Texas-Iowa State Post Mortem: Offense

Get it?
Got it.
Good.

ONNNNNN!!!!!!!

If you are a Texas fan you really have to be ecstatic with how Harsin’s play calling and schemes have hid some weaknesses on offense. It is obvious that the coaches think Ash is the future.

LS could discuss this better than me but Harsin made a ton of adjustments to the running game when he found that ISU was going to present an 8 man front dropping a S to the TE side on almost every conceivable running down. He started spreading out the 8 man front and then attacking it at different angles and points with different personnel and plays. It’s like we substituted Lee for McClellan at OC.

Ash throws a very catchable ball and I’ve been shocked at its snail-like pace in reaching targets at times. He hasn’t thrown too many laser beams but it’s clear he has a big arm. Very nice touch and I believe that to be a contributing factor to his lack of interceptions on some of the throws over the middle he has made, luck being another factor. Gotta be more careful with those against OU.

It’s nice knowing you aren’t being out-coached. We got what we expected, Ash throwing deep. They have really brought him along well. I think he is as ready as he can be.

Scipio, What is Fozzys Touchdown/run ratio out of the wildcat this year? Seems to me its pretty high.

You are right about that slide, cost us a sure first down. That one play may have limited Case playing time the rest of the game. Mack has to be able to trust the QB to know where the sticks are.

you spend enough time with children that you should know that it’s John JACOB Jingleheimer Schmidt.

Not to belabor an already moot point, but when Case made his early slide on 3rd down in the first possession, I wondered how that would go over with his teammates in the film room.

I really liked the opening misdirection pitch to MB, and think we will probably see that and others plays that are set up with that look more than once against the over aggressive pursuit happy Sooners.

Play action from Ash gets different results than play action from McCoy at this stage in their "packages.

This offense has legitimized flag football.

Not to pile on to poor Case but he bailed out on a throw down the middle to a TE running a slant into the end zone. Had he stood in to deliver the ball and taken the hit we might have a touchdown there.
Not sure he has the same toughness that enabled Colt to gut out some victories and a running game when nothing else was working. Or the same speed, for that matter.

Stuck in Afghanistan, couldn’t watch the game, but I’m impressed anyway. Far from perfect obviously but before the season started I wasn’t sure if we could be competitve against the Boll Weevils this weekend. MajorSin is earning his money.

I think Oklahoma can be exploited inside, especially if we sprinkle misdirection and counters. Lewis and Wort, like all of OU’s linebackers, seem to be coached to attack through the LOS upon diagnosing run, which helps them get TFLs but also exposes them to stuff like Monroe’s 60 yarder last year and well executed playaction. I wouldn’t be scared of Tony Jefferson—I say make him earn it. A couple of first down catches by our TEs will soften up their whole crew.

It is such a refreshing change to have an offense that is effective even when the players make mistakes. I kept going, “damn, we are looking sloppy” but the points kept showing up on the board. This has to drive opponents insane.

Scip – Appreciate the glass half full thoughts on the defense, but I won’t give our inside guys the same scheming pass. There were opportunities to be had and the corn fed ISU line outplayed us almost to a man. Not sure if it was the late game start, cool weather, or what not. Their guys were ready to play and ours were not.

Espinosa is a baller. Went for some Airrosti treatment yesterday on his tweaked ankle. Tweeted it was the most pain he ever experienced. God bless his burnt orange dedication and sacrifice. Glad he was the guinea pig so I can explore other options when confronted.

“Whenever we go out,
 the people always shout….
John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt”

Your mocking of the German name celebrated in the song suggests that English-speaking Westerners still find longer northern-European names to be inherently funny.

That’s some hardcore 19th century-style racism, bro!!!

Funny story…my great-great grandfather’s name actually was Hans (John) Jack Hammerschmidt

John JACOB Jingleheimer Schmidt, how I recall it. John Jenkins some kinda coach or other, yeah?

Looking ahead… is it likely that we are looking at The DG-B Sweepstakes in Big D? Seems like a golden oppo to show the young man which school is the better choice for him, ain’t it?

…… la la la la la la la

I did have to go see what John Jenkins was up to. Seems to still be alive and trying to coach somewhere.

Have really been pleased with Fozzy, DJ and Malcolm. Love the way they finish their runs. Real toughness.

Need another threat and to make some plays in the middle of the field. I’m looking at you DJ Grant.

Ash looked great, and his performance was the only area on offense in which we saw the nice leap forward we’ve all already come to expect. You were absolutely right about how Iowa St. would defense Case, and about how it would play out.

Not cool trying to get that song stuck in our heads. That’s your own private hell, deal with it like a man.

Very pleasantly surprised with Fozzy’s running. Showed amazing burst and cutback vision I felt like we saw very little of his first three years. Just think that a year ago, we were talking about him as an attrition candidate due to injuries and his stellar academics. Glad to see he’s making a great senior year contribution.

Remain disappointed by our straight-up run blocking. It seemed like most of our best runs were off-tackle or sweep. I believe Mal Brown finally had a negative yardage carry through no fault of his own; he was just hit three yds behind the LOS before he had a chance to do anything with the ball.

Didn’t see much, if any, of Darius White. Beginning of the end?

There was a Barrett Matthews sighting in this one.

I had a few beers so I apparently missed the Case cryfest on the sideline, could someone explain? or post a link to the video?

