Media/$9.95-er postgame analysis articles (Week 9)

[satyanash 14281]

Collecting post-game $9.95-er analysis articles from the Vandy game here:

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 5 Texas 27, No. 25 Vanderbilt 24: Three things we learned

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The No. 5 Texas Longhorns went on the road for the first time in SEC play and while it turned into an unnecessary nail-biter, they managed to walk away with a win over the No. 25 Vanderbilt Commodores. Many of the issues for Texas were self-inflicted, with penalties, missed opportunities, and a lack of complimentary football rearing their ugly heads for the second week in a row.

The O-line issues aren’t fixed

From quarterback Quinn Ewers playing with defenders in his face because of miscommunication to important plays nullified by penalties, the offensive line was not up to the standard the team needs and fans expected a few weeks ago. Texas saw two first downs and a collective 33 yards of plays nullified due to holding calls in addition to the penalty yardage, plus a false start and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that put Texas behind the chains on first downs.

Ewers’ interception on the first drive of the game was due to a defender that should have been accounted for putting a hand on the ball and creating a havoc play. While some of the sacks come down to the quarterback’s indecision with the ball, Ewers was brought down four times for negative-29 yards and hurried another two, causing the offense to sputter.

The defense can’t continue to play with their backs against the wall

The first time the defense took the field, they were already in the shadow of their own end zone thanks to an interception returned to the Texas 31-yard line. They lost contain on a 3rd and long, letting Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia scramble for an 18-yard touchdown to take the lead. The next points came after a three-and-out by the offense and a poor punt from Michael Kern. The Commodores then went just 29 yards and kicked a field goal as time expired in the first half to cut the lead to 11.

Vanderbilt’s first 17 points of the game covered just 98 yards of the field, just one of which started on their side of the 50-yard line. It wasn’t until their final touchdown drive of the game that they had to start deep in their own territory and turn it into points — one of just two drives longer than 40 yards on the day for the Commodores.

Complementary football has a long way to go

The Longhorns defense did their best to keep the team in this game, despite the struggles on the other side of the ball. Texas turned Vanderbilt over twice and forced four three-and-outs in the game, two of those coming on the first two opposing drives of the second half. In response, Texas had a drive sputter that ended in a field goal and saw Ewers picked off on a naked bootleg that Vanderbilt sniffed out from the snap and made a pair of incredible individual plays.

Perhaps even more frustrating for the defense is the fact that for two weeks in a row, they’ve turned the opponent over twice, but the offense couldn't find a way to score points. It’s a much different story for Texas heading into the bye week if they are able to turn those turnovers into points.

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: Texas escapes from Nashville

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The Texas Longhorns beat Vanderbilt 27-24 in a narrow contest that was mostly dominated by the Longhorns yet still came down to recovering an onside kick at the end of the game. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was as advertised, a sheer force of will on the football field who gritted out 210 total yards and three touchdowns but also threw a pair of interceptions trying to make something happen against the Texas defense. He’s the quintessential college quarterback, a tough veteran with a limited arm and passing ability but tremendous quickness and football IQ.

The Texas offense looked much sharper a week after getting throttled by Georgia, but penalties and a pair of interceptions prevented what looked like a blowout from materializing and transformed the game into a battle. Special teams were better and a good punt, some field goals by “Sideshow Bert” Auburn, and a recovered onside kick saved the day.

Quick thought no. 1: Texas had their own option attack

Going into the game one of the main preview points was how Texas would fare defending Vanderbilt’s option attack on offense. As it turned out, the more pressing question was really whether Vanderbilt could handle the Texas option offense. The Longhorns came in firing away early and often with RPOs and the Commodores were pretty helpless defending it. Quinn Ewers was 19-21 in the first half alone, routinely hitting perimeter screens for easy completions and big gains.

Slot receiver DeAndre Moore had one of his best games to date, targeted eight times and catching six balls for 97 yards at 12.1 yards per target with a pair of touchdowns. Those helped clear up the run game as well. Quintrevion Wisner and Jaydon Blue combined for 27 carries which yielded 126 yards at 4.7 ypc. The Texas run game isn’t bowling over teams this season but they were able to move the chains and get the RPO game working in this contest. A highlight was hitting the wheel on Ezekiel’s wheel (2.0) for one of Moore’s touchdowns.

Teams shouldn’t be blitzing the cornerback against this formation…

Quick thought no. 2: Turnovers and penalties kept Vanderbilt around

Texas was unable to keep the RPO game going in the second half due to penalties. The Longhorns were called for 10 penalties for 108 yards, often holding penalties on early down runs in the second half which put drives way behind the eight ball. Some of the holding penalties were difficult to find on replay, others were more obvious, it was certainly a tight whistle. Texas also took a brutal targeting penalty on Pavia committed by Vernon Broughton which had three remarkable impacts on the game.

First, it gifted Vanderbilt 15 yards and moved them deep into Texas territory when the Commodores were struggling to get yardage on their own behalf quickly enough to score before running out of time. Secondly, it erased the result of the throw, which was a pick-6 by Kobe Black. The freshman cornerback had a great game overall, even without the pick-6, with a tackle and a pass break-up in the end zone. Finally, it will result in Texas’ best D-tackle Broughton being ineligible for the first half of the next contest against Florida in two weeks. The Gators are a heavy running team now and winning would be much simpler with Broughton involved.

