The bad news is that a play-by-play -- frame-by-frame -- review takes an obscenely long time to do. It would take a long time just to watch, but when in addition you're charting the various outcomes? It really takes time.
The good news is that from the exercise you glean an understanding of the team that simply would not be possible otherwise. And after the jump, that's precisely what you'll get with regards to the first half offense versus Wyoming. We all agreed that Texas' offensive performance in the first 25 minutes was less than inspiring, but I came out the other side of a play-by-play breakdown feeling more encouraged about things than I did heading in. Which isn't saying all that much, but still...
Details are after the jump, but here are my big picture thoughts after getting in depth with the offense:
1. The offensive line is a lot stronger than a year ago, legitimately blocks a number of things very well, and if healthy is perfectly capable of doing what we need it to do to be a solid, strong offense. Mitchell is a weakness at right tackle, but his athleticism is genuinely impressive and if he can shore up some of his mistakes he'll be serviceable. Which will do. Snow is an anchor, Walters is struggling with stunts but otherwise fantastic, Hix is nasty when he doesn't have to be nimble, and Huey is a great drive blocker who struggles in open space. We can work with that. And succeed.
2. Mike Davis needs to start. He's not a flash in the pan, or a one-week flash in the pan masking deeper problems, as we've sometimes seen with our tailbacks. He's a gamer, and he needs to be out there. Beyond Davis, I'm liking Malcolm's start to the year, and if Goodwin will start catching the ball he's showing he's a difference-maker. The Chiles pre-season hype was not baseless: he's good, and I like what he gives us as a possession guy. The weak link is Kirkendoll, who's lethargic as a blocker and easy to make disappear as a receiver.
3. The key thing with our backs is understanding that all three have limitations. For my money, based on what I've seen both in terms of their own performances and what our line is (and isn't) capable of, Fozzy Whittaker is our most dynamic option. My opinion on that is nothing new, but it's now based more on fit than personal fetish. If he can stay healthy, I love what we're seeing from him in terms of finishing runs, which was the main thing holding him back heretofore. Moreover, though this play-by-play review doesn't include anything from the second half, my thesis that Cody Johnson is best suited as a strategic weapon seems at this point sound; that thesis does not suggest his usage to be strictly limited to specific situations (i.e. 3rd and 1 and goal-to-go only), only that maximizing his value means using him intelligently, for specific purposes. That can range from jumbo package short-yardage situations, to wearing down opponents in the second half, to softening up deep passing routes by way of sustained, systematic usage (at any point in the game).
4. In conclusion, I find it meaningful that while I only got through charting the half of offense that included the disheartening first 25 minutes, I emerged on the other side more excited than when I entered. As you'll see in the details beyond the jump, there were plenty of mistakes, plenty of frustrations, and plenty of signs that we're a long ways off yet. Notwithstanding those limitations, the genuine potential was equally clear, and that, I'm happy to say, caught me a bit by surprise. I expected the detailed review of the first half offense to be something I wished to forget -- an abyss of struggles that would be otherwise seen as calamitous but for the subsequent rally.
In fact, it was merely raw, uneven, and tentative. It was uninspiring and underwhelming to watch in live action, but surprisingly encouraging -- even enticing -- to watch in replay. As I put it exchanging texts with the inimitable Scipio Tex, "I'm actually pretty encouraged about our prospects on offense long term. Only question is whether we'll have to lose to get there." We both agree the key will be rapid development and play calling -- and no one will blame you for being skeptical on either count -- but the potential is there. That's meaningful, and important.
FIRST HALF PLAY-BY-PLAY GAME REVIEW, OFFENSE
First, a few words on methodology. This is only the second time I've plunged into charting the play-by-play like this, and like the first time -- reviewing the '09 defense vs A&M -- I quickly found the task to be overwhelmingly time-consuming. I'm pleased as pie to have gotten through the first half offense review, but given what it took me tonight to get this far, I won't be so foolish as to promise what's next. I'd love to get through the second half of the offense, and/or spend at least a half with the defense, but I might not get there.
