Texas-BYU Preview: Scouting The Cougar Defense

Another Cougar Fan here. This is an excellent write-up.

The only critique I would offer is that you may be a little generous in your description of our secondary. While we have one pretty good safety in Daniel Sorensen, the rest of our secondary is very beatable. They are disciplined, but a good passing QB will tear us apart. We’ll see whether your QB is up to the task.

As for the running game, we have a freaky good run defense this year.

I think the most interesting matchup is going to be the BYU offense against the Texas defense. We were horrible on offense against Ol Miss until the 4th quarter, and our QB did well once he found his footing. This week we should get a chance to see the real Jake Heaps stand up, whichever one that may be.

Fantastic writeup. As others have mentioned, it is spot on and unbiased (really one of the best opposing team football writeups that I’ve ever read.) I can tell you guys have done your research. I have always had a great amount of respect for the University of Texas. I am very excited to see how well we will match up against you guys. IMO, This game will be decided based on UT’s ability to pass the football as we have one of the best front 7’s we’ve had in 20 years. If we can keep Gilbert’s passing yards to 300 or less I will like our chances a whole lot more. Win or lose, I’ll be cheering for you guys the rest of the way. Here’s to an injury-free and exciting football game

As much as Harsinwhite will actually be gameplanning for each opponent (stops to grab something sturdy while the room spins for a moment in giddy ecstasy), I think we’ve all learned the perils of assuming that there’s a bunch of sandbagging going on. Also, I recall that The Ohio State ran their entire trick package the week before they played Texas in 2005, to give our defense plenty to think about, and it didn’t help them much.

I wonder how well Harsin knows BYU?

The strength of Harsin’s system, the strength of BYU’s defense, and the weakness of Texas’ offensive line dictate some crazy lateral motion (and change of direction), and that will be fun to watch.

Sounds like this game is going to be a tale of two QBs. The guy who steps up will win the game. If neither guy steps up then this one might be almost as ugly as BYU’s game with Ole Miss. If both guys step up, it will be a great game to watch. I don’t expect a high scoring game even if the both QBs find their grooves, but watching both teams coming of age on offense would make for some interesting theater.

spider -

Harsin was the QB coach for BSU when they played a Gary Crowton-coached BYU in 2003 and 2004. Bronco Mendenhall was the D-Coordinator for BYU those years. He was running a 3-3-5 defense then, but has since switched to primarily a 3-4 defense. Under former coach Jaime Hill, the defense took on a “keep everything in front of you” demeanor, which was the antithesis of Bronco’s attacking defensive squads when he first came to BYU.

I’m not sure how much Harsin’s Prior exposure to Bronco’s defense will help him.

As a sidenote, Harsin was also the QB successor to Jake Plummer at my high school, so I hope to see him succeed (but not this week).

but they get their own planet is the early contender for tag of the season.

I think these byu boys are downplaying heaps a bit. I think he’s pretty decent and if we don’t get to him he might work our baby dbs more than we’d like. the comments on this thread are awesome and actually worth reading esp compared to what we’ve been bludgeoned w lately

“Pairing sweeps with Monroe/Shipley with the inside zone for Malcolm Brown is a nightmare for anyone. We really punished Rice on the edge and I suspect that they are a little better suited personnel-wise for handling speed on the edge than is BYU.”

This. Hurt them with the fly option/sweeps, run the inside zone at them off of it, mix in some play action, and add some RB screen game with a dollop of sweep turned wheel route and you’re cooking with gas.

It will at least give us some alternatives to pure spread sets the entire game, or anything that has Trey Allen pass blocking without help unless it’s by design.

I think the correct term to describe the anticipatory feelings on the BYU game would be “fear boner.”

byu fan, awesome review, nearly spot on on everything

however, myself being the byu fan i am havent had confidence in our secondary in who knows how long, i feel like everytime a team passes on us it is gonna be caught. We keep hearing that this years secondary is improved and deeper but i dont know if thats true.

texas will win if gilbert can hit his targets as i dont think texas will get much of a ground game going against our front seven, you will be better than ole miss i imagine but not good enough to keep you in the game is gilbert cant throw with consistency.

heres to a good game saturday.

go cougs!

