Longhorns Need to Start Playing Like They're Number Seven

by user ASwaff

Okay, so that doesn't quite have the ring of Buckeyes Need to Start Playing Like They're Numer One, but a similar principle applies. In the article about Ohio State University, the author pointed out that the Buckeyes tend to play down to their competition, which can cause some problems. The weakness for the University of Texas is not that they play down to the competition, but that (unlike other top-10 teams) they do not adjust to what the competition throws at them.

Texas can win against teams like Iowa State University based on pure talent. But the fact that their offensive scheme is the same, regardless of whether the opponent is ISU or OSU, speaks to a serious flaw in their game preparation.

One of the biggest problems is that UT runs way too many screen passes to their wide receivers. You wouldn't know it to look at the numbers for the game this Saturday, but Colt McCoy hardly threw a pass longer than 10 yards. His biggest gains came when he threw screens to Limas Sweed and let him make something out of it. This is Greg Davis' gem. He fell in love with that play in the days of Roy Williams and B.J. Johnson and he never let it go.

I don't know why, but somewhere along the way, he never figured out that screens only work if the defense isn't expecting them. Again, they work against teams like ISU, but against a defense like OSU's or Oklahoma's, that play will get stuffed almost every time.

Sometimes, Davis calls a slight variation on the wide receiver screen. My favorite is when he has the QB lined up in the shotgun. He takes the snap, runs a few steps to the left, and then spins and throws the ball to the right to a waiting receiver. Not only does this play not fool any cornerback playing above the middle school level, but it's an interception waiting to happen. What would compel an offensive coordinator to teach a young QB to throw blind passes like that is simply beyond my power to comprehend.

Texas also has a tendency to run a very conservative offense. That works fine if that's your game plan for wearing down the opponent's defense, or if you have a 21 point lead in the fourth quarter against an opponent with no hopes of catching up. Switching to a conservative offense with a 16 point lead in the first quarter is not wise. In the game this Saturday, the 'Horns jumped out to a 16 point lead within the first six minutes of the game, only to see their lead dwindle to 16-14.

They got their act together at the end of the second quarter to go into halftime with a 30-14 lead, but I don't understand why they backed off in the first place. What leads Greg Davis to call in plays like a four yard pass on third and nine?

I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll say it over and over until Greg Davis gets fired - this school has too much talent to play this way. I don't care what the numbers said when Vince Young was there, Davis is incapable of running a top-tier offense. Stop with the wide receiver screens, stop with the wide receiver routs that only get you four yards when you need nine...stop with the conservative play calling and start playing like a top 10 team!

Date

Sun 09/24/06, 9:58 pm EST

I am a cpcpMajor Leaguer

1161 days ago

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Nice :-)

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ASwaffAll-American

1161 days ago

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Glad you liked it.  :)

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DNLLegend

1161 days ago

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Most of the college game consists of coaches trying to force their system down the throats of both their team and the opponents. Great coaches can out-game many bad coaches, even if on-field talent tips toward the lesser brain.

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ASwaffAll-American

1161 days ago

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Yeah, we've definitely seen that down here in Texas. A lot of these seasons we've seen a Texas team that had more talent than some of the people we've lost to (Washington State, Texas Tech, and even Oklahoma a couple of years). Even though we had more talent on the field, we clearly were not as well-prepared as our opponents. And again, Davis' offense is extremely predictable. I'll give you another example. Texas played Oklahoma very close in a low-scoring game in 2001. The pivotal point was when OU had them penned on the goal line late in the game, I believe with a 7-3 lead. Earlier in the game, running back Brett Robin, who was strictly a blocking back, had hit Roy Williams low to block him on a blitz. In this goal line situation, Robin was in again, and tried the low hit again. Roy Williams jumped right over him, blocking Simms' pass right to Rocky Calmus, who ran it in for the touchdown. I've never been able to figure out why Robin would even have been in the game at that point. With him in the backfield, everyone knows it's a pass play. It's that kind of stuff that absolutely kills them.

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The sharkDraft Pick

1161 days ago

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Good article.

I haven't watched UT play as much as you have but it seems to me that every time I do watch them, they use the exact same gameplan. They don't seem to adjust for an opponent or during a game when necessary.

What is your take on this?

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ASwaffAll-American

1161 days ago

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That's exactly right. Chizick is pretty good about making defensive adjustments, like in last year's Rose Bowl when he fielded a slightly smaller, but faster defense to deal with Reggie Bush. But their offense makes absolutely no adjustments. No matter who they're playing, the game plan is short plays to wideouts and running backs and let them make something happen. Well, that doesn't work against good defenses that actually stick to their assignments and make their tackles. Like I said, those wide receiver screens will work if you use them occassionally, or if you use them against teams that don't make their tackles (like Iowa State). But against a defense that's actually good, that game plan won't work. But they never change it. That's why they need a new offensive coordinator if they ever hope to see sustained success.

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