It's homecoming weekend, and unfortunately extra commitments and responsibilities the past few days limit the amount of time I can spend with a keyboard. I definitely wanted to spend some time discussing Texas, as I find this particular game very intriguing and pivotal.
Texas is perennially the biggest enigma in the Big 12 when it comes to football. They always look the part and carry advantages into every game, but they seldom possess the intangibles needed for the type of success required to contend for the conference championship. This year is not much different. Texas enters the game in Stillwater on a bit of a roll, but have flashed a handful of weaknesses that could thwart a possible run to the Big 12 championship.
Make no mistake, coming from behind to defeat Iowa State in Austin last week was a breakthrough for a Longhorn team that has struggled to close out games in the fourth quarter. Despite the Cyclone deficiencies on offense that gave the Texas offense opportunities to come back, the Longhorn offense still had to execute down the stretch and make clutch plays. More than anything else tomorrow', whether or not Texas turned the corner in figuring out how to finish contested ball games will come into center focus.
Defensively, Texas is really big, strong, and experienced up front. The Cowboy offensive line will have a real challenge in blocking Keondre Coburn, T'Vondre Sweat, and Ovie Oghoufo in the run game. Those three are difficult to move off the line of scrimmage, and they have shown to be very tough against the run all season long. The Cowboys are hopeful that Preston Wilson will be able to go this week, but no matter who is at center, the entire line is going to have to elevate their level of play in order to have an effective interior run game. Look for the Cowboys to borrow both from the game plan against Baylor and the Iowa State film from last week. The Cowboys will try to get that defensive line moving sideline to sideline with a variety of quick throws, jet sweeps, screens, and stretch plays without abandoning the interior run game. Eventually, the cut back lanes should be there for some creases as the linebackers tend to over pursue their run fits later in games. That said, this will be the most difficult run game challenge that OSU has faced this season.
DeMarvion Overshown is they key guy that holds things together for the Longhorns from is SAM position. He is smart and physical. When he is not in the game, the Texas defense struggles. The Cowboys like to put linebackers into conflict by design in order to mitigate their impact on the game. This is where a lot of the QB run game plays out. Jaylin Ford (MIKE) is a solid tackler and hole plugger. HIs interception against ISU in the end zone kept Texas in the game, so he is emerging as a playmaker. Barryn Sorrell plays their hybrid "Jack" position and provides a solid pass rushing threat on the edge. At times, Texas will move him around the formation on 3rd downs. The linebackers do a really good job in attacking the run game downhill in between the tackles and allowing the speed of the secondary to pursue plays to the edge. (It is absolutely critical that the Cowboys get good perimeter blocking from the WRs in this game for both the run and screen game.)
The Texas defense is not consistent in generating pressure as their ends are average pass rushers. They rely on coverage to force quarterbacks to hold the ball too long, allowing the pocket to collapse from the inside. They have shown a willingness to put a spy on running quarterbacks and be content with their ends playing a controlled, contain style pass rush. They will blitz, but not often, and will not bring the house. Everything for them is geared around stopping the run and dropping deep to take away deep pass plays. Where they have had problems is being too soft in coverage behind the pass rush, and fairly reluctant to this point in the season to take away blitz-side hot routes, allowing quarterbacks to complete those short routes and convert a higher percentage of 3rd downs. This is one area that the Cowboys must win. They must convert on 3rd downs better than Texas which is not far fetched given the numbers that both defenses have produced recently. The corners are talented. Ryan Watts had to leave the game in the first half last week, but it sounds like he should be able to go against the Cowboys. He will make it difficult for the Cowboys to throw into the boundary in contested catch situations. The other corner (D'Shawn Jamison) has been playing solid football. He grades out better in man coverage, but Texas has utilized him in zone far more often. The insistence in keeping the safeties back has made them vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks.
