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

[satyanash 14281]

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

(Gerald Goodridge) No. 5 Texas 49, Florida 17: Three things we learned

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The No. 5 Texas Longhorns took care of business coming out of the bye week, dominating an outmatched Florida Gators team and turning the game into a boat race in the 49-17 win. The offense left at least two scores on the board in the first half and still managed to take a 35-0 lead into halftime, setting up the starters to get a long break in the second half thanks to the explosive offense.

Quinn Ewers can still deal

One of the biggest questions coming out of the Georgia and Vanderbilt games was the play of quarterback Quinn Ewers. The former Heisman front runner struggled in those two contests but returned to form against an outmanned Florida defense. Ewers completed his first five passes and opened the game 7-of-10 passing for 104 yards and two touchdowns. He came out of the game in the third quarter with a decisive lead after throwing for 333 yards and a career-high five touchdowns.

Perhaps more important was not the final number, but the way Ewers looked in command of the offense and found multiple receivers in space. Depth of target was a big point of conversation, but that is less important when you can get your playmakers in position and let them win man-to-man.

The run defense is something to watch in the coming weeks

While the Gators’ offense didn’t really look all that impressive throughout the game, they did not abandon the run and it was working for them. Florida finished the game with 206 sack-adjusted run yards for 5.1 yards per carry. Third-year running back Ja’Kobi Jackson, a 5’11, 209-pound battering ram managed to pick up 116 yards on 19 attempts and a touchdown, averaging more than six yards per carry. His backup, freshman Jadan Baugh, chipped in 88 yards of his own, with the Gators finishing just shy of 200 yards as a team.

If the Longhorns cannot handle a physical running attack, the coming weeks could be a struggle to remain in the CFP picture, with Arkansas, Kentucky, and Texas A&M all trying to dominate the ground game.

Chunk plays will come

The Texas offense has struggled with explosiveness in the last two games and got back to their big-play ways against Florida. Texas finished the game with 441 of their 562 total offensive yards coming on plays of 10 yards or more, including 291 yards in explosive passing plays. While the offense pushed the ball downfield well, a lot of their big plays came due to the individual effort of offensive players, with 277 of their 352 total passing yards coming after the catch.

Having athletes who can win one-on-one matchups in open space alleviates the pressure on your running game and keeps the defenses relaxed in the box. Isaiah Bond, Jaydon Blue, and Quintrevion Wisner are all players that turned short passes into long explosive plays, giving Texas options for creating space against opposing defenses.

(Ian Boyd) Five quick thoughts: The Texas Longhorns enjoy fried alligator

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Texas had a pretty good bye week. The Longhorns came back rested, ready, and re-armed with new motions, wrinkles, and plays for the final third of the season. From the opening drive Steve Sarkisian was dialing up motions and actions to spring players open and the Florida Gators struggled to keep tabs on everything as the Longhorns built a 35-0 lead before halftime.

Isaiah Bond and Andrew Mukuba both announced their returns with big plays. Quinn Ewers was back on pre-injury form before getting the right kind hook for the back-up after overseeing the assembly of a 42-3 lead. The Gators racked up 197 rushing yards and tightened the score to 49-17 after the game’s outcome was already settled but it was still a cover and comfortable win for Texas who are back in the SEC Championship hunt heading into Fayetteville next Saturday.

Quick thought No. 1: Sark refilled his bag

Texas had a fresh arsenal of motions and plays to draw from coming off the bye week. There were a few which stood out early in the first few drives, such as this dazzling reverse to Bond.

There’s a fake sweep, then a fake counter, then a reverse back to the sweep side where the sweeper had become a lead blocker. The lead blockers all got out in front and Bond’s speed did the rest of the work. This touchdown to Matthew Golden also stood out:

All of the post-snap action to the field confused the Gators, particularly the safety who ended up bracketing the post while Golden ran free down the sideline. Presumably Ewers could have thrown to the second swing route while the first swinging running back threw a lead block.

The first drive ended due to a misguided attempt to turn a bad play into a good one by Quintrevion Wisner which ended in a seven-yard loss and set-up a sack of Ewers. From then on Texas played much cleaner with six different skill players producing explosive gains of 20 yards or more. The Longhorns had 562 yards of total offense at 8.8 yards per play. Had DeAndre Moore brought in a few bombs off his hands it would have been even worse.

Quick thought No. 2: More defensive excellence

Texas had a few wrinkles on defense as well after the bye week. Pete Kwiatkowski decided to apply the late shift on the D-line strategy after Georgia used it to great effect against the Longhorn offense a few weeks prior and caused a few issues for the Gator offensive line.