I did think we started to see a little seperation at QB finally.. In my opinion Ash is obviously more physically imposing, but I am starting see the wheels turning a bit faster in his head, I believe the game is not too big for him. Case is very accurate in the 5-12 yd range, but physically he is just no up to speed yet.

I have been a Cody Johnson supporter as long as he as been on campus, but it seems now we need to find a new short yardage back. Will we see JoeB start to get more carries in those situations?

Shipley is a fuckin BEAST. nough said

“It’s like we substituted Lee for McClellan at OC.”

Outstanding analogy.

I took a shot of Ruempolhamer every time the announcers said “David Ash is more of a running quarterback.” I nearly went to the hospital.

Case didn’t have a meltdown on the sideline or anything, just looked kinda pouty and unhappy in the second half, in contrast to Ash, who was laughing and playing grab ass.

I thought Fozzy and Shipley had the best performances for skill players. Fozzy ran hard and made great cuts. He ran over a Safety on his TD. Shipley made the play on the reverse pass and the sideline reception. If not for him those are 2 INTs.

Harsin is a great coordinator. He is a real-time play caller. The difference between him and GD is like old timey computer systems that updated once-a-day over night versus today where new data is accepted and processed immediately. I think the greatest strength of the Texas offense is Harsin. Hopefully the O line and QB play will improve to his standard.

I wasn’t impressed with either QB really. They made some good plays. They are both young. I am not saying they are bad players, but they have a long way to go to really be relied upon.

You bring up all the relevant points. However, I will say that Case’s long completion was probably the best of the night. Yes, Shipley had to make a play. No doubt. But as you said Case saw the mismatch and threw it pretty well. It was a long pass and he had a very tight window in which to throw it. He didn’t exactly hit the window. It would have been much better about 2-3 ft to the outside but he gave Shipley a chance to make a play.

The Ash TD pass on the reverse was a very poorly thrown ball. The only reason that wasn’t an INT with a long return was that Shipley faked the CB to think it was going over the outside shoulder. The ball was way inside and short which was exactly where the defender was if he would have turned and found the ball. I do think this game was an important step for Ash though. He was more or less unleashed in the passing game. And he made plays. Good for him and the team. If he continues to improve he will be a great one.

I am puzzled by the offensive line. They are a very talented bunch, but they really did struggle throughout the game on straight ahead plays. That may be just because of the 8 man fronts. One image continues to pop into my head though. On the drive that resulted in the first FG, the 3rd play (I think) was a run to the right side on the edge. The O was outnumbered but the tackle on that side, Hopkins?, was physically pushed back 1-2 yards by one defender. Hopefully the answer is that these guys are still young and that strength and good weight will be help them in the following years.

I had a real good time (a real good time) reading this post mortem.

Scipio,
Great write up as usual, and thanks for the nauseating tune that now haunts my thoughts.

I hope you choke on a Bundt cake.

Great stuff. I’m amazed that a good amount of Longhorn Netdom is using a lackluster second half as a referendum that we’ll get smoked by OU without factoring in how efficiently we murdered a 3-0 team in the first half while playing B-level ball. Of course, some of these people are RansomStoddard and CS, but still…

My early submissions to Friday Q&A with the ’Cosm:

- What’s the downlow on Case’s sideline antics?
- Who has primary coaching responsibility for special teams – I’ve variously heard Duane Akina and Mack Brown – and just what the F is going on out there?
- In a game that was billed as make or break for Darius White I don’t think I remember even seeing him on the field – was there a late-breaking attitude problem or anything else that curtailed his opportunity, and can we write him off at this point?

John-Jenkins-Jingleheimer-Dick, he’ll hang 90 on S-M-U,

He’s unapologetic,

Makes opponents apoplectic,

there goes John Jenkins Jingleheimer Dick,

la la la la la la la…

I learned it as: John “Jacob” Jinglehimmer Schimdt

I just love the fire tha DJ brings to the game. Did anyone catch DJ ripping the corner that tackled Fozzy in the endzone (on Fozzy’s TD) off of Fozzy. That corner refused to get off of Fozzy so DJ man-handled him pretty roughly while getting in his punk-ass face. Got nothing but love forya Donald Junior!

I was dissapointed that Harsin never really adjusted to the way that the ISU DE’s were crashing hard into C gap taking away the “O”.

Oh to have still been running tthe Zone Read against what the ISU front was doing.

But I certainly understands that you gots to picks and chooses what you you dooses. And Zone Read is nowhere in our playbook these days. Not that I am saying that is a bad thing mind you.

Scipio / starting to smell – I learned it as John "Jacob" Jingleheimer Schimdt also. Either of you two go to Camp Longhorn in Burnet, TX? That’s where I know it from.

Scip – nice writeup. I was really disappointed by some of our OL getting blown backward in the 1st qtr. Maybe they came out flat, but my goodness.

Am I the only one mildly concerned about the number of times Ash was checking is forearm cheat-sheet? It seems to me that Harsin’s witchery relies on QB intellect as much as QB athleticism. Is there any concern that young Ash’s see-saw might tip a bit too far to the right?

Fozzy also threw a pretty nice ball which should lead to a little more hesitation by the defense on the wildcat plays in the future.

Fozzy also threw a pretty nice ball which should lead to a little more hesitation by the defense on the wildcat plays in the future.

