with Keenan hovering near the right guard. At the snap, Robinson retreats and drifts to his right while Curtis Brown comes on a corner blitz. Brown approaches Johnson's blindside, but feels the pressure at the last moment and spins as Brown (-1) arrives -- another missed tackle. But as he looks down the field for somewhere to go, Sam Acho (+1) pursues with tremendous speed and snags Johnson from the backside for a 10-yard sack. (Pressure +2, Coverage +1)
DRIVE NOTES: 4 plays, 6 yards, Punt, 2:21. Having scored the drive previous, Texas again looked like it might be building momentum, now up 21-7, but an atrocious 25-yard punt by Ryan Epperson fluttered down amidst traffic, ricocheted off Vaccaro, and into the Aggies arms at the UT 36 yard line.

Line	Dn	Ds	OForm	DForm	Type	Play	Player	Yds
UT36	1	10	Ace Right	3-4 Under	Pass	Fly	Fuller	INC
3-4 alignment with Kindle upright. Aggies play action the stretch left and bootleg Johnson rolling out to his right, but the DL isn't fooled a bit, with Houston (+1), Kindle (+0.5), and Alexander (+0.5) all breaking through the Aggie OL to pursue the QB. Seeing Fuller covered well by Gideon (+1) deep, Johnson throws it away. (Pressure +1, Coverage +1)
UT36	2	10	Ace Right	3-3-5	Rush	Option Dive	Michael	2
3-4 with Kindle upright. Ags swing Fuller towards the ball, with the option going to Michael on the dive. Despite being brutally held by the lineman he's just beat, Sam Acho (+1) makes the tackle for only a 2-yard gain.
UT34	3	8	Shotgun, Ace Trips L	4-2 Base	Pass	Drag	Gray	15
Texas in base nickel defense, playing man under, with Muck and E-Acho at LB. At the snap, A&M sends both the left slot and split end deep, while crossing Tannehill left-to-right, vacating the flat where the receivers began. As Gray slips from the backfield and drags into the open area, Johnson rolls left as Houston (+0.5) and Eddie Jones (+0.5) break through and pursue. (Pressure +1) However, Muckelroy (-2) makes a huge mistake -- staring at Johnson and losing track of Gray, leaving him sprinting to make up ground when Johnson's ball is delivered. Racing up at full-speed, he overshoots Gray, misses the tackle, and frees the tailback to dart upfield for extra yards -- 15 in all, and an enormously important 3rd down conversion with 1:49 left in the half. (Coverage -2)
UT19	1	10	Shotgun empty 5-wide	3-3-5	Pass	Dig	Fuller	5
Texas aligns in 3-4, playing zone underneath with nickelback ET blitzing from the strongside. Johnson's hot read is to Fuller on a dig, good for a short completion of 5 with Okafor on the tackle.
UT14	2	5	Shotgun empty 5-wide	4-2 Base	Pass	Flag	Morrow	14 (TD)
Texas rushes 4 in Cover 2 man under, with E-Acho lined up on Morrow (weakside slot). Five yards into his route, the Aggie receiver makes a one-step break outside before jamming hard inside on the slant. Acho's (+1) position is perfect (walling off the inside), the coverage is excellent, and he's got safety help over Morrow's back-outside shoulder. As Nolan Brewster sees Johnson stepping into a throw to Morrow, he begins to close and, as the ball is released, is in excellent position: as shown here and here. Johnson's pass is as perfect as can be, giving Morrow the best chance possible to make the play, but given Brewster's positioning, it's a shocking completion. It's the kind of play our young safeties were (not) making early last year; this time, it's Brewster, who tackles Morrow as he makes the reception, but doesn't make a play on the ball. Touchdown Aggies and we're tied 21-21.
DRIVE NOTES: 5 plays, 36 yards, TD 21-21, 1:21. Each time Texas tries to separate, the Aggies bounce back, capitalizing this time on the muffed punt return. Credit for the short-field touchdown to Johnson -- again excellent -- but also again, Texas has a hand in it, Muckelroy's mental lapse the most critical mistake.

CHARTIN'

PLAYER	PLUS	MINUS
E. Jones	0.5	--
L. Houston	4.5	1
S. Acho	3.5	--
K. Randall	0.5	--
S. Kindle	2	1
B. Alexander	0.5	--

K. Robinson	1	2
R. Muckelroy	2	2
D. Earnest	--	1

B. Gideon	1	--
Cu. Brown	--	2
E. Thomas	1.5	--
A. Williams	--	0.5
Ch. Brown	1	0
N. Brewster	--	1
D. Beasley	--	1

PRESSURE	7	7
COVERAGE	5	11

Thoughts on Kansas and Texas A&M

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:48:57 -0000

There isn't a whole lot to talk about with the Kansas game that hasn't already been said here in the last couple of days or earlier in the season, so I'll just do it bullet style:

Before the Baylor game, I said that the two best receivers Texas would face this season on one team were David Gettis and Kendall Wright. Somehow I forgot about Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe and that was just stupid. Meier didn't have a huge game, but Briscoe did, showing the combination of size and speed that should make him one of the top receivers in the draft if he decides to come out this year. Much like he did against Michael Crabtree last season, Curtis Brown really struggled against Briscoe, for a variety of reasons. Briscoe's speed was a problem, as was his size. Mostly though, Brown struggled because he kept on getting in between trying to break up passes and trying to make the tackle, often ending up doing neither. Blake Gideon didn't help him much by consistently being late getting over the top as well, though in fairness to Gideon, he was the single-high safety on several of those coverages, giving him a lot of ground to cover.

Aaron Williams actually got beat a couple of times. Astounding -- I didn't even know if that was possible. Apparently he is mortal.
It's really heartening that the Longhorns are looking down the field more often, especially when using play action. The deep post to Williams went for a long touchdown and McCoy targeted the big receiver on two other plays downfield, with Williams for some reason stopping on one route that would have been a touchdown and McCoy missing outside and long on another that would have gone for a score. The fact that they aren't quite on the same page with those throws illustrates what a crime it was not to have played Williams more early in the season. Had the coaches put him on the field, he and McCoy might have already worked through those problems. The good news is that Williams hasn't dropped any passes in the last two games and continues to block extremely well downfield. On the pass into the flat to Tre' Newton after faking the jet sweep, Wiilliams absolutely leveled a linebacker.
James Kirkendoll contines to come on as well, working harder on his blocking downfield, but more importantly, showing the precise route running Texas fans expected to see all season. McCoy is seemingly gaining more trust in him every week and it's clear that the benching after the Oklahoma game really lit a fire under him. Great to see.
The offensive line had two breakdowns in pass protection again, once by Tray Allen when he let a defensive tackle come free on McCoy's fumble early in the game when Kansas showed blitz with one linebacker on the edge, then the other, clearly confusing Allen with the protection scheme. The other came when Kyle Hix left Maxwell Onyegbule unblocked on the edge, leading to a hit on McCoy. Frustrating.
I can guarantee that since Justin Tucker fancies himself a real football player, he hated the fact that he couldn't catch Briscoe on the kickoff return. He'll probably be angry about it the rest of his life.
John Gold's punting effort was extremely poor, meaning that both the traditional and rubgy punting have struggled the last two weeks. They need to figure it out. Kickoff coverage as well, which was terrible at times.
After Jordan Shipley's fumble on a kickoff return, Marquise Goodwin should be given every chance to win the job until DJ Monroe comes back -- he didn't look quite as explosive, but Shipley's fumble was inexcusable and the second fumble he has had on special teams in the last month.
Texas struggled to get pressure on Todd Reesing during long stretches of the game -- a lot of credit should go to the Kansas offensive line, which probably played their best game of the season against Texas, doing a particularly good job picking up on the twists the Longhorns ran consistently. Part of the problem may have been that the defensive linemen were worried about staying in their lanes, but the lack of pressure helped lead to a lot of the breakdowns in the secondary.
The jet tempo package worked as well as it has all season, with the Longhorns running several bootlegs off of the play, one that resulted in a scramble for a first down by McCoy and one that resulted in the 38-yard touchdown to Shipley on a drag route. It's a good thing that Davis didn't abandon the jet tempo when it wasn't working like he did the Q package and the WildHorn, because it's giving the Longhorns an advantage right now.
The Longhorns ran power a couple of times against Kansas and it's a great addition to the playbook.