Then there were the two interceptions by Ewers, both of which Pavia capitalized upon with touchdowns on short fields. Were it not for those two picks, Vanderbilt doesn’t score either early or later and would have had a tough time staying in this game. The picks weren’t awful, both were tipped balls, one on a RPO over the middle and the other when Ewers was trying to fit the ball in past the pass-rusher on a rollout.

Quick thought no. 3: The Texas defense played excellent contain

Texas’ defensive gameplan made a lot of sense and was consistent with what I expected and previewed going in. The Horns played a lot of 3-down defense, both in the base 3-4 personnel and when in their nickel package. Pete Kwiatkowski and the defensive staff had multiple packages in this game. They played a base 3-4 with Trey Moore or Colin Simmons as the Sam linebacker to the wide side of the field, they had another 3-4 with Morice Blackwell in that role, they had the normal nickel defense, and then the Dime made some appearances when trying to close the door on the Vanderbilt comeback.

In every package they tended to play with double 3-technique defensive tackles or with 4i-technique defensive ends. In either package, they had a defensive lineman in both B-gaps for most of the game, which allowed the Edges and outside linebackers to focus on containing the option and forcing inside dives by the Commodores into the 3-tech/4i-tech D-linemen.

Forced to play in narrow space, Vanderbilt ran the ball 31 times overall for just 114 yards at 3.7 ypc with a single touchdown. Good enough to sustain a few drives and chew up some clock, but not good enough to put points on the board without the aid of a passing game or explosive chunks picked up on outside runs.

The Longhorns also erased the Vanderbilt receivers in man coverage, holding Pavia to just 4.9 ypa for the game. This should have been another game in which Texas dominated and covered the point spread off the backs of the defensive effort alone if not for the turnovers and penalties.

Quick thought no. 4: Quinn Ewers looked better

After his easy 19-21 start, Ewers came back to earth in the second half when forced to execute more in the pocket and face third downs. He finished 27-37 for 288 yards at 7.8 ypa with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Vanderbilt sacked him four times. There were multiple moments in which Ewers stepped up in the pocket for positive scrambles or throws over the middle of the field. He appears to be growing more comfortable playing through the oblique issue, or perhaps the pain and discomfort are lessening. That said, there were moments where he was struggling to get the ball out against the blitz and the overall passing game had issues with protections. Blue ran by a linebacker that appeared to have been his responsibility giving up a free hit on Ewers while Cam Williams was badly beat on an inside move for another.

This offense clearly has another gear when Isaiah Bond is healthy and on the field, which should be the case again after the upcoming bye week. The passing game needs to regroup over the next two weeks because the run game and special teams are not going to be gifting the offense yards and points in the same fashion they did over the last two seasons.

Quick thought no. 5: Regrouping over the bye week

There won’t be any quarterback controversy issues over the bye week, which will be a mercy to the team in avoiding distractions and focusing on necessary improvements. Ewers wasn’t outstanding but he is clearly improving and there’s every reason to believe he could continue to get better with two weeks of practice, some work on the protections and blitz responses, and the return of agent 007. Texas’ response to pressure needs to be a priority before the final stretch of Florida, at Arkansas, Kentucky, and at Texas A&M. All of those teams are capable of bringing pressure on passing downs and won’t give up easy gains on bubble screens and swing passes. Many of the blitz pick-ups at running back, hot reads from Ewers, and actual blocking from the O-line are not where they need to be in order for the passing game to carry this team to an 11-1 finish and deep playoff run.

However, the defense continues to play dominant football and if the offense can make improvements there is every reason to believe they could make a great run down the stretch. Last season’s late bye allowed Sark to tweak the offense around the loss of Jonathon Brooks and begin to move schemes toward the lateral, swing pass heavy attack. An adjustment like that around the strengths of the 2024 roster could be instrumental in making a run at the SEC Championship.

Joe Rexrode: Quinn Ewers, Texas had a better day than you may think at Vanderbilt

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Quinn Ewers took the final snap Saturday for the final knee to the turf of a 27-24 Texas win over Vanderbilt and celebrated as one with national championship hopes does after a close win over Vanderbilt — as quickly and quietly as possible.

Ewers shook a few hands and shared a few pleasantries, in particular with Vandy’s counterpart and Nashville sporting sensation Diego Pavia, then got off the FirstBank Stadium field. Behind him, as he jogged toward the locker room, the stands reminded him of the difference at hand.

A full, hearty Vanderbilt student section sang the school’s alma mater with Commodores players and coaches, which is no small thing for that program, but they made up just a slice of the east side of the stadium. The rest was burnt orange, belting out the Texas fight song, drowning out the home fans.

That happens at Vanderbilt. Quality wins for opponents don’t, not in several years. But that’s what this was. And Ewers was the best part about it. Yes, to be clear: Texas took a step in a three-point win at Vanderbilt, while Ewers took a step even with Vanderbilt intercepting two of his passes. That’s how weird this game was and this season is.

“I think it’s just really a credit to him, even coming after last week’s game,” Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said of Ewers, whose two picks were tipped and who was 27-for-35 for 288 yards and two touchdowns otherwise. “When doubt creeps into our mind, that’s a killer. And I didn’t think there was a sliver of doubt in his mind.”

Sarkisian, it could be argued, supplied conditions for doubt — internally and externally — when he sat Ewers late in the second half of last week’s sobering, welcome-to-the-SEC, 30-15 home loss to Georgia. Letting a quarterback sit and clear his head can be an effective strategy at times, but that’s a harder sell when his backup is the most popular person in Texas.