Offensively, there are some unknowns for Oklahoma State, including possible limitations and scheme adjustments due to injuries (guys being banged up). That said, the blueprint really will not change much as both teams are who they are, and it's documented on film. The keys remain constant. Quarterback play is obviously essential, both as a distributor and a playmaker. Receivers must find open spaces in the zone, win individual match-ups against man, and complete catches. There is not enough margin for this team to overcome many drops, miscommunications, or poor throws. Look for the inside receivers, backs, and cowboy backs to have a more prominent role in sustaining drives and creating issues for the defense.
On the other side of the ball, Texas has star individual skill players, creative play construction, and a young (but talented) offensive line. The Cowboys will be committed to stopping the run game, not wanting Robinson and Johnson to feast on the ground. Secondarily, they will want to drop safeties back on Worthy's side of the field like they did last week for Johnson at TCU, keeping everything in front of them. Texas has other weapons, and if they utilize them fully, it could be difficult for the Cowboys' back seven. Whittington and Sanders (TE) will be the guys with match-up advantages, and how those battles go will be telling of how well the Cowboys contain the Texas offense.
Quinn Ewers is a talented quarterback. He has excellent arm talent (arm strength/velocity), and when allowed to stand in the pocket and deliver throws can be very accurate on all the routes within 25 yards of the line of scrimmage. His accuracy diminishes under pressure and when throwing deep balls down the sideline. It will be very interesting to see how he responds to his first road game. To this point he has done nothing but show poise, but what happens if OSU gets pressure on him while taking away his hot route? Will he throw into the coverage? There is not enough film to really know how he will respond. He has the talent to make the plays, but his lack of game experience can slow down decision making enough to make a difference on the effectiveness of the pass rush. Expect Texas to follow the Texas Tech game plan of peppering the perimeter with WR screens and running backs on vertical routes. Texas gets excellent blocking from #4 and #0 on the edge, so the corners are going to have to fight through blocks and limit yards after catch. Ewers throws a very catchable ball, so you don't see a lot of dropped passes.
Texas has been solid on Special Teams, making a few big plays, but overall OSU has arguably the best Special Teams unit in the country, so it plays out as a big advantage for the Cowboys, especially if the game stays close. The wild card tomorrow could be the impact of wind, as it may be blowing pretty good in the afternoon 20+mph.
Let's hope the results of the game allow Homecoming to have two nights of big celebrating!
Texas is perennially the biggest enigma in the Big 12 when it comes to football. They always look the part and carry advantages into every game, but they seldom possess the intangibles needed for the type of success required to contend for the conference championship. This year is not much different. Texas enters the game in Stillwater on a bit of a roll, but have flashed a handful of weaknesses that could thwart a possible run to the Big 12 championship.
Make no mistake, coming from behind to defeat Iowa State in Austin last week was a breakthrough for a Longhorn team that has struggled to close out games in the fourth quarter. Despite the Cyclone deficiencies on offense that gave the Texas offense opportunities to come back, the Longhorn offense still had to execute down the stretch and make clutch plays. More than anything else tomorrow', whether or not Texas turned the corner in figuring out how to finish contested ball games will come into center focus.
Defensively, Texas is really big, strong, and experienced up front. The Cowboy offensive line will have a real challenge in blocking Keondre Coburn, T'Vondre Sweat, and Ovie Oghoufo in the run game. Those three are difficult to move off the line of scrimmage, and they have shown to be very tough against the run all season long. The Cowboys are hopeful that Preston Wilson will be able to go this week, but no matter who is at center, the entire line is going to have to elevate their level of play in order to have an effective interior run game. Look for the Cowboys to borrow both from the game plan against Baylor and the Iowa State film from last week. The Cowboys will try to get that defensive line moving sideline to sideline with a variety of quick throws, jet sweeps, screens, and stretch plays without abandoning the interior run game. Eventually, the cut back lanes should be there for some creases as the linebackers tend to over pursue their run fits later in games. That said, this will be the most difficult run game challenge that OSU has faced this season.
