Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 11)

[satyanash 14281]

Collecting post-game analysis articles regarding the TCU game here:

Steve Habel: No. 7 Texas rides big first half to nervy 29-26 win over TCU

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FORT WORTH, Texas – If there’s one thing that’s a certain about the Texas football team this season, it’s that you are entertained – or nerve-wracked – to the final seconds of most every game. Such was the case, again, on Saturday when Quinn Ewers passed for 317 yards and a score and Jonathon Brooks amassed 178 all-purpose yards as the seventh-ranked Longhorns dominated the first half and then held on dear life for a 29-26 win over TCU on Saturday in a key Big 12 Conference game at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

The Longhorns (9-1, 6-1 Big 12) are now alone atop the conference standings with two regular-season games to play. Texas’ nine wins through 10 contests is its most since 2009, when it went undefeated until a loss in the BCS Championship game against Alabama. Texas led by 20 at the half but sputtered thereafter. The Horned Frogs made things interesting in the fourth quarter when Josh Hoover hit JP Richardson with a 3-yard TD pass and then Savion Williams from 14 yards out, the latter with 3:28 to play to cut their deficit to three points.

It took a sterling catch on his back from the Longhorns’ Adonai Mitchell on a third down on the team’s last drive to secure the game for Texas. Ewers, returning from two-game absence because of a right shoulder injury, hit on 22 of his 33 passes. Brooks had 104 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving before being forced from the game with a right ankle injury early in the fourth quarter. Worthy caught 10 passes for 137 yards.

Hoover passed for 302 yards in the loss, while Emani Bailey ran for 98 yards and Williams caught 11 throws for 164 yards for TCU (4-6, 2-5) in the loss. Things were contentious from the start. After the Longhorns failed to convert on fourth down and 1 from the TCU 48, the Horned Frogs marched 29 yards in seven plays to a 41-yard field goal by Griffin Kell and a 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter.

Brooks’ 73-yard screen pass catch and run on the Longhorns’ ensuing possession set the table for his 2-yard scoring stroll into the end zone to make it 7-3 at the 6:53 mark of the first quarter. Brooks’ catch and run was the Longhorns’ longest play from scrimmage this season. Kell’s second FG – this one from 56 yards out – cut the Longhorns’ lead to 7-6 with 4:35 to play in the first.

Texas dodged a bullet when an Ewers’ deep pass was intercepted and returned 39 yards by Millard Bradford before it was punched out by Jordan Whittington and recovered by Worthy, with the play resulting in a net loss of three yards to the Longhorns. Ewers went deep for Worthy again two plays later for 45 yards, which set the table for a 30-yard field goal by Bert Auburn and a 10-6 lead for the Longhorns on the second snap of the second quarter.

Auburn added to the Longhorns’ advantage with a 32-yard boot with 8:32 to play in the second quarter that culminated a nine-play, 43-yard drive. Ewers hit Adonai Mitchell with a 6-yard TD to expand Texas’ lead to 19-6 with 1:01 to play before halftime but the PAT kick was botched when holder Ryan Sanborn dropped the snap.

The Longhorns got an expected opportunity to score again after an interception by Terrance Brooks and a return to the TCU 43. Jonathon Brooks made a nifty cut to get outside and race to the pylon for a 22-yard TD with 12 seconds left that stoked the Texas lead to 26-6 at the break. The Longhorns dominated the first half, outgaining TCU 331-110 and holding the Horned Frogs without a third down conversion in five chances.

The Horned Frogs had a chance to cut into the lead late in the third quarter but was turned away at the UT 2-yard line by the Texas defense, with two rushes gaining a total of two yards and back-to-back incomplete passes ending the threat. TCU got into the end zone on a 17-yard run by Bailey with 14:02 to play to cut its deficit to 26-13. Auburn’s 49-yard field goal with 8:53 capped a 10-play, 44-yard drive and expanded the Longhorns’ lead to 29-13.

That set the stage for the Horned Frogs’ late-game fireworks, for Mitchell’s amazing game-saving catch and, ultimately, Texas’ fourth straight win. The Longhorns return to play on Nov. 18 when they travel to Iowa State for a night game at Jack Trice Stadium. It will be Texas’ final Big 12 road game and a crucial contest.

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Texas takes the lead in Big 12 play

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The Texas Longhorns got Quinn Ewers back at the helm for their road trip to Fort Worth and it was a good thing they did. With a sole lead of the Big 12 Conference at stake, Texas eked out a win as Ewers went 22-33 for 317 passing yards at 9.6 ypa with a touchdown and an interception. The biggest completion was probably the last, a deep fade to Adonai Mitchell in 1-on-1 coverage on 3rd-and-12 which put the ball at midfield and made it possible for the Longhorns to run out the remaining clock and deny TCU a chance at a final possession.

