The Deep Dig
UTEP Part I: Defense
presented by Wendy Swantkowksi, DDS
Looking for experienced family and cosmetic dental care in the Houston-Memorial area? Go with the best! OB sponsor Wendy Swantkowski, DDS. Call 281-293-9140 and find out why so many Orangebloods members are her patients!
Market Shares and Futures
photo courtesy Texas Football
Here’s how the productivity rankings are tallied, as always, Deep Dig data and statistics are likely to differ from “official” statistics kept by the university:
Solo Tackles: 1 point
Assisted and Boundary-Assisted Tackles: .5 points
Touches-Down and Untouched Force-Outs: 0 points
Sacks: 2 points
QB Hits: 1 point
QB Pressures: 1 point
TFL: 2 points
Batted Passes: 1 point
Fumbles Caused: 3 points
Fumbles Recovered: 1.5 points
Run-Stuffs: 1 point (on top of tackle if applicable)
Pass Break-Ups: 1 point
Blowups (a PBU that ‘blows up’ the opposing WR): 2 points
Interceptions: 3 points
Defensive Touchdowns: 6 points
Missed Tackles: -1 point
FOR DBs ONLY (new in 2016)
Lockdown Bonus: A bonus awarded (3 points for CB, 2 points for S and Nickel*) that can be whittled down by the following negatives stats:
Completions allowed: -.5 points
Burns: -2 points
* points per total snaps in the game. If a player was only a 50% snap participant as an outside cornerback, the lockdown bonus he’d start out with would be only 1.5 points.
Standings in the Deep Dig’s Productivity Market Share Rankings represent the number of points the player has scored to this point in the season per the Deep Dig’s official records.
The rankings will be updated weekly through the season as players move in and out of the Top 10 and market-shares shift toward the future. For now, there remains one clear number one, but some jumbling is — predictably — occurring underneath him.
THE TOP 10 RANKINGS (through two games)
(Player) (% total team productivity created)
1. LB Malik Jefferson - 11.19%
2. DE Charles Omenihu - 8.47%
3. DT Poona Ford - 8.17%
4. DT Chris Nelson - 7.56%
5. DT Paul Boyette - 5.27%
6. LB Anthony Wheeler - 5.14%
7. S Deshon Elliott - 5.27%
8. FOX Breckyn Hager - 4.54%
9. FOX Malcolm Roach - 4.47%
10. S Jason Hall - 3.70%
Defensive Snap Counts and Quick Hits
Click here to view full Deep Dig participation log
NOSE
93 Paul Boyette - 35 snaps
94 Gerald Wilbon - 10 snaps
61 Alex Mercado - 3 snaps
TACKLE
95 Poona Ford - 31 snaps (30 at DT, 1 at SDE)
97 Chris Nelson - 29 snaps (19 at DT, 10 at NT)
98 D’Andre Christmas - 5 snaps
62 Patrick Ojeaga - 3 snaps
Chris Nelson had a come-back-down-to-earth party versus UTEP after blasting onto the scene versus Notre Dame, but was still effective at the point of attack. He also lost credit for one big run-stuff on a play that was nullified for penalty. As things stand, Nelson only fell two spots in the Top 10. Poona Ford picked up where he left off, having a second-straight solid week and making a case for himself as the team’s top run-stuffer.
We see in the snap distribution that the freshman d-linemen who got into the game versus UTEP were D’Andre Christmas, Gerald Wilbon and (below at defensive end) Jordan Elliott. Elliott and Wilbon received minimal playing time versus Notre Dame but it was Christmas’ debut versus the Miners. Seeing as walk-ons Patrick Ojeaga and Alex Mercado saw mop-up duty over two other (presumably) healthy freshmen d-line prospects in Chris Daniels and Marcel Southall, we’d venture to guess both of these players are headed for redshirts.
END
90 Charles Omenihu - 29 snaps (28 at SDE, 1 at DT)
91 Bryce Cottrell - 18 snaps
55 Jordan Elliott - 11 snaps
All of the sudden, Charles O. sits No. 2 in the overall Deep Dig market share rankings. He’s now an undisputed starter over senior Bryce Cottrell and already has four QB pressures, which, somewhat surprisingly, currently quadruples his nearest competition.