I prolly missed some, but we’ve seen two WRs, a QB (lined up at WR), and a RB all throw passes from the Wildcat – more of a Katzenjammer, as long as we’re Jingleheimer’ing. Given the halfback pass for the win in the Fiesta, Stoops and Venable gotta be sweating bullets at this point. I foresee Fozzy or someone running wide, holding the ball up like they’re gonna pass, and having the 0u dbacks yell “Splunge” and run into the tunnel… GDGD must be spinning in his grave.

McCoy checks his wristband just as much as Ash does.

“Am I the only one mildly concerned about the number of times Ash was checking is forearm cheat-sheet?”

yes

CFSV – Cody has done exactly what we’ve asked of him this year in terms of carrying the ball. He’s consistently done the job for us on short yardage for four years – remember the travesty of 3rd/4th & inches prior to his arrival on campus? He got blown up on his one run against Iowa St on a play where the Oline was destroyed. Not his fault.

Some of you folks need to admit the IA State has a pretty good front 7. I would say as good or better than BYU’s. The fact that our line did not blow them off the ball is not a huge concern for me. The line did pretty well when they got out in space. Espinosa, Hopkins, Snow, Walters – all these guys can move pretty well and it creates some opportunities in the running game when we are facing a stout DL. Ironically though i think the opportunities against OU will mostly be right up the gut.

I’ll go into more detail on film but the offensive line really didn’t have a bad first half as a few seem to think in the comments. We actually ran the ball pretty well in the first half and we attacked them intelligently. They ran some good stunts that gave them a few wins and they consistently loaded the box but they gave up so stuff on the perimeter as a result.

OL not too bad, all things considered. Still seeing TE as a problem area as far as blocking (well, and catching, too). Still thinking we’re going to see some surprises against OU, in terms of things not seen so far… like the H-Back/FB getting the ball on inside option handoff or short pitch/shovel and tackle-eligible insertions for blocking purposes and turning into receiver.

Didn’t see a lotta gadgets in Ames, but I’m thinking we will in Big D.

The farther we get into the season, the more unsure opponents’ D’s will be. That unsureness and the concomitant hesitation will start to lead to bigger plays earlier… hopefully some of that will be seen this Saturday.

excellent review. much appreciated.

i don’t think a player on our offense has responded more impressively to the offensive change than has fozzy. he’s running with smart abandon and showing what we all knew he had in him. between the off-season development that was immediately obvious in the opening summer pics and the way he has responded to a sensible offensive plan with raw determination and the vision and patience to capitalize on opportunity, he has become a ferocious complement to our hammerheads at that position. and his work in the wildfozz has shown a side of him we didn’t know to expect. when he starts connecting on those passes, there will be emergency legislation on the way.

Good news LHS. Can’t wait to watch it on film.

Regarding Ash checking the wristband. I’ve always just assumed those were decoders. The signal from the sideline says “green 457”, the QB checks his wristband and realizes that green 457 means “wildcat formation, halfback option pass”. Next drive the code is changed out to keep the defense from stealing signals.

I have no actualy knowledge if this is how Texas does it, but I see QBs checking the wristband at every level except the pros, where it is unecessary since they get to use a headset in their helmet.

Am I the only one mildly concerned about the number of times Ash was checking is forearm cheat-sheet?

Just guessing, but chances are it’s a mixture of fixed-meaning code that gives nothing away (gesture A means “five wide”) and shifting-meaning cypher for the stuff you can’t afford to give away (gestures B, C, & D mean “#G23” which this week is “boundary strong, weakside kick” on the wristband or something), with the cypher more likely to change from game to game, which would avoid both player confusion and opponents stealing our signals. Base plays would become familiar in a given week, and others would require a check.

Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re calling two plays at a time.

Not claiming any special knowledge, but I saw the inside of the Offense staff meeting room, and the 5-wide formation was simply called “Texas.” Sure enough, every time I saw the Hook ‘Em handsign from the offensive staff on the sideline, they lined up in 5-wide. I imagine it’s different now, but I realized they could afford knowing what the base formation was going to be because they were about to line up in front of God and everybody and show it. It’s the rest of the stuff you have to keep both under wraps and changing.

Furthermore, I wouldn’t be surprised if their is more than one cypher for a given play, so that signals can’t be stolen within a single drive. They might also change wristbands every quarter or something.

The “Texas” thing was several years ago, btw., so that was GDGD, not HarsinWhite’s signal.

OK, I’m not self-editing worth a flip. Gonna go snort a rail of adderall™, now.

Looking forward to your take on the game Scott.

I thought when Texas “blocked down and kicked out” we ran the ball pretty well. Other than that I thought ISU did a good job of stunting into what we liked to do in the first three games.

Thanks Scipio for these write-ups.
Is there any reason to be concerned about getting 3s instead of 7s on the short field in the 1st qtr? Was this simply the OL ‘warming up’? I was a bit concerned that we pissed away some opportunities. Opportunities that the next few opponents may only give us in the 1st quarter and not through-out the game like ISU. There is also the potential that a scrappy undermanned team hangs around and makes things uncomfortable as the back of a VW Bug.

Is Marquise Goodwin injured ? Did not see him Sat ?

Fozzy’s pass from the Wildcat had 2-for-1 benefit: potential score (with low risk since near the back of the endzone), and keep OU’s safeties honest.