Second, a word on the formations. As far as Wyoming goes, I'm hardly an expert on the scheme they're running, and I more or less just eyeballed their approach on each play, offering an informed opinion on what they were doing. I don't know their personnel, let alone their personnel jersey numbers, well enough to be sure all the time, so if you have a reason to care, bear that in mind. It's probable that I got it wrong a time or three. As for Texas, my labeling of their offensive formations is not based on any access to their playbook, so if you happen to be better informed than I on such matters, don't get hung up on it. The purpose is merely to convey our alignment on any given play, and to that end to adopt a systematic way of describing them. It's record-keeping, for my benefit.
To the extent you're interested, the following key will be helpful:
Pro Trips: Gilbert under center, single tailback behind QB, TE and 2 WRs strongside, 1 WR down on the weakside.
Spread Trips: Gilbert under center, single tailback behind QB, TE and 1 WR weakside, with 2 WRs split high strongside.
Spread Gun: Gilbert in the shotgun, single back alongside him, TE and single WR weakside, 2 WRs alone on the strongside.
Five Wide Empty (Gun): Gilbert in the shotgun, with empty backfield and five wide receivers.
Ace Trips: Gilbert under center, single tailback behind QB, twin TEs, and 2 WRs strongside.
Finally, you'll note within the play notes various +/- scores for players. They are inherently arbitrary, but consistent insofar as they're all determined by me and what I think important. Feel free to weight things differently yourself, or ignore the scoring as altogether too vague to be insightful.
FIRST QUARTER
| Line | Dn | Ds | Offensive Formation |
D-Formation | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| O26 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Pass | Play Action |
Chiles | 13 |
| [Texas 0 Wyoming 0] Texas opens under center, with Matthews tight strong side, flanked by Chiles in the slot and Goodwin beneath him wide. Gilbert sells an outside zone handoff to Newton, the line blocks well, and the play is sealed by an excellent route run by Chiles. The underneath defender bites, Chiles finds the open space under the secondary, and Gilbert hits him with a strike on the out. [O-Line +1 / Chiles +1 / Gilbert +1] |
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| O39 | 1 | 10 | Spread Gun |
4-2 Base | Pass | Slip screen | Newton | 3 |
| Essentially a running play, Newton lines up next to Gilbert strongside, slips out horizontally on snap, and is immediately tossed the ball. Williams heads deep, Chiles does a solid job holding his block, but the Mike and safety have easy reads on the play, and combine to smother Newton after a short gain. This play needs an element to hold those two (e.g. a quick look to the weakside of the field) or it's not worth much. |
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| O42 | 2 | 7 | ?? (FSN camera fail) | ?? | Pass | Hitch | Goodwin | INC |
| In flashing the Wyoming defensive starters, FSN did that annoying thing where the back drop is a crowd shot, instead of the field of play. By the time they finished reading the names, the ball had been snapped. All we see on TV is Goodwin open at the first down marker, Gilbert's on-target pass slip through his hands. [Goodwin -1] |
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| O42 | 3 | 7 | Spread Gun | 3-4 Zone |
Pass | Cross | Chiles | 17 |
| This is an instructive play to watch frame-by-frame, if you have the opportunity. This is a good time to mention that I don't know Wyoming's personnel well enough to tell who's who on every play, and this is time consuming enough without exacting the details on their side, too. In any event, Wyoming brings pressure from both sides of three down linemen, with the NT backpedaling into zone coverage on the snap. LT Hix and LG Huey properly account for the two weakside rushers, as TE Matthews releases RT Mitchell and RG Walters properly lock up the strongside DE, and Newton steps up to block the strongside blitzing LB. While Williams heads out on a go, Matthews runs a 7-yard cross while Chiles drags across the same way. Gilbert makes the right read in flipping it to Chiles, who's beneath a DT and has the angle on the LBs dropping back towards Matthews. Wyoming's got a good defensive call on, but the play is made by (1) Texas' excellent pass blocking, (2) Gilbert's read and throw, and (3) Chiles' catch and run. [O-Line +1 / Gilbert +1 / Chiles +1] |