This wouldn’t have seemed necessary earlier in the game, particularly at halftime when Texas was up 26-6 and had a sizable 331-110 yard advantage at the half. The Longhorns were up big and dominating, then suddenly they weren’t, then they were wrapping up a crucial if ultimately unimpressive win.

Quick thought no. 1: This should have been easier

Texas went to the red zone four times in this game and scored each time but once again had to settle for a pair of field goals, maintaining consistency in the Horns’ coin flip metrics on whether red zone trips translate to touchdowns or not. Texas also came up short on 4th-and-1 at midfield on the second drive when a “Redcat” play to Savion Red featured the runner trying to cut behind Hayden Conner only to find his left guard losing control of the D-linemen and yielding a stop short of the marker.

Finally there was an awful sequence late in the game which made the game wildly more interesting than it should have been. Texas got a fairly weak punt which TCU receiver John Paul Richardson returned across midfield before taking an uncalled shove out of bounds and then catching a called shove from the aforementioned Red who was on the bench before the play.

Suddenly the Frogs being down 10 points didn’t seem such a big problem as they were on the Texas 36 with 4:03 still left in the game. Naturally Texas allowed Savion Williams, who did virtually ALL of TCU’s damage in the passing game, to run free against zone coverage and bring it down at the 14. Then TCU quarterback Josh Hoover found Williams again for a touchdown.

Williams finished the day with 11 catches on 13 targets for 164 yards at 12.6 yards per target and a touchdown. It might have been beneficial if Texas could have eliminated him from the game with a coverage scheme.

Now it was 29-26 and the Longhorns curiously had freshman DeAndre Moore back to return the kick. He tried to bring the ball out from deep and was quickly tackled at the 15-yard line. Texas now had to protect a 3-point lead and 3:22 of game clock without star running back Jonathon Brooks who’d already limped off the field. A quick punt could have been disastrous and given TCU a short field with a chance to take several shots at the end zone before settling for a field goal if necessary. Fortunately for the Horns, Ewers hit Mitchell on the fade and finished the game.

It was a classic Texas game under Steve Sarkisian. A great start, an inability to protect a lead, and then weaknesses for playing zone coverage or maintaining consistently clean special teams play nearly undid them. Instead, the Horns got some crucial playmaking at quarterback and receiver…

Quick thought no. 2: Texas enjoyed good game management by Quinn

Ewers clearly wasn’t feeling himself entirely. He badly under threw a fade route early which lead to an interception, but fortunately two of his receivers were able to pick him up and erase the mistake.

Amazing by Jordan Whittington to miss the first tackle but run the ballcarrier down and strip him from behind. It was also a strong effort by Xavier Worthy to be chasing the play down as well so he could land on the ball. From there, Ewers was Mr. Game Manager, protecting himself and the ball with quick and careful decisions and several big throws on 3rd downs. 

There’s no way Texas would have been able to manufacture enough offense to safely keep TCU at arms length without some big throws by Ewers. Worthy was a major component, turning 13 targets into 10 catches for 137 yards at 13.7 yards per target. Texas moved him around quite a bit and Ewers routinely hit him underneath in space allowing Worthy to make plays.

Ewers also did well on several occasions to throw the ball safely into the turf in the direction of held receivers (typically Worthy) to ensure holding flags were thrown that boosted Texas drives. He appeared in firm command throughout the game and was able to minimize contact to his body, creating a chance to get healthier and better next week for another road trip.

Quick thought no. 3: TCU was afraid to run early

The Frogs clearly came into this game thinking they needed to spread the ball around in the passing game and avoid going toe-to-toe with Texas’ monstrous defensive tackles in the trenches. Hoover was 24-36 overall for 302 yards at 8.4 ypa with two touchdowns and a costly interception before the half which set up a big Texas touchdown drive. Texas covered up the shallow crossing patterns much better in this game but struggled handling Williams outside in 1-on-1 matchups and Hoover had the arm to reach his big outside receiver.

In the 3rd quarter TCU came out and mixed in some runs, perhaps only to protect a rattled quarterback and offensive line which was getting targeted, and unexpectedly started finding success. Running back Emani Bailey ended up with 21 carries for 98 yards at 4.7 ypc and a touchdown and was crucial in getting the Frogs back in before Hoover started finding confidence and beating Texas’ coverage. His ability to find creases and get skinny in the hole was truly impressive and caused major issues.

The typical pattern has been for teams to attack Texas with the run game, fail miserably, then trying the passing game as a last resort before finding success. TCU actually got back in by challenging the Longhorns on the ground and getting enough balance to allow them a shot at attacking the Texas secondary effectively late. The Frogs needed to take some wind out of the Longhorn defense with some runs and possession before their passing game could explode to life without getting wrecked by the Texas D-line.

We’ll see if the next opponent (Iowa State) does likewise or also comes in expecting to have to throw to win.

