Longhorn News/Discussion (Non-Recruiting)

[Big Daddy Cane]

Here's a random thought.... This Texas team is good... really good. The best we've seen since the Mack Brown glory years. We seem to have two
Achilles' heels if you will: 1. Red Zone offense. 2. Two minute defense.

The former, I don't have a clue. I guess the only suggestion my arm-chair expertise can offer is - start kicking field goals. We do have a very good / reliable kicker....

the later... I think might be a rather easy fix. Well.... I say that with all humility.... as a fan. It appears to me that our DBs simply give WAY too much cushion in these situations. We absolutely hand the opponent anything underneath.... up to about 12-15 yards it seems. And we also allow the QB what looks like a mile of green pastures to frolic through toward our red-zone if he can simply find his way through our "three" rushers. And this because we drop so deep.

I was watching Okie Light against ou... in a very similar situation that we found ourselves in vs our arch rival. Gabriel had the ball with under two minutes to play. They needed tree points to tie and a TD to go ahead. We've been in this situation twice in the past few games, and we give up the yardage for field goal range in record time & with relative ease - and only contest the touchdown it seems - when the opponent gets into the red zone. I saw the strangest thing that Okie Light did in a similar scenario.... they covered the receivers on short routs. I believe (if memory serves) that they forced a three and out - then took the victory formation with their offense. It was about as beautiful as anything in Stillwater could possibly be.

I'm open to correction here. Don't get me wrong... I'm a coach K fan. He has improved the defense drastically in 2.5 years. But my armchair suggestion is that he is WAY too conservative with coverage when the "two minute" type situation arises. Am I nuts (be gentle)?

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1. Red Zone offense - I think Sark is just getting too cute. One of the downfalls on being called innovative is not knowing when to be vanilla. I was really hoping Chryst would help in this area. Just pound the ball and run simple pass concepts.

2. 2 minute defense. I hate to say it, but everyone does it. No one wants to give up a 60 yard TD. They rather die a slow death. Personally, I would bring pressure more often and live or die by it. Hell if you do give up a big play, the other team is going to play sof and let you drive right down the field anyway. Team with the ball last seems to win more often than not.

 

[Big Daddy Cane]

Big12 officiating is the biggest contributor

 

[TFloss32]

 

[TB14]

Don't like night games in Ames...

 

[TFloss32]

 

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[TFloss32]

Sweat wanted that INT so bad.

 

[CorrienteKid]

The challenge is, we don't know what the coverages called are and what rules each player is supposed to follow. Good football minds like Rod Babers can figure stuff out at times from watching the film but even then it is a bit of a guess.

The deep post TD yesterday was probably due to the safety coming up on the TE and leaving the CB (Brooks) expecting deep help that wasn't there. So, did Brooks get beat or was it the safeties fault.

Ultimately, too many breakdowns or miscommunications deep by our secondary that allow easy deep ball completions. Something that needs to improve going forward.

This is what I've notice all year. The wide open receivers are usually a result of miscommunication and not bad beats. It's blown assignments and I would assume Taffe is on the field because of his familiarity with the defense and presents a less likely scenario for busted assignments.

 

[TXFF]

Sweat wanted that INT so bad.

Would have been cool for him to catch it, but the QB was down before his lame duck throw.

 

[CorrienteKid]

It’s not much of a challenge knowing the deepest safety on the field is to not let anybody over the top.

Just because he is the deepest safety doesn't mean his assignment is to drop back and cover the deep ball. Depending on the defensive play, his assignment may have been to cover the tight end if he runs a route and the LB to cover the RB on a wheel or flat route. I don't recall the play, but just because a receiver gets behind the safety does not mean it was the safety's assignment. We'll never know without knowing the called coverage/assignment.

 

[Drb522]

Just because he is the deepest safety doesn't mean his assignment is to drop back and cover the deep ball. Depending on the defensive play, his assignment may have been to cover the tight end if he runs a route and the LB to cover the RB on a wheel or flat route. I don't recall the play, but just because a receiver gets behind the safety does not mean it was the safety's assignment. We'll never know without knowing the called coverage/assignment.

Deep safeties don’t cover wheel routes or the flat. They’re deep because their assignment is deep coverage. He usually is responsible for “centerfield” so to speak. If it’s a TE on a seem route or the slit on a post, the Field/free safety takes the deep field. That’s pretty basic from one coverage to the next. You are thinking SS or nickel.

 

[83Dee]

1. Red Zone offense - I think Sark is just getting too cute. One of the downfalls on being called innovative is not knowing when to be vanilla. I was really hoping Chryst would help in this area. Just pound the ball and run simple pass concepts.

2. 2 minute defense. I hate to say it, but everyone does it. No one wants to give up a 60 yard TD. They rather die a slow death. Personally, I would bring pressure more often and live or die by it. Hell if you do give up a big play, the other team is going to play sof and let you drive right down the field anyway. Team with the ball last seems to win more often than not.

1. Agree 100%.
2. Okie Light did not do it in Bedlam. But I agree in principle.

 

[Hiwood]

1. Red Zone offense - I think Sark is just getting too cute. One of the downfalls on being called innovative is not knowing when to be vanilla. I was really hoping Chryst would help in this area. Just pound the ball and run simple pass concepts.

2. 2 minute defense. I hate to say it, but everyone does it. No one wants to give up a 60 yard TD. They rather die a slow death. Personally, I would bring pressure more often and live or die by it. Hell if you do give up a big play, the other team is going to play sof and let you drive right down the field anyway. Team with the ball last seems to win more often than not.

PK defense prevents us from winning I saw this when he was at Boise State, it seems like he refuses to adapt to the way the game is now played every team has about 3 jackrabbits that are hard t cover let alone hit, where we consistently get beat is when we go from zone to man on the same play, guys pointing fingers as if to say I thought you had him.

sorry guys but we do not have national championship defense, we have some spectacular players on the DL, but our DB scheme is mediocre at best, I watched the Alabama game and part of the Georgia game, when they put a guy on the edge on an obvious blitz that guy either gets to the QB or at least a piece of him, we used to have that guy in #41 but when they moved him to the middle

 

[dssl]

Sarks Monday presser:

Video: Steve Sarkisian press conference - University of Texas Athletics

Football head coach Steve Sarkisian previewed Saturday's game against TCU.Football head coach Steve Sarkisian previewed Saturday's game against TCU.

texassports.com

 

[Sunkist]

PK defense prevents us from winning I saw this when he was at Boise State, it seems like he refuses to adapt to the way the game is now played every team has about 3 jackrabbits that are hard t cover let alone hit, where we consistently get beat is when we go from zone to man on the same play, guys pointing fingers as if to say I thought you had him.

sorry guys but we do not have national championship defense, we have some spectacular players on the DL, but our DB scheme is mediocre at best, I watched the Alabama game and part of the Georgia game, when they put a guy on the edge on an obvious blitz that guy either gets to the QB or at least a piece of him, we used to have that guy in #41 but when they moved him to the middle

Our blitzer always gets picked up and blocked

I agree with you on the secondary scheme as well

 

[TFloss32]