I bit the bullet and watched a La Tech game from last year. Here are my thoughts.

[Katfid54 8593]

I’ve read a lot of people providing high-level thoughts that La Tech is “worse than Maryland” and that the game should be an easy one.  But I haven’t seen any actual write-up analysis of the game.  So I bit the bullet last night and watched La Tech/LSU from last season.  Below are my thoughts, with GIFs of some representative plays from that game.

Note:  to the extent occurrences in the La Tech/LSU game were outliers, it is the only game of La Tech’s that I watched from last year.  So I am wholly basing my opinions on that totally inadequate sample size.

With that said, let’s get to it.

What to expect from La Tech’s offense?

 

Offensive Coordinator and Scheme:

La Tech’s OC is Todd Fitch.  Fitch has been with Skip Holtz since 2007 at ECU almost continually, although he had a three-year stopover in Boston College from 2012-2015 before reuniting with Holtz at La Tech in 2016.

Fitch was passing game coordinator at Iowa State in 2004 under Dan McCarney, where he coached true freshman Bret Meyer to 7 wins, including a victory over Nebraska.  Prior to that, he was an assistant under OC Skip Holtz at South Carolina when Lou Holtz was head coach.

Offensively, Orlando’s dime will get a LOT of run this game.  La Tech runs 4 wide almost every play.  They sometimes bring in an insert-back, but almost never have a true TE in on a play.  They’d prefer to motion a big WR into the box to help block than to substitute in a TE. 

La Tech runs no huddle, but their tempo is not anywhere near what most of the teams in the Big XII run.  They are not an air raid team.  They are more of a traditional spread team.  They will attack with bubble screens, WR screens, RB screens, inside zone and traditional spread passing concepts.

This will be a good tune up for what we’re going to see out of Neal Brown’s West Virginia on October 5.

Offensive Position Players:

The first thing that jumps off the page when looking at La Tech is their experience.  Across the offense, every single one of their starters is in their third, fourth, or fifth years.  Their QB is a RS Sr., and their line goes RS Sr., RS Sr., RS Jr., RS Sr., RS Sr.

Texas will not be able to count on La Tech to “lose” the game.  La Tech does not blow assignments or commit dumb penalties.  They are assignment sound—they just aren’t extremely talented.

Quarterback:

La Tech returns its starter, J’mar Smith (8), from last year.  He is very good at throwing La Tech’s timing routes, and they throw a LOT of them. 

Like the original spread offenses of the late 90s/early 2000s, La Tech relies on its timing route passing game to generate yards.  It does not, generally, try for chunk yardage.  La Tech is content to bite off bite-sized yardage through inside zone and screens to work its way down the field.

Smith is also decent at throwing intermediate routes to the middle of the field

He will buy time with his feet, but he is not a scrambler and generally does not even look to run. 

Smith struggles pushing the ball downfield with any accuracy.  Here's an example:

And another example:

Smith struggles even more when he has to throw while on the run. 

 

Running Backs:

 

La Tech has two main backs—Dancy (23) and Tucker (22)—who are virtually identical.  They are shortish scat backs like we see a lot of in the Big XII.  Both are good at running inside zone. 

Here's an example:

Here's another example:

Both are also used a lot in the passing game and are effective there.

Wide Receivers:

La Tech’s wide receivers are a mixed bag.  There are times where they make fantastic plays, and there are times where they cannot even catch the ball. 

Their best WR last year was Hardy (who wore 6 last year but apparently is wearing 89 this year?).  He is very good and will be a good test for Jalen Green.

Notice here that they use WR bubble motion to bring the safety up while their X and Z run right past their defenders.

Their only other returning receiver is Alfred (4), who shows up on tape as doing a good job of getting open, although he struggles with catching the ball in traffic.

Defensive outlook against La Tech’s Offense:

Don’t expect Texas’ defense to have a field day on Saturday.  In fact, don’t count on them to be able to reliably pressure the QB at all.  Almost everything La Tech does is predicated on timing routes and WR screens.  The key is to focus on fundamental football and limit those plays to minimal yardage.  La Tech will bail you out by having a WR drop the ball, and they’ll punt and get off the field. 

If Orlando gets frustrated and starts bringing the house, it could open up big plays for La Tech.  Aranda got very aggressive at times against La Tech and pinned his D’s ears back.  But La Tech did a nice job of always responding with a timely RB screen for chunk yardage. 

With that said, La Tech WILL turn the ball over—especially after completing a short pass play when their WRs try to do too much. 