Quick thought no. 4: Texas had some productive wrinkles

Texas’ 3rd down package was different once more, no longer featuring the Anthony Hill/Morice Blackwell combination in the 3-3-5. Instead, Texas stayed in the same 2-4-5 personnel grouping with Ethan Burke remaining on the field and Hill still at Will but Burke standing up over one of the A-gaps in essentially the role Hill had been playing in the package in previous weeks. Burke was effective looping and slanting as an inside pass-rusher, Hill could still blitz from the second level, and Texas had three sacks, a strip (TCU recovered), and some good licks on the quarterback.

TCU finished 3-11 on 3rd downs (Texas was just 4-13) and really struggled with Texas’ pressure and coverage on money downs where the Horns had been vulnerable on other Saturdays. TCU was young and weak inside and Texas seized on that early in this game. However, TCU ultimately landed real damage on other downs with multiple explosive gains.

Texas also did a ton of damage from 12 personnel in this game, mostly playing Ja’Tavion Sanders with Gunnar Helm and moving them around to punch holes here and there for the run game. Sark even mixed in a pivot route from the counter run on the last play and hit Sanders, but it was covered shockingly well by TCU necessitating the long shot to Mitchell.

If not for the Redcat shortcoming and a false start on 4th-and-1 in the red zone, Texas might have been able to finally translate offensive efficiency into actual points on the board which could have prevented TCU’s late run.

Quick thought no. 5: Brooks and the road trip to Ames, Iowa

Brooks has been essential this season and was huge once again with 21 carries for 104 yards at 5.0 ypc with two TDs. He even added three catches for 74 yards, including a 73-yarder early on one of Sark’s lethal running back screen play.

178 total yards for Brooks, but the last run saw him badly hobbled with an ankle and his prognosis for next week will now be in doubt. CJ Baxter ran hard in this game and did well to protect the ball on crucial runs to protect clock but he doesn’t have the same knack for creating and hitting creases created by the stress the Longhorns generate with their receivers and passing game.

This is an obvious concern heading into what may be one of Texas’ tougher games of the season in Ames next Saturday. As of this writing, the Cyclones are blowing out the BYU Cougars and showing off a capable run game to give their offense a little balance to better match another good Jon Heacock defense.

Texas’ chances at a Big 12 Championship Game always seem to come down to winning against Iowa State in November. Texas had to beat the Cyclones in 2018 at home to get in the driver’s seat, did so 24-10, and advanced. In 2019 the season went down in flames with a loss on the road in Ames due to offsides on a 4th down which allowed the Cyclones to end the game with a 36-yard field goal to make it 23-21.

In 2020 Texas again had the season come down to a game against Iowa State, this time in Austin, which the Horns dropped 23-20 after the infamous failed 4th down run in Iowa State territory. The Longhorns will likely be in for another tough one if they have to go into Ames without Brooks. But in the meantime, they’re the only Big 12 team left with only a single loss in conference play.

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 7 Texas 29, TCU 26: Three things we learned

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It once again wasn’t the prettiest win, but the No. 7 Texas Longhorns are the embodiment of survive and advance as they managed to mitigate yet another late-game meltdown and held off the TCU Horned Frogs in Fort Worth to move to 9-1 on the year. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers was back in the saddle after missing two starts due to injury and the offense looked the part early, but once again the Longhorns sputtered in the second half. It seems like the Longhorns will have to stick to water this week and skip coffee after once again failing to close out an opponent that was on the ropes.

1. Quarterback wasn’t the issue with the second-half offensive woes

Without the services of Ewers, the Texas offense struggled and sputtered in the close against the Houston Cougars and the Kansas State Wildcats, with an outmatched BYU Cougars squad in between. Much was made of Maalik Murphy’s struggles in the games as the redshirt freshman showed some of the longer development curve he’s on in late-game struggles. That excuse is gone this week as Texas scored just three points in the second half and let TCU back in the game.

It seemed like the Texas offense, with Sarkisian calling the plays, was content to run the ball and play ball control, with 11 of Ewers’ 33 attempts coming in the second half and just three in the fourth quarter. While the game state makes sense to run the ball, the Longhorns averaged more than 6.6 yards per passing attempt in the second half, compared to 4.3 yards per attempt on the ground. The lack of complimentary football cost the defense as well, going three full quarters without surrendering a touchdown, while the offense couldn’t find the end zone for the entire second half.

2. Texas can’t just rely on Jonathon Brooks

The redshirt sophomore running back continued to be a huge piece of the offense for Texas, picking up 104 yards and two scores on 21 carries for the day before leaving the game with an injury. On the following two drives, when Texas needed to get a first down to end the game, Texas couldn't move the ball and gave TCU a chance to come back. Texas ran gained just 16 yards on the ground on the final two drives of the game and needed a 35-yard prayer from Adonai Mitchell to convert the game-winning first down.

