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

Hookem2147 · October 20, 2022

17 minutes ago, Reynolds Woodcock said:

None of that changes the fact that we are recruiting at a much higher level on offense than defense, which was the original point. .91 is fine if you want to set a modest floor for your defense, with a chance to be a good defense with the right coaching and hitting on a few guys

Okay, if you change the measuring stick to guys with .94 or above composites if that's considered 'elite', we signed 8 in 2022 (4 on offense and 4 on defense). In 2023, we have 7 committed (4 on offense, 3 on defense). I'm not disagreeing that the recruiting on offense is tick higher than on defense (which is going to happen when you have the #1 QB and RB in the country committed), but it is not on some other planet.

Hookem2147 · October 20, 2022

FCB with an actual semi-interesting insider on the improvements of the defense

Spoiler

The Texas defense has gone from giving up 5.2 yards per carry a year ago — second-worst in school history — to holding opponents to 3.1 yards per carry in Big 12 play this season.

The Longhorns were giving up 31.1 points per game a year ago, and are giving up just 18.3 points per game this season.

How has this happened? Who deserves the credit for this turnaround? (One of the top questions I get wherever I go.)

I joked before the season if the defense played well in 2022 that fans would credit the arrival of former TCU coach Gary Patterson as a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian. And if the defense played poorly, they’d blame defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

But to truly answer where the credit should lie for a defense that forced two, game-changing turnovers last week in a 24-21 win over Iowa State, we have to go back to the beginning.

The bottom line is Steve Sarkisian thought he’d be hiring Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding to take the same role at Texas as well as hiring then-Alabama analyst Mike Stoops as inside linebackers coach, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

But after Sarkisian hired Alabama tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks to take the same positions at Texas, Alabama coach Nick Saban had had enough of his staff being raided and let Sarkisian know it.

Saban was OK with Sarkisian taking Alabama offensive line coach Kurt Flood with him to Texas considering Sark brought Flood with him to Alabama in 2019 from the Atlanta Falcons. Saban was fine with Sarkisian hiring AJ Milwee as quarterbacks coach, because Milwee had already accepted the job of offensive coordinator at Arkansas State under Butch Jones in December of 2020 (before backing out and going with Sarkisian to Texas). But, according to multiple sources, Saban did NOT want to lose Banks — for obvious reasons: Banks is one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and a top recruiter.

Not being able to bring Golding to Texas was a significant development, because Sarkisian had hired Bo Davis as defensive line coach; Terry Joseph as cornerbacks coach; and Blake Gideon as safeties coach while thinking Golding would be his defensive coordinator.

When Sarkisian needed to reconsider, Banks would play a key role in helping convince Kwiatkowski to leave a career based in the Pacific Northwest to relocate to Texas.

Sarkisian says he developed great respect for Kwiatkowski after going 1-2 in head-to-head battles with “PK,” including a 17-12 loss to Kwiatkowski and Washington in Sarkisian’s last game as the head coach of USC — five games into the 2015 season.

Because of Banks’ ties to the Pacific Northwest as a former punter at Washington State and young assistant coach at stops such as Idaho State, Banks knew Kwiatkowski personally from their days on the recruiting trail together.

Sources said that relationship was a key in convincing Kwiatkowski to make the move to Austin.

Kwiatkowski talked to Sarkisian about the lone vacancy left on the defensive staff — the inside linebackers coach — and suggested Jeff Choate, the head coach at Montana State, where Choate had taken the program to the FCS playoffs in 2019 but then had to sit through a canceled 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Choate was on board, and Sarkisian’s defensive staff was finally complete.

Pete Kwiatkowski (Photo: Twitter: @TexasFootball)

Once the staff was together, coaches had to evaluate the talent and decide what the defense could major in, and that’s where things began to break down.

Kwiatkowski wasn’t sold on UT’s ability to play man coverage on the outside in 2021. And after having to move Brenden Schooler from receiver to safety to play alongside BJ Foster, Kwiatkowski believed Texas’ best option was for the defense to try to keep everything in front of them and play a lot of zone coverage.

The defense had several games in which it got off to good starts and played well for a quarter, a half or even into the third quarter. But OU quarterback Caleb Williams seemed to bring out the worst in UT’s defense in last year’s Red River Shootout and planted a seed of doubt that would would begin to grow roots after teams sensed they could hang around, and the Longhorns’ defense would give out in the second half, which we saw repeatedly against Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State last season.

That’s when Bo Davis went off on a team bus leaving Ames, telling some players who were laughing and joking to “get in the (expletive) transfer portal.”

By the time, Texas played Kansas at home, and the Jayhawks were discovering what they had in quarterback Jalon Daniels (21-of-30 passing for 202 yards and three TDs, plus 11 carries for 45 yards and a TD vs. UT), some player attitudes on the Texas defense were checked out and were undermining the effort of the rest of the group.

Sarkisian finally benched a couple defensive players in the Longhorns’ season finale against K-State, and Texas hung on for a 22-17 win against backup quarterback Will Howard.

Coming out of the season, Sarkisian put a priority on finding long, fast cornerbacks who could play press man coverage on the outside, so he could cheat a safety down to help stop the run if needed in 2022.

Getting 6-foot-3 cornerback Ryan Watts from Ohio State was key.

Watts does a great job overcoming any shortcomings against speed receivers down the field by using his long arms to get a jam and re-route at the line. (OU tried to get Marvin Mims in one-on-ones against Watts, and Mims finished with one catch for minus-2 yards.)

Everyone in Longhorn Nation learned just how valuable Watts is when he went out of last week’s 24-21 win over Iowa State with 13 minutes left in the second quarter with a stinger and coaches had to shuffle the secondary to replace Watts.

(Photo: © Tim Warner, Getty)

With Watts out, Texas gave up a 54-yard touchdown pass — the first TD pass longer than 19 yards given up this season thrown by a quarterback. (UTSA scored on a 35-yard TD strike thrown by running back Brenden Brady on a double pass.)

Watts has practiced all week, and, barring any setbacks, should be good to go against Oklahoma State.

In addition to bringing in Watts to hold down the boundary side of the field at corner, D'Shawn Jamison is playing more disciplined at cornerback, resulting in some points-saving pass breakups and two interceptions, including a pick-six in UT’s opener against ULM.

Jahdae Barron’s move from cornerback to nickel/star, replacing Cook, has also had a great return on investment. Barron is only 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but he’s fast and physical and his long arms help him play bigger than his size. Barron his tied with Jamison for the team lead in interceptions, including a 44-yard pick-six late in the third quarter that helped break open a close game in UT’s 41-20 win over UTSA.

Texas’ future at corner and nickel appears bright after loading up in the 2022 recruiting class with promising, long corners such as Jaylon Guilbeau, Austin Jordan, Terrance Brooks and Xavion Brice.

Moving Anthony Cook from nickel/star to boundary safety alongside free safety Jerrin Thompson has proven to be a huge upgrade from B.J. Foster a year ago. Cook is the team’s fourth-leading tackler and has made play after play this season, including a fourth-down stop against Alabama at the Texas 25, which set up UT’s drive to a go-ahead field goal with 1:29 left, and, of course, last week’s game-saving forced fumble at the Texas 28 with 2:06 left against Iowa State.

“Cook is a true dog, which is what you have to have at safety,” a team source said. “When things are going in the wrong direction, he will fight to the death. We didn’t have that last year.”

Thompson, who had a propensity to let his play drop when things weren’t going well for the defense last season and was benched five games into the 2021 season, has been more of a consistent playmaker this year.

“Cook’s never-say-die attitude has been a really good influence on Bug (Thompson),” a team source said.

The secondary was one of Sarkisian’s three biggest concerns going into the season along with the offensive line and the kicking game, and the secondary has proven to be a strength for the Longhorns.

***

Linebacker was also a question for Texas coming into the season, and junior middle linebacker Jaylan Ford, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, has helped answer that question emphatically.

