🏈 Pregame Analysis - Texas offense

[musso]

Is anyone expecting <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State> to use a similar game plan to the one executed by <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Utah</st1lace></st1:State>? It seems to me that an up-tempo/no-huddle, pass-heavy, shotgun offense would be the most effective against us. It seems like McCoy’s high percentage-short pass approach conveniently mirrors what <st1:State w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Utah</st1lace></st1:State> did against us last year. Any thoughts?

 

[Jseakin]

I think our secondary is much more talented and experienced this year than it was against Utah and will be able to make adjustments if this is the case. Colt is going to get yardage and Shipley is going to get catches. This game is more about containment and making them work for the yards after catch and when they try to go deep getting pressure on Colt to force his timing off.

 

[Argo]

Is anyone expecting <st1:state w:st="on">Texas</st1:state> to use a similar game plan to the one executed by <st1:state w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Utah</st1lace></st1:state>? It seems to me that an up-tempo/no-huddle, pass-heavy, shotgun offense would be the most effective against us. It seems like McCoy’s high percentage-short pass approach conveniently mirrors what <st1:state w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Utah</st1lace></st1:state> did against us last year. Any thoughts?

If the Texas coaching staff feels they have to change their philosophy to attack the Alabama defense, then we've already won.

 

[Eabama]

Tackle in space!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Southern Bama]

They will try to spread us out IMO....especially since their running game has had issues...but who knows...

 

[musso]

If the Texas coaching staff feels they have to change their philosophy to attack the Alabama defense, then we've already won.

but that's the point, i don't believe they would have to change much, if anything, to execute an offensive gameplan similar to Utah's.

i'm no expert on Texas, but consider the following:

1. McCoy remains in shot gun most of the time, if not all the time.
2. his completion % is ridiculous and predominantly throws short.
3. unlike Utah's QB, McCoy poses a legitimate running threat and is an elusive target for our rushers.
4. unlike Utah, Texas will likely opt to run a bit more from the shot gun (Utah hardly ran at all) thus providing a more diverse attack to defend, not that Utah's straightforward passing attack wasn't formidable enough.
5. i'm assuming Texas has better WRs than Utah had.

i just wonder if Saban has planned to utilize our lighter and more inexperienced LBs/DEs as rush ends this time around in order to improve our outside pressure.

to anyone who knows more than i about the status of our reserves: could J. Harris, C. Williams, A. Watkins, or G. Harbin be effective rush ends in this game???

 

[Bamabacker]

Colt McCoy is very impressive with the back shoulder throws and very accurate at the sidelines. This is really what scares me.

If we can cause havoc with the timing 50% of the time, we will be successful.

 

[TerryP]

As much as you hate the 3-4, it's ok today musso.

We are going with the same game plan we had against UF.

Again, like our conversation last year about our OL...gotta trust me on this one.

 

[musso]

As much as you hate the 3-4, it's ok today musso.

We are going with the same game plan we had against UF.

Again, like our conversation last year about our OL...gotta trust me on this one.

why is it that i feel like you always misconstrue my sentiments on this topic, and after such voluminous discussion no less?

unlike UF, Texas has multiple WRs with prototypical size to go along with speed. we pretty much dared Tebow to pass more than he's comfortable doing. McCoy is much more at ease with tossing the ball for 30+ times.

conversation about our OL? wasn't it our DL?

i prefer curious discussion over faith.

 

[TerryP]

why is it that i feel like you always misconstrue my sentiments on this topic, and after such voluminous discussion no less?

unlike UF, Texas has multiple WRs with prototypical size to go along with speed. we pretty much dared Tebow to pass more than he's comfortable doing. McCoy is much more at ease with tossing the ball for 30+ times.

conversation about our OL? wasn't it our DL?

i prefer curious discussion over faith.

misconstrue?

Damn. I like you being here... :rofl:

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

FWIW Musso,

I have the exact same concerns as you. I feel McCoy is a better passer than Tebow & has better receiving threats than Tebow, besides who would want to play UF again.

IMHO, we can lose this game the EXACT same way we lost the SEC CG last year b/c the talent is there for UT. However, I believe CNS learned quite a bit from that game & the Utah game, as well as the players.

The offense was & is the VERY BEST defense against McCoy by keeping him on the sideline much like Tebow was at UF. If we are doing that consistently w/ an established run game & ZERO turnovers, then I like our chances.

 

[4th-and-1]

the x factor here is the texas o-line.. they wouldn't even be second string at florida.. also florida and utah were making alot more pre-snap reads. so mccoy will have less time to make more decisions.. refer to the nebraska and oklahoma games.. sure we don't have nasdaq suh, but we have dareus who is 300+ and runs like a gazelle.. we also have a hell of a blitz package featuring arenas among others.. i'm predicting sacks in the double digits.. and a bucket full of longhorn tears..