Orlando’s unit has to be ready to capitalize on those opportunities.

 

What to expect from La Tech’s defense?

 

Defensive Coordinator and Scheme

 

This is a harder breakdown, because La Tech swapped DCs last year.  Their new DC is Bob Diaco, who you’ll last remember as a defensive analyst for OU last year when we played them in the cotton bowl and OU’s LB coach when we played them in the Big XII Championship (Diaco was promoted after Stoops was fired).  Diaco was fired from OU at the end of the season.

Most importantly, you’ll remember Diaco as the coach who invented the fake rivalry between UConn and UCF called the “Civil Conflict,” which UCF refused to recognize (including leaving the “rivalry trophy” on the field after winning the game.

Historically, Diaco runs an odd front defense.  Ideally, his nose guard will line up in a zero technique and two gap the center, and his ends will two gap the tackles.  We’ll see if Diaco has the personnel to do that against Texas.

However, La Tech’s current online roster presents as if Diaco will be running a 4-2-5 nickel defense (listing two DEs, two DTs, and two LBs).

Defensive Position Players:

La Tech’s defense will be experienced.  Like their offense, the defense will feature starters who are all in or past their third year.

Defensive Line:

La Tech’s defensive line last year was boom or bust.  But when they boomed, they were very booming.  That line loses its two players (45—Ferguson and 99—Garner).  Ferguson was a second day pick at the NFL draft.  Both were replaced by upperclassmen. 

It’s tough to figure out what they’ll be this year against the run, given those two losses and the possibility of moving to an odd front.  But last year, La Tech’s DL held up well even against a big OL in LSU.

LSU was intent to run on La Tech, but La Tech held their own against LSU’s rushing attack.

When they faced obvious passing situations last year, the DL’s pass rush was good.

 

Linebackers:

Again, assuming last year is an indication, expect this year’s LBs to be good in run fits. 

This is especially true when La Tech’s safeties assist with run responsibilities. 

Their strong safety, Jackson (10), jumps out on film.  He plays the run like Brandon Jones. 

Defensive Backs:

Their run defense is solid.  But the DBs last year did a poor job of holding up in coverage for any length of time.

The DBs often lost receivers in space.  In fact, La Tech was way better at covering grass than it was at covering wide receviers.

DBs lose receivers in space.  Way better at covering grass than covering people.  Here's an example:

Here's another example:

Conclusion:

This is a great tune up game against a team that will have inferior talent but will not simply give the game away.  Texas will have to come prepared, because La Tech is too experience to just roll over and give up.

La Tech played LSU close last year in Baton Rouge (La Tech was within three points in the fourth quarter, battling back from being down 14 early in the game).

If Texas plays sound assignment football, they should be able to handle La Tech.  The -20.5 point spread seems pretty generous to me, but I’d obviously be thrilled for Texas to cover that, because it would really bode well for the team this year.  But if Texas isn’t focused on the game and is looking ahead to LSU, this could be an uncomfortable night reminiscent of some squeakers from last season.  And if Texas’ defense is too focused on making a splash play, La Tech’s sound fundamentals could lead to some frustrating extended drives.

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[Hagbard Celine 10771]

Bill says "yup".

[Ghost of Shag 2585]

Just win, baby.  

[Hiphopopotamos 20865]

Forced me to look up the LaTech QB's stats.  Only a 57% completion percentage in an offense that generally throws short (AYA 6.5) and screens sucks.  Do his receivers have feet for hands - or is he just not a very good passer? 

I think you're right that Texas D should play conservative and wait for LaTech to make a mistake on offense.

[BurntOrangeBlooded15 1564]

Good work GIFman 

 

weekly installments perhaps? 

[txhorns 2408]

Are you sure you watched LaTech and not ULL or ULM?

[Bevo 13532]

They look pretty good. I think we will score lots of points, but we will give up a decent amount also. Hopefully, it will be in the 38-21 range for the good guys.

[Horn Under a Bad Sign 20347]

Louisiana Tech can suck my dick.

42-10

[crash_davis 23087]

including back his short tenure at u of h, herman's teams have a habit of losing to at least one team that they have no business losing to.  2 years in a row, it was maryland in the opener.  time for herman to show that he has grown as a coach, time for the team to show that they've taken the next step to be an elite team who easily handles games that they should handle.

no fucking way we follow up last years sugar bowl season ending win with a lost to fucking la tech to start this season.  

i have faith we turned the corner.  in sam and herb hand we trust.

we mudhole la tech showing that we are all business this season.  fuck louisiana tech and state!