On MB’s first TFL, from watching the replay, he could have reversed field and cut back to the left once he saw the trainwreck in the direction of the play, as there was not a single Cyclone save one slow DL back to MB’s left. Not sure whether that’s the kind of back he is or will be, but it was there when ISU’s D sold out to one side.

Hope to hear from Jesus and The Asset as to whether we’ve seen the last of DWhite; if he couldn’t see the field in that game, this year, then when?

What is this “TE” position that the announcers spoke of after that first Ash completion, and is TE a legal position? Might we finally see Irby’s first catch vs. OU? Beware my tears of joy.

Case’s sack in Q1 as he bailed from the pocket to his right was troubling on many fronts, not the least of which he had two receivers (MDavis being one) open. He’s not able to spot the check-downs and get rid of the ball early enough; very lucky the sack did not result in a fumble. That play, along with his brain-fart slide far short of the 1st down marker on 3rd down, do not inspire trust of teammates and coaches.

Jaxson is so much fun to watch. Fozzy is enjoying football again. Kids like Y2K — man, I wish one of our long-time posters were clever enough to have first coined this nickname! — and Turner add to our youth movement. I look forward to each game unlike recent years… En. Ter. Tain. Ing.

Oh yeah: OU sucks.

LHS,
I noticed the box stuffing, too, aka the Chasity Belt Defense. Stuff the box so tight that inside penetration is impossible.

That’s when you work the “virgin pass” and hit the tight end, pun intended.

for sure Harsin will use OU’s aggressive LB mentality against them with misdirection plays and play action stuff…

i think we see DJ take one to the house in this game as a result of Lewis/Wort over pursuit

This is the area that UT is experiencing the change obviously. OU will see a variety of mutations from previously shown plays. Sooner players will be asked to project variations from the data they have. The limited amount seen of UT this year makes me think back to the Mock vs. Young discussion. Obviously, it’s Ash.

UT running vs. OU:
OU’s DL is actually playing better this year than last. However, Wort insists on destroying rather than tackling carriers and misses too frequently. UT may get a TD directly or indirectly off this. Expect to see Venables jugular if this happens. I expect to see some, but not too much, of Ash running.

UT passing vs OU:
I’ve noticed more man defense from the Sooners this year than in past. I’d be surprised if OU is really concerned about straight pass plays with UT’s tackle issues and QB issues and even their receiving issues (outside of Shipley +/- Davis). More than usual, UT needs to stay on schedule. Makes play action possible. If OU keeps Brown’s carries to less than equal 4 on 1st down. It’ll be a long afternoon for the Orange.

OU’s defense, despite its weaknesses, is the best the Horns have seen. Harsin will manufacture 2 – 3 20+ plays. OU needs to keep them at 25 – 35 yds, not 75. How efficient is UT in the red zone? Usually teams employing running QB’s and Wildcat are relatively advantaged, but the Horns have attempted 8 FG in 4 games.

The over-under for UT is 20 pts. OU gets 30. Deal?

Consulting the wristband is a way to abbreviate the play call and a quality control measure, its not a sign that you’re QB doesn’t know the play book.

Great information dense, very factual summary. Some of the high points (imo) of your summary:

“The play action toss to Mike Davis right after Leonard Johnson was pulled for his personal foul, targeted right at his replacement and ISU’s run crashing safeties”

It is so great to have an OC that pays attention to matchups. What a huge improvement.

“(The OL is) Much better on the move and operating with angles than trying to blow people out head up.”
“these are guys (the UT OL) that need scheme and time to break in the defense. They’re not going to win from the opening snap.”

Maybe the most important point. The UT OL needs to have the scheme set up their blocks for them as much as possible, until the foe’s D is worn down a bit. ISU’s run blitzes caused problems, also.

“took a grounding penalty on a screen that got sniffed out. Bad throw behind Jaxon Shipley on a seam route on 3rd and 2 in the 3rd quarter.”

I was OK with the grounding penalty, much prefer that to taking the sack. Thought the grounding penalty was a bit harsh by the refs. The throw to Ship was short but I wondered why Ship didn’t stop to catch it instead of continuing to drift downfield. One thing I learned as a TE, is that you often have to give up on YAC and sell out to catch the ball. Another pass was right on target to Mike Davis but Davis did not block out the DB from making a very unusual and awesome PBU. Poor play by Davis.

“If we can get production out of TE, the need for a #3 WR to step up is much reduced. I thought the TE blocking was subpar overall.”

Really important points. The TEs block every play, that is their most important function. This team is a run first team and critically needs good blocking by the TEs. They also need to be dependable catching the ball, because that is essential to moving the chains.

I was a bit concerned that we pissed away some opportunities.

Substitute for “pissed away some opportunities” the following: “Harsin is probing the D in early play. Even plays that do not ‘succeed’ will (1) tell us what the D is going to do, and (2) condition the D to be surprised by contradictions later.”

It’s all good.

Nickel Rover:
“ISU was going to present an 8 man front dropping a S to the TE side on almost every conceivable running down.”

Nice observation. The safety was also there to keep the TE from catching passes so he was a a 2fer1. Not surprising given UT’s rushing success and the career game Grant had in the previous game.

Gotta get Bergeron on the field more. He is big, powerful, fast, and can catch the ball. Maybe at FB or H back?