And what if Arch Manning hadn’t looked like the young, not-ready-for-prime-time quarterback he still is, making the quick switch back to Ewers obvious? We’ll never know. The most Manning made his presence known Saturday was via No. 16 jerseys worn by some Texas fans. The controversy, for now, has quieted.

If it comes back, that probably means Texas is toast. Ewers, who has stepped up over and over again in huge games, was always the one with the best chance to lead this team to a national championship. And that hope remains viable — a punch in the mouth from Georgia notwithstanding.

It’s a week off, Florida, then at Arkansas and Kentucky ahead for No. 5 Texas (7-1, 3-1), before Texageddon or whatever you want to call the first meeting between the Horns and Aggies in 13 years.

Texas needs to get tougher from Georgia, and it needs to learn from some mistakes made in Nashville as well. This did not have to come down to a late Pavia touchdown pass to force an onside kick. It could have been much more comfortable, but for a whopping 10 Texas penalties for 108 yards — several wiping out significant gains — and too many successful Vanderbilt pressures, resulting in four sacks.

Also, No. 25 Vanderbilt (5-2, 2-2) was never going to stop fighting, and the only thing that would suggest otherwise is the word on the front of the Commodores jerseys. This team is not that history.

But the Ewers picks were just bad luck. After the first one, Pavia made Texas pay right away, getting outside the Longhorns’ defense and electrifying the home fans (about 40 percent of the crowd?) with an 18-yard sprint to the end zone to open the scoring. A tipped interception and dazzling Pavia plays highlighted a shocker over then-No. 1 Alabama three weeks earlier, and that feeling was in the air again.

So Ewers took the Longhorns 75 yards for the tying score, capping it by ripping one to Matthew Golden on an out cut. Then he took the Longhorns 49 yards for the go-ahead score, a pretty 27-yard loft to DeAndre Moore Jr., with pressure in his face. They wouldn’t trail again. And Ewers wouldn’t throw another incompletion until it was 21-7 and he had connected on 17 in a row.

Texas needs to get better in the last month to be what it wants to be. It doesn’t need much more than it got Saturday from Ewers, who looks like he’s finally past the oblique injury that cost him two games and like he’s quickly past whatever last week could have done to him.

“It was normal for us,” Moore, who had 97 yards and two touchdowns receiving, said of the perceived Ewers bounce-back.

“If he plays like that the rest of the year we’re gonna be OK — we’re gonna be just fine,” Sarkisian said.

“It’s definitely a good feeling,” Ewers said. “You get to gain that confidence back. Definitely nice coming off what happened last week.”

“What happened” can be defined in different ways, at least when it comes to the quarterback shuffle, but not when it comes to Georgia hammering Texas physically. To win a hypothetical rematch, the Longhorns would need to counter with better execution, starting with Ewers.

This was a performance to build toward that, after a week in which 247Sports briefly and inaccurately reported that Ewers was going to sit out the rest of the season to prepare for the NFL Draft. (247Sports claimed its account was hacked.)

“It was weird,” Ewers said of the report, and it’s not alone.

Texas just won by three points at Vanderbilt, and that counts as a quality win in college football in 2024. This wasn’t one to celebrate, but it wasn’t one to complain about either.

 

[texifornia 56526]

 

[satyanash 14281]

Eric Nahlin: Plenty of good and bad was on display in Texas' 27-24 win over Vanderbilt

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It wasn’t pretty but Texas got the job done after a sloppy second half of football. The 27-24 final score was very close to looking a lot different. Texas was a play or two away from blowing out the Commodores but that didn’t materialize due to turnovers, penalties, and sacks. Despite the sloppiness I view it as a good win. I can’t help but being reminded of some of the games last October when the team seemingly hit the wall and looked destined to drop a second game. The 2023 team was able to steer out of the skid and make the playoffs after it hit its stride in the second half of the Iowa State game. 

Despite the two interceptions, Quinn Ewers played his best game since returning from injury. He stepped up in the pocket on numerous occasions and delivered a good pass. Texas had a lot of success with perimeter passing, largely because the Texas wide receivers and running backs were better athletes than their defensive counterparts. This largely explained his 17 straight completion streak. It did appear, however, that Sark didn’t trust him to make a play inside the 10 in the second half, choosing rather to run the ball. The run game had a better day on the field than on paper. A few good runs got called back and Ewers’ sack yardage crimped the stats but both Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue found room to operate. Seeing the offense able to convert 3rd and long-ish by running the ball on a light box was a thing of beauty. 

The defense has given up 54 points in the last two games but that’s misleading. They’re the backbone of this team. If the offense can get to playing more complementary football they’ll start looking like the team we saw earlier in the year.  Vanderbilt only had two turnovers for the entire season coming into the game but the Horns turned them over three times. Not that they scored the ball but they were getting Vandy off the field. The Commodores have one of the clearest identities in college football but the Horns were able to dictate the tempo of the game. I would have taken the under on 70 offensive plays from scrimmage for the Horns offense.

There was plenty of good on display yesterday, including run defense, but the lack of discipline and failure to pick up blitzes kept Vandy in the game. What’s the point of being an experienced team if you don’t play like it?  Texas is a good team but it’s frustrating because its potential is much greater. I’m ready for a bye week. I’m sure the team is also. There are no easy weeks remaining on the schedule.