It feels like Texas has fallen far from the team that went into Tuscaloosa and ran out the clock keeping the ball on the ground the entire time. Whether it is more production from CJ Baxter and the other running backs or finding ways to keep the clock moving while putting the ball in the air, Texas needs to find a way to find success on offense in the second half.

3. Surviving is not the most fun way to win, but it's better than the alternative

While it’s not ideal for Texas to have to play its starters for 60 minutes, especially with how beat up the team is, a win is a win and Texas is 9-1 on the year with two more left on the schedule. It would be great if Texas managed to close out its opponents, especially given how banged up the team is, but given the alternative for Texas its easy to take the win, The second-half struggles are nothing new for Texas, but managing to hold onto the lead — rather than give one up — is just the way of the world now-a-days. A year ago, TCU made its way to the CFP by managing the variance situations so maybe the way of the world now is to be talented enough to manage the variance and keep yourself in the win column.

[LTtxfan 48966]

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Edited November 12, 2023 by LTtxfan

[satyanash 14281]

Bobby Burton: Texas' leadership and culture is shining

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As I think back to the last four games, the stretch that began post-off week with travel to Houston, then hosting BYU and Kansas State, and last night’s tilt with TCU, one word comes to mind for this Longhorn team: leadership. Sure, Texas could have won this game or another one better or more convincingly. But they won them. Two years ago, they lost heartbreaker after heartbreaker. A year ago, they lost every game by one score or less.

This year? The worm has turned. So it’s only natural to wonder why. My answer? Leadership. And culture. One is useless without the other. But the last four games, remember what we’ve seen. Texas completed a go-ahead drive with a back-up QB against Houston then held the Cougars from scoring on the final series before returning home the next two weeks, with a back-up QB as starter, and soundly defeat a helpless BYU team followed by a gutty win against a rallying K-State squad.

You don’t win those games against Houston or K-State without leadership and culture. And you certainly don’t hang on against a TCU team last night without it. I want to single out two position groups that I think are really leading the way for Texas right now. The defensive line and the receiver group. Those two positions are proving to be the difference makers and therefore the leaders of this Longhorn team and protecting and projecting its culture.

Adonai Mitchell’s clutch catch last night and outstanding game against K-State stand out. Xavier Worthy’s big-time game last night along with his punt returns against BYU and K-State do too. JT Sanders continues to make contested catches. And then there’s Jordan Whittington’s obsessive blocking and his maniacal effort on the interception return last night.  Whittington missed the tackle early in that play, only to bounce off the ground and get back up and eventually punch the ball free. But Whittington was not outdone on that play by Worthy.

Worthy was the intended receiver and was taken down at the 25-yard line. He bounced back up, got back into the play and eventually made the fumble recovery 50 yards back the other way. In all, Worthy probably covered 100+ yards on that single play. His effort and that of Whittington, that’s leadership and culture mixing together to be leadership by example.

As for the defensive line, there’s just not much to say that hasn’t already been said. T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy are the alphas of the group. But they are far from alone. Texas did not allow 100 yards rushing again last night and recorded multiple sacks. Texas may or may not win the Big 12. But they are being led by its receiver group and defensive line with other key players buying in, too.

Coach V: Positives and negatives from Texas' escape from Fort Worth

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By: Mike Venable — It was really easy to spot a ton of positives in what turned out to be a nail biter in the fifty-ninth minute of contest that should have played out so differently but that’s football. I will attempt to mention as many dead solids as memory will allow and the logical starting point is Jordan Whittington (13) and Xavier Worthy (1) on the lone interception against Quinn Ewers (3). One would be hard pressed to find two more dedicated efforts than the “want-to” those two showed in what boiled down to a hundred yard broken sprint to cause and recover a errant throw. You gotta love all out hustle and that’s our prime example.

Yes, it was just the ninth game in our quest for the Big 12 championship but it was the bowl game for the Frogs. The mark of a good, well coached football team is the ability to show improvement each week both as a team and individuals. Players need to complete their assignments with sound technique and better results. Mistakes should be fewer and less costly. Missed tackles should be reduced and yards after contact limited. Penalties should be eliminated and big plays avoided. We didn’t do ourselves any favors with our performance yesterday in too many cases. Sad but true.

Terrance Brooks (8) had a well played interception in a zone drop. Jahdae Barron (23) had several sweet open field tackles but also whiffed a couple more. Jaylan Ford (41) made a ton of plays, missed several other chances, and was hit and miss in pass coverages. Vernon Broughton (45) had three straight super tackles in the red zone on TCU’s second drive. Barryn Sorrell (88) and Ethan Burke (91) had terrific games at the edges—they are both playing lights out with solid results and making football smart decisions. T’Vondre Sweat (93) is definitely our All-American and Bryon Murphy (90) is just a few big plays behind Sweat. Trill Carter (98) had his best outing with two good plays and great hustle.

Our DL’s are our best defensive unit period. They improve each week and show up ready to play. They pressure, chase and pursue with reckless abandon without reservations. They are also fun to watch.

