The DEEP DIG - Texas Tech Part I: Defense
presented by Hat Creek Burger Company
Market Shares and Futures
Here’s how the productivity rankings are tallied:
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: 3 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
Each player’s slice of the pie-chart represents the number of points the player has scored to this point in the season per the Deep Dig’s official records. The + and - or “even” designations represent the player’s one-week movement in the Top 15 standings.
The pie-chart will be updated weekly through the season as players move in and out of the Top 15 and market-shares shift toward the future. As of the second-to-last game of the season, Malik Jefferson has pulled back ahead of Hassan Ridgeway in the cat bird’s seat, by only the slimmest of margins. Both Ridgeway and Jefferson were having very productive games before both were lost early to injury in the contest, not allowing either to pick up any sort of lead on one another in the standings. Our first-annual productivity leader on the Texas defense for 2015 will come down to how both players play (if they do play) against Baylor.
Defensive Participation Log: Texas Tech
Snap Counts and Quick Hits
NOSE
93 Paul Boyette - 59 snaps (48 at NT, 11 at DT)
97 Chris Nelson - 29 snaps at NT
TACKLE
95 Poona Ford - 49 snaps (38 at DT, 7 at Cheetah DE, 4 at NT)
98 Hassan Ridgeway - 31 snaps (27 at DT, 4 at NT)
STRONG END
91 Bryce Cottrell - 46 snaps at SDE
1 Shiro Davis - 39 snaps (37 at SDE, 2 at DT)
49 Derick Roberson - 2 snaps at SDE
FOX END
40 Naashon Huges - 67 snaps (64 at FOX, 3 at WLB)
90 Charles Omenihu - 12 snaps at FOX
- Paul Boyette and Chris Nelson both saw their highest snap-totals and percentage of game snaps versus Texas Tech due Desmond Jackson’s inavailability for the game; as well as Hassan Ridgeway’s for the second half of it. Both players took advantage with season-best performances.
- Nelson, while still not an impact player and a drastic drop-off in overall presence from Ridgeway, is improving every game and showing promise. It’s clear that the Texas staff’s biggest frustration with the 2015 defensive line has been a frequent inability to get off of blocks. Nelson is starting to use his hands better to create some space and not get swallowed up.
- In all, Nelson was credited with one point for tackles, one QB pressure and one non-tackle run-stuff on 29 snaps per the Deep Dig’s official records. This means he generated 66 percent of the productivity of his previous 60 in-season snaps in the 29 he played versus Texas Tech.
- In a game where unexpected contributors seemed to be jumping out of the stands and putting on uniforms as reinforcements for the M.A.S.H-unit that was the Texas sideline, Shiro Davis went bananas. He’s been non-impact through the 2015 season and his career at Texas will be defined by many as brimming with unrealized potential. He’ll always have a monster Thanksgiving game Senior Day to look back on, though: one sack, three pressures, one TFL and a caused fumble on only 39 snaps.
WILL LINEBACKER
45 Anthony Wheeler - 63 snaps at WLB
19 Peter Jinkens - 18 snaps at WLB
MIKE LINEBACKER
30 Tim Cole - 50 snaps at MLB
46 Malik Jefferson - 23 snaps at MLB
44 Breckyn Hager - 13 snaps (12 at MLB, 1 at WLB)
- We know what you’re thinking - Shiro Davis goes bananas, Ridgeway plays well for a half as does Malik Jefferson, Paul Boyette and Chris Nelson have their best games of the season while Naashon Hughes has one of his Top 5. So … why did the Texas defense get smoked?