The Longhorns also had multiple fronts where the Buck Edge would align to the tight end side rather than staying in the boundary as they normally do, which helped position Trey Moore for a back-to-back tackles for loss early in the game. Texas had a pair of interceptions, a fumble recovery (Moore again), and this very impressive sack on a nickel blitz.

This is what’s called a “simulated pressure.” Texas has Anthony Hill mugged up on the line and Colin Simmons on the edge but drops both into coverage while bringing Jaylon Guilbeau late into the space initially occupied by slanting D-linemen. The result is a clean and quick shot on the quarterback while only bringing four pass-rushers.

Florida had 329 yards of total offense, much of it in garbage time, and scored very little as the Longhorn pass defense held Aidan Warner to 132 passing yards at 5.3 ypa with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

Quick thought No. 3: Isaiah Bond is a key ingredient to this team

Swing, swing, screen goes the playbook of our Sark and Texas doesn’t tend to get as much from it when Bond isn’t a regular target. For the game, Bond had the 44-yard reverse run and also this housed screen from 34 yards out:

Texas targeted him, either via run or pass, six times and successfully got him the ball on four of those plays. Those four plays produced 99 yards. Even counting the two incomplete attempts, one of which was an unfortunate misfire to a wide open Bond, Texas averaged 16.5 yards per attempted touch. It’s very helpful to have Agent 007 back in the mix. Swing/screen passes to Wisner and Jaydon Blue were very effective as well.

The two running backs had 60 total rushing yards, all on Blue’s side, but were targeted 10 times in the passing game and caught six balls for 126 yards at 12.6 yards per target. Each one had a long run after catch play. Thus far in the Longhorns’ 2024 season, many games tend to come down to whether opponents can contain the Texas running backs in the swing/swing/screen offense. Sark mentioned the timing and blocking in the outside zone run game needs to get back on track, but ultimately the backs are doing their damage in the short passing game.

Quick thought No. 4: Youngsters in the mix

“Baby Rhino” Jerrick Gibson got the most action to date in his young Longhorn career. While Blue and Wisner started the game, the two only had nine combined carries as Ewers went 19-27 for 333 yards at 12.3 ypa with five touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Gibson was given the task of picking up a key first down early in the game Sark went for it on 4th-and-1 from the Texas 24 on an eventual touchdown drive. Later he was entrusted with running out the clock and icing the game and ended up with 16 total carries which yielded 100 rushing yards at 6.3 ypc with a fumble, a touchdown, and another near fumble on a shaky mesh with Arch Manning. The freshman is Texas’ best pure power back and will likely continue to get work reflecting this reality in future games. It seems his pass protection and ball security are still in need of further development to become a bigger piece of the offense.

Tackle Trevor Goosby got some action at right tackle when Cameron Williams was injured for a few plays. When the second line came in later they skipped over Goosby and used Andre Cojoe and Brandon Baker as the two starting tackles. Big nose tackle Sydir Mitchell got some work as well and was credited with a pair of tackles. He’s virtually impossible to move and if he has the conditioning to play multiple snaps in a row should be a real asset down the stretch. In his snaps, Manning tried a bomb early which was broken up by deep help and had what appeared to be a masterful scramble toss to Blue which the officials ruled incomplete.

Ultimately this team will live or die with whether or not an elite defense paired with a somewhat boom or bust offense can be enough to beat whatever topnotch teams they meet before the end.

Quick thought No. 5: The Texas formula vs. the final stretch

Texas isn’t really hitting the deep shots this season. The best looks they had in this game occurred when they’d throw slot fades and switch releases to the inside receivers. Ewers had a few terrific balls on those throws and a few others that were less great, one of which produced a touchdown all the same because Golden was wide open in the end zone. There isn’t a consistent vertical threat inside the box in the run game or outside on the post routes from the outside receivers. At least, the post routes aren’t connecting for scores.

Instead Texas is usually moving the ball laterally with misdirection and flanking maneuvers on the perimeter to speed. Quinn’s oft-discussed ADOT will go up after this game but not by a ton. The Horns need to hit more slants and digs over the middle to beat good man coverage teams, but this approach is working pretty well due to the pure speed of the team.

When Texas can find ways to produce offense with their speed, clever play-designs, and Ewers’ tremendous ball placement on these shorter tosses it’s tough to beat. Particularly because producing offense against the Texas defense is immensely difficult. Technically Florida’s two backs combined on 38 carries for 204 yards at 5.4 ypc with two touchdowns. In the first half when the game was in question it was 16 carries for 81 yards at 5.1 ypc with zero touchdowns.

The Gators are good at avoiding negative plays and leaned on Texas some when back-ups were in and the game was out of hand, but it’s hard for teams to score when they can’t throw and this Longhorns secondary is hard to throw on. This is an imperfect team but a very explosive and balanced one which may have a shot at a very special season in the coming weeks.