OU nearly always has excellent, very aggressive LBs. Attacking the OU LBs curtails their aggression by forcing them to make decisions. Very short play action passes into space they vacate to aggressively support the run will encourage them to stay home longer on possible runs. Roll outs will force OLBs to come up, creating a space in which TEs can be hit for a short easy pass.

Has anyone pointed out that it is John JACOB Jingleheimerschmidtt not John JENKINS Jingleheimerschmidt?

I’ll hang up and listen….

On a serious note, I couldn’t be more excited to know what plays Harsin has been saving for OU. As many crazy plays as he has already run, you know that Mack has made him save certain plays especially for the Dirt Burglars.

Someone pointed out earlier that we haven’t seen much from the FB/HB position. It would be nice to hit CJ in stride one time.

I can’t wait to go against OU with an OC that actually thinks while the game is going on. Computer analogy was spot on.

The difference between him and GD is like old timey computer systems that updated once-a-day over night versus today where new data is accepted and processed immediately.

I think a more apt analogy for the difference b/t Harsin & GD GD is Harsin is a tablet computer while GD GD is one of those monstrosities that took up a whole building & used punch cards.

The future is NOW it’s name is DAVID ASH just as Jesus predicted back during fall practice

Jinx—yes.

Kafka—The problem with the intentional grounding wasn’t so much the thought—much better that than take a sack or attempt a crazy pass that could be picked—but that he threw it on the ground near a tackle rather than an eligible receiver. Good call by the refs.

Last point, since I haven’t seen it explained clearly for those who were wondering…

Case threw a WR screen pass in the middle of the 2nd quarter that was well over the receivers reach. The next play saw Ash come in and him head to the bench. It seemed that they were getting series rather than situational plays (from what I remember), so this seemed like a clear indication that the coaches didn’t like the play.

As Case realized he was getting pulled he was visibly upset and started griping about it as he went to the sideline. He seemed to still be running his mouth and Mack went up to him and basically told him to shut up. Mack lectured him for a few more seconds and Case settled down.

I didn’t notice anything after that that indicated Case was still pissed. I actually watched the recorded game after reading comments about it, so I was looking for it.

My problem with the intentional grounding was that he had plenty of time to simply launch it into the stands. Bet he doesn’t do it again though.

Yeh,

Agreed re: Fozzy, especially in the Wild Fozzy (WF). Hope the horns run the WF a bunch vs OU. Big Ash at WR in the WF actually improves the WR blocking (giving the horns a WR who can block an OLB). When the WF is used in the red zone, would love to see all WRs being big guys who can block LBs. The 6 skills players in the red zone WF might be Fozzy, Monroe, Malcolm, Cody, Bergeron, and Grant.

Great write-up. Since I didn’t grow up in Central Texas, I’m pretty much tone deaf to any German refences not involving WW II. Seems like an artfully witty reference, as usual, from the comments. I’m jealous, plain and simple.

Count me in with others who are extremely happy about Fozzy’s play. That’s not only for the team but especially for him. He seems to be having a party out there in this new scheme. It’s great to see guys like him who have paid their dues have a great senior season (see Chris O.).

I am also encouraged by David Snow’s continued progress. The Cat can flat get out in front and downfield on running plays.

Shipley is the most polished freshman WR I have ever seen. If you’ll notice, he gave the KSU defender a very gentle and subtle lower body push on both the Ash TD throw and the McCoy jump ball. Most guys never pick this up in college and some (Roy Williams) play for years in the NFL and never do.

Don’t take this as a knock on CJ, but I’d like to see Malcolm on our first 4th and short try against OU if it comes to that (and on all 3rd and shorts). I say that because I think MB can distinguish when the hole is not there and make an instinctive cut or body angle adjustment to compensate.

I loved the touch Ash showed on the first pass to Grant. I had silently been concerned about that, but not anymore. On the grounding call, I’m pretty sure they spot the ball where the QB is when it’s grounded, which is equivalent to a sack. It was, IMO, a case of mistaken identity to throw it at one of our OL’s feet, but a (Freshman) mistake nonetheless.

I love Joe B. but right now, unless they move him to FB, I’m with others who don’t see him getting many more snaps than he is. Pretty sure he moves to FB next year due to his size and versatility.

I know Rhoads was trying to build up his team’s confidence and get some positive takeaway in then second half, but leaving his starters in may have cost him his best OL and one of his best (if not brightest) DB’s. Mixed bag, IMO. He is a good coach who had a good plan. We had a better plan and won handily. It feels nice, don’t it?

“jinx said: October 3rd, 2011 at 12:49 pm

My problem with the intentional grounding was that he had plenty of time to simply launch it into the stands. Bet he doesn’t do it again though."

I could be wrong, but I think he was in the box and didn’t have the option to just throw it in the stands. But that may only apply in the NFL. Part of the learning curve.

jinx –
 
You described the Case situation exactly as it happened.
 
Some general thoughts:
  
- People already seem to be assuming that we’re more talented than we are. Our best talent is woefully young and this is the first year our OL have been subjected to real conditioning and have played in a real offense. We’re out-coaching people as much as out-peforming them. So make that mental adjustment when you puzzle through why we’re not just just blowing people away. Harsin is wringing every bit of talent he can out of us and that’s why I love the dude.
 
