Texas Longhorns vs BYU Cougars Preview

Scouting Report: UT Defense

Obviously, the Texas coaching staff never felt like the game against NMSU was ever in danger, so rolling the dice on a first half drive wasn’t too hard of a call. They weren’t trying to insult NMSU, they were just trying to get off the field. However, after watching BYU’s Offense struggle against Virginia, I doubt that Texas is coming into Provo with any shortage of confidence either. A lot of people have written this BYU team off after week one, and maybe they’re right in doing so. But, good football teams and coaches always make their biggest leap in improvement from week 1 to week 2 of the season, and this is a great chance for the BYU offense to rise to the occasion against a very talented defense. They way you beat UT’s defense is the same way they try to beat you. Make 1 on 1 plays against them and pressure them to remove help from the box. The combination of Ross Apo, Cody Hoffman, and Mitch Matthews will have 1 on 1 opportunities against smaller defenders, and I cant think of a defensive back in the country that should be able to guard any one of those three man to man without safety help. If the BYU quarterback can get them the ball, Jamaal (Williams) can be Jamaal, and the O-Line can keep the Texas D out of the backfield, BYU will give itself a great chance on Saturday.

His post-mortem of the BYU / Virginia game also offers sold analysis of BYU's personnel, schemes and what went wrong in the critical 4th quarter third down call in the monsoon against UVA.

BYU ran 93 offensive plays for a total of 16 points and 4 turnovers. As stat guru Greg Wrubell tweeted after the game, NONE of BYU’s 18 drives took longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds. In my opinion, such low output is an anomaly for a Robert Anae offense, and there are a lot of positives to take away from the game. This game was a reality check for a lot of fans because of the high hopes for this offense, but at the same it must be remembered that this is the first time any one of these players have ever played a game in this scheme. Also, three or four starters on the O Line (depending on how you label Stringham and Kafu) were new, and the best player on the offense was on the sideline with an injured hamstring.

I’m not going to question the play calling on interception at the end of the game. It wasn’t a perfectly thrown ball, but it was definitely catchable. If Jamaal brings that in, BYU runs the clock out and the game is probably over. If the pass is tipped anywhere but up, BYU punts, and the defense probably wins the game. Going for a first down on 3rd and 5 doesn’t mean the coaching staff wasn’t giving the defense a chance to win the game. Nobody anticipated an interception and long return. In hindsight, obviously punting is a no brainer. Kick it 40 yards down field and let the defense seal the deal. But when you’re facing 3rd and makeable, you try to get a first down. Throwing a 5 yard out is not a risky play. Freaky things happen in football, and that’s just part of the game.

We'll post his preview of the UT offense and how BYU might defend it on Friday.

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h/t to Texas Hedge for the link