- As we’ll see, a large part of it is missed tackles. And we mean a LARGE part - literally the largest-ever “This Week in Missed Tackles” awaits below. A significant portion of the damage came from backup linebackers in Tim Cole and Anthony Wheeler. Wheeler missed four tackles while Cole missed three. Shockingly, neither player was the game’s missed-tackle leader, though …
CORNERBACK
9 Davante Davis - 85 snaps at LCB
24 John Bonney - 85 snaps at Nickel
5 Holton Hill - 81 snaps at RCB
2 Kris Boyd - 4 snaps at RCB
SAFETY
31 Jason Hall - 39 snaps (37 at S, 2 at Cheetah)
14 Dylan Haines - 47 snaps
11 PJ Locke - 1 snap
21 Duke Thomas - 85 snaps (78 at S, 7 at Cheetah)
- At his availability Monday Charlie Strong said this of Duke Thomas’ apparently one-game move to safety: “The reason Duke was at safety is because if you look at Tech, they use a lot of four wide receivers and there’s always a matchup problem because what we want to do is bring pressure. So we knew that Duke could cover their inside slot guys, so that’s why we got him in there. It’s just a one-game thing.”
- So, in a game where Texas didn’t trust its own normal personnel to handle defensive backfield duties, it only makes sense that there was no in-game tinkering with substitutions to get prospective younger players involved in a way similar to the initial integration of Hill and Davis to the starting lineup. The five players who the Texas staff trusts most in coverage against a statistically prolific offensive opponent are: Dylan Haines, Duke Thomas, Holton Hill, Davante Davis and John Bonney.
- With two pass break-ups versus Texas Tech, Davante Davis has now broken up six passes which is more than double every Texas defensive starter outside of Holton Hill who has four. Also, in cumulative PBUs + INTs + blowups, Davis leads the team with 10.5 despite playing less than half the snaps of upperclassmen players.
- Freshman CB Kris Boyd was dangerously close to making his second-straight non-appearance on defense, but was able to log four snaps in relief of Holton Hill as Hill appeared to be having his leg checked by trainers after exiting one series, but returned the next.
While on the subject of non-participants, here’s the benchwarmer roundup (non-participants versus Texas Tech who have played at least one defensive snap in 2015):
- DE Quincy Vasser (only played 37 snaps on the season appearing in five of 11 games, but he had played in the previous three)
- S Deshon Elliott (only played 40 total snaps on the season, but played 26 and 14 respectively in the previous two)
- S Kevin Vaccaro (only played 10 total snaps since Week 4)
- LB Edwin Freeman (played three snaps last week in first appearance since injury versus Cal)
- CB Antwuan Davis (is being phased out, only seven total snaps in the last six weeks and none in a blowout versus KU)
- CB Bryson Echols (hasn’t played a snap since Week 1 at Notre Dame)
- DL Jake McMillon, LB Dom Cruciani and FOX Caleb Bluiett (have all played less than 20 snaps on the season)
Per-Snap Productivity Rankings Through 11 Games (Players with 100-plus snaps)
Note: These per-snap productivity rankings are different than the market-share productivity rankings illustrated above for our Top 15.
These are the rankings of players sorted by snaps per productivity caused. It’s a way of gauging which players have done the most with opportunities on the field, and which have caused productivity due to volume of snaps on the field.
For example, CB Duke Thomas among the Top 5 to 6 scorers on the season for our productivity market-share rankings, but the per-snap rankings show that this is very likely simply because he is on the field so much, having played the most snaps of any Texas defender through 11 games.
(of players with at least 100 total defensive snaps on 2015 the season)
Snaps Per Missed Tackle
(of players with at least 100 total defensive snaps on 2015 the season)
Speaking of missed tackles (*shudder*) …
This Week in Missed Tackles: Texas Tech
John Bonney - 5 missed tackles
Anthony Wheeler - 4 missed tackles
Tim Cole - 3 missed tackles
Duke Thomas - 2 missed tackles
Dylan Haines - 2 missed tackles
Jason Hall - 2 missed tackles
One-Miss Club
Holton Hill
Poona Ford
Charles Omenihu
Naashon Hughes
Peter Jinkens
Paul Boyette
For a grand total of missed 24 (TWENTY-FOUR) missed tackles on defense versus Texas Tech, in case Vance Bedford asks.
An all-time record number of whiffs for one game in the Deep Dig era (by eight) and unacceptable. For all the talk that’s gaining steam about sweeping changes to the Texas offensive staff, some of our basement’s most maniacal members are beginning to rumble a new question more and more loudly:
What about the leaky defense?
As we turn our attention to Part II: Offense, we thank you, once again, for reading.
presented by Hat Creek Burger Company
. . .