 

[musso]

FWIW Musso,

I have the exact same concerns as you. I feel McCoy is a better passer than Tebow & has better receiving threats than Tebow, besides who would want to play UF again.

IMHO, we can lose this game the EXACT same way we lost the SEC CG last year b/c the talent is there for UT. However, I believe CNS learned quite a bit from that game & the Utah game, as well as the players.

The offense was & is the VERY BEST defense against McCoy by keeping him on the sideline much like Tebow was at UF. If we are doing that consistently w/ an established run game & ZERO turnovers, then I like our chances.

i agree that we'll need to limit the possessions for Texas, but that's pretty much our strategy in every game.

i'm curious though, if Saban has prepared some underused backup LBs and DEs to rush McCoy from the edges. while i expect our DL to defend the run as usual, i just don't see Washington, Deaderick, Dareus, or L. Davis being able to apply pressure from the edges with McCoy sitting in the shot gun and throwing quickly. personally, i'd like to see us move our DEs inside and couple one of them with one NT (e.g. Cody and Washington, Chapman and Deaderick, Murphy and Dareus, etc.). as i said on page 1 on this thread, we could then use our less experienced and lighter LBs (Harris, Watkins, Williams, Harbin, etc.) as rush ends in the aim of getting around the OTs to McCoy on obvious passing downs.

just wondering if anyone else thinks this would work or not.

 

[c5vetman]

The offense was & is the VERY BEST defense against McCoy by keeping him on the sideline much like Tebow was at UF. If we are doing that consistently w/ an established run game & ZERO turnovers, then I like our chances.

I agree that this will be a good game plan, and I really don't think Texas can stop us. Who cares that they have the nations #1 rush defense, when they play teams with bad running games to begin with.

Musso, I agree that this is a good idea, and I think it would work with the lighter rush ends, but I'm confident in whatever strategy that Saban comes up with will work as planned, either in our standard defensive philosophy, or a new scheme designed just for Texas. This ain't last year.

 

[shipley00]

FWIW Musso,

I have the exact same concerns as you. I feel McCoy is a better passer than Tebow & has better receiving threats than Tebow, besides who would want to play UF again.

IMHO, we can lose this game the EXACT same way we lost the SEC CG last year b/c the talent is there for UT. However, I believe CNS learned quite a bit from that game & the Utah game, as well as the players.

The offense was & is the VERY BEST defense against McCoy by keeping him on the sideline much like Tebow was at UF. If we are doing that consistently w/ an established run game & ZERO turnovers, then I like our chances.

I wouldn't say better, but I would say more. Jordan Shipley is his primary target by far. Way far. That said the top two receivers for UT combined for 1909 yards. (Shipley had 1363). The top two for Florida combined for 1811 yards, evenly split (960 for Cooper). Where Texas is different is in the next two recievers on the list having rougly 450 yards a piece.

Where we challenged Tebow was with pressure. We all saw what happened to Texas when they had pressure on the QB. Oklahoma and Nebraska got to the QB and held UT to season lows. Alabama got to Tebow and held him to a career low. Alabama's defense is better than Ok or Neb.

 

[musso]

I wouldn't say better, but I would say more. Jordan Shipley is his primary target by far. Way far. That said the top two receivers for UT combined for 1909 yards. (Shipley had 1363). The top two for Florida combined for 1811 yards, evenly split (960 for Cooper). Where Texas is different is in the next two recievers on the list having rougly 450 yards a piece.

hmm good points.

Where we challenged Tebow was with pressure. We all saw what happened to Texas when they had pressure on the QB. Oklahoma and Nebraska got to the QB and held UT to season lows. Alabama got to Tebow and held him to a career low. Alabama's defense is better than Ok or Neb.

i don't remember us blitzing Tebow much at all. in fact, the strategy as described by Smart after the game was not to blitz often, keep Tebow in the pocket, tempt him to pass, and eliminate the openings in the LOS allowing him to take off running. so whatever amount of pressure we were able to put on Tebow was largely accomplished with regular linemen.

i see several on this forum express that they expect the same gameplan against the Texas offense. however, to think McCoy isn't comfortable sitting back and throwing all night is a mistake. i like our chance of providing some inside push against a suspect Texas interior, but i don't expect the same success that Suh and Company enjoyed. given McCoy's greater comfort with throwing, i think it's critical that we apply outside pressure in addition to inside pressure without blitzing, hence inserting our smaller/quicker personel as rush ends.

 

[musso]

ok, Kirk Herbstreit just echoed what i've been saying, that is, with the possible exception of Dareus, he doesn't expect us to be able to pressure McCoy with our down linemen consistently.