When you look at the market-share percentage rankings above, it’s clear to see one big reason why Texas is winning to start the 2016 season. One of the team’s biggest worries — a startling lack of depth and experience along the defensive line — appears to (for now) have been much ado about nothing. Thanks in large part to younger veteran players such as Omenihu and Chris Nelson stepping up in a big way while older veterans such as Poona Ford and Paul Boyette continue to seemingly overachieve.
FOX
40 Naashon Hughes - 37 snaps
32 Malcolm Roach - 21 snaps
SAM/“Double Fox”
44 Breckyn Hager - 36 snaps
23 Jeffrey McCulloch - 8 snaps
One of the maniacs presiding in our dark basement this week said that true freshman DE/FOX “(Malcolm Roach) needs to lose the baby fat; just wait ’til he loses the baby fat!”
He spoke with conviction and we believe him.
One said Roach is a Charlie Strong three-star-special delivered via the Brick Haley Express, straight from Louisiana. One person even said that Malcolm Roach as a freshman looks like a future Melvin Ingram.
We said in this very transmission last week that Roach — while failing to record a single statistic in the Deep Dig’s official productivity records versus Notre Dame — was a player who flashed big-time and was always around the play when the Texas defense got pressure or made sacks. Furthermore, Roach was used almost exclusively in the third-down, Cheetah pressure package. A package where you want your best pass rushers in there off the edge.
The coaches praise Roach’s urgency and motor to the passer in public comments. With the integration of what we’ll (for now) call a “two-fox” personnel grouping versus UTEP, Roach received a substantially more integrated role.
It’s a grouping that takes advantage of current resources at the FOX position (which can sometimes be a DL/LB “tweener”-athlete such as Breckyn Hager or Malcolm Roach or Erick Fowler or Naashon Hughes or 2015 first-round draft pick Marcus Smith) while also having the capability to integrate high-upside, young “true-linebacker” prospects such as Jeffery McCulloch interchangeably with them as, essentially, SAM/overhang players.
MIKE
Malik Jefferson - 40 snaps
Tim Cole - 15 snaps
Cameron Townsend - 3 snaps
WILL
Anthony Wheeler - 40 snaps
Edwin Freeman - 15 snaps
Johnny Tseng - 3 snaps
- Through two games, Anthony Wheeler remains the defense’s most frequently used snap participant, having now tallied 108 total snaps on defense. Malik Jefferson is in second place at 105.
SECONDARY
NICKEL
11 PJ Locke - 11 snaps
RIGHT CORNER
9 Davante Davis - 41 snaps (35 at RCB, 6 at LCB)
2 Kris Boyd - 27 snaps (23 at RCB, 4 at LCB)
LEFT CORNER
1 Sheroid Evans - 31 snaps
25 Antwuan Davis - 17 snaps
SAFETY
18 Kevin Vaccaro - 43 snaps
31 Jason Hall - 34 snaps
4 Deshon Elliott - 27 snaps
19 Brandon Jones - 9 snaps
24 John Bonney - 3 snaps
- PJ Locke saw a drastic decrease in playing time versus UTEP. The nickel package versus the Miners went to way of the dime package vs. Notre Dame. That is to say, the Longhorns only went to nickel versus UTEP in third-down and pass-rush situations.
- Craziest stat of the week across all positions: Not one DB (cornerback, nickel or safety) was credited with a completion allowed to the UTEP offense or a coverage burn. All of the passes completed versus the Texas defense were into what appeared to be linebacker curl/flat coverage responsibility and underneath, quick-hitting patterns.
- Davante Davis bounced back from an awful game versus Notre Dame to have a big one versus UTEP, earning his full lockdown bonus and causing a fumble to go along with a few open-field tackles. That’s the Davis fans grew to know and love in 2015, and it’s nice to see him back on the right path. It still wasn’t quite enough to get him into the Top 10, though.