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| Wy41 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Outside Zone |
Whittaker | 4 |
| The play starts off looking promising enough and Snow showing excellent agility in executing his reach block, Walters firing to the second level to paste a LB. RT Mitchell fails to get all the way to the outside shoulder of his man though, and as Whittaker darts into the hole, Mitchell can't maintain the block unless he wants a holding penalty, and the DE makes the tackle, limiting the gain to 4. [Mitchell -1] |
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| Wy37 | 2 | 6 | Spread Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Outside Zone |
Newton | 9 |
| The play picks up 9, but only because Newton deftly avoids getting wrapped up for a 2-yard loss. Snow failed to chip the DT before firing out, leaving Huey to make an impossible reach block and allowing penetration that should have resulted in a loss of yards. Newton does a nice job making lemonade, and once he escapes the tackle, he's got room thanks to a terrific job of blocking by Walters. [Snow -1 / Walters +1 / Newton +1] |
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| Wy28 | 1 | 10 | Spread Trips |
4-2 Wide |
Penalty | N/A |
Gilbert | 5 |
| Wyoming jumps offside and Snow makes a quick snap, which Gilbert fumbles, then recovers. Texas accepts the penalty for five yards. |
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| Wy23 | 1 | 5 | Spread Gun |
4-2 Base |
Penalty | N/A |
Hix | -5 |
| Hix flinches, giving 5 right back. [Hix -1] |
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| Wy28 | 1 | 10 | Spread Gun |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Trap |
Newton | 2 |
| Texas pulls Huey from the left, but is an absolute mess on the right, where Mitchell crashes in to double with Walters, leaving Greg Smith one-on-one with a DE in 6-technique. It's hard to tell for sure, but it looks to me like Mitchell makes the wrong read. Smith gets beat inside, forcing Huey to make a premature block, while Kirkendoll fails to recognize his DB is run blitzing, waving at him as he goes by. Ugly stuff all around. [Mitchell -1 / Kirkendoll -1] |
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| Wy26 | 2 | 8 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Pass | RB Flat |
Newton | -2 |
| Credit to Wyoming's defense on a neatly played down. For a brief moment, this looked good for Texas, as Malcolm Williams started to take his route inside, dragging Tashaun Gipson with him as Newton released into the vacated space. But credit to Wyoming's defense on a neatly played down. First, they stunted their weakside end, which Walters was a tad late in reacting to and Snow entirely failed to notice, allowing the Cowboys to penetrate and get pressure. And second, Gipson read the QB properly, released off Williams and headed for Newton. That said, Texas deserves blame -- first, for poor blocking; second, for useless spacing (Williams ran a 2-yard stop route); and third, for Gilbert staring to the right, making Gipson's read for him. [Snow -1 / Gilber -1 / O-Line -1 / Greg Davis -1] |
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| Wy28 | 3 | 10 | Spread Gun |
4-2 Wide |
Rush | Go |
Williams | INC |
| Texas does nothing to freeze the strong safety and Gilbert basically fires a jump ball towards Williams in double coverage, which winds up closer to a Wyoming interception than Texas reception. |
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| Wy28 | 4 | 10 | FG-Right Hashes |
FG |
FG | FG |
Tucker | 3 pts |
| Good snap, good hold, and Tucker drills a beautiful ball right down the pipe that might have been good from 60. |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 10 plays, 46 yards, 3 points, 4:23. Texas gets on the board with a solid drive that features several things to like, albeit in a still-deliberate approach. |
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| Line | Dn | Ds | Offensive Formation |
D-Formation | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| O35 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Reverse | Williams | 12 |
