View From The Cheap Seats Texas Tech

It was nice to finally watch a Texas v. Tech game that really seemed like the Longhorns had it in hand all game. Granted, the Horns gave up 43 points, but there were very few moments that you felt like Texas was not going to win this handily. No 21 point comebacks, no last second drives, no missed FG for the win. It was relaxing.

The Good:

Colt McCoy- What can you say? It was as if Colt was channeling Vince Young for most of this game. A quick glance at his stat line will give you all you need to know about his performance: 21-30 for 280 yards and 4 TDs. Colt also added 51 yards on the ground and 2 rushing TDs. Some quick, simple math tells us that Colt scored 6 TDs. That's good. But beyond the stats, Colt's drive after Tech had just scored on a 2 play drive, late in the 4th, really sealed up the game for Texas. Up by only 8, Colt pulled off a double spin, tackle breaking, 20 yard run to put Texas up by 15 and leave Tech in the dust. This was colt's best game of the year.

Greg Davis- This may have also been Davis' best game of the year. How do you beat Tech? you don't let them have the ball. Well, Texas ran 95 plays to Tech's 55. Texas had the ball for 40 minutes, to Tech's 20. Now, granted some of this was because the average Raider TD drive lasted around 45 seconds, but Davis' offense did everything it needed to do to win. He ran it when he needed. Jamaal Charles ran for 165 yards... In the first half! And the offense was balanced and powerful: 283 rushing yards and 268 passing yards.

The Bad:

4th Quarter Defense- Look. 99% of defenses are not going to flat-out stop the Raider offense. The plan has to be to tackle well, give up the yards, but do not allow touchdowns. This is what Texas was able to do for 3 quarters. But Tech exploded in the 4th to rack up 23 points and scored 2 TDs in a total of 3 offensive plays. Texas gave up a 1 play, 75 yards touchdown drive and a 2 play 40 yard drive. If the offense had not been clicking on all cylinders, this might have been a problem. It just looked like the defense got tired and quit. But, hey, Texas won. So I guess I shouldn't nitpick.

The Ugly:

Post Game Press Conference- Once again, Mike Leach likes to say things. And those things are usually insane. The post game presser was no different. Apparently, giving up almost 60 points is not the reason that Tech lost... It was the residence of one of the referees. Specifically, one of the refs was from Austin. Leach connected the dots (all 2 of them) and came to the conclusion that if a call went against his Raiders, it was in direct correlation to where the ref's home was. Now, I usually like Leach when he is drunk and crazy, but when you are a poor loser, it makes it not so endearing. Play some defense, Mike.
Tech's "Defense"- Tech's defense is like law school. You think and joke about how hard it is, but until you actually go though it, you just can't even explain it. Such is the Raider D. You always hear their bad, people are always joking about it, but until you actually see how bad they are, you just have no real idea. No tackling what-so-ever. Texas punted ONCE. They had 2 drives that did not end in points (the other was a Colt goal-line INT). You just wonder what Leach's teams could do if they could just hold opponents to under 50 points a game. But, like an ex-girlfriend that needs your help, that's not our problem.

View From The Cheap Seats: Nebraska

The Good

Jamaal Charles in the 4th Quarter- You can't argue with a quarter that saw Charles come within 6 yards of the most productive quarter in NCAA runningback history. Charles ripped off TD runs of 25, 86 and 40 on his way to a 216 yard quarter. This was the running that everyone has wanted to see and expected from Charles and the Texas offense. Granted, all this happened against Nebraska (who happens to have the worst rushing defense in the nation), but Texas got the yards when they desperately needed them. Also, Charles eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark for the season. With as much bad publicity as the running game has received this year, its nice to see Texas with another 1,000 yard rusher only 9 games into the year.

Second-half Defense- After a first half full of wide open receivers in the middle of the field and a lack of 3rd down defense, the Longhorns stepped up and forced Nebraska to six straight 3-and-outs in the 2nd half. Perhaps the biggest stop of the day was when Colt was intercepted in Texas territory and the defense gave up no points and forced a Cornhusker punt. Sergio Kindle had his best day as a Longhorn with 8 tackles, a sack and pass break up.