We reported all off-season that Ford was finally playing with the confidence necessary to take over the Longhorns’ defense. And Ford has seemingly gotten better from game to game this season.

Coaches were trying to get Ford to be more of a technician in his preparation in terms of film study and then take it to the field with confidence. When Luke Brockermeyer tore his ACL in the last contact practice of the 2021 season, it forced Ford to take his game to the next level, and we’re seeing that this season.

(Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman, USA TODAY Sports)

Ford credits Choate for “believing in me ever since he got here.”

“He (Choate) has been really hard on me, because I told him when he got here, ‘I want to be great,’” Ford said. “And he’s held me to that. (Strength) coach (Torre) Becton, too. He’s been in my corner, really pushing me in off-season workouts.”

Ford (6-3, 234) is showing he can be physical at the point of attack while also having an excellent feel for dropping into pass coverage - with no better example being his interception of Iowa State’s Hunter Dekkers in the end zone in the second quarter last week, which swung desperately needed momentum to Texas.

When I asked Ford Monday what aspect of his game he’s most proud of, he said:

“What I like seeing on tape is me just talking to everybody, getting everybody set, helping everybody,” Ford said. “I’ll get the call around. I definitely had to work on that. When I first got here, I wasn’t a vocal guy. It comes with confidence. The relationship I have with my teammates, they’ve told me I’ve earned their trust, and things like that help.”

The arrival of James Madison transfer linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, whom Choate fought for despite being an undersized weakside linebacker at 215 pounds, allowed Texas to move senior DeMarvion Overshown around to shoot gaps and rush the passer.

“With Ford, Tucker and Overshown at linebacker, you have increased the sideline-to-sideline speed exponentially from a year ago,” said a team source. “And

Ford’s development has been huge for this defense, because he’s finally playing fast. He’s trusting what he sees and attacking. That kind of swarming play at linebacker allows the front to be more aggressive.”

That team source said, “You get more effort out of your front on first and second down if they know they’ll get a chance to rush the passer on obvious passing downs. That pay off didn’t happen enough last season. But it’s happening now.”

***

(Photo: John Rivera/Icon Sportswire , Getty)

That leads us to defensive line coach Bo Davis, who was offered a position on Brian Kelly’s staff at LSU. Sarkisian made sure Chris Del Conte did what was needed to keep Davis, who got a raise from $900,000 annually to $1 million and was promised by Sarkisian that Davis would be allowed to coach his players “in the style he wants to coach,” Sarkisian told SiriusXM Radio at Big 12 media days in July.

Sarkisian went on to say “the rapport between the guys and Coach Davis has been tremendous.”

Davis had grown frustrated trying to have his players play a read-and-react gap control scheme last season instead of having his players bull rush offensive linemen and penetrate to be more disruptive, including more twisting and stunting.

For Texas’ D-linemen to be more aggressive, two things needed to happen: 1) The Longhorns needed to be able to stop the run to even have a chance to be more aggressive in getting after the passer; and 2) Improve the back seven enough so that if Texas gambled on a twist or stunt up front when the opposing offense had a run play called and the run broke loose, the rest of the defense could still get to the ball and make the play.

(We saw this exact thing happen on Alabama’s 81-yard touchdown run early in the game. Texas had a stunt on the left side of the line, and Jase McClellan ran right where the Longhorns had lost the gap, and UT couldn’t recover.)

Davis and his interior linemen have been at the forefront of what Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy called this week “a more challenging mode on defense this year.”

Instead of having Texas’ tackles try to read and react, like they did last season, they’re getting low and pushing offensive linemen backward, collapsing the pocket and disrupting rushing lanes.

“That’s how the big guys want to play,” a team source said. “And Texas clearly had the players up front to be more aggressive. Everyone just had to get on the same page about it and get behind it. The players have responded in a big way. There’s no doubt this group underperformed last year. And I think Davis was embarrassed and was determined to change things.”

***

(Photo: Tim Warner, Getty)

Everyone wants to know what Gary Patterson’s impact has been on the defense?

Patterson spent most of his early career as a defensive backs coach and “has spent time with (Terry) Joseph and (Blake) Gideon trying to help tie the back end of the defense to the front of the defense,” one team source said.

But where Patterson has really proved his worth for the Texas defense is the scouting he does on opposing offenses. Patterson got to work so early on evaluating opponent film — way back in April — that the defense was able to start working during the summer (when coaches were allowed to work on field with players for a couple hours per week for the first time) on elements of game plans the staff knew it would be using against teams like Alabama, UTSA and Oklahoma, sources said.

“You’re not going to get a better scouting report of opposing offenses than you’ll get from him (Patterson),” a source said. “He’s incredibly meticulous. You see why his defenses were so prepared and could change things up from week-to-week when he was at TCU.”

***

So, what about Kwiatkowski?

Kwiatkowski, a former defensive line coach who currently works with the outside linebackers, has overseen some amazing defenses (most of them while under Chris Petersen) and has personally helped develop players such as Dallas Cowboys’ pass-rush specialist DeMarcus Lawrence (while at Boise State).

One source close to Kwiatkowski said last year “was a huge change for PK."

“He left his comfort zone in the Pacific Northwest. The coaching staff got covid shortly after they got on campus, and I don’t know if he felt like he had a good feel for his staff and players, quite honestly. I think it just took time for him to develop the kind of chemistry and trust with the rest of the staff that players have to develop with their coaches and teammates. It just took time. Now, I think he’s really comfortable with everyone and everything, because he’s not an ego guy at all — like, at all.”

Sarkisian set up an off-season meeting between Kwiatkowski and Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (who had Sarkisian as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018).

“DQ (Quinn) and I obviously go way back, even prior to when we were in Atlanta,” Sarkisian said. “He was in Seattle when I was at the University of Washington, developed a great relationship — and then, obviously working for Dan for two years in Atlanta.

“I think Dan’s an excellent teacher. I think he does an awesome job of conveying his message. But I also think there’s a unique connection between he and PK (Kwiatkowski) in that they’re both defensive front guys.

“Dan is a D-line specialist. PK is a D-line and edge specialist. And so the idea of installing the ideal game planning, the ideal calling of the defense in-game - from a front perspective - I think we all can continue to grow. It’s no different than me going to meet with (Los Angeles Rams’ coach) Sean McVay. I never feel like I’m not trying to grow and get better and improve. And, PK is no different. He’s 55, and he’s meeting with one of the best in the NFL right now and finding new ways and new techniques to motivate, to scheme, to instill fundamentals and techniques in our defense and the style of play we all want him to have.”

Kwiatkowski has taken things like Patterson joining the Texas program in stride.

“He’s a resource to me and to all of our coaches,” Kwiatkowski said before the season. “He’s been in the conference for 20-something years. He has a lay of the land in the state of Texas. So, there’s a lot of information he has brought to the table that has been valuable.”

Kwiatkowski said when he got to Texas his goal would be to hold opponents to 20 points or less per game, and the Longhorns are currently holding opponents to 18.3 points per game with some of the Big 12’s top-scoring offenses still to play, including Oklahoma State (45.3 ppg) in Stillwater on Saturday.

Sarkisian doesn’t allow his assistant coaches to talk to the media during the season. But before the season began, Kwiatkowski sounded like someone who was much more comfortable in his surroundings after a trial-by-fire Year 1 in Austin.

“When you’re a new staff and a new system, you’re getting to know each other, building relationships,” Kwiatkowski said. “And then you throw all the different defensive calls and all the terminology and understanding how players tick, and players understanding how coaches tick — that takes time. We’re definitely in a better place as far as us trusting the guys, the guys trusting us. There’s not that communication barrier that we had to deal with and fight through.

“And then I think everybody’s in a better headspace as far as what the expectations are and what they need to do to fulfill their responsibility and own their roles within the defense.”

Ford said the Texas defense is only getting started.

