Elite Texas Secondary? Can we hope?
by notsofst on Jul 27, 2009 3:05 PM CDT
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What stood out to me during the NC game last season is Florida's secondary doing a heck of a job disrupting OU's pass game. To give Florida credit, I hadn't seen any defence like that at all during the season, especially not one that was able to keep pace with OU's receiving corps.
To bring this around back to Texas, we've got a lot of sophmores in our secondary, just like Florida did last year, and they're under possibly one of the best defensive coordinators out there right now, what's the likelyhood that our secondary is not just good, but *great*?
With the Big 12 being so pass happy, I think having an elite secondary / linebacker setup could be even more useful to us in pulling in wins than having the monster pass rushers on the line we had last season.
Florida held OU to 14 points... So here's hoping for a Texas 45 - OU 14 score for this years RRS game. I think our secondary holds the key to the NC this year.
"After listening to defensive coordinator Will Muschamp spend the spring preaching the importance of forcing turnovers, a young secondary picked off two passes on the first five possessions.
Earl Thomas returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown after stepping in front of a Colt McCoy pass. Nolan Brewster also had a pick on a deflection. The Longhorns had just six interceptions in 13 games last season.
"We've got to make more big plays," Muschamp said. "We've got to make more turnovers and cash in our opportunities. Anytime you have an opportunity to pick off Colt McCoy, you've done something right because he's very accurate and he goes with the ball in the right places.""
http://collegesportsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/04/secondary-stars-at-texas-spring-game.html
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Florida's defense was good
But OU shot themselves in the foot multiple times this game. Don’t get me wrong, I was more than happy Oklahoma lost, but it was definitely a game they SHOULD have won if not for stupid first half gaffes. They easily should have built a two score lead before halftime. They also did a good job of getting pressure on Bradford. If there’s one knock on Bradford, it’s that he’s relatively poor at handling pressure compared to Colt or Tebow.
Still, Florida had a good secondary, and I believe we’ll have a very good one this year and the next. I’m really excited about our crew. The likelihood of us winning 45-14 is remote, though. Oklahoma typically comes out MUCH more prepared and ready for the RRS than their bowl games (insert Bob Stoops BCS egg-laying joke here), and with Bradford and weapons like Gresham coming back, I strongly doubt we’ll wax them like that. If we do, I’ll be ecstatic, but I’m expecting another hard fought game in Dallas this October.
by TheElusiveShadow on Jul 27, 2009 3:21 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
45-14 is out of the question I know :).
But it’s to illustrate the point. I think this year’s game will be lower scoring as a whole, as both defenses mature, but I think having the best secondary could be a decider.
Bradford also does lay eggs when under pressure, so having less of a pass rush is a liability for us in that area.
by notsofst on Jul 27, 2009 3:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not so fast my friend
Bradford + Colt = TDs
by realmccoy on Jul 27, 2009 4:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't know about Bradford laying eggs.
He was hardly the reason OU lost to the Horns and Florida last year.
by Misterserious7 on Jul 27, 2009 4:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think the biggest question for any team in 2009 is whether or not Bradford will perform without four (technically five) of the 2009 OL starters.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 27, 2009 5:28 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agreed
I think that will be the biggest test. We know he can throw, we know he can make good decisions, but, can he make those good decision with less time in the pocket, and on the run.
by future_longhorn_dad on Jul 28, 2009 9:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I believe while he's still above average in that department
It’s where his game noticeably suffers. Due to the luxury of having such a good OL in his first two years, he has gotten used to time and has struggled when pressure comes. He had an excellent game against Texas but had moments where pressure clearly rattled him. The same goes for the NC game against Florida.
I suspect he will improve in that area for this season, but it will be interesting to see how his numbers look if indeed his OL is not up to where it should be for the first half of the season.
by TheElusiveShadow on Jul 28, 2009 9:14 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
OU's schedule:
Sept. 5 — Brigham Young @ Dallas
Sept. 12 – Idaho State
Sept. 19 — Tulsa
Oct. 3 — @ Miami
Oct. 10 — Baylor
Oct. 17 — Texas @ Dallas
Oct. 24 – @ Kansas
Oct. 31 — Kansas State
Nov. 7 — @ Nebraska
Nov. 14 — Texas A&M
Nov 21 – @ Texas Tech
Nov. 28 — Oklahoma State
Dec. 5 — Big 12 Championship @ Dallas
The good news: unless one counts Miami, the only time before the RRS that OU will see a tough pass rush is in practice. The bad news: UT needs to find a pass rush before then. Kindle can be formidable, but the line as a whole needs to be able to take advantage of OU’s primary question mark.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 28, 2009 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Oops…shouldn’t have put the Dec. 5th game on there.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 28, 2009 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If they play in it now its all your fault.
