40 Acres Sports

Will Colt McCoy have room to operate against Tech?

Texas faces another top ten team in what has to be the game of the week (sorry Florida and Georgia). This will be the third nationally televised game in the last four weeks for these Horns. Texas Tech is building this game as the “biggest” game ever to take place in Lubbock. The Tech fans are going to “black out” the stadium and the Longhorns are trying to do to Tech what Alabama did to Georgia when the Bulldogs held a “black out” on ABC primetime. Let’s look at what we’re in for.

When Texas has the ball:

In this year’s Big 12 conference I feel like I could write the same thing each week. The Longhorn offense faces a team that gives up and puts up points and yards in bunches. Colt McCoy and his offense should have no problem putting up points; the question will be the strategy offensive coordinator Greg Davis uses to achieve those points.

UT went over a quarter and a half without scoring a point to end last week’s Oklahoma State game. Texas had their chances though, as McCoy committed two turnovers deep in OK State territory that allowed the Cowboys to stay in the game. The running game was lacking for the first time since conference started and I think the coaching staff would like to get that part of the offense back on track. When this team can run the ball the middle of the field becomes wide open for McCoy and Jordan Shipley to work their overhyped roommate magic (they’re not over hyped, but their story has been). Most have been looking for Fozzy Whittaker to get his chance, and it might be this week.

Tech has a new defensive coordinator but remains the same defense it always is. They give up points on big plays and can be overmatched physically if a team stays within striking distance. The Red Raider defense thrives when an opposing team gets so far behind that they become one dimensional out of necessity. The Longhorns keeping the game close in the first quarter will go a long way in determining the outcome. It will be up to the offensive to control the ball and come away with points on virtually every possession because Texas Tech will score points.

The Longhorns will use short passes to set up the run as the game goes on. At this point in the season teams know who they are. The Longhorns are a possession passing team with the ability to run at times. Colt McCoy is the leader of the offense and this unit goes as he goes. If McCoy can eliminate turnovers it is very doubtful Tech will be able to slow Texas down.

When Texas Tech has the ball:

This is where it gets tricky. Everybody knows what the offense does, but I’m not sure even the coaches or the players know much about this defense. On one hand the talent is not in question. When the outside guys get to rush the quarterback there is not another team in the nation that is more dangerous. The linebackers have been playing as well as a unit as any group under Mack Brown. And the young secondary is getting better and better.

On the other hand, this same group just gave up over 200 yards of rushing offense in a game, Texas as a defense, including leading tackler Roddrick Muckelroy, struggled with open field tackling, the two safeties are still freshmen, and injuries are plaguing the best two cornerbacks on the team. All this the week the number one ranked Horns take on the most explosive offense, when clicking, in all of college football.

The good news is unlike the previous three weeks, the Tech offense won’t have a NFL caliber tight end. The bad news is Michael Crabtree still is in college. People talk about Jeremy Maclin and Dez Bryant, but neither of them compare to Crabtree. The guy is unbelievable and no one man is going to guard him. Defensive coordinator Will Muschamp has shown he likes to leave a safety over the top against elite receivers, as he did with Maclin and Bryant. Tech’s offense makes it hard to do that to a particular receiver because every wide out can line up at all the receiver positions in the Mike Leach offense. This is the first year Muschamp has gone up against Leach, so it will be interesting to see what the first year coordinator does. Odds are Duane Akina will be giving out advice this week because Texas has done relatively well against the Tech offense.

This is another game where it seems the running game will be an after thought. Tech uses short passes, much like Texas coincidentally, to supplement the run game. This will force UT’s linebackers and safeties to tackle well in space. Open field tackling by the Texas defense will be the difference in the game. If Texas can stop plays immediately after a reception they have a good chance of making some stops and getting off the field. But if Tech’s skill position players are able to make big plays after the catch the Longhorn offense will be forced into a shootout.

Great week for Duane Akina’s former proteges in the NFL as Tarell Brown, Michael Griffin, and Nathan Vasher all had interceptions in week three. Ricky Williams also had his best performance of the year as he and backfield mate Ronnie Brown ran all over the New England Patriots. Meanwhile wide receiver Limas Sweed is still waiting to see the field for the first time as a pro out in Pittsburgh. Read on to see how the rest of the Longhorns in the NFL performed last week:

Tarell Brown - Two tackles and an interception in the loss to the Chargers.