Some thoughts on the game against A&M:

The skill position players on offense are good for the Aggies, but the offensive line has struggled mightily at times this season and Jerrod Johnson often holds the ball too long in the pocket, a recipe for disaster against the Longhorns.
The key to stopping the Aggie offense may be limiting their ability to run the ball, putting them in third and long situations where Texas can put pressure on Johnson. However, the defensive linemen must stay in their lanes as they did against Kansas and Oklahoma State to limit the scrambling ability of the Aggie quarterback -- when Johnson is running the ball effectively, the Aggies are a dangerous team offensively.
Defensively, Texas A&M has virtually nothing besides Von Miller. Early in the Arkansas game, Miller was extremely disruptive until Arkansas started double teaming him and sliding their protection away from him. As long as the offensive line can keep track of him, possibly using a running back to chip him at times, Colt McCoy should have plenty of time to stand in the pocket and throw down the field against an extremely poor Aggie secondary. However, because of the need to slide the protection away from Miller or double team him, the empty set may not be the best choice this week.
The Aggies are one of the most heavily penalized teams in the country, getting flagged an average of about eight times per game -- something they cannot afford to happen against the much more talented Longhorns.
Unless several catastrophic things happen, the Aggies don't have a chance in this game. The Longhorns need to come out with focus and intensity and Colt McCoy needs another strong game to help his Heisman campaign. In other words, he needs to play better than Vince Young did against the Aggies in 2005. If you want to feel better about the game, just read this.

Postgame React: Texas Buries Kansas 51-20, Improves To 11-0

Peter Bean — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:33:20 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

about 1 month ago: Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (12) walks a victory lap after the Texas Longhorns beat Kansas 51-20 in the NCAA college football game in Austin, Texas, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009. McCoy also set a NCAA Division I record for most wins as a starting quarterback (43). (AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)

Browse more photos »

The outcome was: fantastic. Though Texas has for some time been locked into "win and they're in" territory, even now not all wins are created equal. We're 11 wins deep into this thing, and tonight's punishing win over the Jayhawks might be my favorite to date (OU excepted, always).The offense turned in its most encouraging performance, the defense got a healthy test from Kansas' strong receiving corps, and -- I'm damn happy to say -- the seniors walk out of DKR one last time, having played well, won impressively, and remaining on track to achieve all their goals.

As noted in the celebration thread: this is as good as I've felt about the team all year. Join me after the jump to discuss.

COLT MCCOY

We can't say what his final legacy will be until the season ends, because the only thing he's missing are rings. First and foremost, I hope he gets the conference championship he was robbed of last year. And of course, if he leads Texas to a national title in Pasadena, he joins Vince Young atop the Texas pantheon -- the absolute best of the best.

Even if the team falls short of that goal, it is remarkable to reflect on just how many games he's won; if his predecessor were anyone else, we would by this time have forgotten what it is like to be quarterbacked by anyone other than Colt McCoy. An NCAA record 43 career wins, 3 of them against Oklahoma. Every passing record in the books. He's a great kid and fine representative of the university and football program. And he's earned everything that he's accomplished.

Fittingly, I thought tonight's performance was his best of the season. He completed 32 of 41 passes for 396 yards, 4 TDs, and 0 INTs. Though he fumbled once and took three sacks, they were the result of McCoy having his most active game of the season -- the good kind of chaos, in which he uses his feet to scramble, extend plays, and break down defenses. Removing the 3 sacks and 11 yards lost on them, he rushed 9 times for 40 yards. He wasn't his most accurate throwing the ball tonight, but he was absolutely at his best as a playmaker, mixing short, intermediate, and long passes across multiple receivers: 10 completions to Shipley (108 yards), 6 to Malcolm (103 yds), 8 to Kirkendoll (86), 3 to Newton (36), 2 apiece to Goodwin (34) and Chiles (16), and 1 to Buckner (13).

It was his best performance of the year. Congratulations to a damn fine quarterback.

OFFENSE

Texas racked up 532 yards of total offense on an outstanding 6.5 yards per play, picking up 29 first downs overall and converting 9 of their 15 third downs. The Horns rushed 37 times for 151 yards (sacks excluded), led by Tre Newton's impressive 12 carry, 66-yard (1 TD) performance. The ground game was modest, but it was sufficient: Texas needn't be a strong running team, but it must commit to rushing the ball for the good of the passing game. We've been seeing much more of that in the five games since OU, and it's no accident that McCoy's numbers have improved:

Colt McCoy, first 6 games: 156-223 (69.9%) for 1,537 yards, 11 TDs, 7 INTs
Colt McCoy, last 5 games: 130-169 (76.9%) for 1,477 yards, 12 TDs, 2 INTs

In this regard, the commitment to rushing the ball isn't even about doing so successfully -- the 3-4 yards per carry the staff apparently seeks is actually fine. So long as Texas runs with sufficient purpose that defenses cannot completely ignore it, the mission is accomplished. The real prize is the boost that commitment provides to the passing game -- in particular, with play action. Whether he was saving his good stuff for mid-season, or just slow to figure it out -- an indictment either way -- Greg Davis has gone bonkers using play action the past five games. And it's working. Well. More, please.

On a related note: Davis is doing some really nice things in this belated diversification of the offense. In focusing on the need to improve the vertical passing game, we mostly focus on it as an end unto itself, but there are ripple effects from regularly attempting intermediate and long passes, including an opening up of enough space to strategically use short passes as runs. Without the deep passes, there's no room for it to work, but as the field gets stretched and defenses align to cover larger swaths of the field, there are opportunities to hit designed passes that have little-to-no big gain potential but are valuable as a boost to a mediocre rushing team.

McCoy's not the only one who's gotten it together since OU: what about the performances we've seen from James Kirkendoll the past three weeks? The junior wideout contributed 5 catches for 40 yards and a TD against UCF, 6 catches for 43 against Baylor, and 8 for 86 and 2 TDs tonight against Kansas. For a guy whose season-defining moment had been his Killebrew imitation, he's clearly gotten his head on straight and done what he needed to in practice. Most of us groaned when it was announced Kirk would replace Goodwin as a starter, but he's made the most out of the opportunity. That's all you can ask, and it's great seeing him out there working well with McCoy.

I'm almost afraid to say it because I'm terrified I'll jinx it, but Malcolm Williams is... emerging. Ignoring the Baylor game (in which we barely tried to pass at all), the outrageously athletic wideout has been consistently productive: 5 catches for 53 yards against Missouri, 2 for 55 (1 TD) against the Pokes, 5 for 67 against UCF, and 6 for 103 (1 TD) tonight. It's taken awhile, but as the passing offense diversifies to involve Goodwin, Kirkendoll, and Williams, the offensive attack is starting to have some real bite. For all the deserved criticism he's received this year, Greg Davis' extreme increase in the use of play action passing has this offense approaching its potential. If that trend continues, Malcolm will continue to find the end zone.

The season-long game of musical running-backs has been hilarious, and makes ridiculous any attempt to discuss it meaningfully. We opened the season with McGee, went to Newton, dabbled with Fozzy, changed to Cody, and now return to Newton. Would you even blink if Jeremy Hills was announced as next week's starter?

All that said, it looks like the coaches are settling in on Tre Newton as The Guy. While for the most part it still seems like Texas can plug-n-play with anyone and get roughly the same results, I like the move. Newton has the speed and agility to break runs Big Cody will not, and a toughness and downhill running style that separates him a bit from Whittaker. The bottom line is that Newton is the only tailback who is proving solid in all four aspects of the position: downhill running, speed to break a run, pass blocking, and receiving. He's like my boy Ogbonnaya with slightly better top-end speed: not particularly flashy, consistently productive, versatile, and strong as a finisher. Given our modest aims as a rushing team, that's the guy we want.

Turning to the O-Line: To be honest, I've been too busy (and maybe a little fat and happy with our commanding position) to sit down and re-watch our last three games, so I can't offer much more than just general observations picked up from live viewing. But this much I'll say: things are better than they've been all season.