by BoddickerIsClutch on Jul 28, 2009 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I know. If only there were an edit feature on SBN.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 28, 2009 4:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm hoping we get to practice our pass rush against Tech's O-Line
They’re mostly new too, but don’t they recruit some big guys?
by notsofst on Jul 28, 2009 3:32 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
their tackles are back (340, 325lb a piece), their RG is 320, LG 270, C is 295…
pretty big across the line… we’ll see how they do.
by Displaced Longhorn on Jul 28, 2009 4:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
What?
the two picks Bradford threw were HUGE. The one on the goalline lost the game for them ( I think ).
by Longhorns84 on Jul 28, 2009 5:28 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Neither of the two picks
were Bradfords faults. Both hit his receivers, one was basically stripped from him and the other was batted in the air
by shaqui chan on Jul 28, 2009 7:37 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly what I'm talking about
Those throws made Florida’s secondary look like they were winning the game.
by notsofst on Jul 28, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I guess we have to give the Gator secondary credit
For being able to catch a batted ball in the air :(.
by TheElusiveShadow on Jul 28, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
low blow
you sir, just ruined my lunch hour
by shaqui chan on Jul 28, 2009 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Back to the main theme
of the secondary. I have high hopes. Chykie and AJ and Earl ought to be among the elite in the country, though Brown only started eight games last year and Williams one. As for the pass rush, IT’S ALWAYS IMPORTANT. As in CRITICAL. Given enough time, an average QB will be successful against any secondary; a good QB will feast.
Last-quarter miracles aside, the NY Giants spoiled the Patriots’ perfect season because the Giants were so good, and so deep, with their DTs and DEs on the rush.
by edsp on Jul 27, 2009 5:41 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Are you referring to Aaron Williams as “AJ,” and if so, why?
by burntorangehorn on Jul 27, 2009 6:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
its his nickname
by thebrat on Jul 27, 2009 7:04 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Right, but why refer to him by his profile nickname of which none of us probably even knows the origin? And why don’t people refer to Chykie as “C.J.,” Thomas as “E.T.,” etc.?
by burntorangehorn on Jul 27, 2009 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
ask AJ Abrams, DJ Augustin, PJ Tucker, JD Lewis, TJ ford...
btw Rick Barnes will not recruit anyone without this kind of name
by owenh on Jul 27, 2009 7:55 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
We could have had Tyler Hansbrough
but he refused to be called AT.
"A lot of people look for the easy way to do anything, in swimming there is no easy way." - Eddie Reese
P.S. 45-35
by SwimTexas on Jul 27, 2009 9:58 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
We don't know the origin
or actually know him.
It drives me crazy to hear Stuart Scott call Daniel Gibson “Boobie,” like he’s one of his teammates. And I’m not aspiring to be like Stuart.
by 2Cor12:9 on Jul 27, 2009 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I've met him
and he goes by AJ in person. I didnt ask the origin but i do remember someone telling me something, i was pretty hammered though so i forgot.
by shaqui chan on Jul 28, 2009 10:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
the coaches have been referring to him as AJ
and I guess that’s how everyone knows him as.
by owenh on Jul 27, 2009 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sorry I started this one . . . My bad . . . Make me ante up the PPV fee for the La.-Monroe game
That good sophomore cornerback is Aaron Williams. Type it again, Ed.
A A R O N
by edsp on Jul 27, 2009 10:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
The thing that stood out to me in the MNC game
was Florida and Tebow running all over the ou D-line in the second half. If the ou D-line is SO great, how come they couldn’t stop the run when they knew Florida was going to run?
by Longhorns84 on Jul 28, 2009 5:31 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
UT and UF are kind of similar at running back, in that neither seems to really do a whole lot with the talented players it has. Maybe the coaches could learn something?
by burntorangehorn on Jul 28, 2009 2:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
wait what? they don’t have a feature back, but still rushed for 3200yards as a team. 4 600 yard rushers including Tebow, a 400 yarder in moody… we on the other hand had 0 600 yard rushers including McCoy, 0 400 yard rushers excluding McCoy….
they had a running back by committee that was successful across the board… Texas needs to learn from Florida.
by Displaced Longhorn on Jul 28, 2009 4:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
i think that's what he was saying..nt
by vy til i die on Jul 28, 2009 11:59 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Exactamundo. I think Davis, Brown, etc. could learn a thing or two from UF’s approach, particularly in how they hammered OU with their committee of good-but-not-dominant rushers. They need to set their RBs up for success somehow, because another year of Colt leading the team in rushing probably wouldn’t be a very good thing.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 29, 2009 7:10 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'll answer that question with another question
If you knew Tebow was coming…. could you stop him?