 

show me a loss!!!!!

[Katfid54 8593]

49 minutes ago, Hiphopopotamos said:

Forced me to look up the LaTech QB's stats.  Only a 57% completion percentage in an offense that generally throws short (AYA 6.5) and screens sucks.  Do his receivers have feet for hands - or is he just not a very good passer? 

I think you're right that Texas D should play conservative and wait for LaTech to make a mistake on offense.

He was very good at their timing routes.  Hit almost all of them with good accuracy, even the more difficult throws like the deep out I GIFed above.  His receivers struggled catching his throws on the slants, from what I watched.

When he wasn't throwing a pre-determined route, though, he was extremely inconsistent and oftentimes hesitant.  This will be his third year as a starter, so maybe those tougher reads start to click, but when he was working through a progression in 2018, he was ineffective.

And, again, he was really bad if he was under any sort of pressure.  If his feet were moving when he threw the ball, there was a very low chance it was going to be anywhere near his targets.

[Machinator 32098]

Seems like good press coverage could help out with the timing routes, though with our inexperienced cornerbacks that might be a risk the defensive coaches don't want to take.

[Katfid54 8593]

2 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Seems like good press coverage could help out with the timing routes, though with our inexperienced cornerbacks that might be a risk the defensive coaches don't want to take.

Could be.  That also makes it way easier to block their bubble and tunnel screens.

I'm not opposed to manning up Jalen Green on Hardy all night.  Hardy is very good and is Smith's safety blanket.  If he's smothered, Smith will look elsewhere with the ball and will likely make some bad decisions with it.

[GoldAppleCorps 617]

You've clearly done a good bit of research here. I think what helps us more is that Orlando's D doesn't stand still before the play. A timing route is tough to defend, but only works when both the QB and receiver are together on the call.

The QB really gets the ball out of his hands quickly in a lot of those plays against LSU. He's intelligent and experienced. He reads the defense well and throws the  ball to a mark. However, if Texas is moving before and after (you'd hope) the snap, then the prospect of a quick pitch and catch diminishes. If the coverage isn't what you thought it was (a DB on the LOS suddenly retreats, etc), or if you and the WR had different ideas, then bad things happen. If the QB stops to confirm his thought, then the timing is off.

I say this, but yet what's killed us in our openers two years running is defenders second guessing their role. In years' past, the complexity has led to the Texas players having to think about their roles during a play. They were usually right, but too slow getting there to be of any use.

I'm hoping for defense at full speed on Saturday.

[Born Burnt 6168]

Thanks! I was impressed you were able to tell the players apart.

 

[Laxtonto 11934]

I would strongly recommend watching another game besides the LSU game. That was hands down their best performance of the season. 

 

 

[S11 16]

A team that’s better than its brand. If Texas is sharp it wins comfortably.

[Tex Long 4355]

As with Maryland in years past, my expectation is for a reasonably comfortable win. Assuming that Sam has learned to resist the urge to play hero, and that MensaTom has learned to resist the urge to let Beck call plays, that seems quite reasonable.

[Katfid54 8593]

28 minutes ago, Laxtonto said:

I would strongly recommend watching another game besides the LSU game. That was hands down their best performance of the season. 

 

 

Then that's the perfect game for me to have watched.

Edited to add:  We're going to get La Tech's best shot.  Not a shitty effort from them.  Just like we got Tulsa's best shot last year.

Edited August 27, 2019 by Katfid54

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2630]

I posted this on another thread, but after these last few years. I’m going be scared of every game until the clock winds down. 

[Neonmoon 38127]

I think this will be a game much closer than many posters on this board will be comfortable with

[Coelenterate Fuccboi 13010]

32 minutes ago, Laxtonto said:

I would strongly recommend watching another game besides the LSU game. That was hands down their best performance of the season. 

 

 

So, you’re telling me they play up for big games?

Do you know of a team which has a recent history of playing down for should-be blowouts?

Edited August 27, 2019 by Casual Encounter

[Burt Macklin 19000]

17 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I think this will be a game much closer than many posters on this board will be comfortable with

I still can’t get over the -20.5 line. I don’t bet against my own team, but man that line sure makes you think about.

[Ricky Butler 2662]

5 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I still can’t get over the -20.5 line. I don’t bet against my own team, but man that line sure makes you think about.

I was with you until I saw that Jake Smith is returning punts. He'll cover on his own.

[Katfid54 8593]

1 minute ago, Ricky Butler said:

I was with you until I saw that Jake Smith is returning punts. He'll cover on his own.

