Cam Williams, Bralen Trice, and A New Breed of Dog (DEEP DIG)
- By Alex Dunlap
- Inside the 40 Acres
- 40 Replies
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OL Thoughts and Grades (CFP Semifinal)
LT Kelvin Banks - 67 snaps
3 pressures allowed
1 false start penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.09
LG Hayden Conner - 67 snaps
1 run-stuff, 1 QB hit allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.79
C Jake Majors - 67 snaps
1 sack, 1 QB hit allowed
1 false start penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.19
RG DJ Campbell - 67 snaps
2 pressures, 1 sack allowed
1 false start penalty
2 knockdowns
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.34
RT Christian Jones - 67 snaps
1 sack, 1 run-stuff allowed
1 holding penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.64
The Texas offensive line played an acceptable game across the board in the CFP semifinal against Washington, although every single member of the unit had rough stretches and snaps they'd surely love to have back. Fans and observers, myself admittedly included, were flummoxed to start the game with the holding call on Jordan Whittington while the UW offensive line was getting free reign to basically tackle Texas defenders right in front of the cockamamie Big 10 officiating crew ... but I can assure you that over the course of the game, that stuff evened out as Kelvin Banks was really treated with kid gloves as far as his own blatant holding on Washington edge-rusher Bralen Trice. Trice lined up on both sides of the defense, and it was not that surprising to see him make easy work at times of Christian Jones (more on that and the future of the right tackle position in a moment) but seeing Banks struggle at times the way he did was almost a bit of a first. It brought to my attention two things:
1) The Big 12 is a terrible conference - and good riddance (Is Texas football actually now officially an SEC program considering its next season of play will be as an SEC team? I'd like to think so). This is not to say that Kelvin Banks has simply been a product of bad competition -- that is obviously not true. You don't look and move like he does -- you don't dominate one side of the line he's done for two years without being elite by your own devices. But it's like the guy had never really been challenged like that until this past weekend. Which leads directly to point number 2) Trice was the stiffest competition that Banks has faced as a college player and I'll bet he'd tell you the same. To see he still graded out as perfectly fine in a game where he really did allow a good amount more disruption than usual is a testament to how good Banks has become in all surrounding aspects of his game.
And I guess I now have to eat some crow on Bralen Trice. Yes, UW defenders were excellently coached at the line of scrimmage and in taking zone drops into the exact areas of Ewers' anticipated advantage-throw lanes on hot routes to get their hands up and bat balls down. And, yes, Texas receivers had one hell of a time coming undercovered deep when the Horns would try their hands at those deals. Truly, when watching back the game, where this offensive line (and the offense in general) really shined was in the run game. This contest featured some of the most beautifully blocked run plays I've seen all season. The problem with that is the game script (as dictated by an aggressive and red-hot Michael Penix) didn't exactly dictate an opponent needing to grind out the run and take the air out of the football. You can't counter rapid-fire, long-range drone strikes with small-arms incursions. Eventually, you're going to have to try to fight fire with fire and that's where Trice became a problem.
I said coming into the week that he looked to me like a good NFL prospect. Not "toolsy" but all-around solid. I likened him to a new Ford F150, shiny and right off the lot. Dependable, sturdy, not going to let you down. Ice cold AC for hot days but no leather seats, no lift kit, no 4WD and certainly no grill guard, winch or flood lights. After watching this game, though, I must admit that he's probably more like the 4WD package with leather and maybe even one of those computer screens in the middle that your kids can watch videos on. A real problem. Especially when the UW defensive staff could move him around like they did from side to side, bring him on stunts and really get the matchups they wanted for him. Again -- a real problem. Accounting for Trice was more than just accounting for Trice, it was accounting for Trice and leaving other rush-lanes wide open for teammates to exploit. He was one of the GIANT differences in the game who might be forgotten in the fireworks of a Michael Penix blitzkrieg.
This will not be the end of these types of challenges. In moving to the SEC, Texas will have a few games a year where they'll have to go toe-to-toe with this different breed of dog off the edge. They'll move forward into 2024 doing so without Christian Jones at right tackle. Jones was one of the team's success stories of the 2023 season, despite seeing his wane a bit through the final stretch of the season. He will be remembered as a guy who overcame a lot to become a truly plus-player for the Horns and even earn a Senior Bowl invite on top of it all. But, what if I told you that the offensive line is, in all likelihood, going to be better next year than it was in this one? It's more than a possibility, it's actually probably the most likely outcome assuming health among all involved. Texas will return four starters, all of whom clearly have room to be developed and shaped even further under Coach Flood, and one massive -- massive -- new addition at right tackle in Cam Williams, a bona-fide stud who's been waiting in the wings and has yet to not exceed expectation any time he's been thrown into the mix -- be that in spring ball when he played excellently in the scrimmage at an entirely new position of RG (and playing against the two guys who would become the top interior DL duo in the country) and in the two games where he had to play a majority of snaps at RT during the 2023 season, where his average Deep Dig grade basically had him tied with Christian Jones (Jones: 78.26; Williams: 78.24) as the second-highest-graded player on the whole offensive line.
The offensive line will continue to be a weapon for Texas in 2024. The CFP semifinal game once again made clear its importance.