Jamaal Charles - Seven carries for 38 yards rushing plus three catches for 24 yards. Jamaal also had his first NFL kickoff return for 21 yards.

Phil Dawson - 1/1 on field goals and on extra points.

Jermichael Finley - Finally saw the field for the Packers against the Cowboys but had no catches. He got in on special teams and managed to pick up an unsportsmanlike penalty in a brush with Martellus Bennett.

Cedric Griffin - Two tackles against Carolina.

Michael Griffin - Big game against the Texans with two interceptions. Also added two tackles.

Ahmard Hall - One carry for one yard.

Casey Hampton - No stats against Philly. Will miss the next game against Baltimore with an injured groin.

Michael Huff - Three tackles, two of them solos, against Buffalo.

Quentin Jammer - Recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards, broke up two passes, and added three tackles in the Chargers blowout of the Fightin’ Brett Favres.

Derrick Johnson - One tackle in what may be one of 16 losses this season for the Chiefs.

Cory Redding - Two solo tackles for the lowly Lions against the 48ers.

Shaun Rogers - Had a solid game against Baltimore posting four tackles.

Aaron Ross - Five solo tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage.

Bo Scaife - Three catches for 26 yards including a touchdown.

Limas Sweed - Still no playing time.

David Thomas - One catch for four yards in what will hopefully be one of many losses for the Patriots.

Nathan Vasher - Good performance for Nate versus Tampa Bay. Three passes defended including an interception, with four solo tackles added on.

Ricky Williams - Great game for Ricky and his counterpart Ronnie Brown as the Dolphins went back to the college game to get a little offensive firepower. He had 16 carries for 98 yards (6.1 average) and two catches for 21 more yards.

Roy Williams - Two catches for 18 yards in a loss to San Francisco. Roy has to be frustrated and already looking forward to 2009 somewhere other than Detroit.

Selvin Young - Very efficient game against New Orleans with 11 carries for 65 yards.

Mack Brown may not be finished with the coaching shuffle. Akina to Hawaii? Rucker out of coaching??

It featured one of the wildest and weirdest plays in recent memory, but the 2007 Holiday Bowl ended up being an easier Texas win than anyone expected. The Horns came out fired up and got up on the Arizona State early before finishing with a 52-34 victory.

Here’s how the team did with my keys for the game:

1. Pressure Rudy Carpenter.

The Longhorns not only pressured Carpenter but they eventually knocked him out of the game. Carpenter was rattled early and did not perform well when the Horns were able to hurry him. The team finished the night with four sacks but more importantly was in the quarterback’s face all game long. Defensive coordinator Duane Akina brought blitzes from every direction and every position. Defensive end Brian Orakpo had a heck of a game (two sacks, tons of pressure) was named the game’s defensive MVP. Verdict: Passed.

2. Don’t turn the ball over.

Colt McCoy didn’t throw any interceptions but did put the ball on the turf with alarming frequency. McCoy fumbled the football four times, but only lost a critical one on a boneheaded play at the end of the first half that could have cost Texas dearly. He also botched two snaps and was bailed out big time (after a great long scramble) when Jermichael Finley fell on his fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Horns didn’t protect the football very well but they only turned it over once, so… Verdict: Passed.

3. Don’t forget about the run game.

I don’t think the coaches gave the ball enough to Jamaal Charles early in the game, but as the game wore on he ended up getting more than his share of touches. Thanks to the big second half lead Charles finished the game with 27 carries and 161 yards. Colt McCoy did what he’s been doing this season, finding a way to make big plays with his feet. The team also went to freshman quarterback John Chiles early to spark the offense and he carried the ran the ball very successfully. Overall the team ran the ball 54 times for a whopping 300 yards in the game. Verdict: Passed.

Holiday Bowl may be last shot for defensive coordinator Duane Akina. Maybe a chance he’s back in non-playcalling role next year?

Last week’s keys didn’t work out so well. We barely won, Brian Orakpo got hurt, and John Chiles could barely even see the field from where he was sitting on the bench. Let’s hope the Horns come out firing against TCU and turn things around for the rest of the season.