- Donald Junior is a mean little shit. And has been his entire career. Love his attitude. He can be a difference maker for us against OU.
 
- Like the shovel pass wrinkle we added. May see that with DJ too.
 
- Too early to speculate on D White but playing time tells the tale. As does our formational mix of two WRs the majority of the time.
 
- Reject simple dualisms, zen students. The Case is smart therefore Ash must be dumb meme is bizarre. Ash is smart. Ash is 18. Ash was playing Harker Heights a year ago.
 
- Cody Johnson failed because his blocking failed. He’s an effective short yardage RB.

I’d have to see the video, but I thought he was out of the box anyway. However, judging by where he was near the sideline, I wonder if he didn’t have the angle to throw it out of bounds past the first down marker. Or is that an NFL rule too?

Still, out of bounds would have been the safest play, but throwing in the ground is the second option, and it wouldn’t have been a penalty in college or the NFL if that was a RB rather than a OT.

But, but, Scip — Donald Junior might not know the entire playbook!

I reviewed the Ash grounding and the error he made was pretty defensible. All eligible receivers had cleared the area and he was left seeing a patch of white and a general idea that’s where his RB should be.
 
He was out of the box, so spiking it into the turf wasn’t an option. So he turfed it to the white down the field and assumed a back was around somewhere.
 
In the future, he’ll launch it out of the back of the end zone or kill the play earlier.
 
Overall, I was pretty impressed with his calmness throughout.

Kafka sez: Gotta get Bergeron on the field more. He is big, powerful, fast, and can catch the ball. Maybe at FB or H back?

Aye, agreed on that one. Have we been hiding him for State Fair Day? I’m really hoping to see both (nord)Bergeron and Berryhill with carries and/or receptions. Doesn’t seem like we’ve thrown much to backs leaking out in the flats – if the run stoppers are in full cry and the WR’s take everyone else deep, those routes ought to be wide open. That, and putting him at the H and adding that inside Tebow thing on option/rolls.

jinx sez: On a serious note, I couldn’t be more excited to know what plays Harsin has been saving for OU. As many crazy plays as he has already run, you know that Mack has made him save certain plays especially for the Dirt Burglars.

I’m leaning toward Harsin doing this on his own. His MO seems to be to plan for the entire season (as well as for this game and the next few plays), and hold back what doesn’t need to be shown. That, and I really want Mack to stick to the Coach February thing and let his coaches coach.

Oh, and the plays are only “crazy” when they don’t work…

I don’t know why QBs don’t intentionally ground it more often, it is waay preferable to taking a sack because you eliminate the risk of injury and/or turnover. Last night the Ravens stripped Sanchez twice and turned both strips into TDs. Sometimes great is the enemy of good. Anyway, I’m just glad that Ash was thinking clearly and got rid of the ball instead of taking a sack. I am sure he also has a clearer understanding of the grounding rule now.

Monahorns-

You really need to re-watch the Ash throw to Shipley reverse play. First it was a LB covering who had about as much chance to intercept that ball as I did watching from Texas. The LB never had any idea where the ball was and had he turned he would have lost Ship anyway.

Ash really wasn’t able to step in to the throw so he put it inside and short rather than attempting to throw a 55 yard pass perfectly over the top. His momentum from the reverse action was taking him backwards.

Another nice thing about Ash at WR in the Wild Fozzy (WF) is that when he does throw, by the time he gets the ball and actually passes, the receivers have had plenty of time to do double or even triple moves on the DBs.

I’m confused. I hope Stoops and Venables are as well.

Harsin seems to believe that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing two games in a row and expecting the same result. I like it, even if it means a soph QB who has his breakout game one week is sharing snaps equally the next.

I totally agree with your assessment that we do not have a huge talent advantage (and most of it is young) but are getting a superior coaching performance.

“Like the shovel pass wrinkle we added. May see that with DJ too.”

Too soon.

I hope you are right justhookit. I don’t have the ability to replay the game, so I am going off of memory. I didn’t know whether the defender was a LB or CB. Glad it worked either way.

I think the shovel pass with the option pitch or the QB keep is in the works to… Speed option with a shovel underneath option… it’s coming…

“Oh, and the plays are only "crazy" when they don’t work…”

I call them crazy because my mind can’t comprehend them after 13 years of Animal Cracker dulling my expectations. It is like a sedative that takes a while to wear off.

Ship was the offensive MVP again. That is at least the 3rd time he has got that award this season.

It is like a sedative that takes a while to wear off.

I absolutely agree that it is… that, or the dead half-face after a brutal session with el dentista.

I’m working really, really hard at removing “GDGD” and “agy” from my consciousness – I’m prolly halfway there, but Zeno says they’ll never be completely gone… and when we see things like Harsin’s command of various DCs’ scrotal sacraments and Shermanapper failing to awaken from the Halftime Siesta, it simply reinforces the non-disappearance factor.

O’ course, it could be worse… the number of fucks given could be more than none at all.

Horns had 40 runs and 24 passes, a 5 to 3 run-pass ratio. That’s impressive, especially considering how often ISU had 8 men in the box.

One disappointment was that the horns only converted on 4 out of 14 3rd downs.

Tex Long: Please graduate from Zeno to Leibnitz. You’ll get there faster :)

Any updates on Malcom Williams? Is he still in school? Any chance he comes back next season?