Sam Khan Jr.: Can Texas ride momentum after palate-cleansing win against hobbled-up Florida?

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No. 5 Texas kept its SEC championship game and College Football Playoff chances intact by dominating unranked Florida 49-17 on Saturday. The Longhorns (8-1, 4-1 SEC), rolled to a 42-0 third-quarter lead behind a crushing performance from starting quarterback Quinn Ewers, who threw four of his five touchdown passes in the first half. Ewers, who finished with 333 passing yards, gave way to redshirt freshman Arch Manning midway through the third quarter with the Longhorns leading 42-3.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4) started third-string quarterback Aidan Warner as injuries have decimated their quarterback depth chart. Graham Mertz is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL last month against Tennessee and true freshman DJ Lagway missed Saturday’s game because of a hamstring injury in last week’s loss to rival Georgia.

The blowout loss comes just days after Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin announced that third-year coach Billy Napier will remain the Gators’ head coach. Napier’s job security has been subject to heavy speculation after he went 11-14 in his first two seasons and started 1-2 this year. He’s now 15-19 at Florida.

On Ewers and Texas’ dominance

After missing two games with a strained oblique and a rough outing in an Oct. 19 loss to Georgia, Ewers has rebounded nicely. He completed 73 percent of his passes in the Longhorns’ 27-24 win at Vanderbilt two weeks ago and on Saturday against the Gators, looked more like the early-season version of himself.

It wasn’t a flawless outing for Ewers. He missed some early throws, including a wide-open Isaiah Bond for what would have been a touchdown pass if thrown on target after Florida cornerback Cormani McClain fell down. Ewers’ next pass attempt, to tight end Gunnar Helm on a crossing route, was nearly intercepted by Florida edge rusher George Gumbs Jr.

But after the Longhorns converted a fourth-and-short at their own 24, Ewers settled in. He later hit an open Matthew Golden for a 29-yard touchdown pass to put the Longhorns on the board, then quickly hit Helm on a run-pass option for another score on the Longhorns’ next series.

Ewers did a good job of executing coach Steve Sarkisian’s game plan and kept Florida’s defense off balance with an assortment of pump fakes, RPOs, misdirections and other offensive wrinkles. He hit the 70 percent completion threshold for the second straight week and was efficient, averaging an impressive 12.3 yards per attempt.

He also got a ton of help from the Longhorns’ defense, which suffocated the Gators from the outset. Texas came up with an early turnover as linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. forced a Ja’Kobi Jackson fumble, which edge rusher Trey Moore recovered. Texas shut out the Gators in the first half, held them to just 4.5 yards per play and 1 for 7 on third-down conversions in the first half.

On Manning’s showing

Manning didn’t need to do much with Texas in full control. Texas ran the ball on 21 of the 27 snaps Manning was in the game to control the clock and finish the game out. The quarterback posted modest numbers, completing 3 of 6 passes for 19 yards, but operated the offense efficiently and effectively, leading a touchdown drive and then helping the Longhorns milk the last eight minutes, 27 seconds off the clock on a 15-play, 68-yard drive that ended the game as Texas took a knee inside the Florida 10.

Manning spent much of the second half handing off to true freshman Jerrick Gibson, who finished with career highs in carries (16) and rushing yards (100). He also converted the early fourth-and-short that turned Texas’ offensive fortunes and helped power a Longhorn rushing attack that finished with 210 total yards.

On the SEC/Playoff implications

Texas needed a palate cleanser to restore confidence. After cruising to a 6-0 start and a No. 1 ranking, the Longhorns were punched in the mouth by Georgia and had to fight to outlast Vanderbilt on the road a week later. Coming off their idle week, the Longhorns needed to pounce on this shorthanded Florida team and did just that, racing to a 42-0 third quarter lead.

If the Longhorns can maintain this level of play, with Arkansas and Kentucky up next, there’s no reason Texas shouldn’t enter its regular season finale at rival Texas A&M as a 10-1 team. The Longhorns’ road trip to rival Arkansas will be tough. The Razorbacks have been better than expected this year and would love nothing more than to upend Texas in like they did in 2021 in Fayetteville. But if Texas plays as well as it’s capable, it should win both games.

Texas entered Saturday as one of five SEC teams with one loss, so sorting through who makes the conference title game will take some time. But if the Longhorns simply keep winning, they’ll be fine, both in the conference race and the Playoff picture. A first-round bye, or at least hosting a first-round game, is still well within reach for the Longhorns.

On Florida and DJ Lagway

After the Gators put up impressive fight against Georgia last week, being dominated this way is tough to swallow. But considering the quarterback situation and how shorthanded Florida is across the board, the road trip to Austin — against a rested Texas team getting healthier — was always going to be tough.