As for rush blocking, there's no question it's better. You wouldn't put it on a video and try to sell it, but it's better. Last week I had to do a double-take when a replay revealed Michael Huey and Chris Hall perfectly executing zone blocking -- doubling the tackle at the snap before Huey quickly released upfield to get his hat on a linebacker. Our pulling guards on misdirection are finding guys to block. If this is the line performance Texas will get at A&M and, especially, against Nebraska, I'll feel great about not having to worry that the offense could suffer some sort of season-spoiling meltdown.

[Edit: Most everyone I've talked to since the game thought the line played poorly. As noted in the comments, I watched at a bar with friends and didn't watch terribly closely, so take my observation with a grain of salt. I'd have to re-watch to offer anything substantive. --PB--]

DEFENSE

Though they didn't dominate the stat sheet like they have of late, let's start with a salute to the two senior starters on the defensive line -- Sergio Kindle and Lamarr Houston. Though Kindle gets most of the attention, as the career of Lamarr Houston draws to a close, he's not only my favorite Longhorn on the team (that's been true for a long while now), but he joins Casey Hampton as my favorite Longhorn defender of all time. While I'm certain that loving an average defensive tackle might not be the most rewarding fan experience, there is nothing I enjoy more than watching a great one wreak havoc -- and especially when the big guy is someone you also admire as a person. The best DTs can uniquely impact a game and utterly destroy the strength of the opposing offense. I've watched Hampton do it for 15 years with the Longhorns and Steelers, and I couldn't be more pleased with the exceptional quality of Houston's senior season. That he was perhaps the team's best defensive end as a sophomore just makes it -- and him -- all the more amazing.

No fanboy salutes for Kindle and Rod Muckelroy, but no less fond a DKR farewell. They're both guys who had to battle to get to this level of senior success, though in different ways. Kindle arrived on campus overflowing with athletic talent, but raw as a football player -- a weakness that was only compounded by ankle trouble that slowed his development. But by all accounts he is a humble, hard worker, and when the perfect coach showed up his junior year, he had put himself in a position to take advantage of it. Amazingly, he's still pretty damn raw, but no one plays harder, and whatever short-term setbacks he faces as the difficulty elevates in the pros, that room to grow will prove a good thing. If he stays healthy, he can get there as a Sunday starter.

For his part, Muckelroy all but had to have his finger amputated when early in his sophomore season he severed a nerve. It is practically unfathomable to imagine an athlete that good having to sit on the sidelines because of a numb finger, but he bode his time, kept preparing, and closed his career fulfilling the promise he showed early on. A string of nagging injuries have held him back from having the gaudy senior season he's capable of, but as he returns to full health, he'll be as important as anyone on the entire defense if/when Texas matches up with Alabama or Florida.

It's hard to be anything but sappy about all of these guys, because everyone's so clearly worked so hard and contributed to the team so selflessly, and that goes for Deon Beasley, as well. It was Beasley -- not Chykie Brown -- who got put on the fast track as a freshman, but after he struggled with the big play as a sophomore and underestimated the importance of physical play as a junior, he lost his starting job to younger talent. Aaron Williams, Chykie Brown, and Curtis Brown haven't relinquished those spots, yet the demotion wasn't the death knell for Beasley, either. It would have been easy for Beasley to look at his impending graduation and his diminished role and coast to the finish line, but he clearly did just the opposite: though his role is more limited, when he's been out there he has played physically and hungry. It not only says something good about his character, but if Texas suffers an injury down the stretch, Beasley has shown he's ready to play. Heavy applause, sir.

Last but not least, I hope Ben Alexander is as proud of himself as we the fans are of him. When asked over and over on radio interviews this summer about the defensive line (the unit's presumed Achilles' heel), my go-to line that I repeated time and again was that "Alexander isn't much more than a situational space eater." But when the season started, there was Alexander, regularly rotating into the line, visibly slimmer and demonstrably quicker. And he has now played in all 11 games this season -- including one start -- accumulating 27 tackles and 7 tackles for loss. Texas needed Ben Alexander this year, and he put in the work to ready himself to contribute. Congrats, big fella.

He's not a senior, but the way he's playing football, I think we have to ask whether Earl Thomas is NFL-bound. Earlier in the season, I hung my hat on his diminutive size masking from scouts just how good he really is, but he's been so utterly exceptional over the past six games that it's becoming harder and harder to believe the secret's not out. I trust that Muschamp will help him make the decision that's best for him, but if the pro scouts are on to his excellence, "what's best for him" may, gulp, mean "going pro after this year."

Thomas was brilliant again tonight, whether shedding blocks to make a tackle before the marker, smothering Kerry Meier in coverage (5.1 yards per reception), or making another great play with the ball in the air to snatch a turnover. Again, he's just playing too well to be a secret. This is not a complaint.

Curtis Brown got his first taste of an NFL-caliber receiver since whats-his-name caught that pass at the end of regulation last year, and it wasn't terribly pretty tonight. I mentioned at the outset that I thought Kansas' success in the passing game was healthy: as thoroughly as this defense has dominated almost every opponent this year, I'm not opposed to a challenge providing a spark to keep everyone focused on improving. Curtis is so quick and athletic that he's capable of defending 98% of college receivers without worrying too much about technique, but Briscoe is not among them. The senior wideout repeatedly worked Brown with inside moves and then surprised him with his professional grade strength and speed. For the team and for Curtis: a good lesson and motivation to keep working.

SPECIAL TEAMS

I was away from the television for the kickoff return so I haven't had a good look at what went wrong, but kickoff coverage had been solid the previous five games and outside Briscoe's touchdown we held Jayhawks returners to a perfectly acceptable 19 yards per return. Texas only punted twice, one of which was returned for 32 yards, so I'd expect that'll be a point of emphasis in the coming week of practice. Given the overall strength of the kickoff and punt games on the season, I'm not going to lose much sleep over it, at least until there appears to be something systemically wrong. I didn't get a good look at either return live.

The big story on special teams to me was Hunter Lawrence, who buried kicks from 49, 47, and 35 yards out, raising his season totals to 8-of-9 from 40-49 yards and 7-of-7 from 30-39 yards. All told, Hunter has knocked through 20 of his 23 kicks, and among the three misses, only one is his fault -- a 28-yarder he jerked to the left; the other two were a miss from outside 50 yards and a block. Lawrence is 52-of-53 on PATs. Bottom line: if Texas finds itself in a game that comes down to a Lawrence field goal try, I like our chances. The senior has been absolutely nails all year long.

And with that, I'm out, with a short week before us until the final regular season game at A&M, who cost me a bottle of whisky by whipping the Bears today. I hope we beat 'em by 50.

BCS Profiles: Texas Longhorns

utesfan100 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:24:06 -0000

With the third BCS standings now out it is past time for me to profile a third team in the standings. The highest ranked team I have yet to profile is #2 Texas.

BCS Race:

Texas might be dancing with Alabama for the rest of the season for the 2 spot. Alabama and Florida would square off in the SEC championship game so all Texas is required to do is win their games.

A statistical breakdown of Texas is next:

Offense:

Texas is #31 in total offense at 417.8 yards per game, #1 in scoring offense at 41.75 points per game and #7 in Red Zone offense at 95%.

They are #26 in passign offense at 261.9 yards per game and #49 in rushing offense at 155.9 yards per game.

Former Heisman winner Colt McCoy is #7 in passing with 24.75 completions per game. In yards per game he is #23 at 247.1. In all purpose yards per game he is #24 at 264.4. In passing efficiency he is #25 at 144.6. he is tied for #35 in points responsible for at 12 per game.

Jordan Shipley has 64 of those receptions earning a tie for #3. He is #11 in receiving yards per game at 97.1. In all purpose running per game he is #34 at 134.5.

These two form a formidable threat to any defense, but cold not have the success they have had without the excellence of their supporting cast..

Defense:

Texas is #3 in total defense at 240.8 yards per game. They are #11 in scoring defense at 13.6 points per game. They are #95 in Red Zone defense, allowing opponents to score 87% of the time.

They are #1 against the run, allowing only 52.9 yards per game and #29 in passing offense at 187.9 yards allowed per game.

Earl Thomas is # 2 in passes defended per game at 1.83. He is #3 in interceptions with 0.75 per game.