Charlie Williams: What we learned about Texas after a win over Vanderbilt in Nashville

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Texas’ hard-fought road victory over Vanderbilt showcased resilience and potential but also underscored areas that need improvement. This game demonstrated Texas’ ability to persevere through adversity and highlighted both strengths and weaknesses, providing a clear roadmap for what needs to be addressed during their bye week. Here’s an in-depth look at what we learned.

Offense

• Dominance on the Perimeter: Texas’ speed and athleticism on the outside were major assets. When the offense found its rhythm, it looked dominant, especially on the perimeter, where it leveraged physical advantages to stretch Vanderbilt’s defense. This mismatch allowed Texas to exploit gaps effectively, and showcase the impact of their skill players.

• Inconsistency and Self-Inflicted Errors: Despite moments of control, Texas’ offense struggled with penalties and turnovers that disrupted their momentum. These mistakes often stalled drives and kept Texas from capitalizing on big plays. This inconsistency speaks to a need for better communication, discipline, and composure to sustain drives, especially against stronger opponents.

• Quinn Ewers’ bounce back Performance: After a challenging game against Georgia, Ewers rebounded. He demonstrated better poise in the pocket and showed mobility. While he still faced pressure, Ewers’ decisiveness was improved.

• Running Backs’ Versatility with Room for Growth: Texas’ running backs opened the game with hard runs and elusiveness, setting a tough, physical tone. Their ability to convert on third-and-long plays also highlighted their versatility and kept Vanderbilt’s defense guessing. However, they occasionally overran designed lanes and bounced runs outside unnecessarily, which contributed to some holding penalties. Improving their patience and field awareness to hit lanes effectively will be crucial as they refine their game.

• Breakout Performances from Receivers: Matthew Golden electrified the game with a one-handed touchdown grab, while DeAndre Moore had a breakout game, hauling in a slot fade for a TD and creating yards after catch with gritty, determined play. Moore’s ability to fight for extra yardage showed his value as a dependable, tough player who contributes consistently but also has the ability to deliver explosive plays.

• Inconsistent Offensive Line Play: The OL showed some strong moments but struggled overall due to penalties, with some questionable holding calls interrupting their rhythm. These penalties, combined with inconsistent blocking, held back what could have been a more dominant offensive performance. Addressing discipline on the line and building consistency will be essential for Texas to sustain their physical, balanced offense.

Defense

• Defensive Line’s Strong Response: After a rough first drive, Texas’ defensive line adjusted well, particularly in containing Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia on options and rollouts. Though Trey Moore didn’t record a sack, his disruptive presence was felt throughout the game, emphasizing his value as a defensive leader capable of limiting opponents’ options.

• Linebackers’ High-Intensity Play: The linebackers brought energy and aggression, flying across the field to make critical tackles and limit Vanderbilt’s offensive rhythm. Concerns about their gap management were unfounded as they defended the run effectively and showed solid awareness in passing lanes. Their performance solidified Texas’ defensive standard and highlighted the unit’s depth and speed.

• Secondary’s Physical and Tactical Presence: Texas’ secondary played tough, downhill football, stepping up to make big hits and challenge Vanderbilt’s passing game. Their ability to get hands on the ball, anticipate plays, and come up strong in coverage reinforced the physicality that Texas strives for in the backfield.

• Jelani McDonald’s Promising Debut: Making his first start, McDonald impressed with his physical tackles and field awareness, justifying the coaching staff’s high expectations for him. Veteran Michael Taaffe continued to lead by example, always in the right place at the right time, causing turnovers with forced fumbles and timely interceptions. Taaffe’s leadership and awareness were invaluable to the defense, keeping them disciplined and well-coordinated.

Special Teams

• An Unpredictable Outing: Texas’ special teams performance was a mixed bag. The return game remains exciting, but repeated holding penalties nullified significant returns and robbed Texas of field position. Silas Bolden’s fair catch decision, coupled with inconsistent punting, highlighted the need for improved situational awareness and consistency. Special teams will be a major focus during the bye week to prevent these errors from affecting close games down the stretch.

Overall Takeaway

This road win was a testament to Texas’ mental toughness, as they overcame errors and rose to the challenge. The victory demonstrated growth and resilience, proving that Texas wouldn’t allow a previous loss to derail their focus. As they enter the bye week, the team has a valuable opportunity to regroup, address discipline issues, and tighten up special teams execution. With a focus on fundamentals, improved consistency, and healthier bodies, Texas is well-positioned to push for a strong finish as they approach the critical games on their postseason path.

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2024 Vanderbilt Post Mortem: Offense

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Texas had solid down to down success against the Commodores but sabotaged themselves with 6 offensive penalties (10 overall for the game), four sacks and two turnovers. Fortunately, the Horns were a hyper efficient 9 of 15 on 3rd down against Vanderbilt’s permissive coverages and scored on all three red zone trips. 71 plays for 392 yards at 5.5 yards per play against a weak Vandy defense is nothing to write home about, but Texas took a lot of yards off of the board and put themselves into a lot of bad down and distance situations. On review, the game’s unevenness was attributable to those errors and Texas should have scored in the high 30s comfortably, even with a check-down short passing offense and a solid running game.

