Rice vs. Texas (Sept. 12, 2015) Film Review

[Ryan Bridges]

Saturday night was the first time since at least November 2014 that Longhorns football was sort of fun to watch. There were Jerrod Heard's explosive runs, new formations that shouldn't have been new, deep shots in acknowledgement of Texas' athleticism outside — and no one's talking about the offensive line, which for Texas is a good thing. At the same time, the defense was mostly terrible all game, and I'm now much less confident in its ability to keep the Longhorns in games they don't belong in.

I'm looking forward to breaking down the game. Some of the questions I'm hoping the breakdown will answer:

1. Can Jerrod Heard replicate his performance? Were his supposed weaknesses on display? Did new weaknesses appear?
2. Was the offensive line actually any better? How well did it handle blitzes and stunts? Are there signs that a "best five" is taking shape?
3. How "new" was Jay Norvell's offense? What did he do right, and where does the offense need to go schematically to reach its ceiling?
4. Where is Texas' defensive line? Were they getting pushed around, or were they just not shedding blocks? Where's the pass rush? Did anyone have a good game?
5. Through two games, it's obvious which defensive backs other teams see as weak links. Do any of the freshmen give Texas' defense a better chance against Cal?
6. Was a vanilla game plan on defense at all a factor in Rice's offensive production?

Typically I'd be at least halfway through breaking down the game by now, but I've been moving all weekend. So instead I'm going to start with some highlights (and lowlights). We'll see how that goes and work from there.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Before I start, a quick note: We'll be working out the technical kinks as we go. I like to use HTML5 video instead of gifs because the files are much smaller (so they don't take long to load) and you guys can slow the plays down or pause them. I don't know how to embed those on here yet, so I'll have to work with Aaron on that. Until then, I'm just going to post links. Sorry.

This is Jerrod Heard's first touchdown pass. In the backfield, Texas gives a Power Read look to the right, but the plan is to target the sophomore corner on the bottom who I believe made his first-ever start last week. The route concept is 3 Verticals, and the back, D'Onta Foreman, leaks out into the flat after the play-fake.

The play-fake is great because Rice was expecting a run play, and for good reason — not only was it 1st down, but Texas had run the ball on seven of eight previous plays on the drive. Notice that the Owls are running a scrape exchange on the bottom with the defensive end and Will linebacker in anticipation of zone read; the quarterback would see the end crashing and would keep the ball, only to run into the Will linebacker outside. The weak safety also attacks the run fake hard, but he wasn't going to help against this play anyway. The corner on the bottom is on his own. 

The protection is good, probably mostly because Rice's front is expecting a run. LT Connor Williams recovers well against the end slanting inside, and he's got Andrew Beck there to help clean up. LG Sed Flowers has his hands full but he gets the job done.

The ball was wobbly and hung in the air, but ultimately this was a "my guy is better than your guy" throw. I don't think we learned anything about Heard from this throw except that he's not afraid to pull the trigger, and he at least kept the ball in bounds — both of those things were a problem for Tyrone Swoopes. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Texas' third touchdown, a 1-yard run by Johnathan Gray. 

There's an important personnel note right away. The "tight end" marked by the arrow is actually Connor Williams. Texas did this last week against Notre Dame as well. A third tackle (Marcus Hutchins both times) checks into the game, Texas does a "sugar huddle" (brief huddle almost on top of the ball) to disguise it, and Williams bumps over and lines up next to right tackle Kent Perkins while Hutchins plays left tackle. When the Longhorns did this against the Irish, it was a 3rd & 2 and they (inexplicably, in my opinion) ran a jet sweep to the two-tackle side. This time, they ran a play that made much, much more sense: Power-O. 

Two blocks really made this play happen. First, watch Williams basically erase the right side of Rice's defensive front. He drives his guy halfway into the end zone. Second, by some miracle, LG Flowers makes his way past the bodies in the middle without tripping (he's clumsy) and keeps the strongside linebacker from making this run interesting. The kickout block by H-back Alex De La Torre was critical, too, but that sophomore safety he was blocking (third career start) had no interest in engaging him so it's hard to heap too much praise on DLT.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Let's take a break from the fun stuff to remember how bad the defense was. Rice was 0/3 on 3rd down before this play. 

Rice is in a 2x2 set and running the same concept on both sides. The outside receiver runs about a 10-yard in route and the slots run stick routes, turning to face the quarterback and then working away from the leverage of the near defender. Texas is in Cover 2, its go-to coverage on 3rd down. This play should not work against Cover 2.

It's impossible to see exactly what Antwuan Davis, the corner on the bottom, did when he went off screen, but it's safe to assume he carried the outside receiver too far inside. The result was that the receiver got outside of him and had already tucked the ball away and turned by the time Davis got a hand on him. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Another 3rd down conversion. 

Texas shows blitz but it's Cover 2 again. This time, Rice does have a concept called designed to beat the coverage. We won't worry about what the receivers are doing on the top because it comes up again, but on the bottom the Owls are running a high/low concept targeting the corner, John Bonney. The short route by the slot, combined with the inside stem from the outside receiver, is intended to hold Bonney close to the line of scrimmage and open space behind him. That's precisely what happens. Defenders, especially young defenders, hate giving up completions, but in these situations they have to force the quarterback to make the shorter throw and then rally to the football. 