Curtis Brown is tied for #32 in passes defended per game at 1.00.

Sam Acho leads the nation in fumbles recovered with 4 in 8 games. Emmanuel Acho and Lamar Houston are tied at #38 with 2 recoveries in 8 games.

Deon Beasley is tied for #35 in forced fumbles with 2 in 6 games.

This defense is a turnover machine. They may give up a few yards, but they are ready to burn your every mistake.

Other:

Hunter Lawrence is the #5 field goal kicker with 2 per game.

D.J. Monroe is #4 in Kickoff returns with 38.1 yards per kickoff return.

Jordan Shipley appears again here at #11 with 15.35 yards per punt return.

They are tied for #5 in turnover margin with +1.25 turnovers per game. They are #27 in time of possession at 31:34.

Prospectus:

Texas has faced all of their ranked opposition. The Big 12 championship game is the biggest game left, though complacency can rear its ugly head this time of year if a coach is not careful.

Even with a loss, Texas would be high on the list for an at-large invitation to the BCS.

In the Trenches - Answering the Call

burnt in ny — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:33:24 -0000

July 30 2009 - In a pre-season fanpost, I expressed the following concern for the upcoming season

As evidenced in last year's games against Oklahoma State and Ohio State, Texas's defense, which is increasingly designed to emphasize speed and quickness in order to match up with spread offenses, is vulnerable to power rushing attacks.

Numerous pre-season posts expressed anxiety about Texas' defensive tackles behind Lamarr Houston, who was an unknown commodity himself, such as perceived journeyman Ben Alexander and green redshirt sophomore Kheeston Randall. Visions of helpless collapses against power running teams in critical games filled everyone's heads. 2009 could be the year of Motown's Lamarr and the Space-Eaters against the blitzkriegs of Chris Brown, Kendall Hunter, Christine Michael, Tim Tebow, or Mark Ingram. The Horns might even have to use, gasp!, true freshmen Calvin Howell and Derek Johnson. The call went out by anxious UT fans for anyone, anyone to step up.

The Space Eaters - Ben Alexander (92) and Kheeston Randall (91)

Sure, UT could win 10 and maybe even make a BCS bowl (little did we know that there might be as many as 6 undefeated teams after 9 weeks in the 2009 season), but if it was the 2009 mythical national championship the Horns wanted, these guys had to step up.

Jimmy Hoffa, from the grave, "I need some nasty, beefy guys up front, and not ya cousin Guido. Whatevah it takes, capisce?!"

November 1, 2009. Basking in the glow of 41-14, the report is in: The call was ANSWERED!

For the details and more on the offensive line, Will Muschamp, and other tidbits, make the jump!

The Evolution of the Defensive Tackles: Space Eaters to Gap Monsters

No doubt, the Cowboys thought they could build on last year''s success and overpower the spread-ready Texas D. From the first offensive play, Oklahoma State's strategy was clear. Double the strongside DE (Acho or Kindle) with a tackle (Russell Okung or Brady Bond) and tight end Wilson Youman. Let Lamarr Houston penetrate into the play and have Keith Toston cut back behind a double team from guard Noah Franklin and center Andrew Lewis on the presumed sacrificial Kheeston Randall. Randall holds position with his shoulders underneath Lewis, and then when Franklin leaves to block Rodderick Muckelroy, he reaches out and slaps the ball out of Toston's hands, luckily recovered by Oklahoma State. OK, not exactly chopped liver, but it's one play.

On the first drive, powered largely by Zac Robinson's scrambling and a couple of trick plays, OSU ran some variation of the inside power run at Kheeston Randall 6 times. In the half they tried it 8 times The result: gains of 2, 2, 3, 1, 3, 4, 5, and 3 yards. That's a 3.8 ypc average if you're calculating at home. Not exactly 2008, when the Pokes averaged over 6 yards per carry. On all six runs, either Randall or Houston was able to slide off their block into the gap chosen by Toston, or were able to tie up two offensive linemen without losing ground for long enough to let Keenan Robinson or Roddrick Muckelroy make the tackle.

Even more interestingly, on the second drive, OSU abandoned the inside run almost completely (only two more inside runs the rest of the half) and instead began to attack Texas' corners. In the next 7 plays, 3 before and 4 after Jordan Shipley's fumbled punt, and ending the dropped fourth down pass in the end zone by Hubert Anyiam, OSU ran speed options to the outside or passed. They did not make a first down on either drive, and both Houston and Randall had QB pressures. Indeed, for most of the game the primary pressure on Zac Robinson was from either Houston or Randall.

This is worth taking a moment to appreciate. The play of the Longhorn defensive tackles, perceived to be a weakness at the beginning of the season by the fans and clearly also by Mike Gundy (otherwise why call 6 inside runs?) so completely defeats the OSU power running game that the Cowboys have to go to Game Plan B after the first drive. This shift in offensive philosophy eventually leaves Robinson vulnerable to the Texas secondary and perhaps provided the key to the blowout. While the Houtson-Randall-Alexander trifecta may not be composed of the best individual defensive tackles in the Big 12, they are good enough to stop the best power running team on the schedule without altering the defensive formation or changing personnel.

34 or 43: Which is the Magic Number?

The average fan is often aware of offensive formations (Wildhorn vs. empty set, etc.) but oblivious to details in defensive formations. Texas features a "Buck" package with Sergio Kindle as the "Buck" linebacker who can put a hand on the ground as a defensive end (to make a 4-3 alignment) or line up as a linebacker (to create a 3-4). The 3-4 alignment allows Will Muschamp to move Kindle around and create confusion in the blocking scheme. The success of the 3-4 alignment depends heavily on Texas having a strong presence at the nose, and Kheeston Randall filled that bill pretty well. A 3-4 defense is strongest against the pass because of the flexibility and uncertainty it creates for the offense in choosing routes and pass-blocking assignments. The 4-3 has the greatest potential against the run because the defensive tackles can take just one gap and penetrate and the linebackers are more protected.

In the Oklahoma State game, Texas switched regularly between the two alignments, and with largely the same personnel on the field. Although both fronts played well, there was a striking difference in OSU's performance against the two that highlights their strengths and weaknesses. Oklahoma State ran (not counting QB scrambles) against the 4-3 front 5 times in the first four drives, gaining 3 total yards (0.6 ypc). They ran against the 3-4 front 9 times, gaining 45 yards (5 ypc), with two runs accounting for 20 of the 45, including a 13 yard "jet sweep" by Travis Miller. On the other hand, Robinson passed against the 4-3 alignment 8 times, going 4-7 for 31 yards and an added 5 yard scramble (4.5 yards per play). Against the 3-4 front, Robinson threw five incompletions and had one scramble for 5 yards (0.8 yards per play). By the second quarter, Robinson was checking in and out of running plays to try to avoid running against the 4-3. Eventually, that caught up with him as he checked out of a run on 3rd and 2 from the Texas 30, only to throw the pick six to Curtis Brown.

The moral of these stats is that there will be a little cat and mouse game every week with opposing offenses trying to avoid running against the 4-3 and passing against the 3-4. The dominance of each defensive front against the offense it is designed to stop allows Texas to play against the offensive tendency, such as to expect a playaction pass on first down against its 4-3 or expect a run against its 3-4. Reducing an offense's playbook by half is a powerful defensive weapon.

Muschamp, You Wily Fox, You

Muschamp, the fox, playing with the mind of Zac Robinson. No chance, mouse: 41-14!

In going back over my notes and studying the tactics of both teams' playcalling, I'm convinced (without proof of course) that Muschamp baited Zac Robinson into Earl Thomas' interception. One of the great things about spread offenses is that receivers' routes are dictated by coverage, which allows the receiver to exploit the right seam or gap in the defense. However, I think that one of the reasons Texas' offense is struggling as much as it has this year is because defenses have now learned what choices receivers and QB's tend to make against particular formations. Defenses can now "show" one formation, know what choice a QB will make, and then run someone to that spot to jump the route. Against OSU, Earl Thomas began to run with the slot receiver, likely knowing that if he went with the receiver, Robinson would make the read to throw to the receiver running underneath to the area Thomas vacated. Knowing that, Earl released his man to Gideon deep and jumped the underneath route. If a defense gets to the point of responding to an offense's read rather than the actual player movements, then the offense will suffer the fate of the poor mouse in the photo, especially since there's no hole in the snow for an offense to hide.