(BYU FAN) - Great article, great comments. One issue - the whole lack of team speed thing - NOT TRUE. Watch the film of the OleMiss game - consistently beat “the best offensive line in the SEC” (ok, I didn’t buy it either) off the edge - broke down their blocking schemes with power up the middle and speed off the edge. The two big receivers (6’3" and 6’4") are both 4.4’s - not 4.3’s, but, still 4.4 is NOT a lack of speed.

Not saying this to use it as justification for why BYU beats Texas - just want to clear up misconception. I had no problem saying we’d beat OleMiss; this game I just don’t have an opinion as to who wins.

GREAT pickup, BTW of Harsin - just outstanding.

the fear boner- in one single moment it’s cowardly, gay, homophobic and racist. The perfect quadfecta. When does the League start up again ? I hope the lockout doesn’t cause the season to be delayed.

Re the game- if this were last year and I read this preview, I’d be terrified. We may lose but knowing Harsinwhite will actually attack the defense’s weaknesses gives me hope. If I had to bet on this though, I’d take BYU plus the 6.5

Having paddled a kayak across Kealakekua Bay to stand next to the Captain Cook monument, and luckily finding the marker for Captain Cook’s actual place of death, I endorse this message, and agree with the visual image of the BYU DL.

Oh, and I should be at the tailgate…no skull loin cloth, however.

Hook ’em!

Wow! Great write-up and some excellent responses from the usual suspects and from BYU fans. If this thread is any indication of what playing BYU will be like I hope we can end up in a conference with them. It looks like it’s going to be a great game.

Great analysis overall of the defense, and plenty of guys have commented on the strength of thenfront 7, but one thing you mentioned that should be emphasized more is how much the defense is a reflection of Bronco Mendenhall. When he took over as DC last year, the defense instantly became better. They played some lighter competition, but they also played with more discipline and heart. The reason why that’s important is the Harsin/trickeration factor. The secondary may be exploitable, especially on trick plays, but you still have to execute against a swarming, hard-hitting front 7. What that also ignores is that even if you draw up the world’s best trick plays and schemes, you still have to execute them. With an admittedly young and inexperienced team at UT, genius schemes won’t save them from an inability to execute the basics at a high level.

That’s where we get back to Bronco and his philosophy - he isn’t worried about tricking anyone, he wants his players to play disciplined at a high enough level that the diffence in
success is flawless or near flawless execution. I was pointed out earlier that the D line isn’t
imposing individually, but together they played great against Ole Miss. That really goes for the entire front 7, which due to a combined effort of great line play and linebackers stuffed the run game on an O-line that averaged 6-4 and 320 or something, with “SEC quality” running backs. If you want to beat that front 7, you had better be able to execute cleanly and consistently no matter what the scheme is.

Last thing - I was in the stands at Ole Miss, at the end where the fumble and touchdown took place. Prior to that play, the defense was obviously feeling that it was in control. They were reacting to the BYU crowd that was there, and they had all but broken the spirit for the offensive unit that was out there. It showed when you have Van Noy rushing from the edge to hit the QB almost untouched, and he arrived just barely before Manumaleuna (say it with me) from his end position. Manumaleuna had so much momentum, despite pushing his man all the way into the backfield, that he overran the fumble with his momentum and Van Noy got the second chance to scoop and score. That defense imposed its will at the end of the game, and if they frustrate a suspect UT O early, it could get really ugly.

I wish I were able to cash in another kitchen pass and make the trip to Austin. At least I get to see the game on TV this year. BTW, to their immense credit, the Ole Miss fans were a dignified class act before and after the game. Their most common comment was, “We’re glad you came to the game.” Good luck to y’all. I hope we hang a quality win on you, but that you otherwise win out this year.

Great write-up as usual. Welcome to the crowd of polite and informed BYU fans. You guys make your school look great. I too believe this game is going to be a coming of age for one or more QBs, hopefully in a good way. Here’s to exciting play and no injuries.

Regarding the team age difference:

As has been mentioned, many byu players serve two year missions and then require a red-shirt year to get back in shape.