Defenses are starting to keep safeties high to dissuade Ewers pre-snap from anything down the field and then trying to create some havoc up front by attacking Texas pass protection rules and a QB who doesn’t handle chaotic pockets particularly well. When Vandy deviated from that approach with single high coverages, they were generally punished. Otherwise it was bend-but-don’t-break and pray for a penalty or turnover, which Texas provided with some frequency. The 10-20 yard intermediate balls hitting receivers on the move that used to be a fixture of the Texas offense have all but disappeared. Solving that problem is the primary bye week challenge for the Horns.

Offensive Line

Cam Williams had the worst outing of the starting five. He earned a penalty, gave up a sack on an inside move and surrendered four pressures. #56 is getting tested and losing his technique at times. Kelvin Banks had two penalties, but was otherwise a rock. On review, his holding penalty was correct. He needlessly grabbed the DL’s calf after knocking him down. Jake Majors gave up a couple of pressures. Cole Hutson as well. DJ Campbell was excellent in pass pro. Hayden Conner got blamed for an early sack, but on review that was pretty clearly on Blue. If both players did what they’re supposed to, we’ve got a problem in the protection.

As with Georgia, I’m comfortable attributing half of the sacks surrendered to the OL. The rest were on other personnel or the QB. Run blocking was adequate, but they should have had more juice facing honest boxes. That’s on the backs as well. Penalties were a consistent killer.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

 

Moore had a big game from the slot. In my preview, I pointed out that Vandy’s big nickel philosophy creates a lot of opportunity for Sark’s slot and #0 punished them with 6 catches on 8 targets for 92 yards and two touchdowns. He did have a drop on a difficult throw horizontal sideline route that I wish we’d get out of our playbook. Same route that failed against Miss State on 4th down. It’s hard to execute and it sucks. Silas Bolden had a clutch 24 yard gain to convert a 3rd and 19. That was the third consecutive attempt to Bolden on that series and they finally connected.

Gunnar Helm caught 4 balls for 46 yards on 5 targets. He had a holding call that was interesting. Run blocking wasn’t good. We saw Amari Niblack catch 2 balls for 22 yards in an attempt to add some post-catch juice to the underneath game, but he also had a clear hold on outside zone that set us back. Texas hurt Vandy on check downs and to the slot, but the passing offense outside of the hashes or directed to outside WRs anywhere on the field was non-existent. Incredible catch from Golden here that didn’t get enough love in real time.

Being without Bond has some impact, but it shouldn’t have mattered against Vanderbilt’s mediocre pass coverage.

Running Back

Texas ran gap and zone schemes equally and had success in each. Blue and Wisner combined for 126 yards rushing on 27 carries and added another combined 8 catches for 63 yards. They made some guys miss in space, but they have to maximize runs better when it opens up completely and they’re untouched on their first 5-8 yards. Blue looks like he blew a pass protection that led to a sack. He didn’t pass protect particularly well overall. Wisner did a nice job in that regard.

Quarterback

27 of Ewers’ 36 attempts were targeted behind the LOS or 0-9 yards down the field. That’s 75% of all drop backs. Unsurprisingly, his average depth of target for the game was a modest 5.5 yards. While the deep ball hasn’t been a significant part of his game most of the season, he has always created explosives through the intermediate game (10-20 yards), which was a co-equal part of his passing attempts. For the season, Ewers is completing only 50% of of his intermediate balls and they’ve made up only 19.1% of his total attempts. Since the injury, they represent 16% of his passing repertoire. In 2023, 28.6% of his attempts were intermediate and he completed 68.6% of them at 12.6 yards per attempt.

#3’s stat line of 27 of 37 for 288 and three touchdowns is nothing to denigrate – yards is yards – but two interceptions and four sacks contributed to scoring friction. Both interceptions were on play action. The first a batted RPO, the second a play action tip. I don’t think you can really attribute either play to the QB – it sort of goes into the column of “stuff that can happen when you throw those concepts” – but this isn’t the first time we’ve seen it. Perhaps some QBs are more prone to this sort of thing dependent on their timing, ability to find passing windows or their release point. On the season, Ewers is dead last in the SEC in ADOT (average depth of target) and ranked 285th in college football of all QBs. Stats often lie, but those don’t. Texas has been reduced to a nickel and dime passing offense.

Final

Road support never a problem for Texas.

Time to figure out some stuff in the bye week.

Coach V: Texas gets out of Nashville singing a winning tune

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We won a spirited victory over Vanderbilt yesterday. We were absolutely brilliant at times. We were asleep at the wheel at times. We find a way to keep the outcome a bit of a lottery with our undisciplined play too damn often. However, like the song says there are 13 hundred and fifty-two guitar pickers in Nashville and some of them were aligned on defense for the Commodores, especially in the open field and pass coverage. The difference in athletes was illustrated several times but the speed aspect jumped off the charts. We more than made up for the talent advantage with a laundry list of foot shooting penalties wiping out big plays and stalling drives. It was the best way to keep the home team in upset mode till the end of regulation.

Why is it that films never give you an honest evaluation of a player’s speed by watching enough film study each week? Old boot-scooting Pavia outraced our angles on a third and long for a 18 yard touchdown in the first quarter. We had three defenders come up short on the play. I think it’s obvious that Pavia gets the most out of his talent level—those sprint-out throws against the grain are extremely difficult to throw period—much less accurately. Our guy only hit 17 in a row so we weren’t all that bad our own selves.

