Hey PK -- What would you say you do here?

[billfromlaketravis 11887]

We need a bye in the worst way. Big 12 Scheduling did us no favors. 

[HtownHorn 15236]

21 hours ago, The Earl of Texas said:

No one gives up 3rd and very long like a PK defense does.

Fail to send extra pressure to get to QB + run zone to ensure their best WR doesn’t have anyone assigned to him must be a strategy that is too bad ass and advanced for the likes of me to understand.

You want to send more pressure when our secondary was missing Watts, the freshmen were getting confused and our safeties are a liability in coverage?

[LTtxfan 50040]

29 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Without a solid pass rush and a play maker in the secondary, I have little hope that it will change dramatically. I was thinking about the game and wondering has a DB or LB jumped a route all year? Maybe I missed it, but I can’t recall an instance 

Yeah, on this current Texas team there are no real dominant defensive playmakers like an Ossai, Michael Huff or Derrick Johnson.

Sark needs more recruiting success for his defensive roster -- might not hurt to change part of his defensive staff too.

[HtownHorn 15236]

3 hours ago, TXpride said:

So if we get elite talent at every level of the defense, it might work?

Yes, it's amazing when you get NFL talent and all 3 levels how much better a defense will look. Add in the fact that despite Texas leading the Big 12 in QB pressures by a lot, there has been no accepted holding call against the opposing OL in 7 games.

[HtownHorn 15236]

1 minute ago, LTtxfan said:

Yeah, on this current Texas team there are no real dominant defensive playmakers like an Ossai, Michael Huff or Derrick Johnson.

Sark needs more recruiting success for his defensive roster -- might not hurt to change part of his defensive staff too.

The secondary coaches should be on the chopping block. Our fundamentals appear to be really bad.

[6th Street 6711]

Gideon and Joseph haven't added any value. It's crazy because Sark went and fired the WR Coach last offseason but made zero changes on defense.

[bschoolprof 6352]

The only way you consistently, across multiple seasons, give up 3rd and longs is if your DC is a fucking idiot (see Tony Orlando for example).  It's not a talent or bad luck or injury issue.  PK's defenses do this because he's simply not a very good DC.  Period.

You can also pick whichever stats you want to make yourself feel better (yes, the defense is improving, but it almost has to given how bad we were last year).  If you actually watch the product on the field, our defense is terrible.  We will never consistently contend for anything meaningful with PK at the helm on defense.  That was obvious last year. The fact that he is still employed is the biggest mark against Sark for me (and I really want Sark to succeed).  

[Dbeasy 15616]

The bend not break philosophy of the defensive staff makes every game closer than it could be.

The opponents hold the ball too long, keeping it out of the hands of the offense. Combine that with the fact that the offensive philosophy is different than a fast score offense like Riley’s, and statistically it produces more potential loses.

The positive side of the philosophies is that they keep Texas in most games and avoids blowout losses.

[CosmoDog 389]

How is it that after 10+ years our Achilles heel is still 3rd and long? We have been consistently shitty in this regard.

Whichever DC figures it out will be a god send.

I’m optimistic that our recent recruiting on defensive line and backfield will yield results after they ripen a bit, but I’ll not believe it until I see it.

[CosmoDog 389]

20 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Gideon and Joseph haven't added any value. It's crazy because Sark went and fired the WR Coach last offseason but made zero changes on defense.

What are the odds of Patterson taking over as DC?

And, would we want that?

[Hookem2147 22057]

26 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Gideon and Joseph haven't added any value. It's crazy because Sark went and fired the WR Coach last offseason but made zero changes on defense.

He fired the receivers coach because he couldn’t recruit a dehydrated person in the desert to drink water.

At least Gideon and Joseph pull their weight on the trail. 

Edited October 16, 2022 by Hookem2147

[gmr548 16704]

1 hour ago, Texasborn91 said:

We have to get it right on 3rd down. Over and over and over again they just pick us apart in the middle of the field. Other than that the defense has played great this year. 

Ironically, getting it right on third down for this defense is getting to third and short. The defense has been stout against the run and run-adjacent screen/pop passes that OC's might feel compelled to try in short yardage situations. Obvious passing third downs are as close to automatic as there is in football and that isn't getting fixed in games 8-12.