| [Texas 3 Wyoming 0] A neatly executed play, Texas is loaded strongside with two receivers and Matthews tight, with Malcolm Williams motioning from the weakside just before snap. Matthews and Hix execute a perfect combo block on the playside DE, with Matthews releasing to take out the playside LB. Fozzy is out in front of Williams as his lead blocker, and he beautifully obstructs the only DB with a chance to make a play on Williams, springing him for a nice 12-yd gain before the safety can arrive. [Matthews +1 / Whittaker +1 / Williams +1] |
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| O47 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Rush | Trap | Newton | 5 |
| Texas pulls Huey from the left, and the run is set up reasonably well, but Mitchell doesn't hold his block well enough, his man filling the hole. Newton does a nice job making something out of nothing, picking up 5 on a no-gainer. Excellent blocking by Matthews is almost wasted. [Newton +1 / Matthews +1 / Mitchell -1] |
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| Wy48 | 2 | 5 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Rush | Inside Zone |
Newton | 0 |
| The problem with our run scheme the last 2+ years defined. Though Snow-Huey-Hix block this inside zone run damn well, the backside DE feels absolutely no incentive to stay home, crashes hard, and helps make the tackle. The failure of this play is a scheme problem, and while Newton ran the ball where the gap is supposed to be, he showed poor vision in missing an opportunity to bounce wide, where he would have picked up 15. [Greg Davis -1 / Newton -1] |
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| Wy48 | 3 | 5 | Five-Wide Empty (Gun) |
Dime man |
Pass | Hitch | Williams | 7 |
| Gilbert glances right, then turns left and fires to Williams on the sideline. He throws high and outside, and though the Wyoming DB is in position, he lunges for the ball and misses; had he wrapped Williams, he likely makes the stop short of the first down, but Williams is able to turn and pick up three after the catch. Nice hands by Malcolm on a difficult ball to catch. [Gilbert +1 / Williams +1] |
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| Wy41 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips | 4-2 Base | Pass | Deep In | Williams | Inc |
| Wyoming brings heat from the nickelback on the strongside, easily picked up by Matthews. As Whittaker releases into the flat, Gilbert has a perfect pocket in front of him, but steps gingerly into his throw, arming it towards Williams, who's running a deep in 13 yards downfield. If the ball is there, it's a completion, but it's well wide and short. Perfect example of what BINY was talking about. [Gilbert -1] |
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| Wy41 | 2 | 10 | Spread Gun | 4-2 Base |
Rush | Draw | Newton | -2 |
| Running a delayed hand off to Newton, Walters struggles with a stunt again and Newton has no real chance to hit what would have been a nice hole. [Walters -1] |
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| Wy43 | 3 | 12 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Pass | Hitch | Whittaker | -1 |
| Lolscreenpass. This was actually set up to work nicely, and was a good play call, but we botched it. Whittaker got himself tangled with the DE and fell to the ground, and worse were Huey, Walters, and Snow in open space. Huey turned his head the wrong way, ran into Whittaker, and missed what would have been a springing block. Snow and Walters wound up on the ground, the Wyoming LB still on his feet. [Whittaker -1 / Huey -1 / Greg Davis +1] |
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| Wy43 | 4 | 13 | Punt |
Punt |
Punt | Punt | Tucker | 17 |
| Tucker comes in to pooch punt, and rugby punts it 17 yards out of bounds at the Wyoming 27. Not pretty. |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 7 plays, 21 yards, Punt, 3:11. An encouraging start melts away on a bad pass by Gilbert, followed by poor execution. |
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| Line | Dn | Ds | OForm | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| O20 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Stretch | Newton | 2 |
|