Market Shares and Futures
Here’s how the productivity rankings are tallied:
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: 3 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
Each player’s slice of the pie-chart represents the number of points the player has scored to this point in the season per the Deep Dig’s official records. The + and - or “even” designations represent the player’s one-week movement in the Top 15 standings.
The pie-chart will be updated weekly through the season as players move in and out of the Top 15 and market-shares shift toward the future. As of the second-to-last game of the season, Malik Jefferson has pulled back ahead of Hassan Ridgeway in the cat bird’s seat, by only the slimmest of margins. Both Ridgeway and Jefferson were having very productive games before both were lost early to injury in the contest, not allowing either to pick up any sort of lead on one another in the standings. Our first-annual productivity leader on the Texas defense for 2015 will come down to how both players play (if they do play) against Baylor.
. . .
Defensive Participation Log: Texas Tech
Click to Enlarge Image
. . .
Snap Counts and Quick Hits
NOSE
93 Paul Boyette - 59 snaps (48 at NT, 11 at DT)
97 Chris Nelson - 29 snaps at NT
TACKLE
95 Poona Ford - 49 snaps (38 at DT, 7 at Cheetah DE, 4 at NT)
98 Hassan Ridgeway - 31 snaps (27 at DT, 4 at NT)
STRONG END
91 Bryce Cottrell - 46 snaps at SDE
1 Shiro Davis - 39 snaps (37 at SDE, 2 at DT)
49 Derick Roberson - 2 snaps at SDE
FOX END
40 Naashon Huges - 67 snaps (64 at FOX, 3 at WLB)
90 Charles Omenihu - 12 snaps at FOX
- Paul Boyette and Chris Nelson both saw their highest snap-totals and percentage of game snaps versus Texas Tech due Desmond Jackson’s inavailability for the game; as well as Hassan Ridgeway’s for the second half of it. Both players took advantage with season-best performances.
- Nelson, while still not an impact player and a drastic drop-off in overall presence from Ridgeway, is improving every game and showing promise. It’s clear that the Texas staff’s biggest frustration with the 2015 defensive line has been a frequent inability to get off of blocks. Nelson is starting to use his hands better to create some space and not get swallowed up.
- In all, Nelson was credited with one point for tackles, one QB pressure and one non-tackle run-stuff on 29 snaps per the Deep Dig’s official records. This means he generated 66 percent of the productivity of his previous 60 in-season snaps in the 29 he played versus Texas Tech.
- In a game where unexpected contributors seemed to be jumping out of the stands and putting on uniforms as reinforcements for the M.A.S.H-unit that was the Texas sideline, Shiro Davis went bananas. He’s been non-impact through the 2015 season and his career at Texas will be defined by many as brimming with unrealized potential. He’ll always have a monster Thanksgiving game Senior Day to look back on, though: one sack, three pressures, one TFL and a caused fumble on only 39 snaps.
WILL LINEBACKER
45 Anthony Wheeler - 63 snaps at WLB
19 Peter Jinkens - 18 snaps at WLB
MIKE LINEBACKER
30 Tim Cole - 50 snaps at MLB
46 Malik Jefferson - 23 snaps at MLB
44 Breckyn Hager - 13 snaps (12 at MLB, 1 at WLB)
- We know what you’re thinking - Shiro Davis goes bananas, Ridgeway plays well for a half as does Malik Jefferson, Paul Boyette and Chris Nelson have their best games of the season while Naashon Hughes has one of his Top 5. So … why did the Texas defense get smoked?
- As we’ll see, a large part of it is missed tackles. And we mean a LARGE part - literally the largest-ever “This Week in Missed Tackles” awaits below. A significant portion of the damage came from backup linebackers in Tim Cole and Anthony Wheeler. Wheeler missed four tackles while Cole missed three. Shockingly, neither player was the game’s missed-tackle leader, though …
CORNERBACK
9 Davante Davis - 85 snaps at LCB
24 John Bonney - 85 snaps at Nickel
5 Holton Hill - 81 snaps at RCB
2 Kris Boyd - 4 snaps at RCB
SAFETY
31 Jason Hall - 39 snaps (37 at S, 2 at Cheetah)
14 Dylan Haines - 47 snaps
11 PJ Locke - 1 snap
21 Duke Thomas - 85 snaps (78 at S, 7 at Cheetah)
- At his availability Monday Charlie Strong said this of Duke Thomas’ apparently one-game move to safety: “The reason Duke was at safety is because if you look at Tech, they use a lot of four wide receivers and there’s always a matchup problem because what we want to do is bring pressure. So we knew that Duke could cover their inside slot guys, so that’s why we got him in there. It’s just a one-game thing.”