 

[Hookem2147 22057]

9 minutes ago, CosmoDog said:

What are the odds of Patterson taking over as DC?

And, would we want that?

Patterson. Doesn’t. Want. To. Be. A. Coordinator.

[6th Street 6711]

Sadly we had some competent guys in Ash and Hutzler but Sark went out and downgraded to PK and Choad

[CosmoDog 389]

2 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Patterson. Doesn’t. Want. To. Be. A. Coordinator.

Probably didn’t want to be an analyst either, but here we are.

That said, you are likely correct.

[Hookem2147 22057]

5 minutes ago, gmr548 said:

Ironically, getting it right on third down for this defense is getting to third and short. The defense has been stout against the run and run-adjacent screen/pop passes that OC's might feel compelled to try in short yardage situations. Obvious passing third downs are as close to automatic as there is in football and that isn't getting fixed in games 8-12.

 

That’s a good point. Would be interesting to see the breakdown when defending 3rd and less than 5 and 3rd and 5+. 

[Hook1997 5542]

1 hour ago, Texasborn91 said:

We have to get it right on 3rd down. Over and over and over again they just pick us apart in the middle of the field. Other than that the defense has played great this year. 

I think we have to have a better chance of stopping some of these 3rd and long plays playing man coverage then the zone that obviously isn’t working.  

[Hookem2147 22057]

4 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Sadly we had some competent guys in Ash and Hutzler but Sark went out and downgraded to PK and Choad

We can stop acting like Ash was some God. We gave up 30+ points in 5 of our 10 games in 2020. We benefited from a non conference schedule that only had UTEP and facing some anemic big 12 offenses (Baylor with Fedora as OC, K-State with a backup QB, Colorado in the bowl game).

He was decent. He wasn’t amazing and there certainly wasn’t people sucking him off when we missed 20 tackles against Tech and gave up 56 or when we parted the Red Sea for Duggan to ice the game. I’m sure PK would give one of his legs to have Ossai rushing the passer on this team. Speaking of, it’s funny people complain about the pass rush under PK and we averaged the same sacks per game last year than we did in 2020 under Ash.

[taybo20 3042]

2 hours ago, victory88 said:

So I keep going back and forth about this defense.  If given the chance, I would part ways with PK but who would we hire that would be an immediate improvement.  Sark should give him the axe only if he has an actual DC that is proven.  We’ve seen what changing schemes and coaches constantly does.  This defense has issues but we still are holding teams from scoring and that is with major personnel issues.  Hutchinson and Noel are damn good WRs and they abused our freshmen CBS in Jordan and Brooks.  We still held them to 21 points.   
 

Also, these issues are not just limited to us.  Bama has been giving up tons of yards and points.  Okie lite who everyone sucks off here recently gave up 43 and blew a double digit 2nd half lead.  Baylor looks like shit after winning the conference last year.  Kansas all of the sudden looks beatable again.  Let’s let these games play out.  This is a good conference with good coaches.  If PK can get some impact edge players and some CBs that fit his system, we should be even better.  With all that said, if we can get someone like Muschamp or Odom… you make that switch immediately.  At the same time, not sure I would just fire PK given our improvement and roll the dice on another DC that may not be proven.  This team can make a run next year and it’s probably easier to find a few guys in the transfer portal to build on our improvement than to change schemes and start from scratch.  

This all misses the point actually. We keep looking at the backend (DBs) because we see pass yards and long completions. But the reality is it all starts on the DL. And that’s regardless of the DC imo. 
 

Bama has this problem because they have 1 elite DL player in Anderson. If you can’t disrupt the LOS and get to the QB consistently with just 4, teams will score. The game is already tilted towards the offense as it is. 

[gmr548 16704]

2 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

That’s a good point. Would be interesting to see the breakdown when defending 3rd and less than 5 and 3rd and 5+. 

