Fiesta Bowl Post-Mortem Part IV: Offense & Special Teams

Malcolm Williams actually got a play called for him! Deep! He used the Thorpe Winner Jenkins! Ball thrown to the wrong side of his body out bounds! Back to bench, Malcolm. See you in the Spring!

Now you’re just trying to make me angry.

“Against a reasonable defense like OSU, our entire success in the running game is predicated on the other team’s exhaustion.”

Oddly, this also describes my love life.

Ha!

Scip, I have a feeling – and this is just a hunch – that RansomStoddard will be displeased at the ultimately complimentary nature of your post.

For my own part, I will try to keep my bile down next year as we seemingly make it borderline impossible to achieve our goals and then somehow miraculously manage to do so. All this due to a truly great (and nationally under-appreciated) college QB and an inventive DC who will throw every fiber of his being into covering up our weaknesses and maximizing our strengths.

Very well then. We hereby declare 2009 the year of BOOM.

To some extent I think Davis gives up on the run too early because it’s so easy to fall back on Colt’s accuracy. But it’s chicken-egg because if the initial runs worked he wouldnt be tempted to do that.

Great stuff.

Malcom Williams wins my MUP (Most Underused Player) award. When the ball was thrown to him, it seemed to be out of the back of the endzone or out of bounds on the sideline. I lost count of how many good catches he made OOB.

Obviously, Quan and Ship are part of the reason he wasn’t thrown to much. With Quan gone and Irby not likely to play until well in to the season (if at all), next year should be a breakout year for Malcom.

p.s.
I’d kill everyone on this board for a decent running game.

Oops, forgot to say Happy New Year.

I wasn’t surprised that Tressel relentlessly pressured Colt. Given that the horns can’t run well (and when they do it is so slow developing that the D has plenty of time to respond) and don’t throw deep very often, why not pressure the QB? Also, why not go with 5 or 6 DBs?

The extreme hurry up offense is a big deal and is here to stay. The extreme hurry up takes the defensive coordinator out of the game. There is no time for a DC to reflect on the proper strategy. The extreme hurry up offense requires much better communications systems between sideline and D players, requires smarter D players, and forces the D to simplify their D plan (better to play a vanilla D that is lined up properly than try to get into a more optimal D when there is not enough time for everybody to get on the same page (or even lined up properly)).

If it has not already happened, it seems inevitable to me that realtime constraints will force both offensive and defensive coordinators to use computers to call/display their signals.

The horns were over achievers this season and, on offense, Colt, Quan, and Ship led the over achieving.

Having said that, it seems so obvious to me that you want to power run well enough to force the opposition to play a 4-3 with 4 real DL guys and 3 real LBs. With that personnel package, the opposition D is much more vulnerable to the horns’ proficient passing attack.

Next season, I would prefer to play a couple of TEs who can block, run and catch (like Irby) and a couple of WRs who are fast and tall enough and tough enough to win those 50-50 balls downfield.

I would prefer a TB who is big (not tall) and fast who can run for power.

Greg Davis has gone strictly finesse. All the WRs that he throws to are small. The OL is optimized for pass blocking. The TE position was basically MIA this season (after Irby went down). Fozzy and Vondrell are both small at TB (Cody is a big guy but does carry the ball much).

It is amazing that the horns could function so well on O this year with an offense that depended strictly on the short pass. I love the short passing attack but I hope GD will mix in some power running and more long passes next year.

I don’t have a bunch to contribute but this whole series was excellent and you deserve a reply noting that and an effort at additional thoughts. Let’s see…

You know what’s neat about Quan? His progression as a man has been gratifying to experience. As a high schooler, at least through his junior year, he had a pretty standard elite-athlete-from-a-rural-area attitude. I’m badass. The world is my oyster. Fawn over and serve me. That wouldn’t be notable except for the fact that he’s now an outstanding dude. Obviously many factors have lead to his thoughtful, courteous and exceptionally dedicated mindset at this point but there are seven million examples of people with a similar journey who never undergo such a mental reformation. That he has speaks volumes of him as a guy and it’s really neat for me as a UT fan to have experienced it. Your fifth round appraisal of his measurable skill set is more optimistic than my own but I do think he’s going to stick wherever he winds up. And that’s really cool. I’ll cheer for him forever.