The list of key players Florida is missing due to injury is long: Mertz, Lagway, running back Montrell Johnson, receivers Elijhah Badger and Eugene Wilson III, offensive lineman Damieon George Jr. and cornerbacks Devin Moore and Jason Marshall, among others. Lagway and Johnson were listed as game-time decisions on the SEC’s availability report but didn’t play.

Florida showed admirable effort and got off to a strong start defensively, keeping Texas off of the scoreboard on the first drive of the game and forcing a fourth down attempt on the Longhorns’ second possession. But Texas converted the fourth-and-1 on its own side of the field and ended that drive in a touchdown, one of seven the Longhorns would score on in a span of 10 possessions.

Once the dam broke, Texas rolled, compiling 353 first-half yards and 562 for the game. Warner, a redshirt freshman, struggled, finishing 12-of-25 for 132 yards and two interceptions. But Florida continued to play hard in the second half, getting the running game going, compiling 123 second-half rushing yards and 197 total. And after a rough start on third down in the first half, the Gators went 5 for 7 in the second.

There’s no doubt that Stricklin’s vote of confidence for Napier this week hits differently after this shellacking. But if the Gators can get Lagway back, could they muster up enough momentum to squeeze out two wins and make a bowl game? Doing so would require at least one upset of a currently ranked team: Florida finishes with home games against No. 15 LSU and No. 16 Ole Miss and a season-ending road trip to rival Florida State.

 

[satyanash 14281]

nvm

Edited Saturday at 11:22 PM by satyanash

[LTtxfan 48980]

Gonna cross-post... good film breakdown on Sark dealing 😎

 

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2024 Florida Gators Postmortem: Offense

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The Texas offense badly needed a get right game after three weeks of underperformance. A Florida defense missing their top three cornerbacks, without a base pass rush and a tendency to bust coverages was just what the doctor ordered. Add in a bye week where Sark could go back into the lab to concoct explosive compounds and the Horns end up with 49 offensive points and 562 yards at a fat 8.8 yards per play. Sark sketched up some cool stuff on napkins last week and we were treated to this:

Texas came out throwing and then threw some more. Sorry ESTABLISH THE RUN acolytes. Ewers was a sharp 5 for 5 on Texas’ opening drive, but two consecutive blown blocks by DJ Campbell – one on a run and the other in pass pro – and a poor decision by Tre Wisner to reverse field instead of eating a small loss ended up in an errant Auburn field goal. That three play sequence was the highlight of Florida’s defensive game day.

Texas scored touchdowns on 5 of their next 7 first half possessions on drives of 85, 22, 50, 80 and 45. A hat tip to the Texas defense for two short fields, but the main driver was a lethal Texas passing game that saw Ewers complete 17 of 25 for 297 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half of play. After the first stanza, Texas cruised to touchdowns on two of their first three second half drives and then let the 2nd and 3rd teams finish out the game.

Texas could have named the score, but the Horns don’t need to fill up on Gator when there’s pork on the menu next week. If I have a criticism, it’s that outside zone looks like crap right now. Both the blocking and the RB steps and timing. The good news is that every other run concept looked good to very good.

Quarterback

Phew. That’s the sound of Longhorn Nation breathing easier after Quinn’s performance on Saturday. Numerous Gator busts, a lot of Yards After Catch, open receivers and good pass protection set the table for an excellent day from Quinn Ewers. He finished 19 of 27 for 333 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2.5 quarters of play. He looked comfortable, in command, and saw the field well.

He was also 4 of 6 for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns against the blitz. That’s why Florida quit doing it. He was also 9 of 12 for 174 yards and 4 touchdowns on play action, his historical wheelhouse. There was a lot of easy offense out there on Saturday, but you still have to hit the open jump shots.

This slot wheel route combo has been good for us and it’s a similar concept bust that Florida had against Tennessee that I actually pointed out in the game preview. Florida really struggles with basic coverage rules.

Next is a great example of a re-energized Blue, but I don’t think Quinn will get enough credit for how flawless this throw is. From a different angle, I thought #3 might have just thrown a pick six. Instead, it’s a textbook swing pass that allows Blue to accelerate into the open green and work his magic.

Notice how Blue has modified his release to the proper angle from games previous. He was running these way too flat or drifting prematurely up field earlier in the year and it’s clear that it got coached up. Good job. How about recognition against an overload blitz with two Gator backers walked up to the LOS?

No, that’s not a real RPO read as the color announcer claimed. Yes, it’s an easy throw, but it requires instant recognition as that backer is untouched after the RB play fake. After this throw, Florida effectively stopped running a bunch of crazy looks and team blitz packages. Junk defenses persist until you take them to the scrapyard. Put a pin in that observation for next week against Arkansas.