Malcolm is done. He has already used his redshirt so this was his last year.

Texas vs Iowa St: http://www.youtube.com/v/SN_T1QTTu1M

graduate from Zeno to Leibnitz. You’ll get there faster

Not necessarily, as you discover when you walk the Planck. Bohred yet?

PB over on BON put a chart up today showing that Texas has converted on 9 out of 12 rushing attempts with Cody Johnson and 3 or less yards to go. One of those “failed” carries was on second down and he scored on the next play. That seems like a pretty good success rate to me.

Regarding the pass from Ash to Shipley, I agree with Monahorns view on it. It was way underthrown, and it was lucky that it was completed (not to mention not intercepted). Shipley had to completely stop and wait for it. So either the pass was inaccurate, or Ash passed off of this back foot (which is a mistake in itself) when he had an extra second to step in to the throw.

Mona and horncasting,

How about Bryan Harsin’s view on that play? "on that particular play he hung in the pocket, let the route develop and threw a NICE BALL." I think Harsin probably avoids commenting on the quality of the throw if he didn’t feel that way.

http://www.espnaustin.com/includes/news_items/6/4181/ob2103.mp3

"Let the route develop" he knew the LB was beat and wouldn’t get a chance to turn around. The ball inside limited the risk of overthrow and is probably a higher percentage catch for Shipley (if there is such a thing), hands/body as opposed to hands outstretched in stride. My completely unbiased view.
 
Here’s to hoping Ash is our next Peter (The Great) Gardere.

I understand Cody’s blocking has been a bust when we didn’t convert but don’t you want the back that’s more likely to convert in those situations? MB has the power and is the slipperinessiest.

MB’sG-

Think he’s referring to the deep pass to Davis.

“Here’s to hoping Ash is our next Peter (The Great) Gardere.”

You know a lot of time has passed when our fan base is clamoring for the next Gardere.

Could be… not sure there was a lot to develop for a guy running wide open down the field.

The true measure of a program is beating your biggest rival. Ask any aggie.

“They were generally solid in pass protection, but pretty average in run blocking.”

True but there were extenuating factors. The horns ran much more than they passed, 40 to 24, so that made run fakes very effective on play action passes. This really helps the OL pass block. Conversely, it is tougher to run block when you you run 5 out of 8 plays and the defense has stuffed the box with 8 defenders. When degree of difficulty is factored in, the OL is better at run blocking than pass blocking.

Was watching Monday Night Football last night and noticed frequent and effective use of a play that I love: the QB rolls out, drawing the OLB towards him, and then flips a very short, high percentage pass over the head of the OLB to a TE or back who has slipped behind the OLB. The play puts tremendous pressure on the OLB and is an easy toss-catch to execute. It was striking to see the QB rolling out so much in the NFL.

Because this very short pass is so easy to do, Fozzy could do it when he is the Wild Foz (WF). This would add another dimension (efficient frequent passing) to the WF. If there is a big guy at WR on the roll out side, that WR could crack back block the OLB and obliterate him. This would definitely force the OLB to put his head on a swivel and introduce uncertainty (i.e. slow him down by forcing him to think and look around before responding rather than react instinctively).

Why is it that you never see a right handed QB throw a short pass with the left hand when rolling left? Basketball players throw passes with either hand with no problem. The problem is probably that QBs are so used to using a conventional passing motion that really isn’t necessary for a very short pass. A 5 yard pass does not need to be conventionally spiraled or even thrown with the football aligned along the path of the pass. The key thing is that the football get to the target on time and be easy to catch. For a very short pass, a right handed QB running left could easily throw the ball sideways with his left hand with a nice easy to catch rotation.

i think that’s a great idea, kaffers. i wonder if the foz toss saturday was to start introducing that thought pattern in future dc’s and olb’s minds.

Yeh,

Harsin was definitely sending a message with that pass. Fozzy was in the pocket when he threw down the middle (maybe a 20 yard pass?).

Fozzy’s strength is running so it would be good for him to throw an easy to execute pass while he is on the run. It always seems puzzling when non passers are asked to make difficult passes. Much more practical for the non passer to toss a very short pass.

By forcing the OLB to worry about Fozzy passing right behind the OLB, it makes it that much easier for Fozzy to just bring the ball down and continue rolling out. The pass is super short so Fozzy could do it OK.

it’s pretty quiet around here considering it’s OU week. Crossing my fingers that there’s an explosion of content coming today/tomorrow to tide me over.

Kafka said; “Why is it that you never see a right handed QB throw a short pass with the left hand when rolling left?”

I watched the Oregon vs. Arizona game a couple weeks ago which was pretty much an abortion on the Wildcat side except for QB play. Nick Foles was taking a beating all game but one play in particular an Oregon defender was wrapping him up near the sideline, pinning his right arm. Foles switched the ball to his left and completed the pass. First time I’d ever seen anything like it. It’s too bad Foles plays for Arizona, the kid’s a baller.

ryan, it’s when the drums are quiet that you need to look around you.

agree, kafka. that play could be an option for fozzy. he could proceed ambivalently until the olb commits and then make the play. if the olb holds off too long committing, he probably won’t be able to defend either, so fozzy can decide what kind of highlight play he wants to make.

“It’s too bad Foles plays for Arizona, the kid’s a baller.”