DeMarvion Overshown is they key guy that holds things together for the Longhorns from is SAM position. He is smart and physical. When he is not in the game, the Texas defense struggles. The Cowboys like to put linebackers into conflict by design in order to mitigate their impact on the game. This is where a lot of the QB run game plays out. Jaylin Ford (MIKE) is a solid tackler and hole plugger. HIs interception against ISU in the end zone kept Texas in the game, so he is emerging as a playmaker. Barryn Sorrell plays their hybrid "Jack" position and provides a solid pass rushing threat on the edge. At times, Texas will move him around the formation on 3rd downs. The linebackers do a really good job in attacking the run game downhill in between the tackles and allowing the speed of the secondary to pursue plays to the edge. (It is absolutely critical that the Cowboys get good perimeter blocking from the WRs in this game for both the run and screen game.)
The Texas defense is not consistent in generating pressure as their ends are average pass rushers. They rely on coverage to force quarterbacks to hold the ball too long, allowing the pocket to collapse from the inside. They have shown a willingness to put a spy on running quarterbacks and be content with their ends playing a controlled, contain style pass rush. They will blitz, but not often, and will not bring the house. Everything for them is geared around stopping the run and dropping deep to take away deep pass plays. Where they have had problems is being too soft in coverage behind the pass rush, and fairly reluctant to this point in the season to take away blitz-side hot routes, allowing quarterbacks to complete those short routes and convert a higher percentage of 3rd downs. This is one area that the Cowboys must win. They must convert on 3rd downs better than Texas which is not far fetched given the numbers that both defenses have produced recently. The corners are talented. Ryan Watts had to leave the game in the first half last week, but it sounds like he should be able to go against the Cowboys. He will make it difficult for the Cowboys to throw into the boundary in contested catch situations. The other corner (D'Shawn Jamison) has been playing solid football. He grades out better in man coverage, but Texas has utilized him in zone far more often. The insistence in keeping the safeties back has made them vulnerable to mobile quarterbacks.
Offensively, there are some unknowns for Oklahoma State, including possible limitations and scheme adjustments due to injuries (guys being banged up). That said, the blueprint really will not change much as both teams are who they are, and it's documented on film. The keys remain constant. Quarterback play is obviously essential, both as a distributor and a playmaker. Receivers must find open spaces in the zone, win individual match-ups against man, and complete catches. There is not enough margin for this team to overcome many drops, miscommunications, or poor throws. Look for the inside receivers, backs, and cowboy backs to have a more prominent role in sustaining drives and creating issues for the defense.
On the other side of the ball, Texas has star individual skill players, creative play construction, and a young (but talented) offensive line. The Cowboys will be committed to stopping the run game, not wanting Robinson and Johnson to feast on the ground. Secondarily, they will want to drop safeties back on Worthy's side of the field like they did last week for Johnson at TCU, keeping everything in front of them. Texas has other weapons, and if they utilize them fully, it could be difficult for the Cowboys' back seven. Whittington and Sanders (TE) will be the guys with match-up advantages, and how those battles go will be telling of how well the Cowboys contain the Texas offense.
Quinn Ewers is a talented quarterback. He has excellent arm talent (arm strength/velocity), and when allowed to stand in the pocket and deliver throws can be very accurate on all the routes within 25 yards of the line of scrimmage. His accuracy diminishes under pressure and when throwing deep balls down the sideline. It will be very interesting to see how he responds to his first road game. To this point he has done nothing but show poise, but what happens if OSU gets pressure on him while taking away his hot route? Will he throw into the coverage? There is not enough film to really know how he will respond. He has the talent to make the plays, but his lack of game experience can slow down decision making enough to make a difference on the effectiveness of the pass rush. Expect Texas to follow the Texas Tech game plan of peppering the perimeter with WR screens and running backs on vertical routes. Texas gets excellent blocking from #4 and #0 on the edge, so the corners are going to have to fight through blocks and limit yards after catch. Ewers throws a very catchable ball, so you don't see a lot of dropped passes.
Texas has been solid on Special Teams, making a few big plays, but overall OSU has arguably the best Special Teams unit in the country, so it plays out as a big advantage for the Cowboys, especially if the game stays close. The wild card tomorrow could be the impact of wind, as it may be blowing pretty good in the afternoon 20+mph.
Let's hope the results of the game allow Homecoming to have two nights of big celebrating!