Admittedly, it’s also nice for a QB to get a 34 yard touchdown pass on 3rd and 13 by flipping it a yard behind the line of scrimmage to a cheetah.

Great block by DeAndre Moore. Sark schemed it up beautifully and Florida was outmatched, but #3 needed a game like this to slow everything down and restore his confidence. Arch played capably and watching him shake off a Florida defender on a sprint roll out was an impressive preview of things to come in 2025.

Running Back

Blue and Wisner were a combined 6 of 9 for 126 yards in the passing game and they mercilessly exploited Florida’s linebackers on the perimeter. Texas also ran the ball well when it wanted to, pounding out the final minutes of the contest behind Jerick “Moo Deng” Gibson, who amassed 100 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Blue added 5 carries for 60 yards of his own. Gibson ran well but he needs to stop putting the ball on the carpet. Fumbling isn’t in the “game closer, downhill runner” job description.

Encouragingly, Texas backs ran their blocking better. They added 4.3 yards after contact to their runs and had 6 runs over 10+ yards. Globally, 59% of Texas run yards came after initial contact. On Saturday, we saw the Jaydon Blue that we expected back in August.

No tip-toeing, great acceleration, elusiveness, total engagement. Let’s go, #23. We need you. Also, in the clip above, note the stalk block by Wingo on a Gator edge. Great fit, drives him back! That Florida defender is getting reamed in the film room today. Wisner was negligible in the run game, but he did have this play in the screen game.

He should score there as the play call and blocking are flawless (look at #54 Cole Hutson and #85 Helm downfield) but gotta hit the layups when they’re there. A very encouraging day from the backs overall. If Blue is ready to play some ball down the back stretch that’s big, if true.

Wide Receiver/Tight End

No Longhorn pass catcher had more than 3 receptions and no one eclipsed 67 yards. Generally, there’s one primary receiver who went nuts when a passing game drops 352 yards, but it was a crowd sourced effort across the board. DeAndre Moore’s two drops were the only stain on the unit. He blocked really well and I’m sure he’s going extra reps on the JUGS machine this week.

After scoring twice Saturday, Golden now has six touchdowns on only 27 catches, cementing his reputation from Houston as an end zone finder. If you had Gunnar Helm leading the team in receptions (34) and yardage (461) nine games into the season, please take a bow.

Offensive Line

The left side of the OL murdered in the run game and in pass protection. Kelvin Banks, Hayden Conner and Jake Majors played really well. I held my breath when Big Cam Williams went down, but he returned later in the game. DJ Campbell recovered from a terrible first drive to play acceptably. The reserves got a fair amount of run and backup center Connor Robertson had a nice effort in the run game.

He’s gotten stronger and is playing with much better pad level. Brandon Baker and Neto Umeozulu also acquitted themselves nicely. Neto looks like a million bucks and he’s nasty. We’re going to lose a lot of experience and star power in the OL next year, but the kids are alright.

Final

Damn, did we ever need that. Florida’s defense stinks and Texas is well-designed to exploit their weaknesses, but when you’re in a slump, a few hanging fastballs put over the fence can embolden plate approach for every pitch. More crucially, arrows are pointing up for the Texas offense at several key spots and Sark needed the bye week palette cleanser to get back into genius mode.

Next week will be a fascinating challenge as Arkansas defensive coordinator Travis Williams has a penchant for crafting opponent-specific game plans that either bomb (Ole Miss) or hit the target (Tennessee, Texas A&M). Arkansas’ defense isn’t good, but they have a DC with enough courage to try stuff in order to maximize the variance needed for the unit to manufacture stops. Expect a fun one in Fayetteville.

(Eric Nahlin) Sunday Six-pack: See ya later Gators

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What a weekend, huh? Texas didn’t play perfect ball but it was absolutely dominating in a 49-17 win. The game wasn’t as close as the score indicates. Texas went into the half up 35-0. Florida had no chance coming into this game with a walk-on starter at quarterback but the Gators did enter the contest playing pretty decent football. They took Georgia to the wire the week before and had been playing better overall defense in recent weeks.

They were playing hard and with much more organization. You never would have guessed that watching yesterday. It wasn’t just a great day for Texas on the field but also away from it as the Horns now control their own destiny in the SEC.

Blitzkrieg

Saturday’s game was perhaps the best complementary performance of the season thus far. Florida became the first team to eclipse 300 yards of offense but that was a function of there being an entire half of garbage time. Florida fans — and they were great, by the way — were thrilled to not lose the longest streak in the country of not being shutout. I was on the concourse when they kicked their field goal and there were genuine cheers when it went through.