- Only nine snaps on defense for freshman safety Brandon Jones, but he managed to generate one QB pressure during his time on the field as well as contributing in a big way during limited time on special teams. That’s some excellent per-snap productivity. Speaking of per-snap productivity …
Snaps per production generated (through two games)
(players who have not yet caused 2016 production not included)
LB C Townsend
3 total snaps on defense
1.50 snaps per production point gained
FOX M Roach
30 total snaps on defense
4.00 snaps per production point gained
DE B Cottrell
18 total snaps on defense
4.50 snaps per production point gained
LB M Jefferson
105 total snaps on defense
5.68 snaps per production point gained
DT C Nelson
71 total snaps on defense
5.68 snaps per production point gained
DT P Ford
81 total snaps on defense
6.00 snaps per production point gained
DE C Omenihu
84 total snaps on defense
6.00 snaps per production point gained
FOX B Hager
52 total snaps on defense
6.12 snaps per production point gained
S D Elliott
56 total snaps on defense
6.43 snaps per production point gained
S D Haines
16 total snaps on defense
6.58 snaps per production point gained
LB E Freeman
22 total snaps on defense
7.33 snaps per production point gained
DT P Boyette
83 total snaps on defense
7.5 snaps per production point gained
CB H Hill
52 total snaps on defense
8.51 snaps per production point gained
S B Jones
13 total snaps on defense
9.15 snaps per production point gained
DE J Elliott
25 total snaps on defense
10.00 snaps per production point gained
NCB P Locke
56 total snaps on defense
10.00 snaps per production point gained
S J Hall
79 total snaps on defense
10.69 snaps per production point gained
LB A Wheeler
108 total snaps on defense
10.80 snaps per production point gained
CB K Boyd
27 total snaps on defense
11.25 snaps per production point gained
LB T Cole
24 total snaps on defense
12.00 snaps per production point gained
NCB A Davis
45 total snaps on defense
14.33 snaps per production point gained
CB D Davis
84 total snaps on defense
17.28 snaps per production point gained
S K Vaccaro
97 total snaps on defense
17.83 snaps per production point gained
FOX N Hughes
85 total snaps on defense
18.89 snaps per production point gained
CB S Evans
97 total snaps on defense
22.66 snaps per production point gained
This Week in Missed Tackles …
More playing time for Kevin Vaccaro means more missed tackles!
Kevin Vaccaro - 2 missed tackles on defense
Deshon Elliott - 1 missed tackle on defense
Edwin Freeman - 1 missed tackle on defense
Malcolm Roach - 1 missed tackle on defense
Bryce Cottrell - 1 missed tackle on defense
For a total of 6 missed tackles on defense versus UTEP. In case Vance Bedford asks.
As we turn our attention to Part II: Offense, we thank you, once again, for reading.
UTEP Part I: Defense
presented by Wendy Swantkowksi, DDS
Looking for experienced family and cosmetic dental care in the Houston-Memorial area? Go with the best! OB sponsor Wendy Swantkowski, DDS. Call 281-293-9140 and find out why so many Orangebloods members are her patients!
. . .
Market Shares and Futures
photo courtesy Texas Football
Here’s how the productivity rankings are tallied, as always, Deep Dig data and statistics are likely to differ from “official” statistics kept by the university:
Solo Tackles: 1 point
Assisted and Boundary-Assisted Tackles: .5 points
Touches-Down and Untouched Force-Outs: 0 points
Sacks: 2 points
QB Hits: 1 point
QB Pressures: 1 point
TFL: 2 points
Batted Passes: 1 point
Fumbles Caused: 3 points
Fumbles Recovered: 1.5 points
Run-Stuffs: 1 point (on top of tackle if applicable)
Pass Break-Ups: 1 point
Blowups (a PBU that ‘blows up’ the opposing WR): 2 points
Interceptions: 3 points
Defensive Touchdowns: 6 points
Missed Tackles: -1 point
FOR DBs ONLY (new in 2016)
Lockdown Bonus: A bonus awarded (3 points for CB, 2 points for S and Nickel*) that can be whittled down by the following negatives stats:
Completions allowed: -.5 points
Burns: -2 points
* points per total snaps in the game. If a player was only a 50% snap participant as an outside cornerback, the lockdown bonus he’d start out with would be only 1.5 points.
Standings in the Deep Dig’s Productivity Market Share Rankings represent the number of points the player has scored to this point in the season per the Deep Dig’s official records.
The rankings will be updated weekly through the season as players move in and out of the Top 10 and market-shares shift toward the future. For now, there remains one clear number one, but some jumbling is — predictably — occurring underneath him.
. . .
THE TOP 10 RANKINGS (through two games)
(Player) (% total team productivity created)
1. LB Malik Jefferson - 11.19%
2. DE Charles Omenihu - 8.47%
3. DT Poona Ford - 8.17%
4. DT Chris Nelson - 7.56%
5. DT Paul Boyette - 5.27%
6. LB Anthony Wheeler - 5.14%
7. S Deshon Elliott - 5.27%
8. FOX Breckyn Hager - 4.54%
9. FOX Malcolm Roach - 4.47%
10. S Jason Hall - 3.70%
. . .
