Texas O-line talk

[JOSEYWALES66 1799]

8 minutes ago, touchthemonolith said:

Wasn't Denzel Okafor one of the Briles recruits who jumped ship when everything went down at Baylor? That straight up seems like it happened a decade ago.

EDIT: Or am I thinking of Patrick Hudson?

Yes that was Hudson. 

[LTtxfan 49078]

Dallas Morning News...

Positionless lineman Derek Kerstetter says he’s enjoying move to Longhorns center

Now at his third position, the senior lineman welcomes the challenge of playing yet another spot.

By Marcus Krum    2:10 PM on Sep 22, 2020

Senior quarterback Sam Ehlinger, senior offensive lineman Derek Kerstetter, senior defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham and junior safety Caden Sterns spoke with the media Tuesday. 

Kerstetter’s transition

Derek Kerstetter doesn’t have a position of choice on the offensive line. He’s played tackle, guard and now as a senior has made the switch to center. But the Texas offensive line’s “jack of all trades” said he hasn’t specialized because he’s happy to do whatever the team needs him to.

“I used to play (center) as kind of an emergency role, but now being the full-time guy and getting all the reps, it’s been a transition,” Kerstetter said. “I think I’ve really started to welcome the role. I’ve enjoyed it because that’s what my team needs, so I was happy to move there.”

Although it’s his first season in the middle of the offensive line, Kerstetter’s relationship with Ehlinger was key in making a smooth transition.

“He understands the role and the communication that it really takes for playing center,” Ehlinger said. “It’s a little different because he’s calling out ID’s, he’s calling out protections and calls, and everything like that.”

Kerstetter was also named as one of Texas' seven captains for the season. According to teammates, Kerstetter welcomes the work that comes off the field. He clearly has welcomed the challenges on it.

“I’ve really enjoyed the transition. I think it’s a lot different in the run game because you’re obviously right in the center of everything, so I have enjoyed that,” Kerstetter said.

 

 

Edited September 23, 2020 by LTtxfan

[LTtxfan 49078]

Thanks for this @Goodman  

 

[LTtxfan 49078]

 

[LTtxfan 49078]

247 Jeff Howe:  O-Line Depth Chart for Tech 

Left Tackle

1. Samuel Cosmi (Jr.)

2. Andrej Karic (Fr.-HS)

Left Guard

1. Junior Angilau (Soph.)

2. Rafiti Ghirmai (Soph.) — OR —  Jake Majors (Fr.-HS)

Center

1. Derek Kerstetter (Sr.)

2. Jake Majors (Fr.-HS) — OR — Rafiti Ghirmai (Soph.)

Right Guard

1. Denzel Okafor (Sr.)

2. Tope Imade (Sr.)

Right Tackle

1. Christian Jones (Soph.)

2. Isaiah Hookfin (RS-Fr.)

Key Quote: "I like the fact that we threw the ball in the upper 40s and had zero sacks. I thought that was impressive. I didn't like though, our quarterback got hit a couple of times and when we decided to major in the run game, we didn't exert our will, necessarily, maybe the way that we did in the throw game. But I'm not too concerned. When you only attempt [13] in the first half — runs handed off to the tailback — it's going to be tough to get into a rhythm, so to speak, so I think some of that is to be understood. Those are the two things that stand out like and dislike." — Herman on what he liked and didn't like about the offensive line coming out of the UTEP game

Edited September 23, 2020 by LTtxfan

[LTtxfan 49078]

 

[LTtxfan 49078]

  Derek Kerstetter Media Availability [Sept. 24, 2020]

[LTtxfan 49078]

Notes for Tech thanks to @satyanash  

Humidor

OL: This could end up being a big week in deciding the future of the right side of the o-line for the season. Denzel Okafor and Christian Jones will start at guard and tackle respectively, but Isaiah Hookfin practiced at both spots this week and we expect to see a healthy dose of the promising young lineman. Is it possible we see an emergence like we saw with Cosmi his redshirt freshman year?

[LTtxfan 49078]

[Red Five 40732]

From the Little I saw against UTEP, no way is Hookfin not one of our five best right now.

[satyanash 14407]

O-line has not acquitted itself well in the traditional run game so far. 17 carries for 55 yards (3.2 ypc) across our RBs combined.

Thankfully Sam's been bailing them out in a big way so far.

[Burt Macklin 19000]

4 minutes ago, satyanash said:

O-line has not acquitted itself well in the traditional run game so far. 17 carries for 55 yards (3.2 ypc) across our RBs combined.

Thankfully Sam's been bailing them out in a big way so far.