Takin' it to the house!

Jekyll and Hyde, Version 2009.8

The offensive line that is. Frankly, I'm tired of analyzing the line's play because it's the same infuriating play every week. Any given individual along the line makes 3 great plays, 3 okay plays, and one really bad play. Against OSU, it was MOS. Chris Hall lets the defender get underneath him and thus enough penetration to trip Colt McCoy for a first down on 3rd and 2 in the red zone (Texas 3-0 instead of 7-0). Adam Ulatoski takes the wrong pass rusher and Colt takes a sack (end of drive). Charlie Tanner turns his head to the left and a blitzing LB goes by him to his right - sack and end of drive.

The good news is that, for the first time in three games, the OL was not physically overmatched at any time. The bad news is that this means it's all mental and after 140 collective starts or whatever it is, there shouldn't be this many mental errors. The offensive line is like an old house with faulty wiring: when you flip the switch, the light comes on most of the time, and good luck figuring out why it doesn't come on a few times. That said, GD had better be careful in how much he relies on only the core 5 offensive linemen to protect Colt. Five wide may be a nice change of pace, but an entire series of plays based on it, or using it on third and long, is going to get Colt injured or result in a turnover.

Greg Davis is a Genius

In an ode to GhostofBigRoy's call for series-based playcalling, I give you Texas' third drive against the Pokes at 14:25 of the second quarter. The previous (second) drive self-destructed from missed blocks by Greg Smith and Chris Hall and a failed run on first down, Colt throwing to a triple-covered Shipley for 3 yards when James Kirkendoll was 10 yards from anyone wide open 3 yards downfield on the opposite side of the play on second down, and a missed block by David Snow allowing Colt to get tripped up on a QB scramble.

With visions of Wyoming and Colorado dancing in the fans' heads, Texas started their third drive, after Hubert Anyiam's fumble, with three plays from 4 or 5 wide receiver sets. After overcoming a first down failure of the empty backfield and a sack of Colt, the Horns started first down on the OSU 38. The Horns, using their 11 personnel set with a running back and Greg Smith as the TE, ran the most beautiful series of running plays of the season.

1st down - Jet sweep to Marquise Goodwin (surprise, not DJ Monroe) for 7 yards.

2nd down - Spread counter to Cody Johnson up the middle for 7 yards. Charlie Tanner had awesome lead block.

1st down - Fake the jet sweep to the left and run Fozzy on a counter sweep to the right for 6 yards.

2nd down - Zone read, the DE crashes on Fozzy to seal the backcut, and Colt keeps for 6 yards.

1st down - Play action, fake the zone stretch left, Colt rolls out to the right and finds Marquise Goodwin in a seam vacated by Jordan Shipley's crossing route for 11 yards.

1st down - Jumbo package - Cody Johnson goes 2 yards and breaks the plane of the goal line - touchdown.

So the next time someone tells you that Texas has no running game, no misdirection, or no playaction passing, you can whip this out. The Horns have now used multiple plays to set up multiple other plays on the same drive, including in the running game. MORE OF THIS PLEASE!

Greg Davis goes from genius to imbecile on the same drive

It's the first drive of the second half. After the best playaction pass of the year for 44 yards to Malcolm Williams on a post pattern vacated, once again, by a Shipley crossing route underneath, Texas has the ball on the OSU 20. We're seconds away from 31-7 and good night ladies....

1st down - Cody Johnson on the zone stretch, cuts back inside and, with a good block from Buckner, gets 6 yards.

(Yeah, baby, pound it home!)

2nd down and 3 - Oops, OSU dances in front of Adam Ulatoski, threatening the blitz. Uli decides to tango. False start -5 yards.

2nd down and 8 - Davis can't get the play in in time AFTER A PENALTY &^&%&I. - 5 yards

2nd down and 13 - Let's call a play that hasn't worked all year against a defense that isn't blitzing. Shovel pass to Fozzy, who is clocked by an unblocked linebacker. - 4 yards

3rd down and 17 - Using 11 personnel (Okay, the Horns aren't running, it must be for max protect), Greg Smith runs out in the flat, Colt gets harassed and throws it to Smith for 5 yards.

4th down and 12 from the OSU 23 - Hunter Lawrence bails out the Horns with a 40-yard field goal.

What does it all mean?

Somehow, out of the flickering lights of GD's brain and the offensive line's attention span, Texas has a top offense that is going to look unstoppable on some series and infuriating on others. It is what it is, and I will officially stop complaining from now on and start appreciating it when the lights are fully on.

Central Florida Depth Chart

GhostofBigRoy — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:52:05 -0000

OFFENSE
Position	No.	Player	\|	No.	Player	\|	No.	Player
Flanker (Z)	8	Jordan Shipley	\|	11	James Kirkendoll		6	DeSean Hales
Sub B	84	Marquise Goodwin	\|	7	John Chiles
Tight End (Y)	83	Greg Smith	\|	13	Ahmard Howard	\|	89	Barrett Matthews
	Flex TE: Dan Buckner
Right Tackle	64	Kyle Hix	\|	72	Britt Mitchell
Right Guard	63	Michael Huey	\|	56	Tray Allen	\|	54	Mark Buchanan
Center	71	Chris Hall	\|	78	David Snow	\|	75	Steve Moore
Left Guard	52	Charlie Tanner	\|	56	Tray Allen
Left Tackle	74	Adam Ulatoski	\|	77	Luke Poehlmann
Split End (X)	9	Malcolm Williams	\|	4	Dan Buckner
Tailback	31	Cody Johnson	OR	28	Fozzy Whitaker	\| OR	2 23	Vondrell McGee Tre' Newton
	Specialty Back: D.J. Monroe
Fullback	24	Antwann Cobb	\|	31	Cody Johnson
	Short Yardage: Lamarr Houston
Quarterback	12	Colt McCoy	\|	3	Garrett Gilbert	\|	17	Sherrod Harris
Place-Kicker	15	Hunter Lawrence	\|	39	Ryan Bailey	\|	19	Justin Tucker

DEFENSE
Position	No.	Player	\|	No.	Player	\|	No.	Player
Buck	2	Sergio Kindle	\|	80	Alex Okafor
Tackle (Nose)	91	Kheeston RAndall	OR	92	Ben Alexander
Tackle	33	Lamarr Houston	\|	96	Calvin Howell	OR	93	Tyrell Higgins
End	81	Sam Acho	\|	32	Eddie Jones	\|	95	Tevin Mims
Strongside LB	18	Emmanuel Acho	\|	1	Keenan Robinson
Middle LB	38	Roddrick Muckelroy	\|	42	Dustin Earnest
Weakside LB	1	Keenan Robinson	\|	18	Emmannuel Acho
Right CB	3	Curtis Brown	OR	8	Chykie Brown
Right Safety	21	Blake Gideon	\|	27	Nolan Brewster	\|	5	Ben Wells
Left Safety	12	Earl Thomas	\|	27	Nolan Brewster
Left CB	4	Aaron Williams	OR	3	Curtis Brown
Nickel	12	Earl Thomas	\|	7	Deon Beasley	\|	4	Aaron Williams
Punter	19	Justin Tucker	\|	47	John Gold	\|	17	Trevor Gerland

SPECIAL TEAMS
Punt Returns	8	Jordan Shipley	\|	12	Earl Thomas	\|	3	Curtis Brown
Kickoff Returns	26 9	D.J. Monroe Malcolm Williams	\| \|	6 84	Jordan Shipley Marquise Goodwin		4	Aaron Williams
Kickoffs	19	Justin Tucker	\|	15	Hunter Lawrence
Holder	8	Jordan Shipley	\|	17	Sherrod Harris
Deep Snapper (PAT/FG)	83	Greg Smith	\|	72	Britt Mitchell
Deep Snapper (Punts)	58	William Harvey	\|	48	Alex Zumberge

Some brief analysis after the jump...

