Daily Short #98, November 9th, 2017: OL Thoughts and Grades
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LT Tristan Nickelson - 70 snaps
2 QB hits, 2 pressures, 1 sack allowed
1 pin
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.29
Season Average: 74.7 (6 games)
385 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 14.25 snaps (down from one per 14.35 snaps)
LG Patrick Vahe - 70 snaps
3 pressures allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.29
Season Average: 76.44 (9 games)
667 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 33.35 snaps (down from one per 35.12 snaps)
C Terrell Cuney - 70 snaps
4 pressures, 2 TFL, 1 sack allowed
1 leg-whip penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 70.58
Season Average: 73.26 (5 games)
384 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 13.24 snaps (down from one per 14.95 snaps)
RG Jake McMillon - 70 snaps
2 pressures, 2 QB hits, 1 TFL, 1 run-stuff, 1 sack allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 72.58
Season Average: 75.89 (8 games)
566 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 26.96 snaps (down from one per 35.43 snaps)
RT Derek Kerstetter - 70 snaps
3 pressures, 2 sacks, 1 TFL allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 73.72
Season Average: 76.38 (6 games)
462 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 19.26 snaps (down from one per 21.78 snaps)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
You know it's bad when Tristan Nickelson (who, at times looked absolutely incapable of providing a level of play that would suit any OC's Division-I game-plan) is tied with the best grade of the week. Even worse, this grade was worse than Nickelson's season average, which itself is teetering on the verge of unacceptability. In all, this column could be very short and you can just quit reading right here if you want: every player on the Texas offensive line played at an embarrassing and unacceptable level versus TCU.
While the offensive line has been the fanbases's scapegoat for what has been a miserable year on offense, it hasn't ever been as bad as it was versus TCU. This was the one game where any fan looking to defend the pathetic product put on the field thus far by Tim Beck and Co. could legitimately point at the OL and declare "no coach could get anything done with that group." That statement is 100% factually true regarding the TCU game, even while being largely wrong in reference to every other game this season.
It was the worst overall performance by a Texas offensive line in the illustrious and controversial history of the Deep Dig. The worst. THE WOAT. In five years doing this, the OL has never graded out with an average grade anywhere near as low. It was a miserable abomination. The guys played 70 total snaps and if you add up the number of disruptive acts allowed by the unit in total plus the one penalty (I suppose if you are looking for a silver lining, only one penalty is pretty good) you get 30 total acts of disruption allowed. Out of 70 snaps. Unacceptable and nausea-inducing.
Terrell Cuney is stiff as a board and doesn't understand any of his assignments. He's slow to process things and plays football with all the urgency of a shoebox full of slugs. Texas actually tried to throw in some new wrinkles in the run-block mix which showed promise: a new lead-draw it deployed twice, both times completely wrecked by Terrell Cuney mysteriously ushering a one-technique directly across his face en route to both TFLs he allowed on the day.
Some reward the staff got for trying something new there.
And that's not all -- the other new concept was a wingback-trap style concept where the line as a unit blocked down outside of the play-side tackle who kicked out; and the backside tackle -- in this case Tristan Nickelson -- pulled to kick out the linebacker coming downhill free to play-side B-gap. I loved the concept; and if Tristan Nickelson could engage a defender in free space with any sort of leverage and/or athleticism to save his life, it may have actually worked.
Again, it's hard to blame the offensive staff for not trying new things when they get punched in the damn mouth every time they do. My only hope is that these horrible outcomes on these two concepts don't cause the staff to shy away from deploying them further or other similar variations that get them away from defining insanity by continuing to call an outside-zone concept that has not and will not work with the pieces currently in place. While the frequency of the stretch play was down versus TCU, it is still mixed in there, and is still the cause for the most line-disruption this whole season.
One of the reasons is that Jake McMillon has regressed horribly. He's either playing down to the level of his peers or he was boosted up last season on the left side next to Connor Williams. In outside-zone last season, that tandem of two guys on the left side was smooth as silk.
Now, McMillon gets his play-side shoulder blown into oblivion and penetrated against upfield like a rag doll. I can't tell if it's because he's not engaging defenders correctly or if Kerstetter just doesn't hang with him long enough in a three-hand technique before climbing second-level. It's the same issue with Cuney and McMillon, and Vahe and Cuney, and the LT and Vahe. These guys don't understand how to run the stretch play effectively and that's maybe the one thing you could put on the coaches. They haven't been taught any sort of effective technique for a play that fails miserably in the vast majority of cases. Yet it continues to be part of the run-mix. For those looking to place blame on the staff for some of this -- there you go. That much is, indeed nonsensical.
Kerstetter has been a terrific bright spot for Texas who's exceeded expectations, but boy -- did crash down to Earth in this one. It goes to show that as positive as his initial impact on the OL has been, it's entirely possible (and actually probable/factual) that the guy has been running extremely hot as it would be called in poker and was due to regress.
If Texas can't get the offensive line playing at a higher level than what was exhibited versus TCU, it will not win another game this season -- and that includes Kansas. By definition, the output of the unit in this game was one that is not conducive to the execution of a D1 offensive game plan. This has not been the case all season but it was on Saturday. You simply can't overcome it as a coach when the OL play is that pathetic.
Getting Zach Shackelford back will be an immense boost and real conversations will have to take place about whether running Tristan Nickelson out over another shaky option in Denzel Okafor is actually the best way to accomplish what the offensive staff is looking to implement. The hope for fans is that Kansas is so bad that it will allow this unit to get back on track, because in the wake of the TCU debacle, it appears derailed in the worst way anyone has seen in the last five years.