Just looking at the ISU breakdown yesterday:

3rd and 5+: 8-12 (one being a TD pass on 3rd/Goal from the 5 after two consecutive runs for no gain; one stop was Jaylan Ford's RZ interception on a 3rd/6; one stop was a 3 yard gain on 3rd/5 that set up a converted 4th/2 on ISU's final drive; one not counted where Texas committed a five yard offside penalty on 3rd/5)

3rd and 4 or less: 1-3 (one not counted where Texas committed a 5 yard offside penalty on 3rd and 4)

Frustratingly, 6 out of their 10 total 3rd/4th down conversions (1-1 on 4th) came on the final two drives.

[maninblack 7975]

2 hours ago, Hookem2147 said:

We also are almost dead last in time of possession again this year so a more consistent offense that can sustain drives will only help.

This definitely doesn't help

[Hookem2147 22057]

5 minutes ago, maninblack said:

This definitely doesn't help

I noticed yesterday we huddled up a lot more in the second half after mixing in tempo in the first half. Lots of plays where the ball was being snapped with under 10 seconds on the play clock. Maybe that was Sark protecting the defense. Iowa State had 4 second half possessions that went: Missed field goal, touchdown, touchdown, fumble

[Had Enough 2126]

I kind of thought we were doing that when Austin Jordan was supposedly a safety recruit according to the $9.95ers, but it turns out we’re playing him at corner.  And we’re doing things like playing Taaffe in close games and spinning Blackwell up to safety from LB, so I’m not holding out much hope that we prioritize athleticism at safety.

That is an interesting philosophical debate on safeties - more traditional run stuffing types versus quick and fast Huff and Thomas types.

You can find willing tacklers in smaller, quick packages so I’d go that way. Jahdae Barron types profile as the prototype or obviously Thomas or Huff.

Maybe we just don’t the depth to do what we’d like. It may be that a guy like Blackwell simple doesn’t have a fit.

[Had Enough 2126]

Maybe that was Sark protecting the defense. Iowa State had 4 second half possessions that went: Missed field goal, touchdown, touchdown, fumble

Sounds very much like last year. Except somebody makes a play = win.

[Hookem2147 22057]

2 minutes ago, Had Enough said:

 

That is an interesting philosophical debate on safeties - more traditional run stuffing types versus quick and fast Huff and Thomas types.

You can find willing tacklers in smaller, quick packages so I’d go that way. Jahdae Barron types profile as the prototype or obviously Thomas or Huff.

Maybe we just don’t the depth to do what we’d like. It may be that a guy like Blackwell simple doesn’t have a fit.

 

Yeah, Blackwell is the textbook definition of a tweener.

[LTtxfan 50040]

9 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Yesterday we huddled up more in 2nd half. Lots of plays ball snapped under 10 secs on clock. Maybe that was Sark protecting the defense. Iowa State had 4 second half possessions that went: Missed field goal, touchdown, touchdown, fumble

 

Yeah, Texas won time of possession vs Cyclones

 

Edited October 16, 2022 by LTtxfan

[Red Five 41803]

5 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Yeah, Blackwell is the textbook definition of a tweener.

Next year we should give him Overshown's "hell we don't know what to do with you, just go get the guy with the ball" role, whatever that is from game to game. 

[horny_gunman 138]

My ramblings: the pass defense is bad at LB and at safety levels.  The corners are passable. The depth is overall poor - PK is “playing” Taafe and true freshmen because that is all he has available. And contrary to the idiots spouting about “Player X can do a better job”, it’s evident that no, they cannot. 
 

the DL has improved greatly and that’s why the overall D has improved statistically; Ford is able to generally play vs the run well enough, and DMO makes just enough plays to justify himself (also his backups are barely passable).  The DL is able generate pressure, and PK’s known fault is that he doesn’t routinely blitz (more than 4). 
 

Yes, PK’s lifelong coverage scheme is actually a Cover 1/3 press man.  So the marriage of Joseph (who seems to be a recruiter and not a coaching-coach), Gideon (meh?), GP, and their backgrounds in 4-high looks, with PK… seems off.  Personnel changes should happen, but if PK is here next year (I’m abstaining to vote him out as of now), he should be given some ability to change up the defensive staff. 

[Burt Macklin 19230]

3 hours ago, 6th Street said:

Sadly we had some competent guys in Ash and Hutzler but Sark went out and downgraded to PK and Choad

Ash wasn’t good, you dumb motherfucker. 