We won the turnover uh-ohs with some salty defense. I wish to admit up front that McDonald (25) and Lefau (18) are improving at such a rapid rate that both could be making a name for themselves quickly. Lole (99) was our best DL yesterday and he was very good. Hill Jr. is three hours of bad hombre every Saturday while Barron (7) and Taaffe (16) just keep making plays. Ewers (3) had a winning performance—tipped balls at the LOS are going to happen when you play well coached teams. Moore (0), Helm (85), and Bolden (11) led the receiving outfits. Both Blue (23) and Wisner (26) had good gains on the ground and via air mail. Campbell (52) and Majors (65) had good outings.

Bolden (11) was outstanding on punt returns but Roberson (24) had his third holding in two games. We did kill a punt on the one yard line but our punting has been sub par too long despite the personnel change. Hill Jr. (0) hit hard, dropped a cinch interception, and bolo punched a fumble out of bounds. He’s fun to watch. Moore (0) makes big plays, blocks for his pals, and is having a terrific year as a leader. Golden (2) had a one-handed TD catch among his good plays. Ewers (3) needs to finish his fakes and should have attempted to knock down his second tipped pass—be a complete player Quinn.

Guilbeau (3) shows big each week. We are a better defense with him at star. Muhammad (5) had a penalty that he played well—he’s a cover corner deluxe. Black (6) had a huge TD interception wiped out by penalty—good young player with a pick and a strong PBU. Barron (7) once again had a strong game.

Moore (8) is about as active as we’ve had here in a long while—hustle fumble recovery. Niblack (8) had two catches and two good blocks but had a hold to kill a drive. Gibson (9) had a good blitz pick-up. Bolden (11) is a playmaker period. He must be hard to get a square shot on because he squirts through danger with ease.

Simmons (11) is another active edge that loves the game. No big plays this week but winning performance. Norton (15) gave us several good snaps as our nose on early downs. Taaffe (16) had a terrific tipped interception and a few open field tackles. Lefau (18) makes good decisions—he’s a smart player—interception. Blue (23) had a good outing. strong moves and extra effort. McDonald (25) is becoming a super football player. Fun to watch.

Wisner (26) remains reliable but has trouble breaking tackles cleanly. Good player. Gbenda (33) had one good tackle and missed a run fit in limited action. Broughton (45) had his least effective game and had one roughing that targeted.

Campbell (52) had a very solid game—good pulls and pass pro. Hutson (54) missed one block and was not as solid as usual. Williams (56) beat on inside rush—two penalties—not playing like a first rounder. Majors (65) had another good game—snaps excellent and pass pro solid. Conner (76) missed one blitz bad but overall had a good night—one penalty. Banks (78) was average for him—penalty.

Davis (81) had a decent night blocking. Helm (85) another good night receiving and blocking—penalty. Sorrell (88) was his usual solid self—our most consistent DL that always holds us together. Burke (91) was very effective in a limited role. We are stacked at his position with more good ones on the way. Collins (95) played well at all three alignments. Lole (99) won the LOS period. Good player playing well making plays. Great addition to our team for sure.

Well, another off week to heal and correct errors and mistakes.

 

[LTtxfan 48980]

 

[satyanash 14281]

The playoff projections are now starting to have us lose to A&M and finish the year 10-2.

(Stewart Mandel) College Football Playoff 2024 projections: Notre Dame is back! Tennessee is out!

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College Football Bowl Projections: Brett McMurphy’s Week 10 Predictions

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(Scipio Tex) 2024 Vanderbilt Post Mortem: Defense/Special Teams

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Sometimes the scoreboard doesn’t adequately reflect an overall defensive effort. That’s been the case for two consecutive weeks as Texas allowed an average of 27 points per game to Georgia and Vanderbilt. The Texas football team certainly allowed that. The Texas defense, less so. 27 points per game allowed over two games doesn’t typically accompany a defense that forced six turnovers and limited two opposing offenses to 4.1 yards per play and 276 yards per game.

Unfortunately, scoring defense becomes a team metric when your offense plays poorly. The Horn D turned in a pretty strong overall effort despite responding badly to Vanderbilt’s short field opening drive on a tipped ball Ewers interception in Longhorn territory. Vanderbilt drove 31 yards on 5 plays, highlighted by Diego Pavia converting a 3rd and 8 drop back into a 18 yard scramble touchdown exploiting Sorrell’s inside rush and Jaylen Guilbeau taking a pursuit angle that made Descartes weep as I threw my protractor at the television.

That was probably the worst snap of the game for the defense from a 11 man execution standpoint. Then Texas woke up. For the rest of the first half, Texas forced two turnovers, two punts and the Commodores got a field goal from a short field drive that started at the Longhorn 36. With the defense locking it down, this was the time for the Texas offense to create margin but their opening sequence in the second half went FG, Int, Punt, Punt.

Margin woud mean predictable throwing downs in a straight drop back game where Pavia doesn’t excel, but we are currently in an un-complementary football cycle. As with Georgia last week, offensive betrayal and short fields were a common theme. Vanderbilt scored on drives of 31, 29, 38 and a final drive of 75 to score with 46 seconds left. That final drive was extended by a Broughton personal foul targeting call that erased a Kobe Black pick six.