DJ Campbell (52) is gaining ground on every aspect in his game. DJ’s kick out blocks on the counters are devastating. His pass blocking has turned the corner. Good player. Kelvin Banks (78) had another good game with several 5 star blocks including the huge springing block on the 74 yard screen pass to Jonathan Brooks (24). Jake Majors (65) never wows anyone with his play but his ability to get our OL into the best call, accurate snaps and dedicated maintaining contact leads by example. Player getting the most out of his ability. Christian Jones (70) had his toughest night with three penalties and a couple of TFLs.

Ja’Tavion Sanders (0) had a good game with two highlight receptions and improved blocking. Xavier Worthy (1) is our dependable weapon and has had a great year all around. Adonai Mitchell (5) had a TD catch and the last dagger with the diving first down reception to salt the game away. The bad news is he basically gave up on two routes that were directed to him in key situational bombs. Jordan Whittington (13) is our unsung player of the year with his 100% each and every week.

Quinn Ewers (3) had a strong game considering a two week layoff from action. He had one pass that floated (oskie) along with the first pass that sailed behind the receiver but all in all was very good. He threw many good targets and avoided bad plays with good decisions in a tough environment. CJ Baxter (4) found a few creases and ran hard but doesn’t quite have the knack for knifing thru the opposition that Mr. Brooks (24) finds time after time… after time.

It’s a shame Jonathon Brooks (24) couldn’t finish the game without injury. The best player on the field once again. Big play after big play. We can all hope Jonathon recovers quickly. He’s such a player—we don’t win several games without him.

I know from experience how hard it is to call good plays. Each play-caller on both sides of the ball strongly believes in the call he has made is the best call available at that time. Sadly, they don’t all work out but the good ones usually have a higher percentage of positives. Sometimes the calls are influenced by outside sources. You can’t allow those elements to affect your decision making ability.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that maybe Sark had too much on his plate (after the first 10-15 scripts) to stay on course as effectively as his opening targets. I saw further evidence last night that supported my belief that he wasn’t on the top of his game (in my opinion) with two/three decisions that only serve to confuse me at the time. Two straight third/fourth and ones were ran right behind our LG (weakest one on one blocker) and his defender stopped Brooks in his tracks. If Campbell and Jones are our best drive blockers then why aren’t we attacking behind them instead of a proven NCAA (no contact at all) at LG?

I still can’t understand Sark’s decision in the second quarter that gifted TCU with three points. Third down and 17 for the Frogs. Incomplete pass with a offensive holding penalty against them. Sark turns down the penalty (would have made it third and 27 and out of kick range had he accepted the hold call) and they kick a 56 yard field goal. That just makes no sense to me. Makes me wonder if he’s busy planning the next offensive series and offered the chance to make it fourth down declined the penalty without considering the alternative. Oh, well, back to the drawing board.

Iowa State—ugly uniforms, ugly weather, and ugly game probably.

Mike Venable is a retired coach who had a 30 year career coaching football at Lancaster, Duncanville, Gladewater, Pasadena Sam Rayburn, R.L Turner and The Colony.

 

[DixonHur 11199]

3 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

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WTF?  Is there construction work going on in the background?  

Those fuckers couldn't take a 15 minute break during the presser?  TCU can suck my balls.

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2023 TCU Horned Frogs Postmortem: Defense/Special Teams

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Once again, a tale of two halves. The Longhorn defense owned the first half, limiting TCU to a pair of field goals while turning over a flustered Josh Hoover on a change up zone drop interception that allowed an end of half score and a 26-6 lead. In the second half, the Texas defense was dominated as Frog halftime adjustments trumped our own and the defense lost cohesion and composure, evidenced in less urgent play, confusion, sloppy tackling and schematic straying from what had made it successful in the first stanza of action.

The Texas defense struggles badly when robbed of certainty and game pressure ratchets up while pressure on the QB ratchets down. In this time of thanksgiving, be grateful that the Texas offense held the last possession and ran out the clock. If the Frogs had another meaningful possession, overtime or an outright loss was probable. Why do I say that?

TCU’s last 4 possessions of the game (they only had five in the 2H) totaled 247 yards on only 30 plays. On those four drives, they had 249 available yards to them and gained 247. Josh Hoover was 10 of 16 for 91 yards and a pick in the first half. In the second? 14 of 20 for 211 yards and 2 touchdowns. TCU’s last three touchdowns took a grand total of 5:37. The idea that college football defenses can “protect the lead” by allowing productive offense and preventing “big plays over the top” or force meaningful clock burning at all is disproven every week. Those last four possessions went:

12-62-DOWNS (stopped TCU inside the 5)

6-74-TD

9-75-TD

3-36-TD

That’s how it ended. How did it start? Pretty damn well, actually. The Longhorn defensive staff got a lot more aggressive in the form of six man pressures and much more line movement in general. The six man pressures were a consistent 3rd down feature early in the game. It yielded excellent results.