[Codaxx 6298]

2 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

The Akina “4 corners” method of recruiting and filling out the starting lineup got a lot more athletes on the field than recruiting guys who only project to safety (read: slow).  

I kind of thought we were doing that when Austin Jordan was supposedly a safety recruit according to the $9.95ers, but it turns out we’re playing him at corner.  And we’re doing things like playing Taaffe in close games and spinning Blackwell up to safety from LB, so I’m not holding out much hope that we prioritize athleticism at safety.

Which, btw, if we’re not going to do that, maybe work a little harder not to let the opposing team get their best (and only) WR matched up one on one with our safeties all the time.

I am a huge fan of spinning players down. I think the issue is Texas has had so little success at it recently. Overshown has been hit or miss. The secondary is in dire need of some speed and Crawford hasn’t taken to safety. Apparently Blackwell struggled to add weight and now is in limbo. 

[Burt Macklin 19230]

7 minutes ago, horny_gunman said:

My ramblings: the pass defense is bad at LB and at safety levels.  The corners are passable. The depth is overall poor - PK is “playing” Taafe and true freshmen because that is all he has available. And contrary to the idiots spouting about “Player X can do a better job”, it’s evident that no, they cannot. 
 

the DL has improved greatly and that’s why the overall D has improved statistically; Ford is able to generally play vs the run well enough, and DMO makes just enough plays to justify himself (also his backups are barely passable).  The DL is able generate pressure, and PK’s known fault is that he doesn’t routinely blitz (more than 4). 
 

Yes, PK’s lifelong coverage scheme is actually a Cover 1/3 press man.  So the marriage of Joseph (who seems to be a recruiter and not a coaching-coach), Gideon (meh?), GP, and their backgrounds in 4-high looks, with PK… seems off.  Personnel changes should happen, but if PK is here next year (I’m abstaining to vote him out as of now), he should be given some ability to change up the defensive staff. 

The problem with your post is you assume other guys aren’t playing because they’re worse than the guys who are, but we played guys like Brockermeyer, all last year and left better guys on the bench, like Ford. 

[HtownHorn 15236]

4 hours ago, 6th Street said:

Sadly we had some competent guys in Ash and Hutzler but Sark went out and downgraded to PK and Choad

Ash and Hutzler were so competent they helped get their coach fired. What LB did Hutzler coach that was considered 1st team All Big 12 because that is the level Ford is playing at? He's likely the midseason DPOY.

Texas was tied for 5th in the country in DFEI going into the ISU game. 2nd in the conference behind KSU, and right in front of ISU. They were tied for 33rd in that Covid year.

[Atticus 4234]

1 hour ago, Burt Macklin said:

The problem with your post is you assume other guys aren’t playing because they’re worse than the guys who are, but we played guys like Brockermeyer, all last year and left better guys on the bench, like Ford. 

This. I can't believe we let Brewer and Wiley play all last year while we let a stud like JT Sanders sit on the bench. Sark should be fired immediately for doing that

[Hookem2147 22057]

14 minutes ago, Atticus said:

This. I can't believe we let Brewer and Wiley play all last year while we let a stud like JT Sanders sit on the bench. Sark should be fired immediately for doing that

Sanders himself said he wasn’t ready last year. Guy had never player TE in his life until he got to campus last June.

[HtownHorn 15236]

13 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Sanders himself said he wasn’t ready last year. Guy had never player TE in his life until he got to campus last June.

Plus, we saw the freshmen play on Saturday. They were a lot worse than the guy many people on this board complain about daily.

[Atticus 4234]

39 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Sanders himself said he wasn’t ready last year. Guy had never player TE in his life until he got to campus last June.

Recalibrate your sarcasm meter

The point was that some of these guys aren't ready to play. Some of them are starting to get looks, but most of them aren't ready yet. Ford had his moments last year, but he looked pretty horrible at times too.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Atticus

[horny_gunman 138]

2 hours ago, Burt Macklin said:

The problem with your post is you assume other guys aren’t playing because they’re worse than the guys who are, but we played guys like Brockermeyer, all last year and left better guys on the bench, like Ford. 

Actually I’m directly stating that when we’ve had the backups come in like, Gbenda/Tucker-Dorsey, Dorbah, Crawford, Taafe, etc, they are actually NOT better than what’s being thrown out there.  
 

