TCU Film Review

[Ryan Bridges]

Let's wrap this up and start preparing for Hermania.

OFFENSE

If a Foreman Falls in the End Zone, but Big 12 Refs Are Around to See It...

I expected the offense to struggle, but I thought they'd at least score a touchdown. Turns out, they did.



This is, I believe, the same play Texas started running a couple weeks ago. Every time they motioned Dorian Leonard into the formation, they did this. There was never a constraint play, no tricks or frills. Having a freshman quarterback in no way prohibits them from running a play-action pass from this set. 

Anyway, the penetration from both edges makes things a lot more difficult. D'Onta Foreman did a nice job avoiding it and diving for the end zone, and then falling over it. Take that "can't see his knee" crap somewhere else; if you have a basic understanding of human anatomy, you can tell his knee wasn't down. Who knows how those seven six points (let's not assume anything) would have affected the outcome. Probably not at all, but that's why the games are played.

Go Get Paid, D'Onta

I'm of the belief he was leaving either way. It's the right thing for him to do, at least. Check out this run.



The play, Counter H, should be familiar. Patrick Vahe, the pulling guard, wants to kick out the end man on the line of scrimmage (EMLOS). The EMLOS wants to squeeze inside the kick-out block and spill the ball to the outside. Vahe won. That meant the two TCU defenders going outside to clean up the spill are now in the wrong spot. Foreman reads it well and is off to the races.

Freshman to Freshman

Here's something to look forward to for at least the next two years.



I'm really not sure why Texas didn't run this inside fade with Devin Duvernay more often. TCU is in Cover 1, with a safety on Duvernay. It doesn't help him that he's running up to take away the quick throws and has to reverse field, but he wasn't going to keep up with Duvernay anyway. The offensive line gives Shane Buechele a rare clean pocket and he puts it right on the money. 

I'm not 100% certain Buechele will be the guy long-term (more like 60%), but it's important to remember that (1) he was a true freshman; (2) he was banged up for much of the season; and (3) his playcaller didn't do him many favors. The fact that every route and throw is predictable has little to do with Buechele. He kept his composure all year and never shied away from pressure, even when he was getting his rips cracked by it. Those are things you can't teach.

DEFENSE

Let's look at the one positive play we've got in the highlights (and even that ended with a negative).

Maybe DeShon Is Good

I still don't know if he got playing time because Jason Hall was hurt or because he just passed him on the depth chart, but DeShon Elliott gave us some cause for optimism.



TCU has a good route concept for the coverage (Cover 2), but Kenny Hill stared down the receiver the whole way. He should have never thrown this ball. I'm excited about getting to face Mr. Trill one more time next year.

Bad Press Technique

Here's how not to play press coverage.



The goal here for the defender is to stay square with the receiver as long as possible and match his release. Instead, Kris Boyd lunges at the receiver at the snap and immediately gives him a release. Press coverage is won by the DB's feet, not his hands. All the athleticism in the world can't cover for that.

Confusion Abounds

I'm not sure Texas wasn't lined up wrong or confused about assignments on every other TCU touchdown.



Notice that Naashon Hughes and Edwin Freeman are moving around at the snap — Freeman because he's blitzing, but Hughes seems to have just realized he's in the wrong spot. It's just inside zone read, but Texas has no one to take away the quarterback. My guess would be that Dylan Haines was supposed to be out there, but it's just a guess. Watching the rest of the game would probably reveal more, but who wants to do that?



I can't figure out how Texas could have stopped this play from this alignment and with this zone blitz on. They're outnumbered at the point of attack. The only thing I can think is if Malik Jefferson had come flat down the line instead of bowing out like he was responsible for the bootleg (he isn't; P.J. Locke is), but even that is a hell of a thing to ask a player to do. Basically, the outcome of this play was inevitable as soon as the teams lined up.



Here again, Texas loses the edge. The defensive end, Bryce Cottrell, can't let the ball get outside of him, because the only three defenders over there are focused solely on their receivers. 



Texas had Malik spying the quarterback for much of this game, but that doesn't work when he gets blocked. Texas is playing 2-Man, and I bet Malik and Breckyn Hager are combo'ing the running back — if he releases to Malik's side, Malik covers him and Hager spies Hill, and vice versa. So when the back goes to the right, I assume Hager should have assumed the responsibility of spying Hill, which he can't do if he shuffles outside like he did.

Be thankful we don't have to watch Haines miss open-field tackles like this anymore. And the final part that's frustrating is that two guys had a chance to push Hill out of bounds and didn't. That is purely, 100%, an effort play. This is what you highlight when you say, "If you wanted to keep your coach, play like it."

All right, that wraps up 2016. I'll pull something together once Tom Herman's coaching staff is in place like I did last offseason for Sterlin Gilbert so we can see what we're getting. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all. Hook 'em.

 

[dillohorn]

Looks like most of the other Saturdays we've seen for the past 3 years.

 

[J.B. TexasEx]

And the final part that's frustrating is that two guys had a chance to push Hill out of bounds and didn't. That is purely, 100%, an effort play. This is what you highlight when you say, "If you wanted to keep your coach, play like it."

These players had a very strange way of showing their love for Charlie...