[Texas 3 Wyoming 0] Solid enough blocking by Texas on the left side, as we see Newton's limitations as a rusher. He's admirably navigated our poor blocking schemes over the past year, but on this particular play we see a lot of green in front of him disappear quickly, as a safety comes up and stones him one-on-one. [Newton -1] |
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| O22 | 2 | 8 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Pass | Screen | Whittaker | 7 |
| A designed screen to Whittaker, who releases strongside and catches a quick swing pass from Gilbert. He decides to cut outside, but finishes the run strong, absorbing a hit and lunging forward to pick up 7. |
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| O29 | 3 | 1 | Spread Gun |
4-2 Base | Penalty | Penalty | Mitchell | -5 |
| Another false start. |
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| O24 | 3 | 6 | Pro Trips |
Dime | Run | Scramble | Whittaker | INC |
| Gilbert pulls a Colt and over-scrambles with a big pocket to work with, running himself into trouble. If he'd stayed calm and stepped up, instead of bailing, he'd have had time for someone to release open. That'll come with experience. [Gilbert -1] |
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| O24 | 4 | 6 | Punt |
Punt | Punt | Punt | Gold | 38 |
| A fine snap, but Gold rushes it, and pokes a weak, low punt 38 yards, which Leonard inexplicably fair catches it. He had room to run. |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 3 plays, 4 yards, Punt, 1:21. Another dumb penalty, average rushing, and Gilbert's inexperience equal a three and out for Texas. |
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SECOND QUARTER
| Line | Dn | Ds | OForm | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| O18 | 1 | 10 | Five Wide Empty (Gun) |
4-2 Base |
Pass | Dive | Davis | 29 |
| [Texas 3 Wyoming 0] If this was the only play Davis made all game, it would be a reason to believe. Texas comes out five wide, and Wyoming isn't expecting it or paying attention, leaving a LB covering Davis. It's a quick screen to Davis, but Hix completely whiffs on his block, forcing Gilbert to throw it a bit behind Davis. With his head turned up field, Davis nonetheless cleanly catches a ball behind him and quickly gets into his run upfield. He effortlessly cuts to avoid the LB, the turns it on straight upfield while slipping a would-be tackler to pick up another 20 yards. A brilliant, brilliant play. [Hix -1 / Davis +2] | ||||||||
| O47 | 1 | 10 | Five Wide Empty (Gun) |
4-2 Base | Pass | In | Davis | INC |
| Excellent pass protection, giving Gilbert a beautiful pocket, but he doesn't step all the way into it, and winds up throwing a smidge behind Davis, who's slipped into the soft spot in the zone. This time Davis drops the ball thrown behind him. Not a great throw, but catchable. Joel Klatt astutely observes, "Garrett Gilbert needs to start having a little bit of fun." |
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| O47 | 2 | 10 | Five Wide Empty (Gun) |
Dime man |
Pass | In | Chiles | 5 |
| Great protection again, and Gilbert seems to be wary of making a mistake, as he tracks Chiles all the way and takes the easy completion. |
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| O47 | 2 | 10 | Five Wide Empty (Gun) |
Dime man |
Pass | In | Chiles | 5 |
| Great protection again, and Gilbert seems to be wary of making a mistake, as he tracks Chiles all the way and takes the easy completion. |
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| Wy48 | 3 | 5 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Pass | In | Chiles | 2 |
| Not as objectionable a play in frame-by-frame review as it was in real time. The problem at this point is with Gilbert, who's worrying about making mistakes and not using everything he's got in front of him. In this case, Matthews releases while Whittaker stays in to block, and Gilbert takes the safe completion to Chiles cutting underneath. If not for a great tackle in the open field, Chiles makes the first down, but if you glance up you'll see a pattern: Pass-In-Chiles. We're playing conservatively, which is in large part to say our QB is playing conservatively. |
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| Wy 46 | 4 | 3 | Punt |
Punt | Punt | Punt | Gold | 27 |