That’s a true six man pressure on 3rd and 6. Meaning not provided by superfluous exterior blitzers or the late nickel. The key is its immediacy, urgency and the mandating of 1 on 1 matchups inside. Note also that there are twists and varied paths to cross up the protection. Crucially, it eliminates the “bystander problem” that has plagued some of PK’s calls – players who aren’t in coverage, aren’t in the rush, and not really doing much at all.

We’ve got six attacking and five guys guarding men. No indecision here. Texas brings six, plays man behind it, invites a horizontal throw behind the sticks and then cleans it up with Barron. In this circumstance, we want a shallow crossing route. Notice that covering up all of the OL creates 1 on 1s inside. Absent pressure, Hoover could hold the ball, survey the field and perhaps hit the motion man that gets open late past the sticks.

He did this several times in the second half. Pressure is key, as is the early invitation read to the open receiver. When Hoover tried to hold the ball on similar plays against six man pressures, he was sacked, threw inaccurately under pressure to an open man deeper down the field, or still had to throw short of the sticks. This is why TCU started the game 0-6 on 3rd down. They went 4 of 7 on their remaining money downs when we drifted away from this.

What about when Texas didn’t bring extra men and still had success? Note this tackle/end stunt on a regular down, which is against tendency year to date.

1st and 10. Notice that Burke and Sweat (in 3 tech) cross and this collapses the pocket. Murphy is eating two blockers inside initially, but not for long. Hoover drops his eyes, now just trying to survive. Murphy shows a terrific work rate to finish the play, but note that if he hadn’t, Burke would have. All accomplished with a four man rush twist on an early down. Good stuff.

Texas went away from much of this in the second half. I’m not sure why. Any Texas blitzing came more late from the exterior (so, irrelevant) rather than the interior and we played more coverage with straight up 3 or 4 man rushes. For Texas, the best way to cover isn’t adding more coverage, unless it’s an off speed pitch to the fastball that’s working. To state it bluntly, we don’t really know what we’re doing in pure coverage scenarios.

We succeed by shortening the QB decision window and getting on the early outlets. On an individual basis, TCU murdered the Horns with Savion Williams (11-164 yards, career highs, of course) lined up all over the field. He actually got yards in both halves, but the six-man pressure packages prevented TCU from finding him on downs that mattered.

Had Texas ever installed a dime defense this offseason, a double team is possible on a problem receiver irrespective of where Williams lines up from almost any base coverage call. Absent an extra DB who can flex to Williams (paired preferably with a five man pressure on their empty sets so Hoover throws early or gets sacked) Texas was left scrambling and confused as Williams lined up all over the field (he caught balls on 9 different Horn defenders).

Our bystander problem multiplied as well. Texas allowed a redshirt freshman backup QB with saucers for eyes at the end of the first half to slice and dice the Horns with confidence in the second. I’ve noted sometimes that Sark is reluctant to spam successful wrinkles on offense, assuming they’re burned long before the defense demonstrates that they can handle them.

Unfortunately, I think we did something similar here. Great initial game plan. TCU’s weak OL couldn’t hold up to withering pressure and Hoover looked like he might break. Then we came out in the second half seemingly with the expectation that TCU must have devised answers and so moved away from it proactively, perhaps exacerbated by the misguided notion that more bodies in coverage was “safer” to “protect” our lead. College football demonstrably doesn’t work that way, no matter the platitudes.

Defensive Line

This made me laugh when it happened. Lifted them like purple carry ons.

Very strong performances from Murphy, Sweat and Collins. Broughton had a pair of terrific flash plays against the run that forced a TCU field goal, but he got beaten a couple of times in the second half. Sorrell earned a holding call (!!!!!) and had some nice power rushes. Ethan Burke was too athletic for the TCU OL on the move, but we robbed him of stunting and looping from the mid 3rd quarter on. At one point early in the 3rd quarter, we lined him up standing inside of Broughton and it freed up Trill Carter for the sack when we fake blitzed the six man pressure. Good stuff like that just sort of fell out of the defensive calls as the game progressed.

As for “Texas wore down” thoughts, TCU didn’t have many offensive snaps, Murphy and Sweat only played 40 snaps each and we have plenty of depth. We stopped getting pressure because we stopped doing the things that apply it.

Linebacker

Ford had a great PBU in goal to go. I would’ve liked Ford and Hill more as blitzers than coverage bystanders in the second half. Hill struggled with this run fit here.

Burke has outside contain and perhaps thought it was an RPO, but he needs to squeeze down rather than circumvent that blocker. That written, Hill can’t give up the alley or take on a block stiff-legged. Less than ideal angle from #5 while #28 is shocked to see the runner there, but hay is in the barn once a quality back gets 10 yards of uninterrupted green. Letting TCU run it from deep red zone is a killer.