I think another factor may be that Texas puts more players into the NFL with more leaving before their senior yr. BYU rarely has a player good enough to leave early.

Thus Texas completes with very skilled youth (because that is what they have) and BYU competes with not quite so skilled older players with more experience (because that is what they have).

How many Texas freshmen are starting? Please feel free to start your older players if you like.

Garrett Gilbert will be the starting QB this season and the next, no matter how he performs. That was the understanding. Ash will start in 2013.

Couple of questions:

Is Gilbert dumb? Honestly, I’d never heard the guy talk until the Rice post-game interview on the sideline. I’ve heard of the “problem between his ears” but always assumed people were talking about his, uh, mental state of mind rather than his capacity to grasp the playbook and/or process reads in real time. I’m not trying to be snarky; I’m just curious.

Second, since Colt went from 97 lbs. to double that from his first year to the next, what happened with Case? I always speculated that Colt smuggled in some HGH from Matamoros but regardless, he beefed up quite a bit in one offseason. Why does Case still look like a high school senior? Couldn’t he muscle a ball further than 15 yards if he drank some of Colt’s miracle tonic?

Like Dagga said, the comments from BYU fans have been refreshing. Y’all are welcome anytime.

I wonder if GG can run the hurry up offense to prevent BYU from subbing so frequently?

Interesting analysis. Will be great to read your analysis of our offense versus your defense. The TX speed versus BYU power argument is interesting, but probably not entirely accurate. Since the BYU D-Line is big and did well against the Ole Miss O-Line (massive), they will hold blocks well and make it difficult to run inside, so Texas will need to make its hay to the outside and the edge, or with misdirection. The outside LBs for BYU have very good speed - watch them run down Ole Miss backs from the backside multiple times. BYU legitimately can rotate 8 guys at LB without much drop-off in their run defense, and they can rotate 6 on the D-line without much drop-off either, so TX will most likely test them through the air. Watching the Ole Miss vs. BYU game, it’s clear that BYU is open to exploitation in the secondary. Though the TX receivers might be young, using the pass to set up the run might be the best strategy for attacking the BYU defense. It will be a great chess match!

Bronco Mendenhall had some things to say about Harsin and the offense:

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700176630/BYU-football-notebook-Longhorn-offense-resembles-Boise-St.html

“the rest of our secondary is very beatable. They are disciplined, but a good passing QB will tear us up”

How bout a bad passing QB? we have several of those.

Good analysis.

Can we tear Ashcraft away from his role as wildcat extraordinaire to have him face off with Fuga in sumo wrestling?

Good Analysis. Hopefully Harsinwhite can exploit BYUs weaknesses

As a huge BYU fan I am glad to see an article from another team that is unbiased. I think you bring out great points on both sides for both teams. I look forward to the game on Saturday to see how it actually plays out because I think it will be a chess match. Keep up the good work on the blog!

Great write up and comments.

Bronco Mendenhall seems to have a stop the run first mentality. I think teams that want to run first in order to open up the pass will play right into what he wants them to do. Now - at some point a team will come along that can manage to do it - but he will put everyone in the box to stop the run if that’s what he thinks it will take.

He also walks a fine line between playing an attacking style and playing to keep the ball in front of his defense and wait for the offense to make a mistake. What I mean is, he will pick his spots to throw a blitz in and keep you on your toes. But he tends to have the corners play off the WR’s and give plenty of space to them. If you are comfortable taking the 5-6 yard gains with short passes on the outside, it seems like Bronco is comfortable letting you have them and will wait until you miss one or two in order to get into a 3rd and long.

Anyway - if I were playing BYU I think I’d be very tempted to just run multiple plays that let a receiver (or TE or RB) catch the ball 4-5 yards down field and see if they can get some RAC. Even if they don’t, 4-6 yards a play will keep getting you first downs. Eventually Bronco will have to react - which would open up the running game.

Maybe I’m missing something, but I’m not sure why more teams don’t do this against BYU - it seems like Bronco is content to give up those short throws all game long.