What do you see from our offense next year, specifically the distribution of Quan’s allotment? It would seem obvious that Malcolm Williams needs to get most of those but I’m wondering if his abilities are a little incongruous with Colt’s strengths as a passer. He could murder people on a 20 yard out or a deep post but asking Colt to throw those twelve times a game seems folly when he’s peerless at fifteen and in. Can we incorporate him?

“Three wins. By eight points.”

Seven

38-37
41-38
24-21

I think that the structural issue with the offense is a direct result of a dip in our OL recruiting and current weaknesses there. You can’t play a power running game if your whole left side can’t run block.

Charlie Tanner should not be a starter. Big U is an average tackle. I’ll predict right now that Snow will play in Dock’s RG spot and back up Center next year… and I’ll pray Huey et al. start improving enough to clean up LG. Otherwise, it’s back to pass protection and the short game, fellahs.

Our 3 BCS games have been decided with a COMBINED 27 seconds left on the clock.

Are you not entertained?!?

I just pictured Ullman, Gideon, and Thomas all playing a game of pepper. It wasn’t pretty.

Minnesotahorn,

Look no further than the Texas Tech game to see if Malcolm Williams can fit into this offense with Colt and be effective.

4 catches for 182 yards and 2 td’s

Everyone recalls the 91 yard touchdown where he showed his great speed, but also look at the three other catches, their results, and the situations.

10 yard catch on 3rd and 8

44 yard catch down the sideline in traffic on 3rd and 25

37 yard catch and run for touchdown in which he showed more explosive speed than any other Texas receiver besides possibly Shipley, strength, and elusiveness after the catch.

Additionally, go back and see the leaping catch in traffic for the 32 yard score versus Missouri early in that game.

These 5 catches were not garbage time catches like Buckner’s one long touchdown. Each was while the game was still being contested and has left my son and I scratching our head as to why in the world Texas’ three receiver set was not Quan, Jordan, and Malcolm.

Bottom line is Texas has a bunch of small receivers with speed in Jordan, Brandon, James, D.J. (if eligible), DeSean (who I saw multiple times in high school and reminds me of Eric Metcalf), but no receiver on that roster has Malcolm’s combination of size, speed, athletic ability, and explosiveness after the catch.

If it is route running as some have guessed than Bobby Kennedy had better get on Malcolm’s ass this spring. If it is something else than maybe Colt needs to take him aside and share with Malcolm what he is willing to sacrifice for one last chance to do what he came to Austin to do and that is to win a national title and nothing less than complete dedication is expected from his teammates.

Regardless of the why’s for this year aside from injury I can’t not fathom a reason why Malcolm would not play a prominent role for the Horns offense in 2009 and provide them with something they haven’t had since Limas junior year.

Our offense is by no means perfect but it is absolutely clutch. In case you missed the BCS game, Florida’s offense is far from perfect as well. And for that matter so is USC’s.

Our running game went wrong when Blaine Irby got hurt. Not that we were 1995 Nebraska before but when Davis realized putting Ullman in the lineup was a dead giveaway for a run he went to the 4 and 5 wide sets which severely limited our ability to mash people.

Hopefully we have a serviceable TE that allows us to fire off the line out of our base package that can actually catch a ball and run a route. Our TE this year was really a 3rd tackle at best.

“He actually called a good game within the constraints of the offense that he has created.”

This sentence captures my ambivalence about Greg Davis very well. Our run-game woes are absolutely structural and of GD’s creation as your referenced post spells out in painful detail. Davis labors mightily to overcome this with under-appreciated play-calling. He also does not get enough credit for developing QB’s. He has now played a significant role in bringing along two very different QB’s in Vince and Colt with the common trait of coming up big in the clutch.

The struggle to transcend our own tragic flaws gives our offense a Shakespearean dramatic quality that we are clearly stuck with until GD retires. How long, oh Lord?

