Because Texas played so few plays on offense this week -- ball control by Rice and some quick scores by Texas on defense/special teams -- I decided I'd take a look at what they did with a new quarterback (Jerrod Heard) and playcaller (Jay Norvell).
Below are some of my thoughts and what I saw, and I have a much longer play by play script jotted down if anyone cares to see that.
Jerrod Heard had 7 official pass attempts in the stats sheet, plus what looked to me like several other run-pass options, or designed passes that went awry due to scrambles or otherwise. Here are most of the notable pass attempts, which do not include the run-pass options where he handed off:
1) In a 1 WR left, 3 WR right formation, Texas runs slant/flat with the single receiver and RB, and double outs + clear out to the 3 WR side. Heard takes one read here to see if the slant is covered, then checks down to Gray in space, who snags the first down. (1 for 1)
2) In a 1 WR left, 2 WR right, TE as H-Back formation, Texas runs playaction with 3 routes: Go on the left, Go on the right, and a post from the #2 in the slot, all in one on ones. Once he sees there is no safety help for the corner, Heard tosses it to Armanti Foreman on the go route/lob for a touchdown, as he has beat his CB by roughly 3 yards, and the CB has no idea at all where the ball is. Possibly OPI that was uncalled. (2 for 2)
3) In a 2 WR left, 1 WR; TE as H-Back formation, Heard throws a comeback that is complete. (3 for 3)
4) In a 1 WR left, 3 WR right formation, there's a packaged run-pass stick-draw. Heard does not see a blitzing linebacker coming from his left, and the pass falls incomplete as he's hit. He was trying to throw the stick concept to his right, since he saw the MIKE come up for run. (3 for 4)
5) In a 2 WR left, 2 WR right formation, Texas runs a clear out/go + out route combination on the left side, and double slants on the right side. Heard throws the go, but this time Armanti Foreman is flagged for the OPI. (No play)
6) In a 3 WR left, 1 WR right formation, Heard is sacked after the pocket collapses and coverage is tight. Announcers mention that he drops his eyes and stops looking for the pass downfield, and he runs with the ball haphazardly while scrambling on this play.
7) In a 2 WR left, 1 WR right, TE as H-Back formation, Heard gets his second TD on a pure go-route to John Burt, a freshman. No safety is there to help, and it's another one on one.
8) In a 2 WR left, 2 WR right formation, Heard uses his athleticism to escape a rush after a defender isn't picked up, tosses it out of bounds.
9) In a 2 WR left, 2 WR right formation, Heard has Johnathan Gray matched up versus an LB in space for the first down, but Gray can't hang on. It's an angle/Texas route. (Link is not to identical play, it's just to show you what the route looks like.)
Thoughts on these plays + other Texas trends:
Below are some of my thoughts and what I saw, and I have a much longer play by play script jotted down if anyone cares to see that.
Jerrod Heard had 7 official pass attempts in the stats sheet, plus what looked to me like several other run-pass options, or designed passes that went awry due to scrambles or otherwise. Here are most of the notable pass attempts, which do not include the run-pass options where he handed off:
1) In a 1 WR left, 3 WR right formation, Texas runs slant/flat with the single receiver and RB, and double outs + clear out to the 3 WR side. Heard takes one read here to see if the slant is covered, then checks down to Gray in space, who snags the first down. (1 for 1)
2) In a 1 WR left, 2 WR right, TE as H-Back formation, Texas runs playaction with 3 routes: Go on the left, Go on the right, and a post from the #2 in the slot, all in one on ones. Once he sees there is no safety help for the corner, Heard tosses it to Armanti Foreman on the go route/lob for a touchdown, as he has beat his CB by roughly 3 yards, and the CB has no idea at all where the ball is. Possibly OPI that was uncalled. (2 for 2)
3) In a 2 WR left, 1 WR; TE as H-Back formation, Heard throws a comeback that is complete. (3 for 3)
4) In a 1 WR left, 3 WR right formation, there's a packaged run-pass stick-draw. Heard does not see a blitzing linebacker coming from his left, and the pass falls incomplete as he's hit. He was trying to throw the stick concept to his right, since he saw the MIKE come up for run. (3 for 4)
5) In a 2 WR left, 2 WR right formation, Texas runs a clear out/go + out route combination on the left side, and double slants on the right side. Heard throws the go, but this time Armanti Foreman is flagged for the OPI. (No play)
6) In a 3 WR left, 1 WR right formation, Heard is sacked after the pocket collapses and coverage is tight. Announcers mention that he drops his eyes and stops looking for the pass downfield, and he runs with the ball haphazardly while scrambling on this play.
7) In a 2 WR left, 1 WR right, TE as H-Back formation, Heard gets his second TD on a pure go-route to John Burt, a freshman. No safety is there to help, and it's another one on one.
8) In a 2 WR left, 2 WR right formation, Heard uses his athleticism to escape a rush after a defender isn't picked up, tosses it out of bounds.
9) In a 2 WR left, 2 WR right formation, Heard has Johnathan Gray matched up versus an LB in space for the first down, but Gray can't hang on. It's an angle/Texas route. (Link is not to identical play, it's just to show you what the route looks like.)
Thoughts on these plays + other Texas trends:
- Looks like their base is 11 personnel (1 RB, 1TE -- #47, who they'll move around in the slot or as an H-Back).
- Common run concepts I saw: dive with lead blockers, zone read, power read, power, speed option, counter
- One 6 OL set at the goalline and TE as H-Back.
- Texas OL not super impressive to me, as pretty much the lot of the rushing yards come from Heard running around in the open field. They don't generate too much for Gray or Foreman, which is in part to general youth. (Remember that this group is essentially being rebuilt from scratch after they lost many lineman this season.
- Most runs did not appear to include run-pass option on this tape. Norvell really made it easy for him in this one, I would guess in part not to show so much to the Cal tape, and also because it was his first start. Every throw was made to someone pretty damn open, or in one on one coverage only.
- The athleticism gap between Cal and Texas will be much smaller than it was against Rice, so I don't think they'll get away with throwing deep as often or be nearly as successful in those go 1v1 deep matchups. Heard will have to do more passing wise in this one.
- That being said, Daje Johnson, Armanti Foreman, and John Burt are clearly the best athletes Cal's faced all year too. I sure as hell wouldn't try to kick to Johnson with this coverage team.
- D'Onta Foreman is mentioned by the announcers as Texas' strongest running back, and he looked more impressive than Gray in these limited snaps. Runs with power, runs hard.
- Heard pulls the trigger and scrambles to run more than he scrambles to pass, and while he's not Vince Young sized, he does remind me of VY in that regard. Very, very explosive guy who hasn't shown that he can pick his eyes back up down the field yet.
- Like Cal last week, Texas wasn't really all that great on third down, and that consistency is going to be really crucial this week if they plan to keep pace with a theoretically dangerous Cal offense.
- Also, forgot to mention -- Daje Johnson is not a good blocker. At all.
- I think that while Cal will want to pressure him and get after him in the pocket and try to confuse him with different looks, but strategically and not recklessly. If there's even the slightest opening, he has the speed to really burn the defense, especially as soon as he takes that step up field.. Honestly, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if there were faster safeties back there, or one of the younger, more athletic freshmen were ready. Alas, that is not so...I'd make him prove that he can use his arm for more than easy matchup throws. I don't think Kaufman will be outschemed by his current level of polish, personally.
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