“I just feel like as a defense, we haven’t even put our best game out there yet,” said Ford, who leads the Big 12 in tackles (66) and solo tackles (37). “There’s always room to improve - up front, the linebackers, the back end - everybody. It’s about communication, and we just preach that a lot. Getting the ball, getting turnovers - that always helps. And, then, of course, stopping the run wins. When you’re able to stop the run, that kind of makes it easy for everybody.”

Amen.

Codaxx · October 20, 2022

26 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Okay, if you change the measuring stick to guys with .94 or above composites if that's considered 'elite', we signed 8 in 2022 (4 on offense and 4 on defense). In 2023, we have 7 committed (4 on offense, 3 on defense). I'm not disagreeing that the recruiting on offense is tick higher than on defense (which is going to happen when you have the #1 QB and RB in the country committed), but it is not on some other planet.

Its not the overall recruiting. It is just that the offense has signed legit difference makers. Guys like Ewers, Bijan, Worthy, and Banks (maybe Campbell). Just have not seen that difference maker on the defense yet. It shows on the defense, which is a collection of solid players with no real playmakers. Just my opinion, but i think people over-estimate the gap between a 3 star and a 4 star. Recruiting classes are made by signing the truly elite playmakers.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Codaxx

Dahobbs · October 20, 2022

25 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

FCB with an actual semi-interesting insider on the improvements of the defense

Reveal hidden contents

The Texas defense has gone from giving up 5.2 yards per carry a year ago — second-worst in school history — to holding opponents to 3.1 yards per carry in Big 12 play this season.

The Longhorns were giving up 31.1 points per game a year ago, and are giving up just 18.3 points per game this season.

How has this happened? Who deserves the credit for this turnaround? (One of the top questions I get wherever I go.)

I joked before the season if the defense played well in 2022 that fans would credit the arrival of former TCU coach Gary Patterson as a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian. And if the defense played poorly, they’d blame defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

But to truly answer where the credit should lie for a defense that forced two, game-changing turnovers last week in a 24-21 win over Iowa State, we have to go back to the beginning.

The bottom line is Steve Sarkisian thought he’d be hiring Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding to take the same role at Texas as well as hiring then-Alabama analyst Mike Stoops as inside linebackers coach, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

But after Sarkisian hired Alabama tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks to take the same positions at Texas, Alabama coach Nick Saban had had enough of his staff being raided and let Sarkisian know it.

Saban was OK with Sarkisian taking Alabama offensive line coach Kurt Flood with him to Texas considering Sark brought Flood with him to Alabama in 2019 from the Atlanta Falcons. Saban was fine with Sarkisian hiring AJ Milwee as quarterbacks coach, because Milwee had already accepted the job of offensive coordinator at Arkansas State under Butch Jones in December of 2020 (before backing out and going with Sarkisian to Texas). But, according to multiple sources, Saban did NOT want to lose Banks — for obvious reasons: Banks is one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and a top recruiter.

Not being able to bring Golding to Texas was a significant development, because Sarkisian had hired Bo Davis as defensive line coach; Terry Joseph as cornerbacks coach; and Blake Gideon as safeties coach while thinking Golding would be his defensive coordinator.

When Sarkisian needed to reconsider, Banks would play a key role in helping convince Kwiatkowski to leave a career based in the Pacific Northwest to relocate to Texas.

Sarkisian says he developed great respect for Kwiatkowski after going 1-2 in head-to-head battles with “PK,” including a 17-12 loss to Kwiatkowski and Washington in Sarkisian’s last game as the head coach of USC — five games into the 2015 season.

Because of Banks’ ties to the Pacific Northwest as a former punter at Washington State and young assistant coach at stops such as Idaho State, Banks knew Kwiatkowski personally from their days on the recruiting trail together.

Sources said that relationship was a key in convincing Kwiatkowski to make the move to Austin.

Kwiatkowski talked to Sarkisian about the lone vacancy left on the defensive staff — the inside linebackers coach — and suggested Jeff Choate, the head coach at Montana State, where Choate had taken the program to the FCS playoffs in 2019 but then had to sit through a canceled 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Choate was on board, and Sarkisian’s defensive staff was finally complete.

Pete Kwiatkowski (Photo: Twitter: @TexasFootball)

Once the staff was together, coaches had to evaluate the talent and decide what the defense could major in, and that’s where things began to break down.

Kwiatkowski wasn’t sold on UT’s ability to play man coverage on the outside in 2021. And after having to move Brenden Schooler from receiver to safety to play alongside BJ Foster, Kwiatkowski believed Texas’ best option was for the defense to try to keep everything in front of them and play a lot of zone coverage.

The defense had several games in which it got off to good starts and played well for a quarter, a half or even into the third quarter. But OU quarterback Caleb Williams seemed to bring out the worst in UT’s defense in last year’s Red River Shootout and planted a seed of doubt that would would begin to grow roots after teams sensed they could hang around, and the Longhorns’ defense would give out in the second half, which we saw repeatedly against Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State last season.

That’s when Bo Davis went off on a team bus leaving Ames, telling some players who were laughing and joking to “get in the (expletive) transfer portal.”

By the time, Texas played Kansas at home, and the Jayhawks were discovering what they had in quarterback Jalon Daniels (21-of-30 passing for 202 yards and three TDs, plus 11 carries for 45 yards and a TD vs. UT), some player attitudes on the Texas defense were checked out and were undermining the effort of the rest of the group.

Sarkisian finally benched a couple defensive players in the Longhorns’ season finale against K-State, and Texas hung on for a 22-17 win against backup quarterback Will Howard.

Coming out of the season, Sarkisian put a priority on finding long, fast cornerbacks who could play press man coverage on the outside, so he could cheat a safety down to help stop the run if needed in 2022.

Getting 6-foot-3 cornerback Ryan Watts from Ohio State was key.

Watts does a great job overcoming any shortcomings against speed receivers down the field by using his long arms to get a jam and re-route at the line. (OU tried to get Marvin Mims in one-on-ones against Watts, and Mims finished with one catch for minus-2 yards.)

Everyone in Longhorn Nation learned just how valuable Watts is when he went out of last week’s 24-21 win over Iowa State with 13 minutes left in the second quarter with a stinger and coaches had to shuffle the secondary to replace Watts.

(Photo: © Tim Warner, Getty)

With Watts out, Texas gave up a 54-yard touchdown pass — the first TD pass longer than 19 yards given up this season thrown by a quarterback. (UTSA scored on a 35-yard TD strike thrown by running back Brenden Brady on a double pass.)

Watts has practiced all week, and, barring any setbacks, should be good to go against Oklahoma State.

In addition to bringing in Watts to hold down the boundary side of the field at corner, D'Shawn Jamison is playing more disciplined at cornerback, resulting in some points-saving pass breakups and two interceptions, including a pick-six in UT’s opener against ULM.

Jahdae Barron’s move from cornerback to nickel/star, replacing Cook, has also had a great return on investment. Barron is only 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but he’s fast and physical and his long arms help him play bigger than his size. Barron his tied with Jamison for the team lead in interceptions, including a 44-yard pick-six late in the third quarter that helped break open a close game in UT’s 41-20 win over UTSA.

Texas’ future at corner and nickel appears bright after loading up in the 2022 recruiting class with promising, long corners such as Jaylon Guilbeau, Austin Jordan, Terrance Brooks and Xavion Brice.

Moving Anthony Cook from nickel/star to boundary safety alongside free safety Jerrin Thompson has proven to be a huge upgrade from B.J. Foster a year ago. Cook is the team’s fourth-leading tackler and has made play after play this season, including a fourth-down stop against Alabama at the Texas 25, which set up UT’s drive to a go-ahead field goal with 1:29 left, and, of course, last week’s game-saving forced fumble at the Texas 28 with 2:06 left against Iowa State.

“Cook is a true dog, which is what you have to have at safety,” a team source said. “When things are going in the wrong direction, he will fight to the death. We didn’t have that last year.”

Thompson, who had a propensity to let his play drop when things weren’t going well for the defense last season and was benched five games into the 2021 season, has been more of a consistent playmaker this year.