The Bad

First-half Play Calling- It was almost too late when Greg Davis remembered that Nebraska had one of the worst rushing defenses in the nation. I do not exaggerate when i say that Nebraska blitzed Colt EVER SINGLE PLAY. Colt was hit hard and even knocked out for a play (which is becoming too routine). But inexplicably, Davis held strong to his "pass first" philosophy until the 4th quarter when he finally just started giving Charles the ball. If Davis had been on his game in the 1st half, Jamaal may have had 400 yards on the day and Texas could have sailed in to a nice easy victory. But seemingly on cue, Davis made it a close game with his stubborn play calling.

The Secondary- I think somewhere Nate Swift is still running wide open in the middle of the field. On his 2 TD grabs, there was no defender within 20 yards of Swift. Part of that blame lies with the inexperience of freshman safety Ishie Oduegwu and linebackers Jared Norton and Sergio Kindle, but wow, Swift sure was wide open for some big plays. The secondary allowed Sam Keller to throw for almost 300 yards and 2 TDs on the day and almost cost the Horns the game with their play in the first half.

The Ugly

Colt's Pass Protection- Like it was mentioned before, Nebraska literally blitzed every single down on defense, but Colt is just taking too much of a pounding this year. Though Colt was only sacked 1 time on the day, he was on his back most of the afternoon and had to take a play off after getting his head slammed into the turf. At a certain point it is nice to have such a tough QB, but I am actually getting worried about his long term health. He has the distinct possibility of become college football's version of Trent Green. I would not bee too shocked if Colt's grade are dropping with each time he gets planted into the ground.

View From The Cheap Seats: Rice

Well, this is the game that everyone was waiting to see out of Texas. Granted, it came against maybe one of the 5 worst teams in college football, but a blowout is still nice to see. Not much on the negative side from this one, but I will take a look at the positives from the offense and defense.

The Offense-

What a huge difference throwing the ball down field makes for the Texas offense. The whole offense just seemed to have a different attitude. They were going for the jugular on every play. Rice would turn it over, and the first play of the series Texas would go deep to Sweed for a big play. The deep ball to Sweed is something Horn fans have been waiting for all year. The Texas receivers are their biggest asset and you finally got to see why on Saturday.

Not only does going deep open up the passing game, but the running game also seemed to benefit from the open offense. Charles averaged 5 yards a carry, had larger holes and didn't seem to be meeting a bevy of tacklers in the backfield and on the line of scrimmage.

But the biggest news on the offensive side was the debut of John Chiles as the back up QB. Mack had not had a chance to get him in this season, since Texas has played three close games. The energy from the crowd was great as Chiles came in for his first series. Of course it may have been the fact that something interesting was finally happening in the blowout, but people seemed generally excited to see Chiles. I think Texas fans just miss quarterback controversies.

But Chiles, along with Vondrell McGee did not disappoint. Even though Chiles only threw one pass (that was dropped) he and McGee ripped up the tired Rice defense on the ground. The tandem seemed unstoppable. In a quarter and a half they racked up a combined 150 yards rushing and a TD from McGee. The last few possessions were runs up the middle and Sherrod Harris actually took a few snaps in the last series.

Lets just hope that Chiles and McGee will see some quality time against K State, as their services may be needed against OU and their powerful defense.

The Defense-

The one thing that was painfully obvious in this game was the superior play of the back-up linebacking corp to the three starters. When Jared Norton, Roderick Muckleroy and Sergio Kindle are in the game, the play is faster and more aggressive. They just seem to make plays and are in the right spot, making tackles and pressuring the QB. The play looks slower and less enthusiastic when Derry, Killebrew and Bobino are manning the middle of the field.

The difference in productivity was reflected in the playing time. The younger unit saw much of the game time (even before the blowout) while the more experienced backers were left watching and seeing less time. While I appreciate all that Bobino an crew have done for the Texas defense, it is really time to see the better of the linebackers step forward as the key players on this defense. The linebacking play has the been the weakest part of the defense for better than a season now. Akina and MacDuff can fix a lot of their defensive struggles by getting the young players in early and often for the rest of the year.