The big news here is obviously that Cody Johnson is now listed as the co-starter at running back, but in front of Fozzy Whittaker. It's hard to say if the coaching staff is upset with Whittaker, who missed open holes twice against Oklahoma State while bouncing his runs outside and also went out of bounds without contact again, a bad habit that was particularly damaging against Oklahoma, when Whittaker left 10-15 yards on the field. More likely, it's a result of Mack Brown's infatuation with larger backs and Johnson's tough running the last several games. He's still not a great fit in the scheme, but he does look quick and is a better blocker both on quarterback draws and in blitz pick up. It's also possible that he could see time as the lead blocker in the Monroe Series, where he could be much more effective than Whittaker.

Besides that, not a whole lot else worth parsing, although the coaches continue to list Shipley at flanker even though he has been playing in the slot almost exclusively since the Colorado game. Marquise Goodwin is now the starter in the slot in front of John Chiles. Malcolm Williams is also listed as the starter on kickoff returns with D.J. Monroe.

Notice that Curtis Brown is listed in front of Chykie Brown in their co-starter relationsihp, no surprise as Curtis has significantly outplayed Chykie for most of the season.

Postgame React: Texas Routs OSU 41-14 in Stillwater

Peter Bean — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:02:16 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

If Malcolm Williams can regularly make difficult catches like the two hauled in Saturday evening, Texas officially has one of college football's most dangerous downfield receivers.

Browse more photos »

The outcome was: exceptional. Heading into this game, I felt good about Texas' chances, but I figured the 'Horns wouldn't pull away until the 4th quarter, when the difference between the two defenses would be most pronounced. Instead, for the second straight week the outcome was all but decided by halftime. Not only did Texas's score with 9 seconds left in the half give them a commanding 24-7 lead, but the touchdown was a beautiful 11-yard strike to Malcolm Williams in the back of the end zone.

Maybe best of all, the 'Horns didn't win 41-14 on the back of a "perfect performance" or anything like that -- Texas was just the better team, with the better roster, and with sufficient depth of excellence that even on a "merely good" day, the 'Horns blew out Oklahoma State on their own field.

If we say that this season contains three big goals -- winning the Big 12, getting to Pasadena, and winning the national title -- tonight's performance was tremendous in service of the first two; with the win, Texas is in commanding position to get to both the Big 12 title game and, assuming no truly monumental upsets, the national title game. After the jump, where this week's Postgame React focuses on the less-than-great aspects of tonight's performance, the motivation will be to think about how to achieve that third goal. The current version of the Longhorns can and should win the remaining games on the schedule; but even if they do, beating a team like Florida is a different story altogether.

The Offensive MVP was: Colt McCoy (16-21 passing, 171 yards, 1 TD; 11 rushes, 34 yards; 0 turnovers). If the early season offensive struggles were equal parts Bad McCoy, Bad Greg Davis, and Bad Offensive Line, the past two weeks have been a great sign that the quarterback portion of the problem is behind us. He threw two incompletions that were simply bad throws of his own fault, but the other three were the result of pressure/nowhere to go; the other 16 passes were, of course, completions.

McCoy's 10.7 average yards per completion and 8.6 per attempt were markedly up from the rank pile of mess we were seeing early in the season, his distribution is improved, and his scrambling/decision-making on the fly is once again providing a big boost to an offensive system that depends upon it. If we take away the 2nd quarter blindside sack for a loss of 10 yards (identical, by the way, to the Austen English sack that resulted in a fumble -- pretty clearly a problem with our blitz pick up scheme), McCoy's legs chipped in an important 44 yards rushing, while at other times his scrambling was enough to avoid costly sacks, or to buy his receivers time to drift open. When your offensive design is as pedestrian as is the current Texas model, success literally depends on the quarterback's ability to make yards on broken plays. I think it too charitable to call that part of the "grand design" of the offense -- McCoy's strengths could be similarly leveraged, but in a systematic way, as opposed to serving a rescue function -- but things being what they are, it's good to see that Texas has succeeded in getting McCoy back to being McCoy.

Alongside the scrambling playmaking, the two things I most liked about McCoy's performance were the improved distribution and, not unrelated, the increased willingness to throw the deep ball. Eight games in, we've now seen why McCoy-to-Shipley can be both problematic and an enormous asset: as a near-exclusive element of the passing attack, the tendency can be troublesome, but when, as tonight, McCoy-to-Shipley is simply the highlight of a more comprehensive passing distribution, the value is easy to appreciate. While Shipley's team-best 6 catches were incredibly important, the evening easily could have turned out to be a bittersweet one had McCoy not also found a half dozen other receivers -- none more important than the two completed to Malcolm Williams: the 11-yard touchdown before half and a 44-yard gain early in the third. Both were good throws but made for difficult catches, and if along with getting Good Colt back there is any single offensive bright spot on which to focus, it's surely that Texas looked to its enormous split end down the field, and on both occasions he came through. My cries to move Shipley back to the slot were in part about how best to use the Roommate, but the other big focus was the potential upside of Williams succeeding at split end. Things are looking up.

The Offensive offensive LVP was: Greg Davis. I don't want to spend too much time on this today, since the offense is improving overall, there are several trends to like, and so forth. See above. However, it'd be intellectually dishonest not to say a few words about certain aspects of the offensive approach.

To his credit, Davis correctly thought that McCoy could exploit the Cowboys' zone defense both through the air and with his feet; to that end, the five-wide, empty set playcalling was not entirely senseless. That being said, there's an obvious and important difference between timely using such a formation as a component of a broader game plan and, as we saw tonight, exclusively deploying the formation for entire drives at a time -- the former is a strategic deployment, the latter a pretty sad concession that there exists nothing else of value in the offense that could allow for well-rounded-ness. Put another way, while the five-wide, empty backfield stuff had its value as a weapon with which to attack OSU, that Davis went with it so early, so often was a depressing confirmation either that Texas doesn't possess the ability to execute in the running/play-action game, or that Greg Davis is simply disinterested in it altogether. In either case, the culprit is the OC.

What frustrates me the most is the overwhelming evidence that the problem is primarily Greg Davis disinterest. If Texas was simply grossly incompetent, it'd still be on Davis but there would at least be the silver lining that such knowledge could be helpful to optimizing a game plan. However that is not what appears to be the case here: for one thing, there is reason to believe that Texas can run the football with modest success, certainly enough to be useful and off which play action can be utilized. Moreover, just when it looks like Greg Davis may have abandoned the run altogether, he haphazardly turns to it at predictably inopportune times. Call it the Token Run Play game plan -- limit your offensive package with disproportionate passing, and then make the challenge even harder by wasting a dozen plays a game on token rush plays called at the wrong time, and to which you're not meaningfully committed.

With Good Colt showing up this week, the offense had enough punch to be solid, but again, to the extent the goal is to win the national championship, the obvious concern has to be whether it will succeed against another elite defense. If Good Colt shows up, and if Texas continues to get more from its full set of receivers (Williams especially), it might be just enough to win alongside a dominant performance from this defense. For Texas' title chances to be greatest, however, the offensive approach will need to evolve and improve between now and January. After tonight, I'm convinced what we see is what we're gonna get; any meaningful recalibration would be a pleasant surprise.

The Defensive MVP was: All. No fair to single out any one or two guys when the entire unit stepped up to deliver such a thrilling performance -- all told, 4 picks, 1 fumble, and 2 touchdowns scored, while limiting the Cowboys to about 3 yards per play while the outcome was still in question.

The secondary will get most of the attention for this one, but hopefully fans noticed just how good was Texas' defensive line for most of the game. Sergio was Sergio, but my lunch pail would go to Kheeston Randall for his brilliant first half -- whether blowing up double teams, destroying any semblance of an inside running lane, or making Robinson throw the ball a half-second sooner than he wanted, Randall's impact was outstanding.

Moving back from the line, Texas got its best game of the year from its linebacking corps, who were physical in the run game and disciplined in support of the passing attack. Muckelroy was a human missile, Keenan Robinson was a bull, and Emmanuel Acho was just plain unfair -- he's going to put up junior-senior seasons that would make Derrick Johnson proud.