“Cook’s never-say-die attitude has been a really good influence on Bug (Thompson),” a team source said.

The secondary was one of Sarkisian’s three biggest concerns going into the season along with the offensive line and the kicking game, and the secondary has proven to be a strength for the Longhorns.

***

Linebacker was also a question for Texas coming into the season, and junior middle linebacker Jaylan Ford, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, has helped answer that question emphatically.

We reported all off-season that Ford was finally playing with the confidence necessary to take over the Longhorns’ defense. And Ford has seemingly gotten better from game to game this season.

Coaches were trying to get Ford to be more of a technician in his preparation in terms of film study and then take it to the field with confidence. When Luke Brockermeyer tore his ACL in the last contact practice of the 2021 season, it forced Ford to take his game to the next level, and we’re seeing that this season.

(Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman, USA TODAY Sports)

Ford credits Choate for “believing in me ever since he got here.”

“He (Choate) has been really hard on me, because I told him when he got here, ‘I want to be great,’” Ford said. “And he’s held me to that. (Strength) coach (Torre) Becton, too. He’s been in my corner, really pushing me in off-season workouts.”

Ford (6-3, 234) is showing he can be physical at the point of attack while also having an excellent feel for dropping into pass coverage - with no better example being his interception of Iowa State’s Hunter Dekkers in the end zone in the second quarter last week, which swung desperately needed momentum to Texas.

When I asked Ford Monday what aspect of his game he’s most proud of, he said:

“What I like seeing on tape is me just talking to everybody, getting everybody set, helping everybody,” Ford said. “I’ll get the call around. I definitely had to work on that. When I first got here, I wasn’t a vocal guy. It comes with confidence. The relationship I have with my teammates, they’ve told me I’ve earned their trust, and things like that help.”

The arrival of James Madison transfer linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, whom Choate fought for despite being an undersized weakside linebacker at 215 pounds, allowed Texas to move senior DeMarvion Overshown around to shoot gaps and rush the passer.

“With Ford, Tucker and Overshown at linebacker, you have increased the sideline-to-sideline speed exponentially from a year ago,” said a team source. “And

Ford’s development has been huge for this defense, because he’s finally playing fast. He’s trusting what he sees and attacking. That kind of swarming play at linebacker allows the front to be more aggressive.”

That team source said, “You get more effort out of your front on first and second down if they know they’ll get a chance to rush the passer on obvious passing downs. That pay off didn’t happen enough last season. But it’s happening now.”

***

(Photo: John Rivera/Icon Sportswire , Getty)

That leads us to defensive line coach Bo Davis, who was offered a position on Brian Kelly’s staff at LSU. Sarkisian made sure Chris Del Conte did what was needed to keep Davis, who got a raise from $900,000 annually to $1 million and was promised by Sarkisian that Davis would be allowed to coach his players “in the style he wants to coach,” Sarkisian told SiriusXM Radio at Big 12 media days in July.

Sarkisian went on to say “the rapport between the guys and Coach Davis has been tremendous.”

Davis had grown frustrated trying to have his players play a read-and-react gap control scheme last season instead of having his players bull rush offensive linemen and penetrate to be more disruptive, including more twisting and stunting.

For Texas’ D-linemen to be more aggressive, two things needed to happen: 1) The Longhorns needed to be able to stop the run to even have a chance to be more aggressive in getting after the passer; and 2) Improve the back seven enough so that if Texas gambled on a twist or stunt up front when the opposing offense had a run play called and the run broke loose, the rest of the defense could still get to the ball and make the play.

(We saw this exact thing happen on Alabama’s 81-yard touchdown run early in the game. Texas had a stunt on the left side of the line, and Jase McClellan ran right where the Longhorns had lost the gap, and UT couldn’t recover.)

Davis and his interior linemen have been at the forefront of what Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy called this week “a more challenging mode on defense this year.”

Instead of having Texas’ tackles try to read and react, like they did last season, they’re getting low and pushing offensive linemen backward, collapsing the pocket and disrupting rushing lanes.

“That’s how the big guys want to play,” a team source said. “And Texas clearly had the players up front to be more aggressive. Everyone just had to get on the same page about it and get behind it. The players have responded in a big way. There’s no doubt this group underperformed last year. And I think Davis was embarrassed and was determined to change things.”

***

(Photo: Tim Warner, Getty)

Everyone wants to know what Gary Patterson’s impact has been on the defense?

Patterson spent most of his early career as a defensive backs coach and “has spent time with (Terry) Joseph and (Blake) Gideon trying to help tie the back end of the defense to the front of the defense,” one team source said.

But where Patterson has really proved his worth for the Texas defense is the scouting he does on opposing offenses. Patterson got to work so early on evaluating opponent film — way back in April — that the defense was able to start working during the summer (when coaches were allowed to work on field with players for a couple hours per week for the first time) on elements of game plans the staff knew it would be using against teams like Alabama, UTSA and Oklahoma, sources said.

“You’re not going to get a better scouting report of opposing offenses than you’ll get from him (Patterson),” a source said. “He’s incredibly meticulous. You see why his defenses were so prepared and could change things up from week-to-week when he was at TCU.”

***

So, what about Kwiatkowski?

Kwiatkowski, a former defensive line coach who currently works with the outside linebackers, has overseen some amazing defenses (most of them while under Chris Petersen) and has personally helped develop players such as Dallas Cowboys’ pass-rush specialist DeMarcus Lawrence (while at Boise State).

One source close to Kwiatkowski said last year “was a huge change for PK."

“He left his comfort zone in the Pacific Northwest. The coaching staff got covid shortly after they got on campus, and I don’t know if he felt like he had a good feel for his staff and players, quite honestly. I think it just took time for him to develop the kind of chemistry and trust with the rest of the staff that players have to develop with their coaches and teammates. It just took time. Now, I think he’s really comfortable with everyone and everything, because he’s not an ego guy at all — like, at all.”

Sarkisian set up an off-season meeting between Kwiatkowski and Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (who had Sarkisian as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018).

“DQ (Quinn) and I obviously go way back, even prior to when we were in Atlanta,” Sarkisian said. “He was in Seattle when I was at the University of Washington, developed a great relationship — and then, obviously working for Dan for two years in Atlanta.

“I think Dan’s an excellent teacher. I think he does an awesome job of conveying his message. But I also think there’s a unique connection between he and PK (Kwiatkowski) in that they’re both defensive front guys.

“Dan is a D-line specialist. PK is a D-line and edge specialist. And so the idea of installing the ideal game planning, the ideal calling of the defense in-game - from a front perspective - I think we all can continue to grow. It’s no different than me going to meet with (Los Angeles Rams’ coach) Sean McVay. I never feel like I’m not trying to grow and get better and improve. And, PK is no different. He’s 55, and he’s meeting with one of the best in the NFL right now and finding new ways and new techniques to motivate, to scheme, to instill fundamentals and techniques in our defense and the style of play we all want him to have.”

Kwiatkowski has taken things like Patterson joining the Texas program in stride.

“He’s a resource to me and to all of our coaches,” Kwiatkowski said before the season. “He’s been in the conference for 20-something years. He has a lay of the land in the state of Texas. So, there’s a lot of information he has brought to the table that has been valuable.”

Kwiatkowski said when he got to Texas his goal would be to hold opponents to 20 points or less per game, and the Longhorns are currently holding opponents to 18.3 points per game with some of the Big 12’s top-scoring offenses still to play, including Oklahoma State (45.3 ppg) in Stillwater on Saturday.

Sarkisian doesn’t allow his assistant coaches to talk to the media during the season. But before the season began, Kwiatkowski sounded like someone who was much more comfortable in his surroundings after a trial-by-fire Year 1 in Austin.

“When you’re a new staff and a new system, you’re getting to know each other, building relationships,” Kwiatkowski said. “And then you throw all the different defensive calls and all the terminology and understanding how players tick, and players understanding how coaches tick — that takes time. We’re definitely in a better place as far as us trusting the guys, the guys trusting us. There’s not that communication barrier that we had to deal with and fight through.