Youth was the name of the game on defense in general. At one point in the 4th quarter there were 11 freshman and redshirt freshman on defense for Texas.

The secondary had a strong game as well. Its not like Rice has every thrown the ball well, but the Horns contained Jarred Dillard and Rice all evening (they gave up a few yards in mop up time). While the secondary has struggled, they have not been the total liability some were predicting this year. They came away with 2 more interceptions and did a good job for most of the night.

Up Next: Kansas State Wildcats

View from the Really Cheap Seats

While I didn't make it down to Orlando for the game, I did catch the broadcast on ESPN 2. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from the 35-32 victory at Central Florida.

The Good
Colt McCoy
In what seems to be the most frustrating job ever, Colt McCoy once again took what the defense gave him. He only tried to force a pass once and it was intercepted. Other than that Colt was extremely accurate. The most reassuring aspect of his game is his calmness and composure throughout the game. He had defensive lineman in his face the entire game and he is extremely elusive and stands tall in the pocket. Not the yardage numbers you would like, but he played well and was the reason the offense was effective.

Jamaal Charles
He had a great game running the ball, with not much room to do it. He made a lot out of nothing for many of his runs, and he finally showed his big play ability with the 46 yard touchdown run to seal the victory (even if the other team stopped because of the offsides penalty). The only real concern that cropped up from this game was the fumbles. A fumble on the two yard line that blew a touchdown opportunity and the fumble late in the 4th quarter that made the game an 11 point win, running out the clock, to a 3 point victory after a failed onside kick.

Wide Receivers
With Limas Sweed in the locker room and Billy Pittman still suspended, Nate Jones and Quan Cosby showed off their abilities as possession receivers. They did a great job of getting open all game, and anytime anything was thrown at them, they made the catch. Cosby had several amazing catches when Colt stuck the ball close. For the most part, McCoy was accurate, but even when it was off, Cosby and Jones made spectacular catches. Once the deep threats return, look for this passing game to be very dangerous. Jermichael Finley continued to improve as a third down safety valve.

Ryan Bailey
He rebounded nicely from a missed field goal in the third half. He had several long field goals in wet conditions at crucial points of the game, and all of them were directly down the middle. The most telling field goal he had, was when Texas had a 3rd and 10, and Mack decided to throw a wide receiver screen, which set up the field goal and picked up three yards. Bailey rewarded that faith and drilled the field goal. I questioned the decision at the time and still do, but it's nice to know that Bailey is looking like a reliable clutch kicker.

The Bad
Secondary
The secondary still is inconsistent. They showed great athleticism and closing speed on several defensed passes, but as a whole, the unit is not very good. They are giving far too much cushion to a passing offense that was averaging around 150 yards a game. There were several opportunities to convert third and long, and Central Florida converted a 3rd and 8 and a 3rd and 14 on their two touchdown drives. Texas can't cover, and Oklahoma and Texas Tech are licking their chops.

Linebackers
The linebacking corps failed to impress me. They don't come off as very athletic, they take poor tackling angles, and they don't make anything happen. They get lost in the defensive line and don't tackle very well. There's nothing you can really say about it, but you can stick anyone you want in the linebacking corps and you wouldn't be able to distinguish their performance from anyone else's.

Coaching Staff
You can look anywhere you want to place blame for the coaching staff. Offensively, we ran out of shotgun too much. The offensive line isn't very good, and having them try and hold blocks for 3-4 seconds as you run out of shotgun going towards the sidelines isn't going to work. Charles broke off a few big runs, but Texas couldn't consistently run the ball all game long. They were far more effective out of the single back format, and Colt under center. Just pound the ball out of the single back formation and throw out of shotgun, you might not fool too many people, but we're talented enough it doesn't really matter. You can mix it up, but running out of shotgun consistantly doesn't fool anyone, because Colt McCoy isn't a threat to keep the ball and run.

Defensively, Texas needs to continue to bring pressure. On third and long and late in the game, Texas sat back, and let Central Florida pick them apart for 15 yards a piece. The secondary can't cover, and if we don't bring somebody, the quarterback will have too much time.