I heard he’s like 8 feet tall and breathes fire. :)
by notsofst on Jul 28, 2009 10:14 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Optimistic but not sold
We’ve always recruited top of line secondary athletes and the last two years have been abysmal. Yes we do play in a pass happy conference, so stats can’t be so heavily relied on to evaluate our secondary. Nonetheless, I feel like we should have been better.
This upcoming season, everyone has decided that the secondary is now our strongest link in our defense. As exciting as that sounds, I’m not jumping on that band wagon just yet. The secondary will definitely suffer if our pass rush doesn’t blossom, but I’m more optimistic about the pass rush than the secondary. Crazy talk I know, but put that in your pipe and smoke it…
by Make em' eat Chet! on Jul 28, 2009 10:30 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I had an interesting discussion about our secondary's performance
At Double T Nation, when somebody said that Tech had a better secondary than us. I disagreed, saying that wooden NCAA rankings do not take into account the context of the numbers. The discussion is here.
Our secondary last season had their struggles, but overall, they performed well. According the The Boy’s metrics, we were among the best in the country. Considering the offenses we faced, the youth we had, and the efficiency we displayed, it was a much better year than expected. Due to the pass happy nature of the offense, I’m sure our yards given up per game and our overall NCAA pass defense ranking will not be as good as teams from other conferences. This wouldn’t necessarily mean our secondary is not elite.
by TheElusiveShadow on Jul 28, 2009 10:59 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
Read through all of that on my lunch break.
Maybe the first time I’ve seen an online discussion resolve itself amicably. It was interesting to read, but I can’t imagine why it takes so long to convince people that 104 as a number alone doesn’t mean anything. Statistics in the hands of the uninformed are obscenely dangerous.
Finally, mad props to doubleTnation for proposing that we envelope Beergut in a “wall of indifference”.
by pleaseplaykindle on Jul 28, 2009 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think a more useful statistic would be yards allowed per drive. Some teams score so quickly and/or so often that the other team has a lot more possessions and needs to throw.
by burntorangehorn on Jul 28, 2009 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
DoubleTNation is a phenomenal blog.
The vast majority of their commenters, however……….meh.
by billyzane on Jul 28, 2009 4:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
the last two years have been abysmal
I would agree if that statement was modified to the PRIOR two seasons, not last year’s. I think Muschamp did wonders considering the situation (inexperienced, youth, etc.). I think w/ the experience the secondary gained and the familiarity w/ the system, the secondary has the chance to be really good.
by vy til i die on Jul 29, 2009 12:08 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think that not only do they have a chance to be really good
But they’ll have to be really good in order for us to succeed this year. I think it’s key.
by notsofst on Jul 29, 2009 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
My optimism comes from the fact that we were playing freshman in the secondary
and our defense against the pass stats improved…
How much of that was due to a good pass rush, I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out. If our secondary isn’t good, or hasn’t improved more, we may be in for a tough season.
by notsofst on Jul 28, 2009 10:59 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs
Question about the MNC game
Why did ou not run the hurry up offense? It was their bread and butter all season, but it never showed up in the game. Was it just Stoops choking? This allowed the uf defense to adjust. Sorry if this has already been discussed, I have not seen it.
by hookemhorny on Jul 28, 2009 1:15 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs
I can’t remember the game to such detail as to remmeber if they ever did/didn’t run the hurry up, but if they didn’t at all.. Stoops may have been afraid of tiring the defense like what happened against Texas.
by Displaced Longhorn on Jul 28, 2009 1:23 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
If indeed he didn't run it
That would have been a mistake. Oklahoma’s defense, quite surprisingly, had the upper hand in the first three quarters, having trouble only against Percy Harvin and then eventually the triple option.
by TheElusiveShadow on Jul 28, 2009 2:18 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think not running the hurry-up
was a concession to Urban Meyer’s skill at game-planning for it. Stoops may have figured Meyer had the hosses to slow it, the time to install it — and the ability to teach it.
by edsp on Jul 28, 2009 3:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
maybe, maybe he just didn’t want another RRS happening….
might have been best to run something similar to Texas, run the hurry up offense sparingly, but when you know your offense can change formation to something that’ll exploit whats on the field and not allow the defense a chance to sub.
by Displaced Longhorn on Jul 28, 2009 4:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs
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