| Gold fields a low snap and angles a punt 27 yards to the Wyoming 19. |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 4 plays, 36 yards, Punt, 2:00. We get our first glimpse of Mike Davis' brilliance, but the offense is still searching for rhythm, and we revert to the '09 pass-centric approach, but our quarterback isn't up to the task. Still groping our way through the dark a bit offensively. |
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| Line | Dn | Ds | OForm | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| Wy31 | 1 | 10 | Spread Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Reverse |
Goodwin | 9 |
| [Texas 3 Wyoming 0]A nice counter to the backside DE crashing in, we run the reverse to Goodwin, who does a nice job breaking two tackles to get 9 yards. Goodwin takes a good lick to the head as he goes down and appears to suffer a mild concussion. [Goodwin +1 / Greg Davis +1] |
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| Wy22 | 2 | 1 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Rush | Sneak | Gilbert | 2 |
| Given his importance, it's questionable whether we want Gilbert rushing the ball on designed runs at all, but as such things go this was a pretty safe one, with Gilbert diving over right guard for the first down. Great push up front by the line. [O-Line +1] |
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| Wy20 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Pass | Stop | Williams | 7 |
| Gilbert fakes play action to Newton, then throws the quick pass wide to Williams, who uses a nice stiff arm to pick up 7 before going out of bounds. [Williams +1] |
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| Wy13 | 2 | 3 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Inside Zone |
Newton | 2 |
| Decent blocking here, but Mitchell is again the weak link, failing to release and hit the second level as is the design. [Mitchell -1] |
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| Wy11 | 3 | 1 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Rush | Sneak | Gilbert | 2 |
| Gilbert gain goes over RG, and again Walters has plowed a path forward. Time to give him a point for it. [Walters +1] |
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| Wy09 | 1 | G | Ace Trips |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Inside Zone |
Newton | 5 |
| Texas goes two TE, and Greg Smith just does a lousy job holding his block, allowing his man to break free and hit Newton early, limiting him to 5 yards. [Greg Smith -1] |
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| Wy4 | 2 | G | Pro Over |
4-3 Tight |
Rush | Toss sweep |
Newton | 4 (-15 pen) |
| A fine play well executed, with good blocking efforts from Kyle Hix, Greg Smith, and Mike Davis, but the officials call Malcolm Williams for a crackback block, negating the play and backing Texas up 15 yards. Pure mental mistake. [Williams -1] |
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| Wy19 | 2 | G | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Pass | Post | Kirkendoll | INC |
| This is a well-designed play that works to isolate Kirkendoll one-on-one by sending Davis on a skinny post and Matthews into the flat. Gilbert does a terrific job of using the pocket space in front of him and steps into a good throw that winds up a foot or two out in front of Kirkendoll. I've watched and re-watched it frame-by-frame, and it looks to me like Kirkendoll doesn't finish his route. I'm just not a fan of what I see from him, physically or performance-wise. We need better, and have better. [Kirkendoll -1] |
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| Wy19 | 3 | G | Pro Trips |
Dime zone |
Pass | Scramble | Davis | INC |
| Wyoming drops 8 into coverage, we do a mediocre job with their three-man rush, Gilbert goes scrambling, and demonstrates his underrated athleticism before missing Davis on the scramble toss. As both he and our best receivers mature, some of these plays will go for touchdowns. |
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| Wy19 | 4 | G | FG |
FG |
FG | FG | Tucker | 36 |
| Another high, strong kick from Tucker, who squeaked it in the left upright. Really like his leg and the height he gets on his balls. If the accuracy is real, he's going to be a good one for us. |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 9 plays, 12 yards, FG 6-0, 3:11. |