Texas destroyed the super efficient Vanderbilt passing game – Vandy finished 17 of 31 for 152 yards and 2 picks – and held down the option to something of a minor annoyance rather than a driver of their offense. Vandy totaled only 114 yards rushing and Pavia improv and toughness was their only lifeline there as he totaled 67 yards on 16 carries. Normal runs to the running backs went for 39 yards on 13 carries.

The Broughton targeting call cost the defense a turnover and a touchdown and a Muhammad DPI on a 4th and 7 extended another drive that ended in Vandy points. Texas did a great job of limiting explosives, took away the option and negated Pavia’s RPO and improv game with more efficiency than any defense that Vanderbilt had faced to date.

Defensive Line

Alfred Collins and Lole are our two best defensive tackles right now. Excellent play from both. Collins had 6 tackles and a PBU while Lole added 5 tackles and a tackle for loss. Broughton was a total non factor and his targeting call was effectively a 14 point swing.

Trey Moore’s best all around game at Texas. He did have some missed tackles, but they were more of the “I shouldn’t be expected to make this tackle, but I’m here because I hustled and now can’t break down” variety. He had a terrific PBU on a shovel pass, scooped up a Taaffe forced fumble with hustle, played great containment on Pavia (including a big hit on the sideline at the end of the first half), had several big pressures (4 hurries) and a big hit on the QB at release. The box score only shows 2 tackles, but he was consistently impactful.

Sorrel had even more impact. 3 hits on the QB, 3 hurries, 4 tackles and a batted ball. He and Moore combined to pressure Pavia into throwing a pick.

Ethan Burke also got into the turnover creation action with a batted ball that led to Taaffe’s interception. Good game from Burke in his 25 snaps. This wasn’t really a Simmons game as the coaches clearly wanted to play experienced edges against some pretty novel concepts. If your takeaway from the game is that we had zero sacks, so the DL didn’t play well, expand your understanding of game impact. In the postgame press conference, Pavia praised Texas as the best DL he’s faced. Texas finished with 22 pressures, 9 hits on the QB and 13 hurries.

Linebacker

Anthony Hill had two halves: a sluggish first and an impactful second. He ended up leading the team in tackles after notching six in the 2nd half. Very impactful as a pass rusher with hits on Pavia and he dropped an interception. He’s still a target in the passing game. I thought Gbenda was great in limited snaps. 3 tackles and excellent coverage on Stowers and a Vandy RB. Lefau was OK. Nice job securing the INT. Blackwell looked beguiled by the Vanderbilt motion and didn’t get many snaps.

Defensive Back

They played really well again. Who knew that last year’s weakness would be this year’s clear strength? It’s almost like football players and coaching can improve. Offseason addition by subtraction is real. Not to mention actual additions. Jaylen Guil…bro?

Run where they’re headed, not where they are, dude. Taaffe filled the box score: 6 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, a PBU, a missed tackle and an egregious DPI when he saw that Vandy’s receiver had caught us flat-footed. Smart penalty, actually.

Jelani McDonald has a bright future. The 210 pound sophomore safety moves around like he’s 185 but he brings the pain when he gets there. He’s tremendous laterally. When I saw his textbook tackle for loss on Vandy’s first option pitch, I knew we were going to be fine with him logging 66 snaps as a starter. He finished with 7 tackles. He was targeted 4 times for 26 yards. We can live with that against a Vandy passing game that had been averaging over 9 yards per target.

Good games from both Barron and Muhammad. Manny held Vandy WRs to 1 catch on 4 targets, but his DPI on 4th and 7 did hurt us. Barron had a terrific breakup on a slant and that was Vandy’s only target on him. I don’t think that’s coincidental. They had zero interest in throwing at #7 after watching the Georgia game.

Kobe Black looked fantastic. He secured a pick six (called back) and shut down a slant like a veteran with a PBU. He’s a huge corner and his ability to anticipate is intriguing. He only played 9 snaps and it felt like he did something meaningful on half of them. The Commodores targeted him 3 times and got one completion for 9 yards out of it.

Special Teams

This unit has been frustrating, but it was a mixed bag on Saturday. Roberson earned yet another penalty – he’s currently in a battle with Niblack for most penalties per play – and his hold on a kickoff return put us in bad field position early. DeAndre Moore had a terrific punt downing at the Vandy 1 on a solid Kern punt. Kern had that nice effort but averaged 36 yards per kick, largely because he had a 23 yarder from the Texas 42 that should have flipped the field but allowed Vandy to start on their 36.

Bolden created some hidden yards with 3 punt returns for 41 yards, including a 24 yarder. Auburn was perfect on his two attempts and they both looked sharp.

Final

Another strong effort from the Texas defense was undercut by the Texas offense and a couple of costly defensive errors that put points on the board and took some off as well. Heading into the bye, the Texas pass defense is allowing a terrific 4.58 yards per attempt and already has 12 interceptions through 8 games. Last year, they allowed 7.1 yards per attempt and secured 16 interceptions over 14 games. Some interesting dual threat and big-armed QBs loom on the remaining schedule.

 

[satyanash 14281]

Ian Boyd: The Texas Longhorns defense checks off an important box

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What’s something you didn’t see Saturday? No, I’m not talking about bombs over the top in the passing game by the Texas offense. Let’s be positive for a moment. There’s something Texas did not want to see happen in order to defeat Vanderbilt. We actually saw it once early and then didn’t see it again…

…Pavia or a Commodore skill athlete loose on the perimeter. The Longhorns did a good job throughout the game of keeping Vanderbilt contained between the tackles, which is likely to really matter down the stretch run of this season.