Anyway - looking forward to a good game Saturday. It’s fun to be playing some good competition as a measuring stick to see where we stand.

In some game this year a team will get to GG and he will be ineffectual. Then Ash and the wildcat come in to give UT an effective offense. I am thinking of a bigger version of GG in the red zone with Rice turning in FGs. Harsin subbed in the wildcat in the red zone and got TDs.

I do not know if BYU is that game or not but I do hope we at least see Harsin throwing a few balls down the field this week. At some point we will probably need that.

We run early & often with B&B (Brown & Bergeron)
Here’s why:
*DL out due to academics
*1 linebacker out-concussion
*1 linebacker questionable quad

• strong safety questionable knee
  Spread the field … run some double tight end shifts & let the big dogs eat. This in turn will set up the play action & expect to see Ash in on some of those type "packages "
  Hook’Em

Scip,

Thanks for the write-up. It seems like we need to thank God we have HarsinWhite and not GDGD for this game. This is the type of situation where he excels at making me consider taking my own life.

Misdirection and using the field to create situations where someone needs to make a tackle in the open field seems to be the way to win and we’ve got the horses if we can protect the QB and he throws it to the right guys (where have I heard that before). However, this time I think we have the advantage of scheme and coaching.

I don’t think we need extensive trickeration here, but a few deep balls to keep them honest, Jaxson playing Wes Welker with precise underneath route running when the backers drop, and personnel grouping that increase the number of DB’s they use.

Based on your write-up I would think swings and quick routes would work better than screens where tough LB’s can fight through blocks. Thoughts?

Los Horns -
 
I agree on your last point. The reason I mentioned screens though is that BYU will occasionally run a jailbreak blitz. And if you can catch them in a corner blitz when you have a RB screen on, you’ve got a really big play.
 
The swings and quick routes may move the chains, but they don’t have the big play potential. If we’re going to score on BYU, it’s not going to be with 13 play, 80 yard drives.

Reading your articles and blogs are so much more entertaining and informative then ours. Why is that? Cause were “stone cold sober”? Maybe its just because you’ve been at it so much longer then almost everyone else in the nation or maybe because since everything is bigger in TX you have a better grasp on the bigger picture. Every time I read BYU blogs from a BYU-related article some pissed-off Ute jumps on and starts bashing our brains in - no matter who we’re playing; it’s annoying.

As a former Dallas-man I tip my Texas hat to you and your bloggers for a great non-bias scouting report and comments. Personally I hope both our two storied teams end up playing each other every year as independents in the near future. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/832586-four-reasons-byu-and-university-of-texas-fates-are-intertwined

Someone mentioned it earlier on the thread but i’d just like to reiterate and give props to the byu fans commenting on here; i’ve found all of your post informative (which is definitely a change from other opposing fans who venture to this site) and y’all are nice and polite.

I’m for sure eagerrified for this game.

I’m not too excited for the comments that are going to be made about our team all throughout the game because I think it will be a close game; the first half of the rice game was almost unbearable due to the idiocy spewing from our dumbass fan’s mouths. I’d say about 70% of the fans around me had no clue who guys like Ash and John Harris were, or Joe B. for that matter.

Should be a good one, hook em.

idiocy spewing from our dumbass fan’s mouths.

Until the “major” “media” get their heads out of their asses and quit pretending this internet thing isn’t happening, the majority of fandom is going to continue to be every bit as clueless as Kirk Bohls and his cohort. Don’t discount the effects of ignorance (the state of having ignored or disregarded) - even the homer announcers on the LHN could be heard going “Doh! Why are the coaches burning David Ash’s shirt? What’s going on here? Wuh-wuh-wuh?” and those fuckers are getting PAID to know…

Cut ‘em (the dumbass fans) some slack… they (dumbass fans) may be too fucking lazy to read, but at least they’re buying tickets and contributing to the upkeep of the Longhorn Juggernaut-in-training.

“Maybe its just because you’ve been at it so much longer then almost everyone else in the nation or maybe because since everything is bigger in TX you have a better grasp on the bigger picture.”

