Oklahoma State Film Review

[Ryan Bridges]

OFFENSE

Let's look for silver linings or something.

18 Wheeler Still Works

There were some nice blocks on Tyrone Swoopes' two touchdown runs.



Caleb Bluiett doesn't get his guy on the ground, but he does knock him back into the end zone. Brandon Hodges controlled the end the whole way.



Same play. Jake McMillon and D'Onta Foreman cut two OK State players, and Armanti Foreman was doing some great blocking near the goal line. Swoopes did the rest.

Pick Up D'Onta in Your NFL Fantasy League Next Year



Both of D'Onta's touchdown runs came on counter plays. On the first one, he's lined up on the playside. Even though McMillon is tossed aside right in the middle of the play, Patrick Vahe gets enough movement on his trap block to leave a huge hole for D'Onta to burst through.



The second touchdown was a counter-H run, and note that D'Onta is aligned away from the playside this time. I point that out only because the variety makes it more difficult for the defense to guess where the ball is going. Vahe does a really great job moving the nose tackle out of the hole, but OK State could still have blown this play up if the defensive end didn't just fold at McMillon's feet. The safety and linebacker were out of position because they expected the ball to be spilled to the outside. 

A Good Time to Involve the Tight End

This was such a great playcall. I know there were some debates among fans when Major Tennison decommitted about whether a pass-catching tight end is a necessity or a luxury in this offense. I hope it's evident to everyone by now that it's the latter. It's still cool when this happens, though.



I'm pretty certain the free safety would be responsible for any vertical route by the #3 receiver here, but it doesn't matter. Someone got sucked in by the play-action, and when Andrew Beck is getting this open and going 39 yards for touchdowns, do you really need a dynamic pass catcher for that role?

DEFENSE

Confusion Was Still an Issue

I tweeted during the first series that Texas left a receiver completely uncovered (Mason Rudolph didn't notice). It wasn't really a sign of things to come I guess, but there were still some busted coverages.



I have no idea what's going on with the front seven on this play, but it's OK because the coverage is broken too. The boundary side DBs (John Bonney and DeShon Elliott) seem to be playing Cover 3. I can't tell what they're playing on the other side, but it wasn't Cover 3. Elliott seemed to think he could let the slot go because there was going to be a safety in the deep middle, but there wasn't. How does this keep happening?

Lapses in Run Defense



I love the way Breckyn Hager plays football, but when you fly this far upfield, you're not doing a good job "containing" the play. If he had gone only three yards upfield instead of seven, the ballcarrier would have been forced back inside to Malik Jefferson and Anthony Wheeler for a short gain. The other issue is that Brandon Jones takes a very bad angle. He has no business going underneath the block of the slot receiver. Over and over there are failures in this defense from guys trying to do other people's jobs in addition to their own, and winding up doing nothing.



Hager loses contain again on this run. He crashes down on the stretch run action away and lets Rudolph escape contain. It's frustrating, but I'll say this: I'd take 11 guys running around with their hair on fire, setting everything else ablaze, over players who do crap like what's in these next two plays.

Most of Tackling Is Effort



OK State is running the same route concept on both sides of the field. Texas is in 2-Man. Paul Boyette got a nice pass rush but wasn't able to affect the throw. OK State's best receiver beat Davante Davis one-on-one — sometimes you get beat, it happens. But what the hell is Sheroid Evans doing? I don't know what Holton Hill did to tick the coaches off this time, but as I tweeted during the game, he is learning a valuable lesson right now about coaches costing themselves their jobs to prove a point.



Right before the half, Texas is playing Cover 2. Notice how deep Malik is at the snap specifically to take away this kind of throw. In his defense, he was inches away from tipping the ball, and it's a great throw. At the same time, I could make a 1- or 2-minute lowlight video of receivers catching passes that went just above Malik's fingertips over the past 1.25 seasons. It's infuriating. From there, you have Kevin Vaccaro doing whatever the hell that crap is. This play should have ended with a debate about targeting.

There is way, way, way too much talent on defense for these things to be happening. I can accept young guys making boom-or-bust plays from time to time like Hager. But you can't have seniors like Evans and Vaccaro looking like they've never seen another human up close before. Coaches always talk about wanting their players to play fast and not think — that's not happening right now. They look tentative and don't seem to have any confidence in what they're doing. It should be unacceptable for the fans, and it should be unacceptable for Charlie Strong. I'll be shocked if there aren't changes announced on the defensive staff by Monday.

 

[noonan05]

One positive on the Jones play at least he was near the line of scrimmage. Most our safeties sit 20 yards away and miss the tackle

 

[dillohorn]

No way I am going to look at, review, or watch this travesty again.