Defensive Snap Counts and Quick Hits
Click here to view full Deep Dig participation log
NOSE
93 Paul Boyette - 35 snaps
94 Gerald Wilbon - 10 snaps
61 Alex Mercado - 3 snaps
TACKLE
95 Poona Ford - 31 snaps (30 at DT, 1 at SDE)
97 Chris Nelson - 29 snaps (19 at DT, 10 at NT)
98 D’Andre Christmas - 5 snaps
62 Patrick Ojeaga - 3 snaps
Chris Nelson had a come-back-down-to-earth party versus UTEP after blasting onto the scene versus Notre Dame, but was still effective at the point of attack. He also lost credit for one big run-stuff on a play that was nullified for penalty. As things stand, Nelson only fell two spots in the Top 10. Poona Ford picked up where he left off, having a second-straight solid week and making a case for himself as the team’s top run-stuffer.
We see in the snap distribution that the freshman d-linemen who got into the game versus UTEP were D’Andre Christmas, Gerald Wilbon and (below at defensive end) Jordan Elliott. Elliott and Wilbon received minimal playing time versus Notre Dame but it was Christmas’ debut versus the Miners. Seeing as walk-ons Patrick Ojeaga and Alex Mercado saw mop-up duty over two other (presumably) healthy freshmen d-line prospects in Chris Daniels and Marcel Southall, we’d venture to guess both of these players are headed for redshirts.
END
90 Charles Omenihu - 29 snaps (28 at SDE, 1 at DT)
91 Bryce Cottrell - 18 snaps
55 Jordan Elliott - 11 snaps
All of the sudden, Charles O. sits No. 2 in the overall Deep Dig market share rankings. He’s now an undisputed starter over senior Bryce Cottrell and already has four QB pressures, which, somewhat surprisingly, currently quadruples his nearest competition.
When you look at the market-share percentage rankings above, it’s clear to see one big reason why Texas is winning to start the 2016 season. One of the team’s biggest worries — a startling lack of depth and experience along the defensive line — appears to (for now) have been much ado about nothing. Thanks in large part to younger veteran players such as Omenihu and Chris Nelson stepping up in a big way while older veterans such as Poona Ford and Paul Boyette continue to seemingly overachieve.
FOX
40 Naashon Hughes - 37 snaps
32 Malcolm Roach - 21 snaps
SAM/“Double Fox”
44 Breckyn Hager - 36 snaps
23 Jeffrey McCulloch - 8 snaps
One of the maniacs presiding in our dark basement this week said that true freshman DE/FOX “(Malcolm Roach) needs to lose the baby fat; just wait ’til he loses the baby fat!”
He spoke with conviction and we believe him.
One said Roach is a Charlie Strong three-star-special delivered via the Brick Haley Express, straight from Louisiana. One person even said that Malcolm Roach as a freshman looks like a future Melvin Ingram.
We said in this very transmission last week that Roach — while failing to record a single statistic in the Deep Dig’s official productivity records versus Notre Dame — was a player who flashed big-time and was always around the play when the Texas defense got pressure or made sacks. Furthermore, Roach was used almost exclusively in the third-down, Cheetah pressure package. A package where you want your best pass rushers in there off the edge.
The coaches praise Roach’s urgency and motor to the passer in public comments. With the integration of what we’ll (for now) call a “two-fox” personnel grouping versus UTEP, Roach received a substantially more integrated role.
It’s a grouping that takes advantage of current resources at the FOX position (which can sometimes be a DL/LB “tweener”-athlete such as Breckyn Hager or Malcolm Roach or Erick Fowler or Naashon Hughes or 2015 first-round draft pick Marcus Smith) while also having the capability to integrate high-upside, young “true-linebacker” prospects such as Jeffery McCulloch interchangeably with them as, essentially, SAM/overhang players.
MIKE
Malik Jefferson - 40 snaps
Tim Cole - 15 snaps
Cameron Townsend - 3 snaps
WILL
Anthony Wheeler - 40 snaps
Edwin Freeman - 15 snaps
Johnny Tseng - 3 snaps
- Through two games, Anthony Wheeler remains the defense’s most frequently used snap participant, having now tallied 108 total snaps on defense. Malik Jefferson is in second place at 105.