“And then I think everybody’s in a better headspace as far as what the expectations are and what they need to do to fulfill their responsibility and own their roles within the defense.”

Ford said the Texas defense is only getting started.

“I just feel like as a defense, we haven’t even put our best game out there yet,” said Ford, who leads the Big 12 in tackles (66) and solo tackles (37). “There’s always room to improve - up front, the linebackers, the back end - everybody. It’s about communication, and we just preach that a lot. Getting the ball, getting turnovers - that always helps. And, then, of course, stopping the run wins. When you’re able to stop the run, that kind of makes it easy for everybody.”

Amen.

That actually is a really interesting article and echoes what we thought was happening: a defensive staff not on the same page. The thing about not trusting the corners to run man is somewhat new to me, but not surprising I guess.

Hookem2147 · October 20, 2022

3 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Its not the overall recruiting. It is just that the offense has signed legit difference makers. Guys like Ewers, Bijan, Worthy, and Banks (maybe Campbell). Just have not seen that difference maker on the defense yet. It shows on the defense, which is a collection of solid players with no real playmakers. Just my opinion, but i think people over-estimate the gap between a 3 star and a 4 star. Recruiting classes are made by signing the truly elite playmakers.

Agreed that’s there’s a noticeable gap between good and elite players, but what’s the definition of elite when looking at a recruiting class that isn’t on campus? Because I would consider guys like Derek Williams and Muhammad elite when looking at the current class.

Now if the argument is we aren’t signing elite difference makers in the front 7 then yeah we aren’t. We are at the good to very good level there.

Codaxx · October 20, 2022

1 minute ago, Hookem2147 said:

Agreed that’s there’s a noticeable gap between good and elite players, but what’s the definition of elite when looking at a recruiting class that isn’t on campus? Because I would consider guys like Derek Williams and Muhammad elite when looking at the current class.

Now if the argument is we aren’t signing elite difference makers in the front 7 then yeah we aren’t. We are at the good to very good level there.

I am not sold on Malik being elite. He ran a 4.61 electronic 40. Dont know the backstory on that, but that doesnt scream elite to me. It may work out well, but I dont see him as a player that is a lock to be a high level CB at the next level. It is not saying he is bad recruit or that I do not want him, just that the 40 time implies he lacks elite speed at this time. I am totally knit picking.

JBJ · October 20, 2022

I think the elite playmaker tends to be true for offensive skill positions but not OL or defense.

A defense tends to only be as good as it's weakest link (and the oppositions ability to exploit it). Same for OL.

As an example, between Georgia and NC State, there's likely only one 1 RD draft pick on both defenses. But they appear to be the two consensus dominant defenses this year.

Edited October 20, 2022 by JBJ

LTtxfan · October 20, 2022

23 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

Its not the overall recruiting. It is just that the offense has signed legit difference makers. Guys like Ewers, Bijan, Worthy, and Banks (maybe Campbell). Just have not seen that difference maker on the defense yet. It shows on the defense, which is a collection of solid players with no real playmakers. Just my opinion, but i think people over-estimate the gap between a 3 star and a 4 star. Recruiting classes are made by signing the truly elite playmakers.

Yeah, some folks love to talk about all the talent Texas has -- but our real playmakers are all on offense.

Pretty telling how important Watts has been to this years defense, plus Bo Davis being allowed to let his DL bull rush, twist/stunt, and penetrate more. It does appear that the Texas 2022 defense has better speed and quickness that last season.

But Texas has to really step up its recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. We need more speed, athleticism, and playmakers. It's so frustrating not having any disruptive pass rushing DE's on this years defense, nor a fast safety that plays great and roams the field better.

(Wish Kitan would play better.)

Edited October 20, 2022 by LTtxfan

South Austin · October 20, 2022

43 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

FCB with an actual semi-interesting insider on the improvements of the defense

Reveal hidden contents

The Texas defense has gone from giving up 5.2 yards per carry a year ago — second-worst in school history — to holding opponents to 3.1 yards per carry in Big 12 play this season.

The Longhorns were giving up 31.1 points per game a year ago, and are giving up just 18.3 points per game this season.

How has this happened? Who deserves the credit for this turnaround? (One of the top questions I get wherever I go.)

I joked before the season if the defense played well in 2022 that fans would credit the arrival of former TCU coach Gary Patterson as a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian. And if the defense played poorly, they’d blame defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.

But to truly answer where the credit should lie for a defense that forced two, game-changing turnovers last week in a 24-21 win over Iowa State, we have to go back to the beginning.

The bottom line is Steve Sarkisian thought he’d be hiring Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding to take the same role at Texas as well as hiring then-Alabama analyst Mike Stoops as inside linebackers coach, according to multiple sources close to the situation.

But after Sarkisian hired Alabama tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Jeff Banks to take the same positions at Texas, Alabama coach Nick Saban had had enough of his staff being raided and let Sarkisian know it.

Saban was OK with Sarkisian taking Alabama offensive line coach Kurt Flood with him to Texas considering Sark brought Flood with him to Alabama in 2019 from the Atlanta Falcons. Saban was fine with Sarkisian hiring AJ Milwee as quarterbacks coach, because Milwee had already accepted the job of offensive coordinator at Arkansas State under Butch Jones in December of 2020 (before backing out and going with Sarkisian to Texas). But, according to multiple sources, Saban did NOT want to lose Banks — for obvious reasons: Banks is one of the best special teams coordinators in the country and a top recruiter.

Not being able to bring Golding to Texas was a significant development, because Sarkisian had hired Bo Davis as defensive line coach; Terry Joseph as cornerbacks coach; and Blake Gideon as safeties coach while thinking Golding would be his defensive coordinator.

When Sarkisian needed to reconsider, Banks would play a key role in helping convince Kwiatkowski to leave a career based in the Pacific Northwest to relocate to Texas.

Sarkisian says he developed great respect for Kwiatkowski after going 1-2 in head-to-head battles with “PK,” including a 17-12 loss to Kwiatkowski and Washington in Sarkisian’s last game as the head coach of USC — five games into the 2015 season.

Because of Banks’ ties to the Pacific Northwest as a former punter at Washington State and young assistant coach at stops such as Idaho State, Banks knew Kwiatkowski personally from their days on the recruiting trail together.

Sources said that relationship was a key in convincing Kwiatkowski to make the move to Austin.

Kwiatkowski talked to Sarkisian about the lone vacancy left on the defensive staff — the inside linebackers coach — and suggested Jeff Choate, the head coach at Montana State, where Choate had taken the program to the FCS playoffs in 2019 but then had to sit through a canceled 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Choate was on board, and Sarkisian’s defensive staff was finally complete.

Pete Kwiatkowski (Photo: Twitter: @TexasFootball)

Once the staff was together, coaches had to evaluate the talent and decide what the defense could major in, and that’s where things began to break down.

Kwiatkowski wasn’t sold on UT’s ability to play man coverage on the outside in 2021. And after having to move Brenden Schooler from receiver to safety to play alongside BJ Foster, Kwiatkowski believed Texas’ best option was for the defense to try to keep everything in front of them and play a lot of zone coverage.

The defense had several games in which it got off to good starts and played well for a quarter, a half or even into the third quarter. But OU quarterback Caleb Williams seemed to bring out the worst in UT’s defense in last year’s Red River Shootout and planted a seed of doubt that would would begin to grow roots after teams sensed they could hang around, and the Longhorns’ defense would give out in the second half, which we saw repeatedly against Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State last season.

That’s when Bo Davis went off on a team bus leaving Ames, telling some players who were laughing and joking to “get in the (expletive) transfer portal.”

By the time, Texas played Kansas at home, and the Jayhawks were discovering what they had in quarterback Jalon Daniels (21-of-30 passing for 202 yards and three TDs, plus 11 carries for 45 yards and a TD vs. UT), some player attitudes on the Texas defense were checked out and were undermining the effort of the rest of the group.