The difference between Gilbert and Foles in HS was astronomical. It’s almost impossible to believe that Foles is now the better QB.

Yeh,

After Foz has completed one of those short roll out passes, the OLB will be looking for it from then on. That means that all Foz has to do is fake the pass to get the OLB off his feet to block the pass. With Foz’s speed, he’ll be gone, there won’t even be a need to block the OLB (so the WR on that side could block either the safety providing run support or the CB defending him). The play would also set up sprint draws to Malcolm Brown and reverses for the WR very nicely.

One thing I don’t get about the Gilbert thing is why the horns did not go to the running dominated offense while Gilbert was still playing. It would have helped Gilbert immensely if he could have passed primarily in play action passing situations.

Does anyone else hope that Harsin has us line up in Trips-right and run a statue of liberty play for ol’ time’s sake, to give a REAL subtle “F” YOU to Venables, at least one time in this game?

damn, kaf. the staff needs to put us on retainer.

on another front. yahoo (yahoo knows everything) says the guys call david ash ‘dash’. shouldn’t we adopt ‘cash’ for case? ‘cash and dash’. i think that has some flair.

Super Bill Bradley led his Palestine HS team to a win in a state championship game thowing left handed after he injured his right arm early in the game.

Why is it that you never see a right handed QB throw a short pass with the left hand when rolling left?

See: Bradley, Super Bill

run a statue of liberty play for ol’ time’s sake, to give a REAL subtle "F" YOU to Venables, at least one time in this game?

Best to serve while hot: First play, imo.

“One thing I don’t get about the Gilbert thing is why the horns did not go to the running dominated offense while Gilbert was still playing. It would have helped Gilbert immensely if he could have passed primarily in play action passing situations.”

We tried. We were just missing a few key pieces to make it work, like players and coaches.

Oh wait, you might mean this year. In that case, I think we ran it about 45-50 times against Rice, and Gilbert only had 20 attempts or so.

I think UT is good for more than 20 pts. The key is how low can we hold OU. If they go over 30 we are in trouble (and the defense is less than what i think it is). I am going for UT 27-24.
They will have more yards, we will have more points.

Also, thanks for the great info.

why the horns did not go to the running dominated offense while Gilbert was still playing.

Last year, we tried, but Greg’s heart wasn’t really in it, plus there were no actual run-oriented game plans in any of his playbooks, so it didn’t work out so well.

This year, unless I’ve lost the ability to count, we’ve been running more than passing so far. Gilbert’s skills simply didn’t match the requirement for QB play. I woulda thought they did, but I woulda been wrong. Others thought so, and they were wrong.

Tex, agreed. Also, I read Irby talking about how he was hoping that Harsin would let him throw a pass. So instead of a FB passs, we could let Harsin take Venables down memory lane with a TE pass.

It might not be an exact reenactment of what transpired at the Fiesta Bowl, but then again variety is the spice-of-life. Besides,the message would still be a nice lil’ jab to Venables ego…

why the horns did not go to the running dominated offense while Gilbert was still playing

missed this first time around. i don’t know what garrett was doing in the drills that had them excited, but whatever it was, it went out the window with his shoulder, even if he might have eventually settled down and played the way he was practicing. i think what we are doing now is in lieu of that and is a response to having to play newbies. given all the flurry of looking at qbs, i’m guessing we’ll never know what we missed out on.

You can’t tell much by the Rice game because it was too easy.

The wheels (for Gilbert) came off in the BYU game. IIRC, the horns passed a lot more in the 1st half (when Gilbert threw 2 picks) versus the second half (when Gilbert did not play). I couldn’t find a 1st half box score so I looked at the play summary.

Gilbert Possession summary
1st, one run and 2 passes, punt
2nd, one run and 2 passes, punt
3rd, 2 runs and 1 pass, pick
4th, 3 runs, an Ash 26 yard pass, then Gilbert comes in and throws a pick
5th, 2 passes, 1 run, punt
After that Gilbert did not play.

So on the 3 of the 4 possessions with only Gilbert at QB, the horns passed twice as much as they ran. On the possession that was mostly QBed by Ash, the horns mostly ran the ball (3 run, 1 pass) until Gilbert came in and immediately threw a pick. Of course, on the one possession that Gilbert QBed where the horns ran more than they threw, Gilbert still threw a pick.

If we have to go to a “guaranteed run on first down, guaranteed run on second down, play-action pass on third down, repeat” gameplan for our QB to be effective, then we need a new QB. Which we have now, of course.

appreciate that summary, kafka.

i agree that the rice game didn’t tell much, but if garrett was injured in the rice game and was hampered in the byu game, we might not have much to go on there, either, about his performance. but the coaches were obviously hoping the light would come on for him, and, if garrett was feeling discomfort, my bet is the coaches didn’t know it. that would explain them pushing the pass when he was in. apparently he was lighting it up the last week or so of drills and harsinwhite were expecting to see that at any moment.

i think had garrett gotten the benefit of the run game, he might have been more comfortable, but if he has shoulder problems — remember his hs shoulder surgery — he might have been doomed pretty much regardless. unless the rice game injury was something fluky. i don’t know what happened.

as qb coach, i think harsin was pretty much winging it with respect to how to deal with garrett. i’m sure he had never had to deal with a qb who had been mishandled.