Iowa State Film Review

[Ryan Bridges]

I was hoping there'd be a high-quality version of the game online by now, but instead we'll have to work with this.

OFFENSE

Buechele Is Growing

At this point we have a decent idea of Shane Buechele's limitations, but he did a couple of things this week to challenge that idea. First, it turns out he can throw slants on RPOs.



Specifically, I wondered whether he could see over/through the line and find his receiver in traffic. He struggled with it against Cal when they first tried it, and I believe there were a couple of other examples since then. There aren't any obstructions on this play, but there is a great example I'll post later. On this play, you can see how the run action (it's an RPO so it's not really a "run fake") holds the linebacker in the box, then how distracted the defense is by the short route to the flat. The slant is such a simple route, but Texas has the skill talent outside to turn it into a big gain, especially against man coverage with one or no deep safeties. (That's what they were trying to do on the interception on 4th down later in the game)

Another thing Buechele has struggled with, especially against Oklahoma, is what to do if his first read isn't open.



Texas likes to throw these hitch routes to the short side of the field, but Iowa State took it away. Many young quarterbacks might throw it anyway, which goes to show where Buechele is in his development — it would have been a surprise to see him force that throw. Instead, he works his way back to the complete other side of the field and finds Armanti Foreman open. Now, it took far too long for him to reset and locate Foreman, but the important thing is that he didn't panic, stayed in the pocket and kept looking downfield. The speed should come with repetition.

Wheel Routes

Devin Duvernay scored on this concept against Oklahoma, and it's still causing problems for defenses.



Iowa State's playing Cover 3. Buechele looks to his left initially (he's looked off safeties before; that's not new), pulling the safety that way. That leaves a hole for the skinny post, but the offense isn't there yet. The coverage means the nickel has to run with Duvernay, but he doesn't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation. You can't keep your eyes in the backfield and expect to run a 4.38. The corner plays it pretty well but isn't fast enough to flip around and still cut off Duvernay.

Here's the same idea against Cover 3 again.



Note the difference in Iowa State's pre-snap alignment (looks like two-deep safeties) and the coverage (Cover 3). It's well disguised, but it doesn't matter. D'Onta Foreman does a great job picking up the blitz, and Buechele steps up and slides to a clearing like a vet. You can see the moment the safety realizes he screwed up and Jerrod Heard is streaking down the sideline by himself.

How Not to Play Defense, Continued

I'm still trying to figure out what Iowa State was trying to do here. I think it was some sort of zone blitz gone wrong.



They leave two gaps uncovered, though right guard Kent Perkins and center Jake McMillon get so much movement on the nose tackle that it's more like one huge gap. Right tackle Tristan Nickelson also makes a key block, walling off the defensive tackle. Foreman is too good to be handed opportunities like this.

DEFENSE

Usually this section is reserved for lowlights, but since there weren't any touchdowns, we'll have to settle for positive plays.

Shark Attack



This is a fun pass-rushing package: Jeffrey McCulloch, Malcolm Roach, Breckyn Hager, Malik Jefferson and Anthony Wheeler all huddled around the line of scrimmage. The only big man is Poona Ford, who also happens to be a pretty good pass rusher. Iowa State slides the protection to the right, leaving a true freshman running back to block the true freshman McCulloch. They're separated by only 19 pounds in the programs, but this clearly isn't a fair fight. McCulloch drives the back and makes it look easy tossing him aside while changing direction.

Where Has This Naashon Been?

Naashon Hughes may be the most gifted player on the team who rarely plays like it. His game may have benefited some from being challenged by Hager and Roach, because he made some nice plays in this one.



The first thing to point out: press coverage on Iowa State's best receiver with a safety over the top. This is the sort of common sense solution to defending a team's most dangerous player that I feel like Vance Bedford was having trouble finding. By the time the quarterback completes his drop, Hughes has already blown past the right tackle. He turns the corner and then shows the quickness and change of direction that would have NFL scouts buzzing if he would just play this way all the time. Give the opposite end, Charles Omenihu, credit for fighting through an outrageous hold to get in on the action.

