Daily Short #84, October 19th, 2017: OL Thoughts and Grades
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LT Denzel Okafor - 80 snaps
3 sacks, 1 pressure and 1 QB hit allowed
1 false start penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 73.5
278 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 17.38 snaps (down from one per 19.8 snaps)
LG Patrick Vahe - 80 snaps
No disruption allowed
1 knockdown
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76
479 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 31.93 snaps (up from one per 26.6 snaps)
C Zach Shackelford - 80 snaps
1 QB hit, 1 pressure allowed
1 false start, 1 illegal low-block downfield penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.38
391 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 48.88 snaps (down from one per 62.2 snaps)
RG Terrell Cuney - 80 snaps
3 run-stuffs, 1 pressure and 1 sack allowed
1 false start penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.5
173 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 17.3 snaps (down from one per 43.25 snaps)
RT Derek Kerstetter - 79 snaps
1 QB hit, 1 pressure allowed
2 holding penalties
4 knockdowns
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.9
252 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 19.38 snaps (up from one per 19.22 snaps)
RT Tristan Nickelson - 1 snap
1 pressure allowed
284 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 12.9 snaps (down from one per 13.47 snaps)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
- This was a major downgrade from the level of performance we saw from this group versus K-State. Cuney played a game that teetered on the exact edge of acceptability at 74.5 and Okafor's 73.5 is well into unacceptable-range. With this said, it was at least a better game for Okafor than he had versus USC which indicates improvement. No. 31 for Oklahoma was a tough dude to handle and this was no cake walk for any involved. While he played the worst of any on the line versus OU, it was certainly not the worst game anyone has seen from a Texas offensive lineman in 2017. Cuney showed that he's not a threat to take a starting job from a healthy McMillon or Shack, but in two big-time Big 12 games has played at a level that hasn't ventured into unacceptable level, which speaks well to depth-situation that many viewed as much more worrisome before this development.
- The run-block concept mix versus OU was: Inside Zone (41%), Outside Zone (32%), Power/Gap (27%). Curiously, the group's grades on average across each concept was the complete opposite of the frequency with which each was used. The line blocked Power best most effectively with an overall positive grade, Outside Zone with a slightly lesser (but still positive) grade overall, while the average grade of all efforts in Inside Zone was a cumulative negative.
- I told you in this column last week and on the OU preview podcast that opposing coaches will watch film of Denzel Okafor and will know immediately that he's going to be much easier to beat with pure outside speed than he is versus a speed-to-power/outside-in conversion. Well, it took all of 8 snaps for pure speed off the edge to cause a big strip-sack on Sam Ehlinger for the Oklahoma Sooners. Okafor has a load of potential, but Okafor, Sam Ehlinger and Texas fans alike are going to have to take their lumps together as Okafor develops on the job. I have little doubt that in the end it will be worth it, but we'll see some rough days in the interim.
- Patrick Vahe did a good job on the surface when looking back at the whole game by not being directly responsible for any disruption or penalties and I was surprised about it because I was constantly thinking he was playing pretty badly next to Denzel Okafor. While I mentioned that the overall unit ran the power concept best of any versus Oklahoma, Vahe continues to give miserable effort as the pulling guard on the back side of the play. He doesn't frequently engage edge defenders or linebackers in free space when turning upfield with his head up. I simply don't see how he's not coached to do better than this and it's now a technical/simple player-safety issue that has spanned three different OL coaches. Watch Patrick Vahe the next time you see him pulling behind the line of scrimmage. I'll give you a dollar (not really, but certainly a pat on the back) if you notice him doing a good job of kicking out the end with his eyes up and hands inside with good leverage. He enters this sort of engagement consistently with his head down, and a majority of the time ends up on the ground. This is not to say Vahe isn't a perfectly fine player for Texas and fans should appreciate him for what have been consistently above-average outings on the whole. In all, Vahe is playing at a perfectly reasonable level and is certainly a luxury to have given his surrounding cast. He's good enough to not be compared to the Sedrick Flowers-types of the recent past but he's going to have to develop quite a bit before the end of his junior season and as a senior to get to the same level as a guy like Trey Hopkins.
- Zach Shackelford continues to play at a level that is much higher overall from a baseline-perspective than last season. He leads the current starters in snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused and continues to show improvement with generating movement in the middle of the line in inside-zone. He's not the liability for upfield penetration through his playside shoulder we harped on endlessly last season. When thinking about guys like Okafor and Kerstetter and the lumps they're currently taking, remember Shack took the brunt of his last year.
- I think Derek Kerstetter has immense potential. I actually think he needs to flip sides with Okafor. Kerstetter has the better feet and balance to handle outside speed and simply looks more like a LT while Okafor looks more like an RT. This was my favorite play of Kerstetter's (RT No. 68) during the game versus the Sooners. Despite the fact that he's got much better-than-advertised strength (and chops in the run-portion of his game -- 4 knockdowns this week speak to that), he has a natural feel to his pass-protection as well. Watch his feet, then look up his legs to the way his hips mirror an excellent edge-rusher in No. 31 through his spin-move. Kerstetter has excellent balance -- never letting his weight get out over the balls of his feet or becoming overextended. His hands always find their way inside 31's numbers and his thumbs stay pointed up.