 

[DMAC]

I dont know why Evans is playing over Hill but its hurting the team.  Bedford seems to have an issue with younger players.  He is always putting down MJ and praises players like Dylan.  

Bedford's ego is hurting this team.

 

[java]

Bedford puts down Malik? That's a firing offense!

Hook 'em!

 

[tinman]

Hard to accept this type of poor coverage is going on at Texas.

 

[Bear19]

No way I am going to look at, review, or watch this travesty again.

Thanks for your work Ryan but Dillo is right. Looking at this crap once was too much.

 

[utb040713]

Bedford puts down Malik? That's a firing offense!

Make that fireable offense #7559.

 

[utb040713]

Thanks for doing this, Ryan. As painful as it was to watch, it was informative. It seems like it was a combination of 1) mental mistakes from the young players, and 2) lack of sound fundamentals from the older players (although Haines/Hall both had decent games).

Like you said, I'll take mental mistakes from young players over lack of hustle/fundamentals from the older players any day of the week, with the hope that the young players (Hager, Roach, Jones, etc.) won't be making those mistakes in 2-3 years.

 

[Daniel Seahorn]

Aside from the confusion and the constant busting of assignments, the piss poor tackling is beyond excusable. Like Ryan said and what I have said before, stuff like that is all about effort and giving a f---. The effort level on some of the tackling I've seen so far this year is as bad as I've ever seen. 

 

[TeamMayhall]

stuff like that is all about effort and giving a f---.

thank you

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Coaches always talk about wanting their players to play fast and not think — that's not happening right now. They look tentative and don't seem to have any confidence in what they're doing. It should be unacceptable for the fans, and it should be unacceptable for Charlie Strong. I'll be shocked if there aren't changes announced on the defensive staff by Monday.

I could've sworn Strong said he was going to be "more involved" in the OSU defensive game plan. Didn't Bedford admit that Strong shared in the play-calling too? Forgive me if a staff shake-up doesn't fill me with confidence at this point.

I've heard this song before.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

I'm going to swing back in later with gifs to back this stuff up, but here are some thoughts on the defense.

1. Malik had one of his worst games ever. There's a big stack of his coverage screw-ups in the first quarter that resulted or should have resulted in positive plays for OK State; he let himself get cut on the first touchdown (which wasn't his fault but ending up on the ground never helps); he overran the ball another time; he tried to undercut a block on a long run in the second half; and he missed at least two tackles, one of them a would-be TFL. He really only made one nice tackle in pursuit on the second-to-last series and took away a few guys in coverage. I don't feel right blaming him for the post routes that went just over his fingertips but it sure happens to him a lot.

2. Sheroid needs to be on the sidelines. He led the team in missed tackles, and he's slow to read and react to screens. He's got a great story but I just don't know what he's doing out there.

3. I had no idea how much I'd miss Hall and Haines. I didn't mark a missed tackle for either one, though Hall did let a run play get outside of him and Haines got cut on a screen that went down the sideline. Otherwise, they're sure tacklers and Hall is a disruptive pass rusher. Vaccaro generally seemed to know what he was doing but missed three BAD tackles, and I can only imagine what Kenny texted him after the game. Elliott was pretty bad. Jones' missed tackle on the touchdown jumps out but otherwise he was fine, and he covers so much ground that there was a time when I thought Texas had 12 men on the field (no, not the time when they actually did). He needs more reps, possibly at nickel. And I guess this is a crazy idea, but if the coaches insist on not playing their best corner (Hill), maybe they should try Jones at corner over Sheroid and Bonney.

4. Bonney wasn't as bad as you or I thought. He's athletically outmatched and can't hold up at corner, but there wasn't much I could pin on him. He had good coverage but just got beat in man coverage on a fade before the half. Then there were obvious communication issues between he and Elliott (and Hall at least once).

5. Hager seems like he has some trouble reading run-pass keys. He's either all-in on the run or all-in on coverage. He's definitely at his best when he's rushing, because if he drops into coverage it will be several seconds before he recognizes that it's a run. He and Roach are both so disruptive, though, that it's hard to justify taking them off the field.

6. The rotation in the secondary needs to be curbed significantly. It's very easy to make a case that there's so much confusion back there because there's a new player lined up next to you every series, and it may not be the guy you're used to working with in practice. I watched ASU roll out the same corner, playing mostly press coverage, against Chad Hansen all night long, and not once did he lose a play because of fatigue or ask to be subbed out, so I don't want to hear this fatigue argument. Find your best 4-5 and roll with them. I'd go Davis and Hill at corner, Locke/Jones at nickel, and Hall and Haines/Jones on the back end. Find a way to get Jones on the field.