The gameplan

Pete Kwiatkowski predictably drew up a gameplan in which the emphasis was on containing the option and forcing “dive” reads from Vanderbilt. The way you do that in a sound fashion is to try and ensure you have a defensive lineman in the read-side B-gap. That way when the end is unblocked, he can stay wide without fearing the ball will fly past him on the inside. Instead, the ball will run into the B-gap D-lineman.

To achieve this in a 4-down defense, you put your 3-technique to the side the offense options, in a 3-down you can just ask either defensive end to defend the B-gap.

In the first clip the inside dive is the late shovel pass option. Trey Moore contained the outside run and even managed to tip the shovel incomplete. He had a great game overall, this was a great time to have a veteran Edge with real quickness and savvy. The second clip was a power-read where there are multiple lead blockers on the sweep. Moore denies the sweeper path and Pavia has to crash downhill into the D-line and safeties instead.

Even on this play, Jaylon Guilbeau almost got caught again but successfully stayed on Pavia and didn’t let him get outside again after learning how little space the Commodore needs to operate in. Texas is very difficult to beat between the tackles, even without T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy, and if you can’t get to the perimeter you’re not going to have a great time. Pavia ran the ball 16 times for just 67 yards at 4.2 ypc on the Longhorns while his running backs did even worse.

The increasing relevance…

LSU had the Aggies of Texas A&M dead to rights on their own field in primetime until Marcel Reed came in and started operating the gun-option on a Tiger defense clueless about basic rules for defending the play.

An unblocked end with a 3-technique inside of him has to contain the keeper, the linebacker will be assigned to the A-gap and isn’t in position to scrape and make the tackle on the quarterback. Instead he runs inside and gives up an unprotected edge to a great athlete. The Tigers kept getting these assignments wrong every which way and rarely had good leverage on the ball.

The Aggies wrecked LSU’s defense with the run game and erased a 17-7 deficit in a 38-23 victory. The Aggies now seem committed to Reed, which means that like Vanderbilt they are also committed to running the option from the shotgun. Check out the other teams left on the Longhorn schedule…

Team	Quarterback	QB rushing per game (in starts)
Florida	D.J. Lagway	7.5 carries at 4.1 ypc
Arkansas	Taylen Green	11.9 carries at 4.2 ypc
Kentucky	Brock Vandagriff	9.0 carries at 1.5 ypc
Texas A&M	Marcel Reed	11.0 carries at 5.7 ypc

Three out of those four teams like to routinely give their quarterback a backside keeper option on zone plays. The other, Kentucky, often uses Vandagriff as a short-yardage solution on quarterback power runs a la Sam Ehlinger. We’ll see if Vandagriff stays at QB for the Wildcats.

In all four remaining contests, Texas needs to be assignment sound against the quarterback option game to play good defense, particularly the last game on the schedule. If the Horns are, and there’s now every reason to believe they will be, the nation’s no. 1 defense per FEI will give them a great chance to win all four games and advance to the SEC Championship, regardless of how things shake out for the Longhorn offense.

Eric Nahlin: The Texas offensive force multipliers aren't force multiplying

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My greatest source of optimism for the 2024 season stemmed from Texas having third-year Quinn Ewers and an offensive line that should be hitting its developmental stride in year four of Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood‘s tenure. Experience is king in college football, especially when paired with talent. Texas had a lot of each coming into the season but the last couple weeks that hasn’t been readily apparent. Each issue is hard to understand.

With Ewers we don’t know how to measure lingering mental and/or physical effects from his oblique strain. All we know is, he’s not the same quarterback we saw prior to the injury. His confidence hasn’t been the same. His mechanics and pocket presence haven’t been the same, though he was better in those regards against Vanderbilt. His statistical profile of consistent check downs doesn’t match his talent or experience profile. We’ve all seen the average depth of target (ADOT) stats that have him ranked 79th out of 79 Power 5 quarterbacks. I don’t even know how 5.9 yards is possible given his arm talent and the amount of skill talent around him.

Entering this season we didn’t know what stat would rear its head that we would end up focusing on. In 2022 it was money down conversions on defense. Last year it was red zone efficiency. This year it’s ADOT. Not only does ADOT tell us he’s uncomfortable in the pocket (which is not always his fault), it means defenses have a good read on who is primary targets are.

The book is out on his mid-range comfort zone and each game a different set of defensive coaches add more pages to the book. Offensive line play is perhaps more puzzling. Texas should be in position to bully teams up front but we’re not seeing that. The run game has gotten going in fits and starts but it hasn’t been anywhere close to consistent. The run game got absolutely shut down by Georgia, the one true litmus test on the schedule.

Pass protection has also been iffy. Some of this is on Quinn, some of it is on the running backs, but we’re also seeing O-lineman getting beaten 1v1 with too much frequency. And then there’s the penalties which we’ve seen too much of in Kyle Flood’s tenure. Everyone talks about the bye week being great for physical health but I think it’s just as big for mental health. We saw similar offensive stagnation this time last year with a hallmark being Jekyll and Hyde halves.

The execution is simply not there with enough consistency at the two most important positions in the sport. Right now quarterback and offensive line play are tethered in a negative feedback loop. The season will be defined by Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood‘s ability to right the ship and get the force multipliers to force multiply once again. This bye week is as important as any game week.