While the defense did its job for most of the game the offense was seemingly back on track. Steve Sarkisian called probably his best game of the season and that showed in Quinn Ewers‘ play and stat line. Our group text thread was pretty excited about the assortment of new plays Sark was showing.

I said before the game I didn’t care about Ewers’ production, I cared about his comfort and confidence. We saw plenty of each, perhaps best personified by how much he spread the ball around to his receivers. As for Sark’s play calling, Texas scored some of the easiest touchdowns you’ll ever see thanks to wide open receivers. Florida looked like the wandering John Travolta gif in the secondary.

The return of Isaiah Bond reinforced my belief that we found out how good he was in his absence as the offense was lacking dynamism. He threatens the whole field with his speed. Given the blowout, we were able to see a lot of the younger guys the program will be counting on in seasons to come. We also saw Jerrick Gibson log his biggest workload of the season. He looks like a player they can count on down the stretch and lord knows Texas needs a more consistent run game.

It was over when…

Texas went for it and converted 4th and 1 from its own 24. This was Texas’ second drive after the first one stalled out with a missed field goal. It’s not often you’ll see a team go for it that close to their goal line that early in a game but it already felt like Texas had total game control. They moved the ball like a hot knife through butter on that first drive and then held Florida to a very short drive on its first possession. Given Florida’s issues at quarterback and injuries at other positions this one was pretty much over the first time Texas scored, which it did later in the drive.

Controlling own destiny

Saturday delivered a double dose of what Texas needed. Georgia finally got exposed for its run of bad play and LSU got absolutely hammered at home by Alabama. I never really had an issue with LSU until we joined On3. I must say I took a lot of glee over that embarrassing tail kicking. It was a bad weekend to live near a swamp. Alabama scored 42 points without a passing game.

While hanging with @UTOrtho this morning we tried to figure out how Georgia played so well against Texas. What, if anything, does that game say about UT and Georgia? We still haven’t a clue but the Georgia team from that night doesn’t really seem to exist. Nobody needed a big win more than Lane Kiffin and he got it authoritatively 28-10. The Ole Miss defense appears legit. Kiffin’s comedy is one of my guilty pleasures so I was happy for him.

Currently, there’s a three-way tie atop the SEC between UT, diet UT, and Texas A&M. Given Josh Heupel is Tennessee’s head coach ‘diet’ probably doesn’t make much sense. I’ll need to workshop that some. Of course the Horns and Aggies will lock horns in the final game of the regular season so that tie is guaranteed to sort itself out.

Tennessee finishes with at Georgia, UTEP, and at Vanderbilt. Will Georgia lose back to back games? That wouldn’t be very Georgia-like. Could…could Vandy trip them up? Crazier things have happened this season, though I don’t like that matchup for Vanderbilt’s offense. The Aggies finish their cake walk schedule with New Mexico State, at anemic Auburn, and Texas.

Recruiting sentiment

I’ve talked to a few sources in the last day and the sentiment was uniform — just keep winning. Sources still feel confident on the recruiting finish but that’s based on the belief they’re going to sprint through the tape in November on the field. Further sentiment that was uniform, they’re going to have to go hard in the portal in addition to high school recruiting. Needs exist pretty much everywhere.

On offense, I could see 1-2 offensive lineman, 1 running back, 1 wide receiver, and perhaps a tight end. On defense, they need 2 defensive tackles, 1 linebacker, perhaps 1 cornerback, and perhaps 1 safety. There are three players that Texas doesn’t know what to expect from next season due to injuries — CJ Baxter, Christian Clark, and Derek Williams.

That will have an impact on how the staff approaches the portal. Luckily at safety, Jelani McDonald looks like a future star and Michael Taaffe already is (they need Taaffe to return). Running back should be easy to address.

Big flips doing work

With recruiting on our mind and the understanding Texas will very likely flip some good players in the next month, let’s look back to a couple of massive flips at the same position who were flipped from the same school. I’ll give you a minute to guess the players and position.

[one minute later]

We knew flipping linebacker Anthony Hill from Texas A&M was massive in real time. That flip has lived up to every bit of the hype. Calling him a linebacker probably isn’t fair because of the edge presence he also provides. He’s a complete defender who will only get better with one more offseason.

I had a feeling the Tyanthony Smith flip was bigger than most made of it. Sources had us clued in on the eval and it was clear he was a linebacker who had natural feel for the position. As we’ve discussed for years, those guys are not easy to find. But the flip is even bigger than originally thought. He flashes every time he’s on the field and showed off yesterday with a good pick deep into coverage.

Smith was the highest graded Texas defender per PFF. Texas could use a few more of those Aggie flips.