I DO have an issue with these backups being out there in the first quarter for no particular reason. Perhaps a few plays to give the starters some rest at spot times.  
 

Also, Ford was not the player last year that he is this year.  

[horny_gunman 138]

19 minutes ago, Atticus said:

Recalibrate your sarcasm meter

The point was that some of these guys aren't ready to play. Some of them are starting to get looks, but most of them aren't ready yet. Ford had his moments last year, but he looked pretty horrible at times too.

THANK YOU! Mother fucking this! 

[Coach pop a bitch 6046]

 

[HtownHorn 15236]

The trio of Tucker-Dorsey, Taafe, and Bush gave up 2 of the TD drives. Our substitution patterns have to get better. You can't have those 3 guys out there together. I have seen it mentioned but I also started noticing, especially the LBs, when they drop to their zones they drop to green grass but never locate any players in their areas.

Also, ISU got away with a shit ton of holding. Very similar play that they threw the flag against Texas.

On the 4th and 2 in the 4Q, the ISU center had both arms outside the framework as Coburn drove his ass back into pocket - no call. ISU keeps possession but they miss the long pass on the next down.

On the KR to start the 2nd half, Taafe was being driven back and had his hands arms outside the framework. A Cyclone player clipped from behind leading to him tackling the player he was engaged with, holding penalty. Big momentum play wiped out.

[HtownHorn 15236]

Texas has given up 2 more TD passes on the season than Bama just gave up to Tennessee.

[bigcigar 1224]

5 minutes ago, Coach pop a bitch said:

 

Maddening and encouraging at the same time. Defense doesn’t get to get to top 25 in yards/points stats without much better tackling than last year…but (near) death by a thousand cuts is really hard to watch.

[Rickylovesweed 15584]

3 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

Maddening and encouraging at the same time. Defense doesn’t get to get to top 25 in yards/points stats without much better tackling than last year…but (near) death by a thousand cuts is really hard to watch.

It's also comparative. I think a lot of people have a hard time realizing that college football is an offensive sport now and there aren't many dominating defenses. 

[HtownHorn 15236]

5 minutes ago, bigcigar said:

Maddening and encouraging at the same time. Defense doesn’t get to get to top 25 in yards/points stats without much better tackling than last year…but (near) death by a thousand cuts is really hard to watch.

I think we are a year away from an offense for that matter. With a better WR than Cain, Texas scores 40+ against ISU.

1 minute ago, Rickylovesweed said:

It's also comparative. I think a lot of people have a hard time realizing that college football is an offensive sport now and there aren't many dominating defenses. 

I see a lot of teams playing off coverage every Saturday.

Edited October 16, 2022 by HtownHorn

[Coach pop a bitch 6046]

1 minute ago, HtownHorn said:

I think we are a year away from offense efficiency for that not to matter. With a better WR than Cain, Texas scores 40+ against ISU.

Kid is taking a beating. He's made some plays this season. 

[HtownHorn 15236]

Just now, Coach pop a bitch said:

Kid is taking a beating. He's made some plays this season. 

Well, so did Washington last year and he was encouraged to portal. What I thought was interesting was Hall trying to pump him up after the drop.

[Dark Horse 2436]

Someone is going to have to explain to me why the computers rank our defense so high compared to what my eyes see on Saturdays.  

[6th Street 6711]

Cain is a liability out there. Can't have that when a playmaker in Hall is right behind him.

[Rickylovesweed 15584]

5 minutes ago, Dark Horse said:

Someone is going to have to explain to me why the computers rank our defense so high compared to what my eyes see on Saturdays.  

1) They limit points. 

2) Rankings are comparative. Defenses get torched every weekend in college football. Outside of Georgia, I don't think there's a dominating defense in the country. Alabama was a top 5 defense and got lit up this weekend. 

[Hookem2147 22057]

19 minutes ago, 6th Street said:

Cain is a liability out there. Can't have that when a playmaker in Hall is right behind him.

This thread is about the defense….

But Agiye Hall is not really the definition of consistent on or off the field. He can run a 4.3 but if he has no idea what route to run or what his responsibility is, it doesn’t mean much.