7. The thing that I'm probably most interested in: In the first half, Texas rushed five or more guys on just over 15% of defensive snaps outside the red zone. That figure jumped to 33% in the second half. It is possible — and I know there's at least one report claiming it — that Strong took over play-calling in the second half. One of my primary criticisms of Bedford has been his conservatism. From his preference for upperclassmen to his soft coverage against Cal to that stat referenced a moment ago, he's not attacking and neither are his players. The one way I could see Charlie saving his job is if he can simplify things — they started in the right direction against OK State — and get his guys excited about making sacks, disruptive plays and interceptions. They have the athletes but the athletes don't have the confidence or swagger, and letting them pin their ears back and go is a great way to change that. They'll give up some big plays, too, but they're already doing that. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Based on the all-22, my best guess on this touchdown is that Texas was supposed to be in Cover 3 with Vaccaro playing the deep middle, but instead he was trying to play Cover 2 over the top on the field side. The bigger question, though, is how the hell does this stuff keep happening?



I'm less upset about the pre-catch portion of this play —  Rudolph makes a great throw into a very small space. But if your underneath defenders can't take away this throw or deflect it, at least your safeties can punish the receiver. You'd think a Vaccaro would be perfect for that job. I'm really changing my own mind about what I said about him in my previous post.

 

[Rotty22]

there is no way vaccaro should be out in the field either.  he misses more tackles than makes them.  the only reason he is on the team is because of mac's loyalty to his brother.

i can't believe i saw a depth chart for ou with vaccaro as the starter.  we really want to give the next one away???

 

[echeese]

Based on the all-22, my best guess on this touchdown is that Texas was supposed to be in Cover 3 with Vaccaro playing the deep middle, but instead he was trying to play Cover 2 over the top on the field side. The bigger question, though, is how the hell does this stuff keep happening?



I'm less upset about the pre-catch portion of this play —  Rudolph makes a great throw into a very small space. But if your underneath defenders can't take away this throw or deflect it, at least your safeties can punish the receiver. You'd think a Vaccaro would be perfect for that job. I'm really changing my own mind about what I said about him in my previous post.

Do you have access to All 22 film?

 

[TexExSpur]

Hill was suspended, didn't play at all.  If a kid is f'n up his opportunity...that's on him.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

I'm going to try to keep this brief because I want a chance to look at the offense and OU before Saturday.

Malik's Struggles

Even though Rudolph didn't always — in fact, he usually didn't — notice when Malik turned a receiver loose, it happened quite a bit in the first quarter. Here's a glaring example.



Ten of the defensive players on the field are playing one defense and Malik is playing... something else. Not only that, but they're all in man coverage — Malik isn't even lined up on a receiver. Maybe Hager screwed up and wasn't supposed to rush on this play, but even then, Malik's alignment wouldn't make a lot of sense. Is he trying to bracket the slot receiver? He hardly even acknowledges him.

I also don't know how a 248-pound tight end gets so open in a one-on-one matchup with Davante Davis, but I'm going to assume he pushed off. Otherwise, that shouldn't happen.

This time Malik seemingly knows what he should be doing but gets caught up trying to do someone else's (Hager's) job.



He alerts Hager of the crossing route, which will become Hager's responsibility, leaving the back to Malik. But then, possibly because the back didn't release right away, Malik decided to run off and chase the crosser anyway. 

Here he reads pass -- which is fine, it's a draw play -- but then after locating his man never gets his eyes back to the quarterback.



He's already in good position, and the receiver shows his route quickly, so Malik should be able to look back to give himself a chance to undercut the throw (if it were made). Not only does he fail to do that -- which would have alerted him of the draw -- but he runs past the receiver and gets himself blocked. Texas is fortunate the back missed the huge void he left.

Finally, this one can be presented without comment:



Sheroid vs. Screens

When you're already playing 7-8 yards off, and then you see a quick screen in front of you, BUT YOU KEEP BACKPEDALING...



Davis and Boyd did much better jobs against the screen game.

Finally, Something Positive

If Charlie's going to fix the defense, I think it's by keeping it simple and attacking. I already noted that Texas blitzed more than twice as often in the second half than in the first half. Here's one of those blitzes.



The execution is outstanding. Hughes, lined up on the slot to the boundary, jams up Rudolph's first read. OK State is trying to get defenders out of position with the back's motion combined with the crossing route, but Bonney and Wheeler play it perfectly. More specifically, Wheeler resists the urge to chase the back and rolls back underneath the crosser.

If Charlie's going to save his defense and his job, they'll need execution like this on his zone blitzes — which I expect we'll see more of. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Do you have access to All 22 film?

I wish. I grabbed those from the broadcast.