On to Fayetteville

A lot of ink will spill this week on how far Texas has come since the disastrous trip to Fayetteville in 2021. One thing that should be noted is that was a much-needed outcome because it highlighted the importance of a major, and not-so-cheap roster overhaul. This was right when NIL was becoming a thing and Texas was on its way to going 5-7 thanks to a string of very close losses.

The loss to Arkansas was not close. A main takeaway from that game was Texas needed an SEC roster, like the one it has now. Sark used that game as an example to the powers that be that he needed support in constructing his ideal roster and the admin was happy to oblige. A lot of times you’ll see fake votes of confidence for coaches but Sark got a real one the offseason following that difficult first season when he received unconditional support from those who matter.

Texas came out much better for that loss to the Razorbacks. Now it’s time to exact revenge.

Justin Wells: Top PFF grades from No. 3 Texas' 49-17 win over Florida

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In UT’s first battle with the Gators as members of the SEC, the No. 3 Longhorns thumped Florida, 49-17, from Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday. Here’s how the team graded out via PFF.

OFFENSE

QB – Quinn Ewers, 75.3

The Longhorns’ third-year starting quarterback was dialed in on Saturday. He went 19-of-27 passing for 333 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Ewers averaged 12.3 yards per pass. This dime to Golden was golden.

RB – Tre Wisner, 64.0, Jaydon Blue, 79.9, Jerrick Gibson, 76.8

The three-headed Texas rushing attack was spectacular on Saturday. Wisner and Blue totaled 186 yards and two touchdowns on the ground and through the air, while Gibson notched his first 100-yard game and added a touchdown.

WR – Isaiah Bond, 69.4, Matthew Golden, 67.3

The duo of Bond and Golden tallied 119 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Bond added 44 yards on the ground.

TE – Gunnar Helm, 63.3

It remains Gunnar Helm’s world, we’re just here for the show. He netted 42 yards receiving on three catches and this first quarter scoring grab.

OL – Kelvin Banks, 72.0, Hayden Conner, 63.7

The Longhorns offensive line came back from a poor two-game stretch to help the Horns to 562 total yards of offense and gave up only one sack to the UF defense.

DEFENSE

DL/EDGE – Alfred Collins, 75.1, Jermayne Lole, 68.2, Trey Moore, 80.1

The Longhorns defensive front once again became the front line for the game. Moore’s breakout game — four tackles, two tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery — were vital to Texas’ first half surge.

LB – Anthony Hill Jr, 80.0, Tyanthony Smith, 80.8

Once again Hill Jr. led all Longhorns with eight tackles and one tackle for loss. Smith, a freshman from Jasper, notched five tackles and collected his first career interception.

CB – Jahdae Barron, 79.1, Kobe Black, 63.1

Black led the corners with six tackles in his first extended action of 2024. Barron and Malik Muhammad were steady as usual.

S/N – Michael Taaffe, 67.9, Andrew Mukuba, 64.8, Jaylon Guilbeau, 59.0

With the return of Mukuba, he and Taaffe led the safeties with nine total tackles. Mukuba snagged an INT, Taaffe notched a PBU, and Guilbeau added a sack and TFL.

 

 

[Hagbard Celine 10763]

my recording didn't work - how long before we get the consolidated/edited "every play" on youtube?

[GringoSalado 1651]

 

[Pato del Muerto 52342]

25 minutes ago, Hagbard Celine said:

my recording didn't work - how long before we get the consolidated/edited "every play" on youtube?

Bout 20 minutes from your post

[satyanash 14281]

(Scipio Tex) 2024 Florida Gators Postmortem: Defense/Special Teams

Quote

We’re nine games deep and the Texas defense surrendered 300+ yards to an opponent for the first time this year. That’s a tribute to the unit’s marked schematic and personnel improvements – specifically with regard to pass defense – though it’s certainly also reflective of the fairly low quality of offenses that Texas has faced to date. The Gators were down two QBs, a RB (though his replacements were equal or better), and their two best receivers. Texas schemed it up accordingly and didn’t show much.

Florida managed 329 yards on 66 plays at a tepid 5 yards a play and they scored all 17 of their points in the second half after falling behind 42-0. Garbage yards and points count, but it was pretty clear who won the unit matchup. The Longhorn defense dominated the first half by holding Florida scoreless and forcing two turnovers that led to 14 points. The Gators managed only 138 yards and were a feeble 1 of 7 on 3rd down.

Florida ran the ball very well in the second half (finishing with 197 overall while improving their second half 3rd down conversion rate to 5 of 7) but that’s partly game situation (Texas was content to win the game and still play the pass honestly) combined with physical run blocking and a heavy dose of two very good Gator backs who were hard as hell to get on the ground at first contact. If #13 freshman Jadan Baugh wants to portal out, take his number. 230 pound dudes don’t typically move like that.