You’re just ejaculating all over this board today. Calm down, Satya. 

Edited September 26, 2020 by Burt Macklin

[satyanash 14407]

Rico Jeffers has been disrupting our run-game all day long. O-line's having big problems.

[crony 359]

Fuck herb hand

[satyanash 14407]

Absolutely pitiful series for the O-line. My God.

[hookem48 4686]

weak, just fucking weak at the point of attack all across the board since 2008

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

What was Kerstetter doing on that sack,  staring off to his left?  Getting pointers tomorrow Angelou? There was nobody within 15 yards. 

[satyanash 14407]

Okafor and Jones with a horrible crackback block, followed by Sam getting immediately sacked on a 3-man rush.

[Neonmoon 38129]

The entire OL is garbage. Hand needs to be fired on the field. Not even wait for the plane.

[satyanash 14407]

FFS Okafor. How can you make that mistake???

edit: shortly followed by FFS Kerstetter, how can you make that mistake?

Edited September 26, 2020 by satyanash

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

Okafor was bad today.

[Goodman 3273]

Tom has proven awful at managing an OL unit these 4 years. His first year he told us it was a better unit than his MNC line. Okafor plays dumb football for such a smart guy, Jones is a project and Junior is the same guy we saw here a year ago.

[touchthemonolith 646]

Seeing a lot of hate about Herb Hand's inability to coach up an offensive line. But to be fair, he's also shit at recruiting too.

[6th Street 6357]

That 3 man rush sack on 3rd and 25 was when I had to leave the room

[Coach pop a bitch 5459]

5 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

That 3 man rush sack on 3rd and 25 was when I had to leave the room

And it happened twice bro. Wtf

[CurlyDumps 4459]

Why was this Emeril wanna-be fucking buffoon retained again?

[DanTheHorn 4903]

Would it be fair to say the OL mistakes cost us as much as the defense?  Probably not but it sure feels like it. They were horrible.  10 freaking penalty yards at the 8 with the game on the line. Just inexcusable.

[hookem48 4686]

we just don't lift the same weights as Bama, it's like we mix in some of those fake store display weights to make ourselves feel better.

[taybo20 2825]

They struggled hard. Way too many penalties and giving up sacks to a 3 man rush where them pocket collapses is pretty inexcusable

[Dbeasy 15012]

Looking at the depth chart for The Tech game, it’s really shallow. Too many (RS)/Fr at second string. With a weak 2021 recruiting class too, they are going to have to find at least 2 grad transfers for next year.

[hookem48 4686]

1 hour ago, taybo20 said:

They struggled hard. Way too many penalties and giving up sacks to a 3 man rush where them pocket collapses is pretty inexcusable

even when we have a decent run we have to make someone miss in the backfield first

[LTtxfan 49078]

Scipio Tex notes Tech Game           (Thanks @satyanash  )

What Went Wrong: OL Cohesion. The box score will show that Texas scored 63 points and allowed two sacks and six tackles for loss. Who could possibly be down on the OL? Other than Sam Cosmi, I'm pretty down on some of the key mistakes that they made. The two sacks they surrendered were against three man rushes, one of them on a T/E stunt where the end ran between an unoccupied Kerstetter and Okafor. The OL also had multiple penalties at key moments that were absolute drive killers. Offsides. Blocker downfield. Chop block. Holds. The game plan didn't exactly set them up for success in the running game, but the lack of displacement or their ability to get hats on a 2nd level defender was notable.

Pad level is also too inconsistent in the running game. This is a basic coachable thing. It doesn’t require talent. Zone blocking doesn’t mean you stand up. 27 minutes of the second half. Until Texas went to hurry-up tempo late, the Horns logged the following 2nd half possessions:

4 plays, 16 yards PUNT
6 plays, 4 yards PUNT
3 plays, 3 yards INTERCEPTION
12 plays, 64 yards FIELD GOAL
3 plays, -21 yards PUNT

That's five possessions totaling 66 yards and a field goal while setting Tech up with three short field touchdowns. Down 15, Texas went tempo, spread it out, and rattled off three touchdowns on 13 plays to score 22 points and win the game. Winning is hard.

Player Notes OL:

Cosmi was good.

Kerstetter forced a very savvy offsides call on the Tech defender when he tapped the guy’s helmet when he entered the neutral zone, forcing a ref flag. But he also a blew a pass pro inside and had another holding penalty on the same run as the one he was flagged on against UTEP. He’s allowing the nose to create space on his fit and let the ref see the grab. When you hold inside, get snug, and drive your feet. Don’t allow daylight so the ref can see the grabbed cloth.