Great season that I am sad to see end. Thanks for putting in the time, thought and effort to bring us these write-ups. This site’s commentary on the Horns is the most insightful currently available anywhere.

Is it too much to hope for a reenactment of Buddy Ryan clocking Kevin Gilbride?

Run game still stinks on ice – thank God for Colt/Quan/Shipley’s ability to execute this year.

Looking at the game again a couple of things strike me.

Texas average starting position on offense was inside their own 20 for the night and their best starting position in the second half was the last drive and that was their own 22.

Texas was way out of balance in the first half. They only ran the ball 6 times and threw it 27. In the second half they had 23 running plays to 31 passes. In fact, take going into that last drive Texas had run the ball 22 times (2 of those were actually sacks) and thrown it 21 times. Be it from the spread or under center Texas was much more effective when they played at the quicker tempo and made Ohio State at least have to worry about defending the run and the pass. Take out the 8 yard loss on third and a mile and the two sacks and Texas had some success running the ball. As Newy pointed out, this team wouldn’t be confused with some of the great running teams of all times, but they did have some success in the second half.

Finally, Texas only had one truly bad series in the second half and that was the three and out.

The drive after the opening touchdown had Texas convert on first down three straight plays until the sack/grounding on 2nd and ten. After 5 straight passes a run would have been a good call in anticipation of the rush, but I still wonder why Colt went straight back instead of breaking out of the pocket or getting rid of the ball like we have seen him do so often this year.

Then first series of the fourth quarter Texas is again on the move with 4 runs and 2 passes for 45 yards when Colt rolls out behind U, gets flushed, breaks back to his right, and then fumbles out of bounds. Not a bad call in theory except U can’t move well and I am not sure why Colt seemed intent on forcing the play instead of getting rid of it. What makes this one hurt worse is that on the next play Texas has the right play called in Malcolm Williams going deep and the only way that doesn’t result in a td is he drops the ball or a poorly thrown pass.

Bottom line to me is that as frustrating as the second half was to watch at times what Texas did on offense was very impressive considering the opposition and I am very excited about what this offense can become in 2009 with another year to develop.

Quan Cosby = Wayne Chrebet?

Nero,

No. Quan = Hines Ward.

You know, I read that comparison a lot, Crash. Did you know that Hines Ward goes about 6’0 210-215?
 
Quan is going to measure out at the combine around 5’9" 188. Chrebet size.
 
They’re certainly all tough, gritty guys with great hands.

Quan is going to measure out at the combine around 5′9″ 188. Chrebet size.

I read this as “Cherub size,” which would make sense and be funny.

“People complained about Greg Davis’ play calling in this game, but other than the counter play on 2nd and forever near the goalline, play calling was not the issue.”

2 other instances I had issues with, both involve the running game.

In the first half we ran 2 plays in a row from (gasp!) under center. The first was a carry by Chris O. that went for 7-8 yards. The second was a carry by Fozzy that went for 5-6 yards but was called back for holding. I don’t believe we ever ran the ball from under center again the rest of the game.

On a drive in the second half, in our turbo hurry up, we were running the ball very well, when Davis decided to call a pass that ended in huge negative yardage (the play where Colt fumbled out of bounds maybe?) that killed a promising drive.

Quan=Quan, as in money, attitude, the whole package! The MVP for the game.

Hook’Em

Scipio,

I did not know that Hines was that big. I can believe he now weighs 210, but I don’t see the 6’0. Who knows? Maybe he is taller than he appears.

For me the comparison is more about the way they play and how they look when they do. Both are multidimensional. Quan was a HS QB and can throw. Ward played QB in a pinch at Georgia. Both want to block and do so with devastation. They are fearless over the middle and consistently pick up more yards than they should catching short passes and making controlled cuts in tight spaces. Whether they are the same size or not, they have the same build and similar gait. They are strong-legged, choppy-stepping dynamos with clutch hands and perfect attitudes.

I never spent much time watching Chrebet. I don’t know his game. As a Horn and Steeler fan, I have seen a lot of Quan and Hines, and they’ve always reminded me of one another.