1. Get Jamaal Charles running north/south.

There was some minor controversy this week over a Jamaal Charles quote on Scout that the Longhorns’ sideways running style had made him more hesitant. I’m not sure he should have said it, but I agree with him. I don’t know if it’s Charles or the system (or both) but if your running back is spending half his time running lateraly you’re not going to be successful consistently. If we’re not running the zone read with an athletic QB then we should take a cue from teams like the Indianapolis Colts, which Greg Davis spent time with this offseason. If we can’t run more consistently from the shotgun then we have to put Colt McCoy under center more.

2. Don’t give receivers a ten-yard cushion.

It doesn’t matter who our cornerbacks are if we continue to give wide receivers a 10+ yard cushion. Playing that far off you’re not going to get burned deep but you’re also going to let the opposing QB eat you alive ten yards at a time. If you let a quarterback get comfortable he’s making the easy passes. This week Duane Akina has give Brandon Foster, Ryan Palmer, and/or Deon Beasley a better chance to succeed (or fail).

3. Convert short yardage opportunities.

Not being able to get one yard costs us two games last season and almost costs us against Arkansas State. If it’s first and goal from the two or third and one, the linemen have to be willing and able to whoop somebody’s a**. The offensive line didn’t have a terrible game against ASU but couldn’t get it done when it mattered. Texas should be a team that can maul and get 2 - 3 yards even if everyone in the stadium knows it’s coming, but we haven’t been able to do that since Cedric Benson left.

Texas defense is in good hands with Duane Akina, especially if linebackers step up.

Akina vows the defense will be more aggressive. Just coach-speak, but it’s music to my ears.

Larry Mac Duff is the new name but Duane Akina is Texas’ new defensive coordinator.

The biggest news related to the surprise hire of Mac Duff is that Duane Akina will now be calling the plays for the Texas defense. Under the previous regime coach Gene Chizik was the one really in charge of the defense and was the one calling the shots on Saturdays. Even though Chizik and Akina shared the defensive coordinator title, Chizik was the one who received the hype and he was the one who was referred to as “the defensive coordinator.” Now Akina is 1A and Mac Duff is 1B.

What we do know about Akina is that despite this year’s performance he is an one of the nation’s top secondary coaches and a good recruiter. His promotion means no disruption to the current players or to recruiting. Akina is a guy who has loyalty to Mack Brown and to the University of Texas so unlike the last two guys we can expect him to stick around longer than a year or two.

The Alamo Bowl was Akina’s tryout for the job but I’m not sure if it was enough for us as fans to get a good idea of his coaching ability or style. He was working with Chizik’s guys and didn’t have enough time to get his scheme into place. After struggling mightily in the first half, Akina and the Texas defense stepped it up a little in the second half and came up with the big stops when needed. One game is not enough for us to draw any conclusions from. We don’t have any idea what kind of job he’ll do making defensive calls on gameday or how good he’ll be at making in game adjustments. Next year it’ll be trial by fire and I think Akina has earned that opportunity.

The Mac Duff hire will be great news for the Texas linebackers and special teams play. He’s got experience and success at every level with those two groups and those spots have been a weakness for the Longhorns in recent years. Texas has a lot of young talent at linebacker and all three starters returning at the position, but it still wouldn’t surprise me to see three new starters next year. Sergio Kindle, Roddrick Muckelroy, and Jared Norton are all big, fast and athletic and I think most Texas fans are excited about those guys being on the field a lot more in 2007.

Whoever Mack brought in to replace Chizik needed to be a compliment to Akina because it’s clear Brown likes him and the players do as well. Mac Duff fits perfectly. He’s got a solid relationship with Akina and unlike Chizik and Jerry Gray he’s a true linebackers coach. A bigger name hire might have made more of a splash nationally and made some fans happy, but it would’ve caused more of a disruption to the team and depending on the hire might have meant replacing Akina as well. Brown decided that the Akina and Mac Duff together could do a better job helping the Longhorns win games than any of the other big names would do.

Mack Brown has named former University of Arizona defensive coordinator and current 49ers’ special teams coach Larry Mac Duff as the new Texas co-defensive coordinator. Mac Duff will be the co-DC with Duane Akina and will be in charge of the linebackers, something he has extensive experience with unlike previous coordinator Gene Chizik. Akina is a longtime friend of Mac Duff when they both worked under former Texas coach Dick Tomey in Arizona. We should see immediate improvement from the linebacking corps and the special teams. Interestingly, Akina will handle the defensive play-calling on game days.

We’ll have more thoughts on this news later today.