Angilau had a false start on a 3rd and 3 and was beaten badly by a backside defender on a run play that resulted in a TFL. Okafor had an egregious hold late in the 4th and Christian Jones added an illegal chop block on another key down. Allowing two three-man rush sacks is unacceptable. This unit needs to come together and the coaches need to run offense that helps put their defenders into conflict or out of position

[Treefidy 1463]

On 9/27/2020 at 12:12 AM, CurlyDumps said:

Why was this Emeril wanna-be fucking buffoon retained again?

For continuity in recruiting, didn’t want to risk losing Brocks.  Really, lol. 

[LTtxfan 49078]

Bobby Burton grade for Tech game

Offensive line

After halftime, the Horns’ OL was ridiculously bad and all but cost Texas the football game. The group committed six penalties and gave up multiple sacks and pressures in that time frame. They rarely created running lanes and just generally looked disjointed against a Tech front that is average at best. Herb Hand should be on notice. As should every member of the OL save Samuel Cosmi. Derek Kerstetter’s transition to center is still underway; he gave up a huge sack in the fourth quarter. Denzel Okafor had multiple infractions and lacks quickness. Christian Jones gave up a TFL in the third quarter. And Junior Angilau is not someone who moves laterally well enough to effectively run stretch plays to the opposite side. If anyone tells you that any OL outside of Cosmi and perhaps Jones graded out well, I wouldn’t believe them for a second.

Grade: F

[LTtxfan 49078]

In Bobby Burton's  MONDAY write-up:  

Quote

I watched and re-watched the offensive line multiple times.

I literally would be rewininding plays multiple times just to see what was happening across the board on diffferent plays.

There are several issues.

First, the lack of quickness laterally by both Junior Angilau and Denzel Okafor is a real problem. It is not allowing stretch plays to get going because neither is quick enough to maintain a backside block long enough, at least they weren't quick enough against Tech which is an average defensive front at best. That takes a key running play option away from the offense, and in fact makes it more likely to be a no gain or tackle for loss.

Second, Okafor still plays way too much over his feet and gets caught lunging and taking steps that are too big and not balanced enough. That will hurt execution on play side runs, and it cost him a holding penalty in the fourth quarter with Texas driving.

While Okafor has those issues, he is not a bad pass protector. He's actually better than Angilau in that regard. Once Okafor latches on, the defenders really can't push him much. Angilau, however, doesn't seem to have to same arm length and his lateral quickness can be an issue there.

Derek Kerstetter is clearly still learning the poisition. On the three-man rush that got to Sam Ehlinger, Kerstetter got caught not staying even and using his peripheral vision to watch both sides of the line and a free rusher went right by his earhole on a twist.

Christian Jones is an adequate blocker and adequate pass protector but he is not great at either at this point. So it's hard to pinpoint exactly what you can depend on him for.

The only relative strength, at least right now on the OL, is the play of Sam Cosmi.

So what does Texas do about this?

Is Isaiah Hookfin a potential answer at either right tackle or guard, or do the Horns try to push Jake Majors into a starting role at center and kick Kerstetter back out to tackle? Something needs to be done because right now, the group is not performing as well as it should. They just don't work well together as a group, in part because I think their strengths and weaknesses are too varied.

That's what I see as the problem for this OL. They're not great at any one thing.

**

An example of poor line play was the fourth down conversion in the fourth quarter by Roschon Johnson. Johnson was stoned at the line of scrimmage going right. The Texas O got zero push. Johnson only made it with an excellent individual second effort and a subsequent push by those same linemen.

 

[LTtxfan 49078]

😂😂😂

 

[DanTheHorn 4903]

Just finished re-watching the first half again. At 14:44 of the second quarter on 1st and 10 there are literally 6 of our guys engaging the 3 Texas Tech lineman. Each has a double team and 2 out of three beat it just enough to disrupt the play. What the hell is Tom talking about better then he thought?

Also, Cade Brewer is starting to look pretty useless, I think it is Epps that lines up at half back on one play and he looks like he is counting steps in a dance class while the blitz is coming on his side and he never even takes a peek. Jay Boulware is doing a crappy job with TE's must be concentrating on special teams right now. Oh wait, were doomed.

[Funk Doctor Spock 12136]

7 minutes ago, DanTheHorn said:

Just finished re-watching the first half again. At 14:44 of the second quarter on 1st and 10 there are literally 6 of our guys engaging the 3 Texas Tech lineman. Each has a double team and 2 out of three beat it just enough to disrupt the play. What the hell is Tom talking about better then he thought?