George O'Leary outcoached the Texas staff and kept his team in the game. We know that Mack isn't the best gameday coach and we accept it, because of the recruiting side of it. But going for two to make it a 13 point game instead of a 12 point game almost cost Texas the game. Decisions like that shoot your team in the foot. He also can't afford to be passive. Setting your team up for field goals on third and 10? Texas made 5 of 6 field goals, and it's a sign of not being aggressive enough once you cross the 50. We let Central Florida stay in that football game. They bounced back from 23-10, they wouldn't have tried to come back from 31-10.

The Ugly
Offensive Line
This will be the biggest reason Texas won't be able to win the Big XII title this season. The offensive line can't run block and they certainly can't pass block. It seemed like every pass play Colt was delivering the ball as he was getting knocked down, or he had to dodge two or three pass rushers before getting rid of the football. They also are not opening up holes for the running game. Central Florida was able to play Texas close because of a good gameplan. They were able to stop the running game without loading up the box, which allowed them to drop back into coverage and force Colt to dump the ball off underneath. This forced Texas to make 15 and 16 play drives to score, and eventually the drives stalled, resulting in field goals and keeping Central Florida close. This was all possible because Texas cannot lineup and pick up 6 yards a carry and force a team to stick 8 guys in the box. If Texas could force a team to stop the run, then Colt McCoy will be able to make the big plays in the passing game that we saw his freshman season. Right now, the offensive line can't run block, and Colt is running for his life, because they can't pass block either.

View From The Cheap Seats: TCU

Each week, when I attend a game, I will post the good, bad and ugly of the things stat sheets do not necessarily show. These are the views from the cheap seats.

The Good

Halftime Adjustments: Its amazing what can happen when Greg Davis listens to bloggers everywhere. He gets it right. Well, okay, so maybe no one on the web had his ear, but changes were made at halftime and those brought back the Texas offense we know and love. The biggest beneficiary of this was Jamaal Charles, who rushed for 100 yards in the second half. Jamaal's runs were down field and less lateral and he took it right at the vaunted TCU defense. The revamped running game, set up Colt to have the field open up for the passing game. Nicely done, Greg. Nicely done.

The Linebackers: Scott Derry, Rashad Bobino, Roderick Muckelroy and Jared Norton were everywhere, making plays on the field. Solid tackles, forced fumbles and interceptions were the name of the game from the linebacking corp. This was something that was sorely missed against Arkansas State. TCU had only 43 yards rushing and 251 total yards (much of this after the game was iced). The linebackers were in the back field and covering passes well across the middle. This is the type of performance everyone expected from the talented and deep linebackers.

The Bad

The First Half Offense: Is was the same old struggles for half of this game. Lateral runs, predictable, short passes and an under-utilization of talented weapons. Colt had a costly interception that was returned for a TD and another that was able to set up a field goal. The offense actually scored 10 points for TCU in the first half. Luckily the defense only gave up 3 points all game.

More Injuries: Adam Ulatoski and Jermichael Finely went down with injuries in the game. While J-Mike came back into the game, Ulatoski looks to have dislocated his elbow and is likely to be out a few weeks at the latest. Ulatoski was one of the most experienced linemen on the Texas team. He stated all last year and has been able to provide good protection and some depth so far this year. Lets hope of the young guys can step up. One place Texas cannot afford to lose players is on the offensive line.

The Ugly

Not too much that I would say was ugly. While Texas didn't score in the first half, there was never really a time you could say that TCU was dominating the game. It should have been 0-0 at the half, had it not been for a tipped INT and a tremendously read INT that was returned for a TD. But Texas fixed all of their problems after the half. So not much ugly here to report. Hell, even the DB's played decently enough to stay off the Ugly list.

Aww. That's cute

View From The Cheap Seats: Arkansas State

Each week, when I attend a game, I will post the good, bad and ugly of the things stat sheets do not necessarily show. These are the views from the cheap seats.