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 Tristan Nickelson - 70 snaps
2 QB hits, 2 pressures, 1 sack allowed
1 pin
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.29
Season Average: 74.7 (6 games)
385 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 14.25 snaps (down from one per 14.35 snaps)
LG Patrick Vahe - 70 snaps
3 pressures allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.29
Season Average: 76.44 (9 games)
667 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 33.35 snaps (down from one per 35.12 snaps)
C Terrell Cuney - 70 snaps
4 pressures, 2 TFL, 1 sack allowed
1 leg-whip penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 70.58
Season Average: 73.26 (5 games)
384 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 13.24 snaps (down from one per 14.95 snaps)
RG Jake McMillon - 70 snaps
2 pressures, 2 QB hits, 1 TFL, 1 run-stuff, 1 sack allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 72.58
Season Average: 75.89 (8 games)
566 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 26.96 snaps (down from one per 35.43 snaps)
RT Derek Kerstetter - 70 snaps
3 pressures, 2 sacks, 1 TFL allowed
DEEP DIG GRADE: 73.72
Season Average: 76.38 (6 games)
462 snaps on the season; disruption allowed and/or penalty caused once per every 19.26 snaps (down from one per 21.78 snaps)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
You know it's bad when Tristan Nickelson (who, at times looked absolutely incapable of providing a level of play that would suit any OC's Division-I game-plan) is tied with the best grade of the week. Even worse, this grade was worse than Nickelson's season average, which itself is teetering on the verge of unacceptability. In all, this column could be very short and you can just quit reading right here if you want: every player on the Texas offensive line played at an embarrassing and unacceptable level versus TCU.
While the offensive line has been the fanbases's scapegoat for what has been a miserable year on offense, it hasn't ever been as bad as it was versus TCU. This was the one game where any fan looking to defend the pathetic product put on the field thus far by Tim Beck and Co. could legitimately point at the OL and declare "no coach could get anything done with that group." That statement is 100% factually true regarding the TCU game, even while being largely wrong in reference to every other game this season.
It was the worst overall performance by a Texas offensive line in the illustrious and controversial history of the Deep Dig. The worst. THE WOAT. In five years doing this, the OL has never graded out with an average grade anywhere near as low. It was a miserable abomination. The guys played 70 total snaps and if you add up the number of disruptive acts allowed by the unit in total plus the one penalty (I suppose if you are looking for a silver lining, only one penalty is pretty good) you get 30 total acts of disruption allowed. Out of 70 snaps. Unacceptable and nausea-inducing.
Terrell Cuney is stiff as a board and doesn't understand any of his assignments. He's slow to process things and plays football with all the urgency of a shoebox full of slugs. Texas actually tried to throw in some new wrinkles in the run-block mix which showed promise: a new lead-draw it deployed twice, both times completely wrecked by Terrell Cuney mysteriously ushering a one-technique directly across his face en route to both TFLs he allowed on the day.
Some reward the staff got for trying something new there.
And that's not all -- the other new concept was a wingback-trap style concept where the line as a unit blocked down outside of the play-side tackle who kicked out; and the backside tackle -- in this case Tristan Nickelson -- pulled to kick out the linebacker coming downhill free to play-side B-gap. I loved the concept; and if Tristan Nickelson could engage a defender in free space with any sort of leverage and/or athleticism to save his life, it may have actually worked.
Again, it's hard to blame the offensive staff for not trying new things when they get punched in the damn mouth every time they do. My only hope is that these horrible outcomes on these two concepts don't cause the staff to shy away from deploying them further or other similar variations that get them away from defining insanity by continuing to call an outside-zone concept that has not and will not work with the pieces currently in place. While the frequency of the stretch play was down versus TCU, it is still mixed in there, and is still the cause for the most line-disruption this whole season.
One of the reasons is that Jake McMillon has regressed horribly. He's either playing down to the level of his peers or he was boosted up last season on the left side next to Connor Williams. In outside-zone last season, that tandem of two guys on the left side was smooth as silk.
Now, McMillon gets his play-side shoulder blown into oblivion and penetrated against upfield like a rag doll. I can't tell if it's because he's not engaging defenders correctly or if Kerstetter just doesn't hang with him long enough in a three-hand technique before climbing second-level. It's the same issue with Cuney and McMillon, and Vahe and Cuney, and the LT and Vahe. These guys don't understand how to run the stretch play effectively and that's maybe the one thing you could put on the coaches. They haven't been taught any sort of effective technique for a play that fails miserably in the vast majority of cases. Yet it continues to be part of the run-mix. For those looking to place blame on the staff for some of this -- there you go. That much is, indeed nonsensical.
Kerstetter has been a terrific bright spot for Texas who's exceeded expectations, but boy -- did crash down to Earth in this one. It goes to show that as positive as his initial impact on the OL has been, it's entirely possible (and actually probable/factual) that the guy has been running extremely hot as it would be called in poker and was due to regress.
If Texas can't get the offensive line playing at a higher level than what was exhibited versus TCU, it will not win another game this season -- and that includes Kansas. By definition, the output of the unit in this game was one that is not conducive to the execution of a D1 offensive game plan. This has not been the case all season but it was on Saturday. You simply can't overcome it as a coach when the OL play is that pathetic.
Getting Zach Shackelford back will be an immense boost and real conversations will have to take place about whether running Tristan Nickelson out over another shaky option in Denzel Okafor is actually the best way to accomplish what the offensive staff is looking to implement. The hope for fans is that Kansas is so bad that it will allow this unit to get back on track, because in the wake of the TCU debacle, it appears derailed in the worst way anyone has seen in the last five years.