presented by the Dental Offices of Wendy Swantkowski, DDS
The Absolute BEST in family and cosmetic dentistry for the Houston-Memorial Area
Now Accepting New Patients --- 281-293-9140
LT Denzel Okafor - 80 snaps
3 sacks, 1 pressure and 1 QB hit allowed
1 false start penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 73.5
278 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 17.38 snaps (down from one per 19.8 snaps)
LG Patrick Vahe - 80 snaps
No disruption allowed
1 knockdown
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76
479 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 31.93 snaps (up from one per 26.6 snaps)
C Zach Shackelford - 80 snaps
1 QB hit, 1 pressure allowed
1 false start, 1 illegal low-block downfield penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.38
391 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 48.88 snaps (down from one per 62.2 snaps)
RG Terrell Cuney - 80 snaps
3 run-stuffs, 1 pressure and 1 sack allowed
1 false start penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.5
173 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 17.3 snaps (down from one per 43.25 snaps)
RT Derek Kerstetter - 79 snaps
1 QB hit, 1 pressure allowed
2 holding penalties
4 knockdowns
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.9
252 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 19.38 snaps (up from one per 19.22 snaps)
RT Tristan Nickelson - 1 snap
1 pressure allowed
284 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 12.9 snaps (down from one per 13.47 snaps)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
- This was a major downgrade from the level of performance we saw from this group versus K-State. Cuney played a game that teetered on the exact edge of acceptability at 74.5 and Okafor's 73.5 is well into unacceptable-range. With this said, it was at least a better game for Okafor than he had versus USC which indicates improvement. No. 31 for Oklahoma was a tough dude to handle and this was no cake walk for any involved. While he played the worst of any on the line versus OU, it was certainly not the worst game anyone has seen from a Texas offensive lineman in 2017. Cuney showed that he's not a threat to take a starting job from a healthy McMillon or Shack, but in two big-time Big 12 games has played at a level that hasn't ventured into unacceptable level, which speaks well to depth-situation that many viewed as much more worrisome before this development.
- The run-block concept mix versus OU was: Inside Zone (41%), Outside Zone (32%), Power/Gap (27%). Curiously, the group's grades on average across each concept was the complete opposite of the frequency with which each was used. The line blocked Power best most effectively with an overall positive grade, Outside Zone with a slightly lesser (but still positive) grade overall, while the average grade of all efforts in Inside Zone was a cumulative negative.
- I told you in this column last week and on the OU preview podcast that opposing coaches will watch film of Denzel Okafor and will know immediately that he's going to be much easier to beat with pure outside speed than he is versus a speed-to-power/outside-in conversion. Well, it took all of 8 snaps for pure speed off the edge to cause a big strip-sack on Sam Ehlinger for the Oklahoma Sooners. Okafor has a load of potential, but Okafor, Sam Ehlinger and Texas fans alike are going to have to take their lumps together as Okafor develops on the job. I have little doubt that in the end it will be worth it, but we'll see some rough days in the interim.
- Patrick Vahe did a good job on the surface when looking back at the whole game by not being directly responsible for any disruption or penalties and I was surprised about it because I was constantly thinking he was playing pretty badly next to Denzel Okafor. While I mentioned that the overall unit ran the power concept best of any versus Oklahoma, Vahe continues to give miserable effort as the pulling guard on the back side of the play. He doesn't frequently engage edge defenders or linebackers in free space when turning upfield with his head up. I simply don't see how he's not coached to do better than this and it's now a technical/simple player-safety issue that has spanned three different OL coaches. Watch Patrick Vahe the next time you see him pulling behind the line of scrimmage. I'll give you a dollar (not really, but certainly a pat on the back) if you notice him doing a good job of kicking out the end with his eyes up and hands inside with good leverage. He enters this sort of engagement consistently with his head down, and a majority of the time ends up on the ground. This is not to say Vahe isn't a perfectly fine player for Texas and fans should appreciate him for what have been consistently above-average outings on the whole. In all, Vahe is playing at a perfectly reasonable level and is certainly a luxury to have given his surrounding cast. He's good enough to not be compared to the Sedrick Flowers-types of the recent past but he's going to have to develop quite a bit before the end of his junior season and as a senior to get to the same level as a guy like Trey Hopkins.
- Zach Shackelford continues to play at a level that is much higher overall from a baseline-perspective than last season. He leads the current starters in snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused and continues to show improvement with generating movement in the middle of the line in inside-zone. He's not the liability for upfield penetration through his playside shoulder we harped on endlessly last season. When thinking about guys like Okafor and Kerstetter and the lumps they're currently taking, remember Shack took the brunt of his last year.
- I think Derek Kerstetter has immense potential. I actually think he needs to flip sides with Okafor. Kerstetter has the better feet and balance to handle outside speed and simply looks more like a LT while Okafor looks more like an RT. This was my favorite play of Kerstetter's (RT No. 68) during the game versus the Sooners. Despite the fact that he's got much better-than-advertised strength (and chops in the run-portion of his game -- 4 knockdowns this week speak to that), he has a natural feel to his pass-protection as well. Watch his feet, then look up his legs to the way his hips mirror an excellent edge-rusher in No. 31 through his spin-move. Kerstetter has excellent balance -- never letting his weight get out over the balls of his feet or becoming overextended. His hands always find their way inside 31's numbers and his thumbs stay pointed up.