Here's Hughes again.



It's another simple four-man rush but this time Hughes is going to twist inside. The coverage is solid, but Hughes is at the quarterback so quickly it almost wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't. Let's hope these are the signs that the light has come on for Hughes, but I wouldn't count on it just yet. He still has another year of eligibility, though, and sometimes that's realization that time is almost up is the last push guys need.

Defensive Story of the Night

As you can see, the defensive line dominated all night. Here's a quick example against the run game on 3rd & 1.



Things go wrong for Iowa State right from the start. The center isn't able to get to Jordan Elliott even though he's not lined up particularly wide (looks like it may even be a 2i-technique). On top of that, Hager is upfield before the pulling guard can trap him. The final straw doesn't appear to have anything to do with what Texas does — the left guard just gets tripped up and doesn't make it to Wheeler, who ensures that the quarterback can't fall forward near the first-down marker. Iowa State made loads of mistakes, but they also just couldn't deal with the quickness of Texas up front.

 

[MBHORNSFAN]

Good stuff Ryan

 

[CoachEmUp64]

Thanks, this will help me get through this Monday

 

[Daniel Seahorn]

Good stuff as always, Ryan.

 

[Rotty22]

i saw that iowa st was dropping their safeties down into or near the box.  so the middle was wide open.  i was wondering the same thing about buechele.  can he see over the lineman in order to make this throw?  the TE down the seam would have been a great route to run.

 

[tinman]

Great win for the horns! Iowa St has been a rock in our shoe the last few meetings..great to see improvements from the defense. The offense too scoring after the half has been an issue that needed to change and it did...great write up. Keep up the great work. HOOK'EM

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Kris Boyd

Damn. I flip-flopped on whether his performance was a surprise or not before deciding that no, he did what we knew he could do. The surprising part was the lack of mistakes, the penalty notwithstanding. (John Bonney's performance, on the other hand, was a surprise. I also don't think it's sustainable, and it will become obvious if he's still starting next week and in November.) Let's look at the tape.



This could be at least three different coverages — the fact one of the linebackers screws up really adds to the confusion — but in practice it plays out like man so we can treat it as such. Besides the mistake in coverage, Texas also isn't lined up; Jeffrey McCulloch is still running onto the field at the snap. This is I don't know how many weeks in a row that Texas' defense has been sloppy at the start of a game. The difference since Vance Bedford was demoted, however, is that lately the sloppiness has only been during the start of games.

Iowa State's plan is simple: Run the corner (Boyd) off to clear room to make the high-percentage throw to the slot in the flat. The percentage skyrockets when no one is lined up on the slot. Boyd, however, sees it coming. He starts leaning forward early on in the play and is quick to jump the route. It's a terrific play.

That was 3rd & 5. Let's look at a 3rd & 20.



This time we've got Cover 2 (three-man rush). With a safety over the top, Boyd has more freedom to attack this play, and attack it he does. The wide receiver doesn't make much, or any, effort to sell this as anything other than a screen, but Boyd still has to beat the block, then wrap up. He does both. Awesome. I also want to highlight McCulloch's effort. He's scrapes over the top of one lineman's block and casually avoids a cut block attempt by another en route to the ball. If you watched his high school tape you know he is very, very difficult to cut block.

One more, another 3rd down play. This one saves a touchdown.



I think we've got a 2-Man situation going on here in coverage. Iowa State has the perfect play call for it — you can see how much traffic Boyd has to work through to keep up with his coverage responsibility. He plays it about as well as you can. He didn't break up the pass, but the receiver wasn't going to score either way. Had the ball been thrown on time, Iowa State probably would have been looking at a 10-point lead, but that's not the point — it wouldn't have been Boyd's fault, and he capitalized on their misstep. It was a very encouraging start for him.