Sarkisian finally benched a couple defensive players in the Longhorns’ season finale against K-State, and Texas hung on for a 22-17 win against backup quarterback Will Howard.

Coming out of the season, Sarkisian put a priority on finding long, fast cornerbacks who could play press man coverage on the outside, so he could cheat a safety down to help stop the run if needed in 2022.

Getting 6-foot-3 cornerback Ryan Watts from Ohio State was key.

Watts does a great job overcoming any shortcomings against speed receivers down the field by using his long arms to get a jam and re-route at the line. (OU tried to get Marvin Mims in one-on-ones against Watts, and Mims finished with one catch for minus-2 yards.)

Everyone in Longhorn Nation learned just how valuable Watts is when he went out of last week’s 24-21 win over Iowa State with 13 minutes left in the second quarter with a stinger and coaches had to shuffle the secondary to replace Watts.

(Photo: © Tim Warner, Getty)

With Watts out, Texas gave up a 54-yard touchdown pass — the first TD pass longer than 19 yards given up this season thrown by a quarterback. (UTSA scored on a 35-yard TD strike thrown by running back Brenden Brady on a double pass.)

Watts has practiced all week, and, barring any setbacks, should be good to go against Oklahoma State.

In addition to bringing in Watts to hold down the boundary side of the field at corner, D'Shawn Jamison is playing more disciplined at cornerback, resulting in some points-saving pass breakups and two interceptions, including a pick-six in UT’s opener against ULM.

Jahdae Barron’s move from cornerback to nickel/star, replacing Cook, has also had a great return on investment. Barron is only 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, but he’s fast and physical and his long arms help him play bigger than his size. Barron his tied with Jamison for the team lead in interceptions, including a 44-yard pick-six late in the third quarter that helped break open a close game in UT’s 41-20 win over UTSA.

Texas’ future at corner and nickel appears bright after loading up in the 2022 recruiting class with promising, long corners such as Jaylon Guilbeau, Austin Jordan, Terrance Brooks and Xavion Brice.

Moving Anthony Cook from nickel/star to boundary safety alongside free safety Jerrin Thompson has proven to be a huge upgrade from B.J. Foster a year ago. Cook is the team’s fourth-leading tackler and has made play after play this season, including a fourth-down stop against Alabama at the Texas 25, which set up UT’s drive to a go-ahead field goal with 1:29 left, and, of course, last week’s game-saving forced fumble at the Texas 28 with 2:06 left against Iowa State.

“Cook is a true dog, which is what you have to have at safety,” a team source said. “When things are going in the wrong direction, he will fight to the death. We didn’t have that last year.”

Thompson, who had a propensity to let his play drop when things weren’t going well for the defense last season and was benched five games into the 2021 season, has been more of a consistent playmaker this year.

“Cook’s never-say-die attitude has been a really good influence on Bug (Thompson),” a team source said.

The secondary was one of Sarkisian’s three biggest concerns going into the season along with the offensive line and the kicking game, and the secondary has proven to be a strength for the Longhorns.

***

Linebacker was also a question for Texas coming into the season, and junior middle linebacker Jaylan Ford, the reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, has helped answer that question emphatically.

We reported all off-season that Ford was finally playing with the confidence necessary to take over the Longhorns’ defense. And Ford has seemingly gotten better from game to game this season.

Coaches were trying to get Ford to be more of a technician in his preparation in terms of film study and then take it to the field with confidence. When Luke Brockermeyer tore his ACL in the last contact practice of the 2021 season, it forced Ford to take his game to the next level, and we’re seeing that this season.

(Photo: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman, USA TODAY Sports)

Ford credits Choate for “believing in me ever since he got here.”

“He (Choate) has been really hard on me, because I told him when he got here, ‘I want to be great,’” Ford said. “And he’s held me to that. (Strength) coach (Torre) Becton, too. He’s been in my corner, really pushing me in off-season workouts.”

Ford (6-3, 234) is showing he can be physical at the point of attack while also having an excellent feel for dropping into pass coverage - with no better example being his interception of Iowa State’s Hunter Dekkers in the end zone in the second quarter last week, which swung desperately needed momentum to Texas.

When I asked Ford Monday what aspect of his game he’s most proud of, he said:

“What I like seeing on tape is me just talking to everybody, getting everybody set, helping everybody,” Ford said. “I’ll get the call around. I definitely had to work on that. When I first got here, I wasn’t a vocal guy. It comes with confidence. The relationship I have with my teammates, they’ve told me I’ve earned their trust, and things like that help.”

The arrival of James Madison transfer linebacker Diamonte Tucker-Dorsey, whom Choate fought for despite being an undersized weakside linebacker at 215 pounds, allowed Texas to move senior DeMarvion Overshown around to shoot gaps and rush the passer.

“With Ford, Tucker and Overshown at linebacker, you have increased the sideline-to-sideline speed exponentially from a year ago,” said a team source. “And

Ford’s development has been huge for this defense, because he’s finally playing fast. He’s trusting what he sees and attacking. That kind of swarming play at linebacker allows the front to be more aggressive.”

That team source said, “You get more effort out of your front on first and second down if they know they’ll get a chance to rush the passer on obvious passing downs. That pay off didn’t happen enough last season. But it’s happening now.”

***

(Photo: John Rivera/Icon Sportswire , Getty)

That leads us to defensive line coach Bo Davis, who was offered a position on Brian Kelly’s staff at LSU. Sarkisian made sure Chris Del Conte did what was needed to keep Davis, who got a raise from $900,000 annually to $1 million and was promised by Sarkisian that Davis would be allowed to coach his players “in the style he wants to coach,” Sarkisian told SiriusXM Radio at Big 12 media days in July.

Sarkisian went on to say “the rapport between the guys and Coach Davis has been tremendous.”

Davis had grown frustrated trying to have his players play a read-and-react gap control scheme last season instead of having his players bull rush offensive linemen and penetrate to be more disruptive, including more twisting and stunting.

For Texas’ D-linemen to be more aggressive, two things needed to happen: 1) The Longhorns needed to be able to stop the run to even have a chance to be more aggressive in getting after the passer; and 2) Improve the back seven enough so that if Texas gambled on a twist or stunt up front when the opposing offense had a run play called and the run broke loose, the rest of the defense could still get to the ball and make the play.

(We saw this exact thing happen on Alabama’s 81-yard touchdown run early in the game. Texas had a stunt on the left side of the line, and Jase McClellan ran right where the Longhorns had lost the gap, and UT couldn’t recover.)

Davis and his interior linemen have been at the forefront of what Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy called this week “a more challenging mode on defense this year.”

Instead of having Texas’ tackles try to read and react, like they did last season, they’re getting low and pushing offensive linemen backward, collapsing the pocket and disrupting rushing lanes.

“That’s how the big guys want to play,” a team source said. “And Texas clearly had the players up front to be more aggressive. Everyone just had to get on the same page about it and get behind it. The players have responded in a big way. There’s no doubt this group underperformed last year. And I think Davis was embarrassed and was determined to change things.”

***

(Photo: Tim Warner, Getty)

Everyone wants to know what Gary Patterson’s impact has been on the defense?

Patterson spent most of his early career as a defensive backs coach and “has spent time with (Terry) Joseph and (Blake) Gideon trying to help tie the back end of the defense to the front of the defense,” one team source said.

But where Patterson has really proved his worth for the Texas defense is the scouting he does on opposing offenses. Patterson got to work so early on evaluating opponent film — way back in April — that the defense was able to start working during the summer (when coaches were allowed to work on field with players for a couple hours per week for the first time) on elements of game plans the staff knew it would be using against teams like Alabama, UTSA and Oklahoma, sources said.

“You’re not going to get a better scouting report of opposing offenses than you’ll get from him (Patterson),” a source said. “He’s incredibly meticulous. You see why his defenses were so prepared and could change things up from week-to-week when he was at TCU.”