The Longhorns have one of their pass rushing personnel packages on the field — Naashon Hughes, Shiro Davis, Hassan Ridgeway and Bryce Cottrell — but they still can't get any pressure. Watch the right guard come off his block to pick up Shiro on the tackle-nose twist. It's good blocking, but someone should be winning their match-up. Not good.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Finally, the pressure gets home and Texas' defense gets off the field on 3rd down ... only to come right back out. 

Two Rice receivers go vertical, one runs an intermediate crossing route and the third (bottom of the screen) runs a curl. Texas runs a pretty well-disguised weakside overload zone blitz. The lineman at the top is Ridgeway, and if he'd kept the right guard engaged Peter Jinkens might have had his second sack of the season. The center then picks up Ridgeway. It's really not until the left guard lets Paul Boyette go to help the left tackle (I'm not sure why) that Texas truly threatens the quarterback. 

The replays aren't good but it looks as though the quarterback didn't step into the throw. Whatever the case, the ball sailed straight to Jason Hall. Now just hold onto the football. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

That concept I said to ignore earlier? Here it is, showing up in another 3rd-down conversion.

This is the same design as the earlier play — a Cover 2 beater on the bottom, a single-high beater on top. Texas is in Cover 1 (man with a deep safety), with the Will linebacker (Edwin Freeman) blitzing. The Rice QB makes the right read, climbs the pocket (Poona Ford nearly got him) and makes a great throw. Veteran play by Duke Thomas to avoid the attempted pick, and the coverage by Bonney is pretty good, but the throw is better. I love the way Bonney uses his hands to make up for his lacking athleticism. He'll grab cloth, but I think he's wily enough to get away with it most times.

The offense did everything right. These types of 3rd-down conversions are excusable, and they'll happen until Texas has an elite secondary again.

 

[Ryan Bridges]

I'm going to call it a night after this one, but I'll keep this going Monday. 

Here's Rice's first touchdown. The broadcast focused on the broken/missed tackle, but it was a blown assignment by Freeman that allowed this play to happen.

The play is Split Zone, which is just Inside Zone with an H-back or FB working across the formation to kick out the backside end, usually creating a nice cutback lane. The back didn't need it because the backside A gap was wide open. I guess Freeman saw the H-back moving across the formation and got confused, but he should have been meeting the ballcarrier in the hole. 

Texas wasn't helped by the fact that Hall waited so long to rotate into the deep middle, so he was still backing up and getting in position when the ballcarrier was 5 yards downfield. Yes, he and Bonney need to get the ballcarrier on the ground, but Freeman's the #1 guy at fault here. 

I'm concerned about our apparent lack of depth at linebacker. There are a lot of mistakes being made by everyone, but especially by the linebackers behind Malik Jefferson and Jinkens.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

FWIW, Inside Texas' "Coach V" graded the Offense much higher than the Defense.

http://insidetexas.com/coach-vs-grades-texas-rice/

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

Excellent work, Ryan.

This is the type of film analysis that I've been craving for a long time! Love me some Xs and Os!

 

[Mike Roach]

Great stuff Ryan. Love reading it

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Touchdown #2 for Rice came on Speed Option. 

Rice is reading the defensive end, Shiro Davis, who forces the pitch. It looks at first like Texas is playing two deep safeties, but the corner on top, Davis, is actually going to blitz, Haines rolled over to cover his man and Hall rolls back to the deep middle. Malik gets sealed inside by the No. 3 receiver and goes underneath the block, effectively eliminating himself from the play. Hall flies up to fill the alley, but he's counting on Thomas to keep the ball inside. He doesn't. Ultimately, Hall is the unblocked defender, and you want him to make everyone else right, but there's blame to go around.

 

[TeamMayhall]

⬆⬆⬆ Disappointing how Shiro starts jogging after the pitch. Literally gives up on pursuit. Smh

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Rice's second interception.

I'm guessing the Rice quarterback was expecting man coverage (because of the bad snap the receivers were about 8 yards downfield before he was looking up) and so he targeted the side with the switch release by the receivers. Instead, Texas was in what looks like Quarters (4 deep), and outside of maybe the hitch to the field — which is a really long throw — there's nowhere to go with the ball. Good job by Haines to jump the route. I'm not really sure what Rice was trying to do, but there were less than 30 seconds remaining in the half so I guess they were just trying to take a shot downfield. 

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Texas' fourth touchdown, the score to open the second half. 

Does this play look familiar? It should, because it's the exact same play Texas scored with the first time, just run to the other side. The coverage to the strong side is different, but it's the same on the weak side. The result is the same as well. 

 

[Mike Roach]

So Ryan would you say from your review of the film that the offense was more simplified this week?

 

[Ryan Bridges]

Malik's scoop and score.

It's Speed Option again. Texas is in an odd front, so Rice is going to block the end and read Malik. Truth be told, the quarterback could (and should) have cut inside Malik here. I can't tell from any of the angles what happened with Kris Boyd on the bottom, but I'm guessing he was in off coverage, came downhill fast and the receiver never even got a hand on him. I'm pretty sure Antwuan Davis would not have made this play. 

 

[TeamMayhall]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[Ryan Bridges]

So Ryan would you say from your review of the film that the offense was more simplified this week?

My impression is yes, significantly, but I've only reviewed the big plays so far. I'm starting the full breakdown now.