Also, Cade Brewer is starting to look pretty useless, I think it is Epps that lines up at half back on one play and he looks like he is counting steps in a dance class while the blitz is coming on his side and he never even takes a peek. Jay Boulware is doing a crappy job with TE's must be concentrating on special teams right now. Oh wait, were doomed.

He IS useless. Dude has stones for hands. 

[LTtxfan 49078]

 

[LTtxfan 49078]

12 hours ago, DanTheHorn said:

Just finished re-watching the first half again. At 14:44 of the second quarter on 1st and 10 there are literally 6 of our guys engaging the 3 Texas Tech lineman. Each has a double team and 2 out of three beat it just enough to disrupt the play. What the hell is Tom talking about better then he thought?

No doubt somebody needs to chew Coach Hand's ass out... Shit has has to get better on the TEXAS O-line !!!

[DigglerontheHoof 21101]

Texas fan base on dominant offensive line

[Thiefery 4974]

4 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

No doubt somebody needs to chew Coach Hand's ass out... Shit has has to get better on the TEXAS O-line !!!

Spoke to an Auburn fan and he chuckled..  Said that sounded just like the Hand that was there.. No in game adjustments, non existent recruiting, and poor development.  Says the OL is just beginning to improve after he handicapped it while there.

I really hope he was just trolling me a little bit.  C'mon Hand..  just keep improving week to week..

[LTtxfan 49078]

7 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

Spoke to an Auburn fan and he chuckled..  Said that sounded just like the Hand that was there.. No in game adjustments, non existent recruiting, and poor development.  Says the OL is just beginning to improve after he handicapped it while there.

I really hope he was just trolling me a little bit.  C'mon Hand..  just keep improving week to week..

Hand's leash has to be short -- he's got enough talent in that O-line room to have better results than what we've seen so far vs UTEP and Tech...

[crash_davis 23090]

12 minutes ago, Thiefery said:

Spoke to an Auburn fan and he chuckled..  Said that sounded just like the Hand that was there.. No in game adjustments, non existent recruiting, and poor development.  Says the OL is just beginning to improve after he handicapped it while there.

I really hope he was just trolling me a little bit.  C'mon Hand..  just keep improving week to week..

sounds like us to iowa fans re GDGD

[Jimmy The Geek 12]

To me, the main knock with Hand is recruiting. By all accounts, this recruiting year was a banner year for OL and we whiffed on all our primary targets and now we're begging second-, third-, and fourth-level guys to come. Anybody who knows football knows it starts up front--control of the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. We're much better off with the DL than we are with the OL. Given the relatively long development cycle for OL, we need to be putting good  talent into the pipeline now for two or three years down the road and we're . . . not.

[TwiceHorn 31375]

Hard to tell.  I accept that Oline takes time to develop and there's no quick fixes.

There has been some improvement under Hand, but it seems to be fits and starts.  And there seem to be signs of lack of fundamental coaching (penalties, inability to handle things like twists and stunts), but it could just be stupid players.

He's entering his third season.  Do we really have enough data?

[Jimmy The Geek 12]

5 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Hard to tell.  I accept that Oline takes time to develop and there's no quick fixes.

There has been some improvement under Hand, but it seems to be fits and starts.  And there seem to be signs of lack of fundamental coaching (penalties, inability to handle things like twists and stunts), but it could just be stupid players.

He's entering his third season.  Do we really have enough data?

For me. Twice, Tech's 3-man rush got to Sam. Three rushers. Texas Tech. Both Brocks to 'bama. I'm convinced.

[Not a Sock 2311]

10 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Hard to tell.  I accept that Oline takes time to develop and there's no quick fixes.

There has been some improvement under Hand, but it seems to be fits and starts.  And there seem to be signs of lack of fundamental coaching (penalties, inability to handle things like twists and stunts), but it could just be stupid players.

He's entering his third season.  Do we really have enough data?

Absolutely we have enough data, improvement from flaming dog shit to boiling dog shit is not enough to justify his salary and is only compounding his already  bad recruiting.

[westexhorn 2010]

Can we snag Iowa OL coach?

[Goodman 3273]

48 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Hard to tell.  I accept that Oline takes time to develop and there's no quick fixes.

There has been some improvement under Hand, but it seems to be fits and starts.  And there seem to be signs of lack of fundamental coaching (penalties, inability to handle things like twists and stunts), but it could just be stupid players.

He's entering his third season.  Do we really have enough data?

We do IMO but your point is valid, there is 4 years of OL data points that fall on our HC. Tom seems to be exactly what we've seen here with very little progression and maturation as a HC.