Defensive Back

The secondary shut down the Gator passing game as 3rd string QB Aidan Warner was held to 12 of 25 passing for 132 yards and 2 picks. He hit a nice 39 yard play action ball in the first half that fooled the Longhorn safeties (I think Taaffe, not certain) but the rest of his 24 throws yielded 93 yards on 11 completions.

Muhammad was targeted 3 times unsuccessfully and he had a nice PBU. Barron was also targeted 3 times and had a PBU but did concede a six yard gain. Inexcusable for a Thorpe finalist!

A nice nickel blitz sack here by Guilbeau. Five things to point out here:

1. 3rd and long means that we know Florida’s QB will be holding it for a beat.
2. Empty set 5 wide on 3rd and long with a young QB should always be an auto blitz.
3. Florida is on the Texas 41, so even a solid gain short of the sticks can create either a field goal or a 4th and go for it opportunity. Pete wants to inflict a negative or force a hasty incompletion. Good understanding of game situation.
4. Notice Anthony Hill bailing to the slot receiver to replace Guilbeau after walking up to show blitz. He has a lot of ground to cover but gets it done.
5. Both blitz side interior DL take inside moves to force Gator blockers to squeeze. They end up occupying four Florida OL. The road to the QB is wide open for the nickel.

I picked the right week to spotlight Andrew Mukuba last week. #4 filled up the box score. On 40 snaps, he amassed six tackles, had a pick and a nice PBU. He also two open field tackles where he got a much bigger Gator RB on the ground with a two way go. It wasn’t pretty, but when you’re giving up 45 pounds, just get the guy on the grass.

Jelani McDonald and Taaffe both did their jobs. #16 played a lot of deep safety, but managed a PBU. McDonald continues to impress closing from a distance. He still hasn’t missed a tackle this year. Kobe Black had six tackles in only 24 snaps at corner. He’s forcing his way into more playing time as the #3 or #4 cornerback off of the bench. Physical presence.

Warren Roberson had a great force play on a WR screen that set up a teammate for an easy tackle on a 3rd down right before the half. Xavier Filsaime caught my eye late, but not in a good way. The limited data I have on him so far is that he’s an atrocious tackler.

Defensive Line

Ball don’t lie, but box scores do. Especially on defense. If you scanned it and saw that #95 Alfred Collins had only two tackles, you might question his impact. As with Mukuba, I picked the right time to highlight Collins’ recent run of dominance. I pointed out that he had a penchant for destroying double teams that led to short yardage stops and his affinity for altering QB throws with his length and pressure.

Alfred singlehandedly created two interceptions with batted balls that led to Texas touchdowns and then added a big 3rd down stop dominating a Florida double team in the red zone for a zero yard gain that prevented Florida from going for it on 4th down. That forced a missed field goal attempt. He contributed directly to a 18-21 point shift. Those two picks led to 14 points and robbing Florida of a 3rd down conversion and an ensuing missed field goal is worth +4 or +7. Pretty good stuff from #95.

Trey Moore had another good game. He had a sack (not credited due to QB getting to the LOS -whatever!), a terrific recognition play on a TE screen, recovered a fumble and was generally all over the field. Back to back weeks of high level play.

Broughton was OK after serving his first half suspension. Neither he or Lole enjoyed the constant double teams and the physicality of their OL as run blockers. Sydir Mitchell got in for ten snaps and had two nice run stuffs. Very happy for him and I hope it’s a building block for doing things right and getting more playing time. Sorrell and Burke had quiet games. Simmons was much more impactful on rewatch than I realized. He’s learning to play the run more honestly and he had two big QB hits on pass rush.

Linebacker

Tyanthony Smith continues to flash. Elite quickness and a nose for the ball. He had an interception created by a Collins jump tip and 5 tackles. The ball finds #26.

Anthony Hill had a nice forced fumble and 8 tackles. He brings lot to the table in so many facets. Lefau had a subpar game. Seemed a step slow triggering and got lost in the wash a couple of times.

Special Teams

Auburn blew a 51 yard field goal attempt but nailed all 7 of his extra point tries. Kickoff coverage was outstanding, stopping Florida short of the 20 on 2 of their 3 returns. Kern didn’t punt well. Going into the game, Florida boasted a Top 10 ST unit, but they had no material impact.

Final

Not a lot to complain about after an easy 32 point win after holding an opponent to a scoreless first half and forcing three turnovers. The Texas defense can be run on by physical teams when we’re in base defense, but pass defense is more important than run defense and situational run defense – the ability to hold up on critical downs and in the red zone – has been pretty good when the game is in doubt. I’m interested to see how Texas holds up to a high level dual threat QB and Bobby Petrino’s clever play action passing game in hostile territory.