I would love to claim ScipioTex is just a run-of-the-mill Texas fan who writes very well, but that’s just not the case. We have our share of morons (well, the Aggies may have taken a share of our share of morons) like everybody else. We’re just lucky to have a handful of great bloggers and contributors who keep their heads on straight.

For a brilliant look at Harsin/Texas offense, read the LonghornScott series on this site.

Again, welcome to you Cougars. Be nice to set up a regular game with y’all.

Slightly off-topic (here, but not overall) for the Cougar fans (hat tip from me, too, although not surprised - I have a very good friend who’s LDS and relatives in cattle country all the way from Nebraska through Idaho, some of whom are also LDS) - okay, let me stop effusing and ask my question of you Cougs - how do you feel about the rumored BYU-to-Big XII move?

“Alternatively, Texas can go Wildcat or attack the edges with Monroe and Whittaker and force the Cougs to tackle better athletes out on the edge with less turnover exposure. Get them off balance and then the rest of the offense opens up. That means an expanded role for David Ash and our various Wildcat QBs (Shipley, Whittaker, Hales, Ash, Harris, Ashcraft).

This. Make those big boys hesitate, think, then scramble like hell to try to get to keep up with our speed. Sounds like an exhausting night for them and a productive one for us.

Fong,

You will find BYU fans run the gauntlet from, “No, Never. Independence and the WCC all the way”, to, “I’ll quit and become a Yewt (Ute) if we turn down a B-XII invite”. If we had been asked soon after Nebraska and Colorado left, I am sure that the answer would have been a resounding, YES. Now things aren’t nearly as cut and dried.

The thought of competing with the likes of OU and TX year in and year out in football, and Kansas and others in basketball really gets the juices flowing. On the other hand, the B-XII hasn’t exactly proven itself to be the most stable conference in college athletics. Is the league even going to be around in a year or two? Independence also carries with it the promise of competing with team across the nation from all the conferences. Will that promise be fulfilled? There really hasn’t been enough time to figure that out.

There is also the problem of the physical distance between us and your schools. This will be keenly felt with the non-revenue sports. The WCC is a far better fit for us logistically in that regard.

Speaking of the WCC, we just joined them. We were the first full member they’ve added in thirty years. Leaving so soon just doesn’t sit well with a lot of fans, alumni, and (from what I hear) the administration. The situation is just plain awkward, especially since they have been so wonderful and welcoming to us. Trying to extract ourselves gracefully from that situation without burning bridges would be very delicate task.

A commonly made suggestion I’ve heard multiple times on many boards is that we join the Big-XII as a football-only member for a while. That would allow us to (a) gracefully met our WCC obligations, (b) help you guys where you need it the most, and © provide us cover if the conference were to implode.

We shall see what we shall see.

To all the BYU fans who have posted here thus far:

Your respectful, well-informed input and civil comments have been admirable. What a class act! You bring honor to your school and you are indeed a worthy opponent. My compliments to you all. Let’s pray for a clean, injury-free game where both sides can leave feeling proud of their teams as well as its fans.

BYU Texan -
 
Thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed it here. Stick around.
 
If we go independent, don’t be surprised if an annual Texas-BYU game becomes a fixture in our seasons.

I could really get used to playing Texas… well if BYU doesn’t join the Big 12 at least we have a couple more games to play over the next couple of years.

I am not sure who will get the W this saturday but I do think that the team that does will get a serious boost of confidence. Here’s to a great and injury-free game! I hope we don’t get hooked! Good luck Longhorns

Great scouting report. As a BYU fan, I couldn’t be more impressed. I will be coming to Austin for the first time in my life to watch the game. Can’t wait to check the place out and experience a big time football game. I wish Jason Boland or the Randy Rogers Band were playing in Austin this weekend, that would make my trip complete.

“Smells like turnovers to me.” ~ Scipio Tex

Thus goes the game. Something tells me Manny better get his 3 TOs or keep a healthy supply of ‘Shout’ for the treadmarks.