Finally, then, the secondary -- last year's goats not only aren't giving up anywhere near as much yardage, but are, as a second-year unit, turning the ball over at an amazing pace. Four more picks tonight for the DBs, with one each from Curtis Brown (TD), Earl Thomas (TD), Chykie Brown, and Blake Gideon. So long as Aaron Williams' injury doesn't linger, his absence tonight gave Texas fans a nice chance to see how far along Nolan Brewster has come; the sophomore safety knew what he was doing out in coverage and was encouragingly physical in run support (still a weakness for Blake Gideon).

The offensive Defensive LVP was: Oklahoma State receivers. Just a quick reminder that football is about preparation, and football is about execution, but it's also a bit about plain old luck, too. A year ago, Texas caught very little luck -- be it the brutal schedule, the Gideon gimme, or the terrible outcomes from other games that hurt the 'Horns in the BCS. This tear's team is better, but also to this point a good bit more fortunate: the schedule has been helpful (including, especially, the move of the Tech game), Texas won the Red River Shootout despite the offensive no-show (thanks, in large part, to two dropped pick-sixes by OU defenders and a game-saving tackle by Colt McCoy), and now last night in Stillwater, an early assist from Oklahoma State's receivers, whose bumbling first half performance spared the Longhorns the pressure of another tight contest in the early going.

This is not to say that the Texas defense was lucky, or the team's win fortunate... Just a nod to Lady Luck, who has to this point in 2009 smiled kindly upon the Longhorns. It can only help.

On the Milk Carton: Rushing the football. Because of the Shipley fumbled punt and the Curtis Brown run-back for a score, Texas only had four offensive drive in the first half, but as discussed above, the effort to rush the football was sparse and sporadic. On the team's opening drive Davis passed his way down to the red zone before token running his way into a field goal; the three-and-out second drive included one rush for a loss of three yards; the third drive opened with three straight pass plays, before 4 of the drive's final 6 plays were called rushes (Texas' first touchdown drive of the game); the fourth and final drive of the half was all passes in the two-minute drill.

Let us pray that this week's overwhelming number of five-wide, empty set formations were mostly about Davis thinking he could particularly drill an OSU weakness with them; the game's rhythm being what it was, the sample size of offensive drives when the game was in question was notably small. There's not much to dislike about a 41-14 win, but for the reasons discussed at length above, the five-wide, empty backfield as a primary emphasis of the offense has concerning long-term implications.

Central Florida Fear Factor: 2 out of 10. (5) is the baseline. +1 for Texas's potential to start flat from being in letdown mode; -1 for the near-certainty that any flat start could be overcome; -1 for the home field; +1 for UCF's defense looking respectable so far this year; -3 for Texas' defense looking like one of the two best in the country.

Heading into next week I feel: Excited. At the very least, Texas is a very good flawed team that has an excellent chance to battle through the rest of the regular season undefeated. At best, Texas is a great team coming into its own -- already there on defense, and with time to work on optimizing the offense.

Either way, the nightmare scenario is behind us (I was fearing my ability to blog the rest of the season after a loss to OU or OSU) and the season's three big goals are all very much in play and, increasingly, within reach. I'll drink to that...

Hook 'em

Afternoon Brewsky Digs the "New" Receivers

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:59:58 -0000

Flavor of the Week at running back: Fozzy-CoJo one-two punch. Given that Fozzy Whittaker and Cody Johnson have now gone two straight weeks (two!) as the top two running backs in the rotation, this feature may need to retire prematurely. However, there are always concerns about Fozzy's health (knock on wood) and giving a few carries to Tre' Newton or trying to get the ball to DJ Monroe five times per game could be beneficial to the offense.

Right now, though, Whittaker and Johnson compliment each other well and have each brought their particular strengths to bear against Oklahoma and Missouri. Johnson, in particular, has looked more impressive than ever, running with determination and a combination of quickness and power that Mack Brown obviously appreciates in a running back. Last week, I wrote that he was settling into a role as a fourth-quarter bludgeon, but the first drive against Missouri proved that he can do it early in the game as well, picking up a critical third and short, as well as pounding his way for seven yards after running through the tackles of four Missouri players. Has he even taken a hit in the last two weeks or has he given out all the hits on his tough runs?

As for Whittaker, he's no savior for the running game, but he does have good if not great speed. He's capable as a wide receiver, giving Greg Davis some flexibility in using him in empty sets and he ran harder against Missouri than he did against Oklahoma, seemingly trusting his body more and showing a greater willingness to pick up some tough extra yardage instead of leaving it on the field. The greatest asset that he brings to the table is his vision, allowing him to see the cut-back lanes, a point that isn't exactly a revelation at this point, but is still fundamental to understanding why Whittaker can be more successful in the Texas scheme than other running backs on the roster. It is, perhaps, simply a matter of time before he breaks a long running play.

New receivers pay early dividends. Missouri certainly didn't make it overly difficult for Texas to complete passes and pick up yardage early in the game by playing so far off the Texas receivers, but Marquise Goodwin and Malcolm Williams provided noticable upgrades over James Kirkendoll and John Chiles, while Jordan Shipley seemed to thrive in his return to the slot position, which allows him to catch more short passes, especially screens, while also having to ability to work inside or outside.

Despite predictably dropping an easy pass, Williams also showed that he deserves to be on the field with his combination of size and speed -- he's simply an extremely difficult player to tackle and on several of his catches, it looked like he was only one broken tackle or one step away from breaking a long play. At the end of the night, he totaled five catches for 53 yards and the first time that he's caught that many passes in a game -- against Tech he had only four catches and has had three catches on several occasions. If the coaches continue to play him, it's only a matter of time before he makes the same type of plays he did against Texas Tech last season.

The drops are a problem, but protecting the football is a larger issue, as Williams fumbled once and several times had trouble maintaining possession of the football after the play. Back to the problem with drops -- Greg Davis believes that Williams simply needs to do a better job of consistently attacking the football with his hands because he gets in trouble when he lets the ball get in on him.

In fact, with all the parallels between the Tech game last season and the upcoming trip to Stillwater, the game on Halloween night is the perfect time for Williams to finally fulfill the lofty expectations of Texas fans enamored with his physical gifts. Put the man on the field and get him the football.

Marquise Goodwin had an excellent night blocking, showing not only determination, but also an understanding of how to get up into defenders. Obviously, he doesn't have great size, but it never seemed to hurt him against Missouri, putting on a blocking performance that should have put James Kirkendoll to shame -- Goodwin probably gave better effort in one half than Kirkendoll has blocking all season.

Catching the football four times for 24 yards, Goodwin looked natural as always and didn't seem to have any moments of miscommunication with McCoy as he did at least twice against Oklahoma -- no doubt he is learning quickly, a remarkable ability of the young receiver. The biggest remaining question about Goodwin is just how much shake he has in his hips and if he has the ability to make defenders miss in space, but those questions will surely find some answers in the next several weeks if he continues to receive significant snaps.

Ultimately, it's difficult to separate how much the changes at receiver made a difference and how much of the first-half success was directly a result of Dave Steckel seemingly having little idea of how the stop the Texas passing game. For now, it's enough to say that the results speak for themselves and that players like Williams and Goodwin have a chance to grow with the offense as the season progresses and are major causes for optimism and a renewed belief that this offense can start clicking and put up the gaudy yardage and point-scoring numbers of last season.

Tracking: the "new" offense. It was probably not the best choice of words to say that the Texas offense was about ready to take a "complete 180," but that description does work in several ways. Last season, the coaches clearly committed to the four-wide offense and when Greg Davis went to EBS in the Texas Tech game, it was because he got scared, flat out. He felt like the offensive line wasn't protecting well, so he basically went to max protection, but the problem was that Smith didn't do well in some of his one-on-one opportunities, giving up a sack and obviously not providing the same threat in the passing game as the extra receiver. Overall, the decision was a net loss for that game.

Defensives started taking away what Texas was doing in four wide and the running game was struggling mightily, so Davis and Mack Brown decided to go back in the other direction, realizing that putting EBS in the game for more snaps would help the running game, particularly with misdirection, counters, and the possibility of using play-action more often and more effectively. The running game has improved with those decisions, but it was perhaps the play-action game that helped the Longhorns the most against Missouri. Starting out the game, Texas used play-action to get the linebacker covering Shipley a step out of position for a big gain and John Chiles had his first success down the field on a play-action pass. It's been some time since the Longhorns have so effectively run play-action fakes consistently in a single game. Perhaps several years -- the lack of a good play-action game has been a serious problem for some time, but at least for one game worked well. That's promising.