SECONDARY
NICKEL
11 PJ Locke - 11 snaps
RIGHT CORNER
9 Davante Davis - 41 snaps (35 at RCB, 6 at LCB)
2 Kris Boyd - 27 snaps (23 at RCB, 4 at LCB)
LEFT CORNER
1 Sheroid Evans - 31 snaps
25 Antwuan Davis - 17 snaps
SAFETY
18 Kevin Vaccaro - 43 snaps
31 Jason Hall - 34 snaps
4 Deshon Elliott - 27 snaps
19 Brandon Jones - 9 snaps
24 John Bonney - 3 snaps
- PJ Locke saw a drastic decrease in playing time versus UTEP. The nickel package versus the Miners went to way of the dime package vs. Notre Dame. That is to say, the Longhorns only went to nickel versus UTEP in third-down and pass-rush situations.
- Craziest stat of the week across all positions: Not one DB (cornerback, nickel or safety) was credited with a completion allowed to the UTEP offense or a coverage burn. All of the passes completed versus the Texas defense were into what appeared to be linebacker curl/flat coverage responsibility and underneath, quick-hitting patterns.
- Davante Davis bounced back from an awful game versus Notre Dame to have a big one versus UTEP, earning his full lockdown bonus and causing a fumble to go along with a few open-field tackles. That’s the Davis fans grew to know and love in 2015, and it’s nice to see him back on the right path. It still wasn’t quite enough to get him into the Top 10, though.
- Only nine snaps on defense for freshman safety Brandon Jones, but he managed to generate one QB pressure during his time on the field as well as contributing in a big way during limited time on special teams. That’s some excellent per-snap productivity. Speaking of per-snap productivity …
. . .
Snaps per production generated (through two games)
(players who have not yet caused 2016 production not included)
LB C Townsend
3 total snaps on defense
1.50 snaps per production point gained
FOX M Roach
30 total snaps on defense
4.00 snaps per production point gained
DE B Cottrell
18 total snaps on defense
4.50 snaps per production point gained
LB M Jefferson
105 total snaps on defense
5.68 snaps per production point gained
DT C Nelson
71 total snaps on defense
5.68 snaps per production point gained
DT P Ford
81 total snaps on defense
6.00 snaps per production point gained
DE C Omenihu
84 total snaps on defense
6.00 snaps per production point gained
FOX B Hager
52 total snaps on defense
6.12 snaps per production point gained
S D Elliott
56 total snaps on defense
6.43 snaps per production point gained
S D Haines
16 total snaps on defense
6.58 snaps per production point gained
LB E Freeman
22 total snaps on defense
7.33 snaps per production point gained
DT P Boyette
83 total snaps on defense
7.5 snaps per production point gained
CB H Hill
52 total snaps on defense
8.51 snaps per production point gained
S B Jones
13 total snaps on defense
9.15 snaps per production point gained
DE J Elliott
25 total snaps on defense
10.00 snaps per production point gained
NCB P Locke
56 total snaps on defense
10.00 snaps per production point gained
S J Hall
79 total snaps on defense
10.69 snaps per production point gained
LB A Wheeler
108 total snaps on defense
10.80 snaps per production point gained
CB K Boyd
27 total snaps on defense
11.25 snaps per production point gained
LB T Cole
24 total snaps on defense
12.00 snaps per production point gained
NCB A Davis
45 total snaps on defense
14.33 snaps per production point gained
CB D Davis
84 total snaps on defense
17.28 snaps per production point gained
S K Vaccaro
97 total snaps on defense
17.83 snaps per production point gained
FOX N Hughes
85 total snaps on defense
18.89 snaps per production point gained
CB S Evans
97 total snaps on defense
22.66 snaps per production point gained
. . .
This Week in Missed Tackles …
More playing time for Kevin Vaccaro means more missed tackles!
Kevin Vaccaro - 2 missed tackles on defense
Deshon Elliott - 1 missed tackle on defense
Edwin Freeman - 1 missed tackle on defense
Malcolm Roach - 1 missed tackle on defense
Bryce Cottrell - 1 missed tackle on defense
For a total of 6 missed tackles on defense versus UTEP. In case Vance Bedford asks.
. . .
As we turn our attention to Part II: Offense, we thank you, once again, for reading.