I graduated from the University of Texas (I saw Jesus’ blue shirt at the tailgate, where I did not drink), and am also a returned missionary from the LDS church. BYU is my second favorite school. Those extra 2 years when I was gone was a big difference in “man weight”. Looking at my pictures and other friends’, we go out boys and come back looking like men. It’s definitely a big difference. Most of the BYU guys dont take their redshirt their freshman year. The ones that go on a mission (half?) come back (and almost none of us are able to work out for the 2 years) and THEN take their redshirt year, getting back into shape and practicing. So I’m a firm believer that the mission helps. Is it a huge difference? Nah, but 24-26 year olds playing against freshman (we played 18 of them last weekend). Yeah, it’s a factor.

Hey Carter:

I appreciate your comments as a guy who was a missionary for the LDS church. But I think you have to look at the fact that there are both pro’s and con’s to players serving missions.

Pro’s: The players are a couple of years older and more mature. This means they are typically bigger. This means they may be more focused and prepared for school work, etc.

Con’s: Players may choose to transfer after they return (BYU has both gained and lost some). Some players never do get back into playing shape, or never do get back up their speed. Some players never get back the aggressiveness and don’t do well. Due to no working out for 2 years, it is common for players to get a serious injury - even from no contact. Also, some of those more mature players begin to focus on the future of jobs, families, etc., and decide football isn’t that important any more.

Also - it’s got to be a headache for coaches to play around players who may or may not leave for 2 years in the middle of their playing years. Tough to develop a future depth chart and anticipate what positions you are going to need to recruit for.

In all honesty - if you ask most BYU fans, they would tell you that they want players to go on a mission for the personal growth and experience. However, if it was just all about football, they would prefer that they not go.

Personally, I think it might be an advantage for a lineman, and may even work to benefit a LB or TE. But for the DB’s, WR’s, RB’s, and QB’s - BYU has had VERY few who went on a mission and returned to be real playmakers.

Scipio:
“The swings and quick routes may move the chains, but they don’t have the big play potential. If we’re going to score on BYU, it’s not going to be with 13 play, 80 yard drives.”

But these short, quick passes minimize the need for the UT OL to block the BYU front 7. They also set up the BYU D for double moves and pump and go passes. They also minimize picks and sacks. They also keep possession of the ball, wearing down the BYU D and resting the UT D. They also set up runs after an initial pass fake (play action running).

To start the game, expect to see lots of short quick passes, outside running, and rollouts. DJ Monroe should run several jet sweeps. This will set up play action passing after a fake to DJ running wide.

Gilbert probably rolls out a bunch for either passes or runs. Harsin should not initially challenge the BYU front 7 by asking the UT OL to either pass block for more than a second or to run block for runs up the middle. UT probably does run the spread to force BYU to replace an LB with a DB. It is not likely that BYU can defend the spread well with a standard front 7, 2 CBs and 2 safeties.

I doubt UT between the tackles much until after BYU is forced to replace an LB with a DB.

Minimizing turnovers will be key for the horns in this low scoring game. More than 2 turnovers and the horns will likely lose. Look to see Ash doing his triple threat thing on mid field punts.

It would not be surprising to see the horns pass a few times from the wild horn with the wild horn qb rolling out, lateraling to the normal qb (lined up at WR for this play) who then passes.

My guess is that Goodwin plays and mainly runs deep as fast as he can. Should demand double coverage, wear out the BYU DBs, and alarm the BYU DC.

If I would give advice to UT, I would say WR screens or stop routes will be effective for good first or second down yardage against BYU, and is just a broken tackle away from being a huge play. I dont know why but BYU corners frequently will play 10 yards off and be back peddling when the ball is snapped (like 1st-10, or 2nd-7). I think that would be effective against BYU if your QB GG could read it pre-snap. BYU wants to pass the short and intermediate routes and move the chains. Run the ball to open up the pass. BYU was rebuilding a year ago, but this offense still is and wants to be a dominant pass first team. John Beck and Max Hall were 300 pass yds a game players from 2005-2009, and all of Cougar Nation is hoping Heaps will be the next great BYU QB. However, just as analyzed, he is is overrated in that he has sky high expectations. The fact is that the current QB lacks toughness and is scared of getting hit. Hit him early and it will take him a quarter or two to get back into rhythm.

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