Jordan Elliott

Speaking of encouraging starts, this kid made some football plays. Let's start with the one that stood out most.



Four yards from the end zone, Iowa State dials up QB split/slice zone. You may as well just watch Elliott read it, toss the tackle aside and maul the QB the first time through. Now watch it again but focus on nose tackle Chris Nelson, whom I didn't even bother trying to highlight because it's just a mass of mayhem in there. He gets doubled by the left guard and center but does not give an inch. They're unable to work to the second level defenders — who did a poor job reacting to the play, unfortunately — which likely would have stopped this play in its tracks even if Elliott hadn't gotten free. The best part: Elliott is a true freshman (hoping for a speedy recovery), and Nelson is a redshirt sophomore.

Elliott was disruptive on other plays as well. Here he is twice giving the center fits on zone runs.



These were consecutive plays, too. In the second one, Elliott's penetration actually forces the back to change direction — into the waiting arms of Poona Ford. It's crazy to think that Ford and Nelson — easily Texas' two best defensive tackles — were last-minute grabs in Charlie Strong's first recruiting class at Texas. They weren't nobodies, and there's a good chance both were going to play for Strong at Louisville, but their presence is a sobering reminder of what Texas' depth chart at defensive tackle (and everywhere else) could have looked like were it not for Strong and his ability to recruit. 

One more Elliott play, this time to highlight some pass rushing skillz.



I slowed this one way down so you can see his hands. The pads need to come down, but check out the right hand grabbing the blocker's left arm. I have not yet been able to comprehend how he lifted the blocker off the ground, but he did. I'm going to chalk this play up as examples of good hands and power. Elliott or Charles Omenihu could have wound up with sacks here had Naashon Hughes not beaten them to it.

Erick Fowler

He saw a teeny bit of action against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, but he registered his first stat — a tackle for loss — in this one. 



Iowa State runs lead zone into a fire zone blitz. The nickel comes off the edge, while Fowler slants inside to the B gap. Right away you can see the left tackle was not prepared for Fowler to end up on his inside shoulder so quickly. The other problem for Iowa State is that Fowler is now in the gap where the lead blocker is supposed to go. Two blockers are now distracted by one defender. The final problem for the Cyclones, of course, is that Fowler makes the TFL. That's a nice, disruptive play for the true freshman. 

I'll come back shortly with a note on the development of Shane Buechele.

 

[Huskie1]

Good stuff as always! Thanks Ryan. I really loved how Boyd played. Played aggressive and smart. Now he just needs to quit with the silly penalties. Those are so frustrating.

 

[Utjb27]

Good stuff as always! Thanks Ryan. I really loved how Boyd played. Played aggressive and smart. Now he just needs to quit with the silly penalties. Those are so frustrating.

This question is for everybody:

Who do y'all think our starting outside Cornerbacks should be?

Based on what we have seen the past 2 seasons - I think one should definitely be Kris Boyd.

Obviously, this past game the second corner was Bonney, but we know Bonney simply doesn't measure up physically as well as either Devante Davis or Holton Hill. So I would be worried about Bonney against taller receivers. I know both Hill and Davis have struggled this year (mainly with communication and the mental side of knowing the coverages), but I think Hill is better.

So I think our outside Cornerbacks rank as follows (from best to worst):

1. Kris Boyd

2. Holton Hill

3. Devante Davis

4. John Bonney

5. Sheroid Evans

 

[Ryan Bridges]

This question is for everybody:

Who do y'all think our starting outside Cornerbacks should be?

Based on what we have seen the past 2 seasons - I think one should definitely be Kris Boyd.

Obviously, this past game the second corner was Bonney, but we know Bonney simply doesn't measure up physically as well as either Devante Davis or Holton Hill. So I would be worried about Bonney against taller receivers. I know both Hill and Davis have struggled this year (mainly with communication and the mental side of knowing the coverages), but I think Hill is better.