***

So, what about Kwiatkowski?

Kwiatkowski, a former defensive line coach who currently works with the outside linebackers, has overseen some amazing defenses (most of them while under Chris Petersen) and has personally helped develop players such as Dallas Cowboys’ pass-rush specialist DeMarcus Lawrence (while at Boise State).

One source close to Kwiatkowski said last year “was a huge change for PK."

“He left his comfort zone in the Pacific Northwest. The coaching staff got covid shortly after they got on campus, and I don’t know if he felt like he had a good feel for his staff and players, quite honestly. I think it just took time for him to develop the kind of chemistry and trust with the rest of the staff that players have to develop with their coaches and teammates. It just took time. Now, I think he’s really comfortable with everyone and everything, because he’s not an ego guy at all — like, at all.”

Sarkisian set up an off-season meeting between Kwiatkowski and Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn (who had Sarkisian as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 and 2018).

“DQ (Quinn) and I obviously go way back, even prior to when we were in Atlanta,” Sarkisian said. “He was in Seattle when I was at the University of Washington, developed a great relationship — and then, obviously working for Dan for two years in Atlanta.

“I think Dan’s an excellent teacher. I think he does an awesome job of conveying his message. But I also think there’s a unique connection between he and PK (Kwiatkowski) in that they’re both defensive front guys.

“Dan is a D-line specialist. PK is a D-line and edge specialist. And so the idea of installing the ideal game planning, the ideal calling of the defense in-game - from a front perspective - I think we all can continue to grow. It’s no different than me going to meet with (Los Angeles Rams’ coach) Sean McVay. I never feel like I’m not trying to grow and get better and improve. And, PK is no different. He’s 55, and he’s meeting with one of the best in the NFL right now and finding new ways and new techniques to motivate, to scheme, to instill fundamentals and techniques in our defense and the style of play we all want him to have.”

Kwiatkowski has taken things like Patterson joining the Texas program in stride.

“He’s a resource to me and to all of our coaches,” Kwiatkowski said before the season. “He’s been in the conference for 20-something years. He has a lay of the land in the state of Texas. So, there’s a lot of information he has brought to the table that has been valuable.”

Kwiatkowski said when he got to Texas his goal would be to hold opponents to 20 points or less per game, and the Longhorns are currently holding opponents to 18.3 points per game with some of the Big 12’s top-scoring offenses still to play, including Oklahoma State (45.3 ppg) in Stillwater on Saturday.

Sarkisian doesn’t allow his assistant coaches to talk to the media during the season. But before the season began, Kwiatkowski sounded like someone who was much more comfortable in his surroundings after a trial-by-fire Year 1 in Austin.

“When you’re a new staff and a new system, you’re getting to know each other, building relationships,” Kwiatkowski said. “And then you throw all the different defensive calls and all the terminology and understanding how players tick, and players understanding how coaches tick — that takes time. We’re definitely in a better place as far as us trusting the guys, the guys trusting us. There’s not that communication barrier that we had to deal with and fight through.

“And then I think everybody’s in a better headspace as far as what the expectations are and what they need to do to fulfill their responsibility and own their roles within the defense.”

Ford said the Texas defense is only getting started.

“I just feel like as a defense, we haven’t even put our best game out there yet,” said Ford, who leads the Big 12 in tackles (66) and solo tackles (37). “There’s always room to improve - up front, the linebackers, the back end - everybody. It’s about communication, and we just preach that a lot. Getting the ball, getting turnovers - that always helps. And, then, of course, stopping the run wins. When you’re able to stop the run, that kind of makes it easy for everybody.”

Amen.

tl;dr version: Maybe our defense doesn't suck so much, but Chip Brown still does.

JOSEYWALES66 · October 20, 2022

2 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Yeah, some folks love to talk about all the talent Texas has -- but our real playmakers are all on offense.

Pretty telling how important Watts has been to this years defense, plus Bo Davis being allowed to let his DL bull rush, twist/stunt, and penetrate more. It does appear that the Texas 2022 defense has better speed and quickness that last season.

But Texas has to really step up its recruiting on the defensive side of the ball. We need more speed, athleticism, and playmakers. It's so frustrating not having any disruptive pass rushing DE's on this years defense, nor a fast safety that roams the field better.

You don't think Gullette or Walton can grow into a pass rushing DE?

LTtxfan · October 20, 2022

1 minute ago, JOSEYWALES66 said:

You don't think Gullette or Walton can grow into a pass rushing DE?

Maybe. But this years team sucks at pass rushing from our DE's...

Codaxx · October 20, 2022

18 minutes ago, Hookem2147 said:

Agreed that’s there’s a noticeable gap between good and elite players, but what’s the definition of elite when looking at a recruiting class that isn’t on campus? Because I would consider guys like Derek Williams and Muhammad elite when looking at the current class.

Now if the argument is we aren’t signing elite difference makers in the front 7 then yeah we aren’t. We are at the good to very good level there.

This will be an odd one, but the guy I am the most high on is Bledsoe. It was just a couple plays, but I thought he was one of those kids that just moved differently. I know he came in super raw, butI wish I knew why we only seen 6 snaps from him this season. He is oddly still has the second highest PFF grade on the team (small sample size)

Codaxx · October 20, 2022

9 minutes ago, JOSEYWALES66 said:

You don't think Gullette or Walton can grow into a pass rushing DE?

Gullette has a lot of upside. Only thing that worries me about him is finding a spot. I believe the plan is to start him as an off ball LB.

LTtxfan · October 20, 2022

1 minute ago, Codaxx said:

This will be an odd one, but the guy I am the most high on is Bledsoe. It was just a couple plays, but I thought he was one of those kids that just moved differently. I know he came in super raw, butI wish I knew why we only seen 6 snaps from him this season. He is oddly still has the second highest PFF grade on the team (small sample size)

Gerry Hamilton is also extremely high on the talent of Bledsoe. Said he's the type of player that Saban loves to have on his defenses and that Bledsoe has the most raw talent of the younger defensive linemen.

Post Oak · October 20, 2022

3 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Gerry Hamilton is also extremely high on the talent of Bledsoe. Said he's the type of player that Saban loves to have on his defenses and that Bledsoe has the most raw talent of the younger defensive linemen.

Gerry loves the Marlin kids.

Codaxx · October 20, 2022

4 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

Gerry loves the Marlin kids.

I dont know what is in the water down there, but I could use some. Gullette and Bledsoe are legit athletes. I would like some more Marlin kids, if they all look like that.

Edited October 20, 2022 by Codaxx

Had Enough · October 20, 2022

Gerry loves the Marlin kids.

So does Burnt Orange & White ever since that fateful day……..

Codaxx · October 21, 2022

So I listened to the preview with Ian Boyd. He did say something interesting. He was confused how the defense was looking elite on 1st and 2nd down, but struggled to be competent on the 3rd down. He mentioned he wanted to review it, but he was speculating that the defense was using more complex coverages and blitzes on 3rd down. Thought maybe the fix was to simply run the base coverages more on 3rd down. I did notice quite a few 5 man rushes on 3rd down vs ISU, so I thought it was at least an interesting hypothesis on the 3rd down issues. I am sure someone re-watches the games here, I rarely do. Just wondering if anyone can confirm or deny Boyd's theory.

Edited October 21, 2022 by Codaxx

Dahobbs · October 21, 2022

26 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

So I listened to the preview with Ian Boyd. He did say something interesting. He was confused how the defense was looking elite on 1st and 2nd down, but struggled to be competent on the 3rd down. He mentioned he wanted to review it, but he was speculating that the defense was using more complex coverages and blitzes on 3rd down. Thought maybe the fix was to simply run the base coverages more on 3rd down. I did notice quite a few 5 man rushes on 3rd down vs ISU, so I thought it was at least an interesting hypothesis on the 3rd down issues. I am sure someone re-watches the games here, I rarely do. Just wondering if anyone can confirm or deny Boyd's theory.