Defensive Back

Kitan Crawford only played about 15 snaps and he was lost on nearly all of them. Bad angles on nearly every down. Ryan Watts played pretty well. The big on big Watts vs. Savion matchup didn’t really occur as TCU lined up Savion all over the place, including slot and the backfield. Holmes barely played and seemingly got pulled after giving up a 11 yard completion.

Brooks had a nice pick on his zone drop, but his second half performance degraded as we moved to a different tactic. Tackling was poor as confusion increased and seeing guys stack on top of each other in zone drops rather than establish some spacing is not Game 10 defense.

Overall, this unit really benefits from pressure up front. The idea that we help them by adding more “coverage” and less pressure is provably wrong against a team like the Frogs. In fact, more coverage means coverage calls where we’re more likely to be guarding grass and not receivers or comboing coverages that we bust. Stop stringing up yellow police tape and creating bystanders.

Special Teams

Poor, save the continued terrific performance of Bert Auburn, who nailed yet another 49 yard field goal like a lay up on a kiddie rim. Auburn is now 20 of 25 on the year and 11 of his last 11. Heater, baby! He has drilled 49 yarders two weeks in a row. We’ll need him to win in Ames. Sanborn mishandled an XP snap and later had a very poor punt (distance and hang time) that gave TCU good field position, in combination with Savion Red committing one of the dumbest penalties of the season.

Final

The defensive staff implemented a strong game plan that freed the best playmakers on the unit to eat, but went away from it in the second half for an approach that we’ve demonstrated that we’re ill-disposed to execute, having never implemented the most likely measure to make it work (installing a dime). Onward to Ames.

 

[LTtxfan 48966]

Bobby and Gerry...   

Defensive Line Shines AGAIN | Quinn Ewers Battles in Return | On Texas Football | Grading the Horns

[LTtxfan 48966]

Monday-- Coach is thoroughly disgusted with Texas 3rd/4th down short yardage offense.  Big reason for Horns blowing leads.

Longhorns Blowing Big Leads | Short Yardage Issues | On Texas Football | Lunch with the Coach

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2023 TCU Horned Frogs Postmortem: Offense

Quote

Texas held on for a 29-26 win over the 4-6 Frogs, moving to 9-1 and securing the lead position in the Big 12 race heading into Ames. After scoring 26 points and rolling up well in excess of 300 yards in the first half, the Texas offense ran out of intensity, arm strength and execution in the second half, managing only 3 points after the intermission against a vulnerable Purple defense. Texas compiled 482 yards over 74 plays at 6.5 yards per play, but most of that was front loaded early with Quinn Ewers amassing 244 passing yards on 15 of 22 attempts in the first half of play. 74 yards of those yards came the easy way for #3 on this perfectly executed screen to Brooks.

Note the tremendous clear out from Kelvin Banks and the downfield hustle from DJ Campbell who walled off two Frog defenders. The Frog 1st half defensive game plan was to single up their best cornerback Josh Newton on Xavier Worthy and allow the rest of the Frog secondary to roll coverage to other Longhorn receiving threats and attack the Longhorn running game with run blitzes. It was an invitation from TCU DC Joe Gillispie to match good on good and see who would win.

Xavier Worthy, by first half knockout. Newton gave up 8 catches for 120 yards and drew two pass interference calls in a single half of play. He got completely dominated and future DCs were reminded that predictable straight man-to-man on Worthy is inadvisable. To add insult to injury, Mitchell caught a touchdown on Newton at the end of the half.

After a couple of stunted drives that ended in field goals, the Texas offense dominated the final minutes of the first half, outscoring TCU 14-0. They seemed to have a great deal of momentum. A 50-13 style blowout felt like it was on the way. That feeling dissipated quickly. The second half offensive malaise can be attributed to the whole team and staff and there’s little doubt that Ewers had some arm limitations on certain throws, but the lack of execution and urgency out of the locker room was palpable.

I speak message board fan fluently and have learned that aggressive means “all plays that are successful” while passive means “any unsuccessful play.” Texas play calling was aggressive out of the half, but the Texas players were not. The body language and effort level communicated was that having to play another half of ball was a mere formality and that the Frogs would recognize Texas’ innate superiority and surrender. If Texas had thrown together a pair of touchdown drives, they probably would have. Meanwhile, I’m switching over to watch pieces of Georgia-Ole Miss. Up 28 points, the Bulldog players are playing frantically like their lives depend on it. In the deep 4th quarter. OU-West Virginia? Same. The Sooners are up 24 and running around like maniacs. November isn’t about cruising. It’s about destroying the things that stand in the way of your goals and leaving no doubt.