So I think our outside Cornerbacks rank as follows (from best to worst):

1. Kris Boyd

2. Holton Hill

3. Devante Davis

4. John Bonney

5. Sheroid Evans

They have to get Hill or Davis playing at 2015 levels again. I've thought Hill was the most talented of the group since before they committed to play for Texas and I still believe that. It's all mental for him. Many of Davis' issues have also been mental, but his (minor) physical limitations have shown up, too. Evans is just too slow to read and react and has missed way too many tackles. Maybe he'd have been better if he'd actually been playing football all these years, but we'll never know.

Assuming this is the real Kris Boyd (which I'm not ready to say yet, especially after seeing the drop-offs Hill and Davis have made this year), the best iteration of Texas' secondary is going to be Boyd and whichever of Hill or Davis can get his head on right first. I still wonder if safety could be in Davis' future.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

More Signs of Development by Shane

There were two concepts that Buechele struggled to execute against Cal that made reappearances against Iowa State (and maybe before, but this is the game we're dealing with). The first was a slant route on the solo side attached to a run play.



If the safety steps up to play the run, there should be space behind him (and underneath the corner, who, without safety help, can't allow himself to get beaten deep) to throw the slant. Against Cal — and obviously it's difficult to say with certainty from this angle — it looks like the slant is available when Buechele first pumps. Because of the hesitation, a linebacker is able to get his hands up and bat the pass when Buechele does finally throw it. There's no such hesitation against Iowa State. One thing I'll be watching, though, is whether Buechele can only execute this route to his right. The footwork is simpler and quicker running it that direction for a right-handed quarterback. He also could just be more comfortable throwing to that side. It may even be easier for him because the receivers on the right are typically in the 6'3"-6'4" range, whereas he may be trying to find 5'11" Armanti Foreman if he's throwing to the left. It's something to watch, but either way, the ability to complete fairly high-percentage throws in spots where potentially only one player can make the tackle is a huge addition to this offense. 

The other concept is a fake screen.



Buechele will pump-fake to the screen receiver, and if any defenders bite, the seam or hitch should be open. In the Cal game — again it's hard to be certain because of the angle, but at least in theory — Jake Oliver should be open. The ball would need to be high and probably outside, but I think it would be completable. Ultimately, though, a non-throw is better than an interception, and a throwaway is better than a sack (especially one that cracks your rib). When the concept came up again vs. Iowa State, Buechele quickly diagnosed that the defense was focused on the downfield routes; the receivers could do a better job selling the fake. The good thing about the fake screen is that, if this happens, that route can become your checkdown. Buechele makes the decision quickly and it turns into a seven-yard gain on 1st down. 

 

[utb040713]

This question is for everybody:

Who do y'all think our starting outside Cornerbacks should be?

Based on what we have seen the past 2 seasons - I think one should definitely be Kris Boyd.

Obviously, this past game the second corner was Bonney, but we know Bonney simply doesn't measure up physically as well as either Devante Davis or Holton Hill. So I would be worried about Bonney against taller receivers. I know both Hill and Davis have struggled this year (mainly with communication and the mental side of knowing the coverages), but I think Hill is better.

So I think our outside Cornerbacks rank as follows (from best to worst):

1. Kris Boyd

2. Holton Hill

3. Devante Davis

4. John Bonney

5. Sheroid Evans

I'd agree with that list overall. I've seen some analysis (maybe on here, I don't remember) that Bonney may be better suited against non-air raid offenses. So, in games where the passing attack isn't really there (ISU, KSU, KU, etc.), Boyd/Bonney might be the best combo. Against better passing attacks, I agree with Ryan that whoever can get their head wired together properly that week (either Hill or Davis) should get the 2nd starting role. Boyd just needs to toughen up mentally, but he definitely looks better than the others this year.

Side note, I'm glad they're moving on from Sheroid a bit. He makes for a great story, of course, but I think he's clearly the 5th best CB.