The Good

Jamaal Charles- I know that 112 yards rushing looks pretty decent on its own, but the way that Charles gained those yards was impressive. Almost every positive run for Charles involved reversing field, breaking a tackle or out running an opponent. There was nothing easy on the ground all day. If Jamaal was not such a freak of nature, he could have easily ended up with 50 yards rushing.

Nate Jones- Perhaps he was the biggest beneficiary of Billy Pittman's absence, but he took full advantage of the extra playing time. Jones ended the game with 9 catches but more than that, he just always seemed to be open and caught the ball when Colt came his way. It's really nice to see Jones finally getting some meaningful playing time and stepping up.

Frank Okam- Was a beast. He looked unstoppable at times. And it was not just his great plays, it was when he made the great plays. Every time Arkansas State had a big third down, it seemed Okam was in the back field for a sack or just disrupting the backfield.

The Bad

Colt McCoy- Though his numbers were terrible, it just didn't seem like the 2006 McCoy out there. He made some puzzling throws and didn't connect on passes that might have been completed last year. McCoy threw a ball Jermichael Finley (the only one thrown his way) when Finley was completely covered by a defender. I think Colt thought J-Mike could just out leap the defender, but it was almost another INT. That is just an example of some throws that made it seem like he was pressing all game.

Jermichael Finley- I guess you can't really be down on a TE for not making a catch when he was only thrown to once all night. But I really would have liked to see Finley dominate an inferior team in both pass catching and blocking. When Charles ran wide it never seemed like there was any room to run. I am not saying that was totally Finley's fault, but he was just part of the problem, and not the answer, as many hoped him to be.

The Offensive Line- I don't put them in the "Ugly" category yet because their pass blocking was fine. Colt was only pressured a handful of times and sacked once. The one sack was really the only time they didn't pick up the blitz effectively. But there was just no step forward in run blocking. It looked like 2006, and maybe even worse. Charles maybe had 4 or 5 open holes all night. Honestly, some of the problem may be the running scheme not fitting the personnel, but if you can't punch it in on 1st and goal from the 2 on Arkansas State, then you know you have problems.

The Ugly

Secondary- When I say ugly, I REALLY mean ugly. There was just nothing positive I can think to say about the way this unit played. Even last year, when a bunch of yards were given up, at least they could all tackle well. Brandon Foster and Ryan Palmer may make up the worst set of corners in the past 20 years at Texas. At no point in time did anything they did on the field resemble a competent effort at pass coverage. There were consistent 15 yards cushions that yielded easy 10 yard stop route every time. They were beat deep. They were beat across the middle. There was a lack of tackling. I guess the worst part is that there is little even to point to that could give any positive hope for the rest of the year. The only thing I could say is that Deon Beasley played well. You could see that when he was in coverage, the passes were going to the opposite side of the field and he had several passes that were well defended. Even Chykie Brown played well in his limited time. I am not sure why those two didn't play more, but I can say that Palmer and Foster are not long for the starting squad this year, and the sooner the better.

Greg Davis- Sigh... Didn't we all think this was behind us? The puzzling schemes, the "interesting" play calls... It just all looks too familiar to the Pre-Vince Era in which Davis was one of the most maligned OCs in the nation. The frustration lies in the fact that he seems to be unwilling to change a scheme that doesn't seem to work unless you have Orange Jesus (VY) at QB. The heart of the zone read relies on the fact that the QB can run the ball and that keeps the defense honest and allows the RB time to hit the hole or edge. But with Colt under center, there is just no incentive for defenses to do anything but hawk Charles and hit him in the backfield. And that is not a knock on McCoy. He is just a pocket passer. And that was clear on the first two drives of the game. Colt picked apart the defense as he sat in the pocket. It seemed baffling that Davis would just abandon this quasi-hurry up offense that splits 4 or 5 WRs and just dissects the defense through the air. The Longhorns need to be a predominately passing team. HIs decision to run Charles 4 straight times on the goal line drove me crazy. Two of the runs were out of the shot gun or were run wide. Why didn't we just hand the ball to Chris Ogbannaya and go right up the gut in an I-formation? Things aren't going to change and we know it. That's not something that this staff seems fond of. Let's home there is better execution, because this scheme is here to stay. Sigh...