Unfortunately, a little bit of the too-cool-for-school mentality came from some of the offense’s standout performers. In the first two series out of the half, Adonai Mitchell jogged two deep routes intended for him (the second earned a “Oh, my bad” chest thump) and Xavier Worthy completely whiffed on a block on 3rd and 1 that helped create a -3 yard pass for Cook. A couple of OL also demonstrated less than amazing effort and focus and CJ Baxter repeatedly found the ground on light contact. After two opening possessions that featured a lack of urgency and general nonsense, Sark got mad and decided to Run The Damn Ball. This was a statement drive and Texas ran the rock on 8 consecutive plays for 42 yards. No single run for more than 9 yards, but all positive gains and nary a 3rd down to be found (8, 7, 3, 7, 4, 7, 1, 6). TCU fired downhill pretty hard on the last two runs of that series and Texas found itself in 3rd and 3 on the Frog 31 yard line, up 26-13. TCU was now crowding the box in a predictable defensive set after eight consecutive runs.

Let’s do it, play caller. Sark ran the ball up the middle again, badly outnumbered. Zero yards. Long field goal time. Sark went from proving a point to his team about intensity to overly stubborn in the span of one ground bound drive. He showed them! Play caller’s pique, I guess. Auburn nailed the 49 yarder to put Texas up 29-13 and so ended Texas scoring.

Offensive Line

Very impressed by their pass blocking and general assignment soundness overall. I was less than impressed with how they performed as run blockers against TCU’s DE group of total spares. As a unit, they’ve grown considerably as pass blockers individually and corporately. From a run blocking perspective, it’s shocking how weak so many of them are the point of attack and how poor some of their pad levels are. Christian Jones struggled with penalties (one of the false starts was overly officious) and Hayden Conner struggled to get the slightest push on a bottom tier Big 12 DE group. His deficiencies are well documented, so running short yardage or Wildcat behind him is foolish. Banks and DJ Campbell had the best games overall and Jake Majors is really starting to look better on his ankle. He did a fine a job on Damonic Williams.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

Worthy (10-137) and Mitchell (3-61-1 TD) were totally dominant for long stretches, but team attitude starts with its studs and their initial second half demeanor set a negative tone. Whittington and Worthy’s hustle play stripping and recovering the TCU DB’s interception was epic and an example of how hard this team should be playing at all times. I wonder if the same play would have happened in the lazy 3rd quarter? JT Sanders had some strong catches and looks to be about 90-95% health wise now. Terrific catch for 19 yards on a 3rd and 12 where he caught it through the defender. 4 catches, 47 yards. Texas was denied a few bigger runs because Helm, Sanders or Worthy wasn’t able to get the final block on a TCU 2nd or 3rd level defender. Adonai Mitchell had his best game run blocking at Texas. Yes, really.

QB

Gotta love this 3rd and 12. Ewers gets it out there and the Frog DB is toast, but that’s an amazing adjustment by Mitchell when he realizes it doesn’t have the distance.

Quinn played through some discomfort and was obviously impacted, but he also threw some terrific balls to Worthy, a couple of regrettable ones and made only two really bad decisions (bypassing Whittington for an easy 1st down, air mailed interception). He put air unnecessarily under some intermediate throws and threw short of Mitchell for an easy TD, but he also did some of that pre-injury. His final stat line was great: 22 of 33 for 317 yards, but it’s pretty clear that working through his shoulder will create some inconsistency and it won’t magically get better until a longer layoff. Props to him for suiting up and battling through it. Amazingly, we probably don’t win without him.

RB

Oh, man. Brooks was fantastic as always. We will miss him terribly, not only for his skill set and terrific ability, but because his effort level never varies or lags. His season ends with 178 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns, finishing the abbreviated year with 1139 yards rushing at 6.1 per carry and 286 receiving yards at 11.4 per catch. The most consistent weapon on the team is gone and Texas need a major step up from his replacements. CJ Baxter continues to tiptoe on most of his runs and drops at contact. 18 carries, 61 yards. We need to see more Blue, Keilan Robinson, or a major improvement from CJ. “Banged up” explains some things, but not most of what I’m seeing. Savion Red ran an unsuccessful Wildcat behind Hayden Conner and drew a brain dead sideline penalty in a one score game.

Final

I wrote in my TCU preview that the only opponent Texas will face for the rest of the Big 12 season is Texas. I think this game was a clear demonstration of that fact, though losing the outstanding play of Jonathon Brooks means that the entire offense needs to find greater urgency, tactical acumen and intensity if the Horns want to fulfill their season dreams. Texas has to learn to uphold a standard of play and intensity on both sides of the ball. Without it, the find out part of the equation will soon meet our f’in around.

 

[Monahorns 34]

Wow.  Team psychology is bad and players not being held accountable.  I've seen this movie before.

[TwiceHorn 31269]

On 11/16/2023 at 11:13 AM, Monahorns said:

Wow.  Team psychology is bad and players not being held accountable.  I've seen this movie before.

Compared to some of the examples of bad team psychology Texas has provided over the last decade, I'll take this one twice on Sundays.