What I saw is that in the first half we mainly played it straight and did a good job. Then they completed some passes into tight windows, concluding with a TD on a coverage bust and we sort of over compensated by bringing more pressure on third down, which gave ISU easy throws against poor man coverage.

LTtxfan · October 21, 2022

12 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

So I listened to the preview with Ian Boyd. He did say something interesting. He was confused how the defense was looking elite on 1st and 2nd down, but struggled to be competent on the 3rd down. He mentioned he wanted to review it, but he was speculating that the defense was using more complex coverages and blitzes on 3rd down. Thought maybe the fix was to simply run the base coverages more on 3rd down. I did notice quite a few 5 man rushes on 3rd down vs ISU, so I thought it was at least an interesting hypothesis on the 3rd down issues. I am sure someone re-watches the games here, I rarely do. Just wondering if anyone can confirm or deny Boyd's theory.

Yeah, Coach Bryan Erwin said that we were not getting to the Cyclones QB even though we were rushing 5 a lot. Erwin blamed the lack of a good pass rush as a major contributor for Texas struggles of not getting off the field on 3rd downs.

He prefers that our 3rd down defense be less predictable -- mix it up a lot more. He even wants Texas to sometimes only rush 3 and drop 8 on 3rd and long -- give up underneath stuff and protect against the 1st down marker.

Erwin says if he believes more turnovers are coming for this defense if they continue to populate the area around RB/WRs who have the ball. We are attacking and tackling much better this year...

HtownHorn · October 21, 2022

I think our defense is fine when you only consider the starters and rotational DL. Things start to go bad fast when we start substituting in the back 7. That is where the problems are, we have no depth DB and LB. Our backups in the secondary are true freshmen and walk-ons, and our backups at LB are just not P5 athletes.

Codaxx · October 21, 2022

8 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

What I saw is that in the first half we mainly played it straight and did a good job. Then they completed some passes into tight windows, concluding with a TD on a coverage bust and we sort of over compensated by bringing more pressure on third down, which gave ISU easy throws against poor man coverage.

That fits with my take, but I was more concerned with counting drinks than blitzes during the game.

LTtxfan · October 21, 2022

1 minute ago, Codaxx said:

That fits with my take, but I was more concerned with counting drinks than blitzes during the game.

Had Enough · October 21, 2022

Between DBs and LBs, we had 20 pass rush attempts out of 38 dropbacks or so. 10 of those were DMO who lined up as a DL quite a bit. No idea how many of those ended up rushing the passer but likely some. So Ford (7), DTD (1), and Brooks (2) totaled 10.

Richardson rushed but was lined up as DL each time.

Brooks was the only DB that rushed. 1 for 2 completions on those two attempts. Just off the top of my head Watts blitzed twice versus Bama so likely not different this game than others.

Only 5 pressures, 2 of which were Ford and possibly only 1 of those a blitz. Our next lowest season total was 9 in roughly half the dropbacks against OU. The next lowest total was 19 versus WVU. The time to throw in our 5 biggest matchups versus the pass was 2.55 (Daniels) to 2.88 (Young). Dekkers and Smith were 0.02 seconds difference. I threw out OU and ULM.

Our two worst games at getting pressure were WVU and ISU. Some of that may be coverage, but it’s our rush that is slowing. They need to pick it back up.

Iguana · October 21, 2022

On 10/20/2022 at 10:19 AM, Codaxx said:

This will be an odd one, but the guy I am the most high on is Bledsoe. It was just a couple plays, but I thought he was one of those kids that just moved differently. I know he came in super raw, butI wish I knew why we only seen 6 snaps from him this season. He is oddly still has the second highest PFF grade on the team (small sample size)

I agree. He was instantly violent.

Laxtonto · October 21, 2022

On 10/20/2022 at 11:09 AM, South Austin said:

tl;dr version: Maybe our defense doesn't suck so much, but Chip Brown still does.

Articles like this just pisses me off that much more about the shitstain referred to as FCB. He can do great work and yet instead sometimes he purposely goes out of the way to shit all over the program.

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Just rushed 3...

Damn it DMO spying missed tackle

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Just rushed 3 again...

20 yd gain because we can't cover fuckin' slant

Knoxtnhorn · October 22, 2022

He's just got to go. This is fucking ridiculous.

Neonmoon · October 22, 2022

PK is complete trash

crony · October 22, 2022

He's so fucking terrible.

bschoolprof · October 22, 2022

how is this fucking spare still employed?

satyanash · October 22, 2022

318 yards and 24 points given up at halftime. Very rough game

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Last 2 drives... Nice job getting off the field Texas defense. (Early 3rd qtr)

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

7 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Last 2 drives... Nice job getting off the field Texas defense. (Early 3rd qtr)

Got off field again on 3rd drive 2nd half.

Great Job !!!

Neonmoon · October 22, 2022

Of course when our defense makes stops, our offense goes 3 and out. That sounds very familiar. Oh yes, the past 12 years of Texas football

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

8 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

Got off field again on 3rd drive 2nd half.

Great Job !!!

4th drive for okie lite... 3 and out !!

Awesome Job Defense !!!

Brothahorn · October 22, 2022

I give him shit, but he is weathering the storm today. Keep it up.

His defense scares me to death every play, though.

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

HUGE 3 and out by Texas Defense at 8min

It's winning time offense...

COME ON!!!

34-34

Fondren & Main · October 22, 2022

I mean defense is making plays and depleted again. Cook has been out on the sideline in a sling.

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Damn it SARK... get further into FG range before throwing the damn ball

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Texas has 3 DBs out now...

Ferk

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

At least we still have a shot...

Was expecting a short FG attempt for win by Okie lite.

Let's Go score a TD... COME ON !!!

Neonmoon · October 22, 2022

So much quit in this defense

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Wouldn't be an okie lite game without a flag calling a huge Texas gain back...

FUCK

LTtxfan · October 22, 2022

Offense let Texas down big time in this okie lite game...

Bruh Man · October 23, 2022

The secondary was a total abomination today. Just sickening disgusting play from our DBs and safeties. Both position coaches should be fired along with PK obviously. Just clean house and give Patterson the keys to that side of the ball. He seems to want to stay in Austin for a bit and enjoy the golfing life.

LTtxfan · October 23, 2022

58 minutes ago, Bruh Man said:

The secondary was a total abomination today. Just sickening disgusting play from our DBs and safeties. Both position coaches should be fired along with PK obviously. Just clean house and give Patterson the keys to that side of the ball. He seems to want to stay in Austin for a bit and enjoy the golfing life.

DB Injuries...

Watts hamstring
Cook broke his arm
Guilbeau hurt his knee
Jerrin played hurt today

Kitan Crawford kept blowing his assignments so badly that Taafe was moved to safety.

FUCK !!!

bschoolprof · October 23, 2022

I guess my expectations for this defense are so low that when they don't play terrible, I feel like they played great. And the total offensive meltdown we had in the 2nd half not only made it tough on the defense but also has taken our attention away from the fact that this is systemically not a good defense. Yes, injuries. yes, personnel limitations. Ok.

I'm not even talking about the objective stats; 41 points allowed, ~400 yards passing, ~150 yards rushing allowed, 32 first downs allowed on 97 plays.

I'm mainly talking about just watching the way we play, particularly pass defense. Our guys literally have no fucking idea what they are doing. When you have one or two guys blow assignments, ok, maybe low football IQ. But when it happens over and over across the board for most of the season, that's a coaching/communication issue. Either the schemes are too complicated or are not being communicated in the correct way. Tackling sucks not just because of poor effort but also because guys are out of position and take poor angles, which again is a coaching issue.

I've never seen a team play so much of a 2 high safety shell have safeties that are literally invisible and irrelevant in the pass game. It's amazing actually.

ClubWhatever · October 23, 2022

There is enough evidence to say PK isn’t very effective without great secondary coaches. It’s as much of an indictment on him as it is on the secondary coaches. Which really is an indictment on Sark.

Sign In

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

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