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| Line | Dn | Ds | OForm | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| O31 | 1 | 10 | Spread Gun |
4-2 Base |
Pass | Curl | Davis | 7 |
| [Wyoming 7 Texas 6] Simple play, neatly executed, easy yards. Texas holds the LB by sending Newton out into the flat and sends Davis on a simple curl. Gilbert hits him with good timing, and Davis does the rest, demonstrating you-can't-teach-that elusiveness. Just tremendous instincts, as he turns a 3-yard gain into 7. [Davis +1] |
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| O38 | 2 | 3 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Penalty | Penalty | Matthews | -5 |
| It's not Snow's fault -- this is basic stuff -- but when he cocks his head to gear himself up to snap to the shotgun is when our guys tend to flinch. It's a pretty dramatic motion, and while his nummy teammates should be able to handle it, it might not be a bad thing for him to de-dramaticize that motion a little. For charity, if nothing else. [Matthews -1] |
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| O33 | 2 | 8 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base | Pass | Curl |
Davis | 9 |
| Exact same play as first down, and easy yards yet again. Mike Davis is a Shipley clone. |
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| O42 | 1 | 10 | Spread gun |
4-2 Base |
Pass | Scramble | Matthews | 19 |
| Gilbert gets decent initial protection but comes under fire as Wyoming brings a weakside blitz. Again, the kid is way more athletic than one might imagine, and he deftly glides through the pressure to his right, cuts up towards the LOS, then finds Matthews wide open 10 yards down field, who then turns it up for another 9. [Gilbert +2, Matthews +1] |
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| Wy39 | 1 | 10 | Spread gun |
4-2 Base |
Rush | Counter | Whittaker | 39 |
| What a beautiful, beautiful play. (1) Huey and Snow fire down the lane and just destroy the men in front of them. (2) Mitchell and Walters pull to the left and occupy the men they're supposed to. (3) Kyle Hix demonstrates excellent agility in occupying the playside DE and releasing to the second level, where he smothers the Will and occupies space to prevent a twisting DT from getting back to the ball. (4) Fozzy finishes the run with authority. [O-Line +2 / Huey +1 / Snow +1 / Hix +2 / Whittaker +2] |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 4 plays, 69 yards, TD, 2:07. The upside of this offense emerges. There's a lot to like here, and it seems to me the question is whether it's going to require a loss for us to assert ourselves and begin clicking on all cylinders. If the staff has evolved beyond that, we've got a shot to get there quick enough to win big now. |
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| Line | Dn | Ds | OForm | DForm | Type | Play | Player | Yds |
| Wy45 | 1 | 10 | Pro Trips |
4-2 Base |
Pass | Deep Curl | Davis | 45 |
| [Texas 13 Wyoming 7] If I'm an OU fan, this is the play that makes me start to feel very, very nervous. Gilbert takes the snap from the gun, drops three quick, and steps up like a veteran into a tight pocket, beautifully delivering a laser to Davis on the deep curl. Davis plants, spins, avoids the defender, and is off to the end zone. Plain and simple: you need great secondary play to stop that. [Gilbert +1 / Davis +2] |
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|
DRIVE NOTES: 1 plays, 45 yards, TD 20-7, 0:12. The training wheels come off, as we get another data point about both Gilbert and Davis. With the QB, it's a matter of his getting comfortable and letting his talents loose. With Davis, it's a matter of opportunity. Our coaches absolutely must get this right. Davis is critical. |
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CHARTIN'
| PLAYER | PLUS | MINUS |
| QB Gilbert |
6 | -3 |
| RB Newton |
2 | -2 |
| RB Whittaker |
3 | -1 |
| TE Smith |
0 | -1 |
| TE Matthews |
3 | -1 |
| LT Hix |
2 | -2 |
| LG Huey | 1 | -2 |
| C Snow |
1 | -1 |
| RG Walters |
2 | -1 |
| RT Mitchell |
0 | -4 |
| WR Chiles | 2 | 0 |
| WR Davis | 5 | 0 |
| WR Kirkendoll | 0 | -2 |
| WR Williams |
2 | -1 |
| WR Goodwin |
1 | -1 |
| O-Line |
5 | -2 |
| Greg Davis |
2 | -2 |
| TOTAL | 37 | -23 |