- So, in a game where Texas didn’t trust its own normal personnel to handle defensive backfield duties, it only makes sense that there was no in-game tinkering with substitutions to get prospective younger players involved in a way similar to the initial integration of Hill and Davis to the starting lineup. The five players who the Texas staff trusts most in coverage against a statistically prolific offensive opponent are: Dylan Haines, Duke Thomas, Holton Hill, Davante Davis and John Bonney.
- With two pass break-ups versus Texas Tech, Davante Davis has now broken up six passes which is more than double every Texas defensive starter outside of Holton Hill who has four. Also, in cumulative PBUs + INTs + blowups, Davis leads the team with 10.5 despite playing less than half the snaps of upperclassmen players.
- Freshman CB Kris Boyd was dangerously close to making his second-straight non-appearance on defense, but was able to log four snaps in relief of Holton Hill as Hill appeared to be having his leg checked by trainers after exiting one series, but returned the next.
While on the subject of non-participants, here’s the benchwarmer roundup (non-participants versus Texas Tech who have played at least one defensive snap in 2015):
- DE Quincy Vasser (only played 37 snaps on the season appearing in five of 11 games, but he had played in the previous three)
- S Deshon Elliott (only played 40 total snaps on the season, but played 26 and 14 respectively in the previous two)
- S Kevin Vaccaro (only played 10 total snaps since Week 4)
- LB Edwin Freeman (played three snaps last week in first appearance since injury versus Cal)
- CB Antwuan Davis (is being phased out, only seven total snaps in the last six weeks and none in a blowout versus KU)
- CB Bryson Echols (hasn’t played a snap since Week 1 at Notre Dame)
- DL Jake McMillon, LB Dom Cruciani and FOX Caleb Bluiett (have all played less than 20 snaps on the season)
. . .
Per-Snap Productivity Rankings Through 11 Games (Players with 100-plus snaps)
Note: These per-snap productivity rankings are different than the market-share productivity rankings illustrated above for our Top 15.
These are the rankings of players sorted by snaps per productivity caused. It’s a way of gauging which players have done the most with opportunities on the field, and which have caused productivity due to volume of snaps on the field.
For example, CB Duke Thomas among the Top 5 to 6 scorers on the season for our productivity market-share rankings, but the per-snap rankings show that this is very likely simply because he is on the field so much, having played the most snaps of any Texas defender through 11 games.
(of players with at least 100 total defensive snaps on 2015 the season)
. . .
Snaps Per Missed Tackle
(of players with at least 100 total defensive snaps on 2015 the season)
Speaking of missed tackles (*shudder*) …
. . .
This Week in Missed Tackles: Texas Tech
John Bonney - 5 missed tackles
Anthony Wheeler - 4 missed tackles
Tim Cole - 3 missed tackles
Duke Thomas - 2 missed tackles
Dylan Haines - 2 missed tackles
Jason Hall - 2 missed tackles
One-Miss Club
Holton Hill
Poona Ford
Charles Omenihu
Naashon Hughes
Peter Jinkens
Paul Boyette
For a grand total of missed 24 (TWENTY-FOUR) missed tackles on defense versus Texas Tech, in case Vance Bedford asks.
An all-time record number of whiffs for one game in the Deep Dig era (by eight) and unacceptable. For all the talk that’s gaining steam about sweeping changes to the Texas offensive staff, some of our basement’s most maniacal members are beginning to rumble a new question more and more loudly:
What about the leaky defense?
. . .
As we turn our attention to Part II: Offense, we thank you, once again, for reading.