The other major change was supposed to be throwing more downfield -- how teams have played the Longhorns with two safeties deep and the effectiveness of the controlled passing game last season lead the coaches to eschew many long passes downfield, despite a player in Malcolm Williams who can go up and get the football using his size and athleticism. On that front, the Longhorns didn't attack down the field much, but they didn't have to because of MIssouri's softer than soft coverage. Brown said on Monday that there were some new wrinkles for the game the coaches didn't have to show because the first half went so well -- those plays could have been longer passes or they could have been new additions to the running game.

For the game, Texas played 11 personnel for around 80% of the snaps. EBS missed two pass blocks and one run block -- not a terrible game by any stretch of the imagination, but the coaching staff needs to be careful about how many times he gets matched up one-on-one on the edge, especially against an extremely talented edge rusher like Aldon Smith -- he wasn't great in those situations last year at about 30 or more pounds heavier and that's just not his strength right now. It's not necessarily his fault, much like last season -- the coaches just need to put him in a situation to more consistently be successful.

In the running game, he didn't dominate, but he was effective, providing a nice extra blocking surface and forcing the linebacker to have one extra gap for which they are responsible. The other aspect, of course, is his pass catching and he caught the only ball thrown at him for nine yards, but the surprising thing was that he was often open in the flat. Wide open. So were many other receivers on the same plays, but if other defenses deal with him the same way, there might be some chances to pick up yardage with EBS in the passing game if the defense isn't going to pay attention to him.

Overall, it's safe to say the offense will continue to head back in the direction of using 11 personnel at roughly the same 80% clip and it should continue benefiting the running game. To make the next step in improving the running game, the individual players on the offensive line need to perform better, but putting EBS on the right side of the line almost exclusively seemed to help Hix, who probably had his best game since ULM. At receiver, the changes clearly made a big difference, at least in blocking and should continue to help the offense improve moving forward. That should be a scary thought for the rest of the teams on the schedule.

Tracking: playmaking defense. After forcing five turnovers against Oklahoma, including three fumbles (two on special teams) and making two interceptions, the Longhorns only intercepted two passes and had the blocked punt by Curtis Brown. "Only" three turnovers because Texas didn't knock any balls loose, a similar performance to the Colorado game in that respect. It may have been mostly a result of Emmanuel Acho not getting a ton of playing time when Missouri was actually moving the football in the running game on their only touchdown drive, as neither Keenan Robinson nor Roddrick Muckelroy have shown the ability to relieve ball carriers of the football, but to be fair to Robinson, his sample size is pretty small. Muckelroy's is not. The bottom line is that the coaching staff is probably going to emphasize ball-stripping techniques again this week and the defense could really help the offense by forcing a fumble or two.

In the department of intercepting passes, the Longhorns continue to do a good job, but the biggest difference between now and earlier in the season is that players are finishing plays right now instead of dropping easy or relatively easy interceptions. Perhaps the biggest surprise in that department is Blake Gideon, who now has three interceptions after failing to pick off a pass all last season. Late in the game against Missouri, he read the quarterback's eyes and came off his man to intercept a pass intended for a receiver behind him along the sidelines, an excellent heads-up play. As long as he can make the plays he puts himself in a position to make, his athletic limitations aren't as much of a problem.

Chykie Brown also intercepted a pass, the first of his career, showing off his ability to react quickly by catching a tipped pass that ended up basically hitting him near the chest on a slant. While it wasn't an extremely difficult play, it's really his reward for having been around the football on so many short passes this year -- he's had his share of mental breakdowns, but his play this season has only been a disappointment compared to the high level of play turned in by Aaron Williams, Curtis Brown, and now Deon Beasley in limited opportunities. How about Beasley, though? It looks like coming so close to having his football career taken away from him has finally made him turn it up a notch on the field. He's actually a physical presence out there now. Good for him.

It's worth noting that both interceptions came off of back-up Jimmy Costello, but it's not like Blaine Gabbert was gashing the Longhorns in the passing game, though he did deliver an incredible pass to Danario Alexander into good double coverage by Robinson and Gideon. The Longhorns managed to knock Gabbert from the game on a sack by Eddie Jones, who continues to make the most of his snaps and continues to be a major success story for this team. Sergio Kindle was Sergio Kindle, disrupting plays. Missouri tried to run at him on the second play of the game and that's just a bad idea. That's just making it easy for him. Lamarr Houston was extremely disruptive and showed no ill effects from the OU offensive lineman trying to end his college career with a dangerous blow below to the knee in the Cotton Bowl. It's clear now that he is a defensive tackle through and through. It's hard to say enough about how well this defensive line has played and it's comforting to know that Ben Alexander can give the team some really good snaps up in Stillwater.

The bottom line -- right now it's dangerous to be an opposing quarterback facing the Longhorns.

Up on the high horse. The Tim Tebow love is sickening. Absolutely sickening. It was sickening when Thom Brennaman kept going on and on during the national championship game about how five minutes with Tebow would change your life. Hey, it's true -- if you've got some extra skin on your genitalia, Tebow will happily remove it for you. That's life changing right there. But what Tebow does with young Phillipino children isn't the point here.

The point is what Tebow did after his worst collegiate game, throwing two interceptions returned for touchdowns against MIssissipi State -- clearly, Tebow decided to channel his inner Jarrett Lee and that's just never a good idea. Instead of being a man, being the so-called greatest leader in the history of people leading people, and facing the media after his struggles, Tebow was nowhere to be found at the post-game press conference. Urban Meyer offered some lame, bullshit excuse about his quarterback visiting with his former offensive coordinator, current Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullens. Trash.

The cult of personality surrounding Tebow has gotten completely out of control over the last several years, but it's something that Tebow has more than embraced. He's allowed it to become what it is. His stupid speech after the Ole Miss loss last season that is ridiculously enshrined at Florida already. Congratulations -- as a quarterback, Tebow accepted responsibility for losing after failing to convert the crucial play of the game. Incredible! Has a quarterback ever taken responsibility for a loss they were responsible for in the history of football? Apparently not. The talk of how great of a leader he is all the time, yet his teammates visibly tune him out on the sidelines when he's giving them a tongue-lashing. Blah blah blah. Man up, Tebow -- you act like the second coming of Jesus, but then can't talk to the media after a bad game?

Colt McCoy, who obviously has no love lost for Tebow, saying several weeks ago that he has no relationship with the guy, had this to say ($) about avoiding post-game press conferences:

First of all, (Texas football communications director) John (Bianco) and them wouldn't let me do that if I wanted to. But I think it's your job as a leader, as the quarterback, no matter what, win, lose or draw, if you play good or you don't, you've got to go talk to the media. You're the voice for the fans to let them know what happened, and that's your job as a quarterback to do that.

That's right, Tebow, not only is Colt more of a man and a leader, but your SID is a weeny, too.

There were some murmurs last week about McCoy making excuses for his poor play against Oklahoma with talk of him being sick for the hundredth time this season and the thumb injury he said made it hard to hold onto the football and led to him fumbling near the goalline. Yet, McCoy still went and spoke to the media about it, manning up for his poor play. Not so Tebow.

It's certainly interesting to wonder why it is that Tebow and McCoy don't have some sort of friendship, given that both have deep religious beliefs and are seemingly cut from the mold. Perhaps McCoy feels resentment that Tebow gets such wide-spread adulation for snipping foreskins, while McCoy receives relatively little acclaim for travelling on two separate mission trips to Peru. Maybe it's frustrating to McCoy that he's a much better quarterback, but comparatively receives so little love for it. Of course, as Longhorns fans, it's actually beneficial that McCoy doesn't receive the same attention, as it would surely become just as sickening for the rest of the country as Tebow-love has become.

Given this last performance by Tebow, though? McCoy is not only a better leader than Tebow, which he showed, but he's also a much better quarterback than Tebow and every bit the runner, ably filling the unbelievably huge shoes of Vince Young, handling that pressure with aplomb. I'll take McCoy any day. You can buzz off, Tebow, I'd just as soon never hear from you again.