That's possible.  La Tech's special teams are very, very bad.

[pearlandhorn 3269]

1 minute ago, Katfid54 said:

That's possible.  La Tech's special teams are very, very bad.

Like Charlie strong bad? That’s nice.

[Katfid54 8593]

Just now, pearlandhorn said:

Like Charlie strong bad? That’s nice.

Their kicker can't get field goals outside the 30-ish yard range.  He also doesn't have a good enough leg to kick touchbacks on kickoffs.

And their punter, who was good, graduated, so who knows how their punting unit will fare.

[Eggo 3975]

3 minutes ago, pearlandhorn said:

Like Charlie strong bad? That’s nice.

I haven't seen any mention of their coin toss abilities. We need answers.

[Augustus 3061]

Great content.

[XYZ 2154]

12 minutes ago, Augustus said:

Great content.

This. Now the expectation is that Katfid54 will produce one of these before every game this season. Nothing less will do.

[BayouBill 835]

44 minutes ago, Burt Macklin said:

I still can’t get over the -20.5 line. I don’t bet against my own team, but man that line sure makes you think about.

I think this has 31-10 written all over it.

[lazygringo 369]

LOL, WTF is this? He had the blocks. He just panicked. Not good pocket presence here. Could be a long day for him against our D-line if he's prone to skittishness like this.

[Walden Ponderer 12639]

La Tech's strength is theoretically their dink & dunk timing game, but the reality is, the only success they had against more talented opposition came when they got lucky taking advantage of overly aggressive blitzes.

I'll be stunned if Orlando rushes more than 4 very often. Like, maybe 2-3 times for the whole game type "not very often".

[CB'sGotMeLit 131]

15 minutes ago, lazygringo said:

 

LOL, WTF is this? He had the blocks. He just panicked. Not good pocket presence here. Could be a long day for him against our D-line if he's prone to skittishness like this.

Burrow is a tough son of a bitch, he's going to give us all we want.  Go watch the Auburn game you lazy gringo. 

[sushihorn 3233]

18 minutes ago, lazygringo said:

LOL, WTF is this? He had the blocks. He just panicked. Not good pocket presence here. Could be a long day for him against our D-line if he's prone to skittishness like this.

LSU's RT Deculus is a serious liability in pass pro.  Their guards really aren't that good as pass blockers either.  IMHO that's one of the main reasons they've switched to a scheme that rarely requires them to pass block.

[Fondren & Main 6675]

4 hours ago, Horn Under a Bad Sign said:

Louisiana Tech can suck my dick.

42-10

 

[nunna yo bizness 1687]

Great writeup, but are you sure you can tell if it was actually LaTech that you watched?

[Hagbard Celine 10771]

6 hours ago, Laxtonto said:

I would strongly recommend watching another game besides the LSU game. That was hands down their best performance of the season.

when was the last time we didn't face a best performance?

[Mitch Cumsteen 18526]

2 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

when was the last time we didn't face a best performance?

Do you even "Georgia didn't want to be there" bro? 

[Zavala 1384]

Nice breakdown. Wow that QB had a lot of time against NFL level all pro DL of LSU.

[XYZ 2154]

35 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

when was the last time we didn't face a best performance?

TCU?

[Voluminous Banality 1032]

7 hours ago, lazygringo said:

LOL, WTF is this? He had the blocks. He just panicked. Not good pocket presence here. Could be a long day for him against our D-line if he's prone to skittishness like this.

They're running a new, no-panic offense this year.

Edited August 28, 2019 by Voluminous Banality

[Katfid54 8593]

14 hours ago, lazygringo said:

LOL, WTF is this? He had the blocks. He just panicked. Not good pocket presence here. Could be a long day for him against our D-line if he's prone to skittishness like this.

Meh.  It's not a great play, but Ferguson pretty clearly has the RT beat, and Burrow can't cleanly step up in the pocket with 95 pushing the LT back, too.  Plus, it's possible (although probably unlikely) that he sees Jackson (10) coming in on a delayed inside blitz and knows he needs to escape away from it.

[Homesickhorn 2202]

I would strongly recommend watching another game besides the LSU game. That was hands down their best performance of the season.   

 

 

Wow. Hey everyone, let’s watch and analyze all of the shitty performances that La Tech had instead of their best. I sure hope the team and coaches share your view, because if they do, shit could get really interesting.

 

Did you just post that to say that La Tech sucks, or do you really ‘strongly recommend watching another game’? The fuck outa here with that shit.

 

Great work OP.