The Deep Dig
Iowa State Part II: Offense
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!
Offensive Line Thoughts and Grades
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OFFICIAL OL GRADING LOG
Deep Dig Grading Scale
55 LT Connor Williams - 85 snaps
1 pressure allowed
2 knockdowns, 1 pin
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.94
all photos vs. OU courtesy of UT Athletics
It was Williams’ worst game of the season and he only allowed one pressure and scored in a range that represents excellent D1 play. While we certainly aren’t thrilled with the notion that this could show a small trend downward for Williams, let’s keep one important thing in mind:
Williams had one of the most amazing freshman seasons many can remember and his average score on the Deep Dig on the year was only just over 76.5. It’s clear Williams has established a baseline at a whole-new level when a near-78 grade is somewhat of a disappointment.
77 LG Patrick Vahe - 85 snaps
1 pressure allowed
2 pins
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.35
On Connor Williams’ worst game of the season, Vahe gave us his best. In fact, it was Vahe’s third-best game as a Longhorn, the only two better coming in 2015 as a freshman versus Rice (77.98) and K-State (78.38). Wouldn’t fans love a repeat-2015 performance out of Vahe this coming weekend as the Longhorns travel north to visit the dastardly and crusty-lipped old man purple.
64 C Jake McMillon - 62 snaps
1 pressure allowed
1 pin
DEEP DIG GRADE: 75.18
(56 Zach Shackelford - 23 snaps; 1 run-stuff allowed)
The hit Zach Shackelford took to the back of his leg(s) that ended his day versus ISU looked excruciatingly painful, and we hate to add insult to injury here, but McMillon coming in was an upgrade. Let’s just examine the outputs of the two players on the season:
Disruption allowed comparison:
McMillon (200 snaps total): disruption allowed or penalty committed once every 50 snaps.
Shackelford (363 snaps total): disruption allowed or penalty committed once every 21.4 snaps.
Grade Comparison:
McMillon (75.16 vs. UTEP; 75.15 vs. OSU; 75.18 vs. ISU) - average of 75.16.
Shackelford (71.71 vs. Notre Dame; 74.78 vs. Cal; 72.61 vs. OSU; 75.75 vs. OU) - average of 73.71.
So, it could be argued that McMillon has faced weaker teams in his three gradable performances, but that logic seems flawed when we consider that Shackelford performed miserably versus OSU at center while McMillon (who was filling in at RG for a suspended Kent Perkins) played an above-average game, matching up against virtually the exact same personnel.
The Deep Dig does not spend so many countless hours in the basement analyzing these things for our own health and amusement. At some point, we need to take the work at face-value and begin to understand that the trends uncovered in the analysis are actually meaningful.
Jake McMillon should be starting at center for the Texas Longhorns, regardless of Shackelford’s health. Now, does this mean he’s a player free of drawbacks and warts? Absolutely not. But for now, how can anyone argue who’s been more effective?
76 RG Kent Perkins - 83 snaps
3 run-stuffs, 1 sack, 1 QB hit allowed
1 knockdown
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.28
(63 Alex Anderson - 2 snaps; 1 pin)
We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad tidings, but it’s been a season of bad tidings which will hopefully lead to new beginnings, new outlooks and reasonable hopes of long-forgotten 10-win seasons in Austin. Until then, we have to shoot you straight.
Kent Perkins has been awful.
When we’re talking about players who need to be starting and who don’t need to be starting, the order of operations in this case dictates that the Perkins demotion needs to happen before any of the other math even works.
Perkins is either hurt, lazy, extremely unathletic or just doesn’t care about his assignments. Fans — and dwellers of our dark basement, especially — have been waiting on a Kent Perkins breakout for 2.5 years as we’ve graded his every snap at Texas. Now that we’re basically 100% sure he’s not even good enough to play well at the college level, we can kiss any NFL hopes goodbye and ask: ‘where did it all go wrong?’
We bang our heads on the wall — play after play — wondering aloud, “Why does he always look like he’s going in slow motion? Why can’t he square up and engage a target with his eyes up in space? Why does he always take the wrong steps, why does he lung at targets and lose his feet, why can’t he ever, ever, ever once take a decent angle to the second level and where on earth is the motor?!”
And yet, amidst this right-guard desperation there was a glimmer of hope versus Iowa State. On one snap, when Tristan Nickelson committed the illegal man downfield penalty, Perkins lost his helmet and had to come out for a play. What his replacement, Alex Anderson, did with that small opportunity has stuck with us as a vivid memory. And why wouldn’t it? Kent Perkins hasn’t made a block this dominating and simply pleasureful to watch in literally two seasons.
Who is making the personnel decisions to send Perkins back out on a football field after witnessing this?
No one who’s opinion about football we give a damn about, we’ll tell you that much.
75 Tristan Nickelson - 85 snaps
1 run-stuff allowed
1 ineligible downfield penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.17
It was certainly nice to see that Nickelson’s illegal man downfield penalty on a Shane Buechele run-pass option was the only penalty committed by the entire offensive line versus ISU, especially considering that the unit was missing two starters.
Still, we can’t say we weren’t a small bit surprised by Nickelson’s very good grade versus Iowa State. It was our first time getting to see him in true game-action this year and we’ll give you the good with the bad.
The bad: he still looks like a prospect who’s just too tall and gangly to ever really play with good balance and feet. As much as he’s worked and improved in these areas, the fact is, he needs to overextend his body over the balls of his feet to physically get down to a level to engage opposing defenders with his hands inside to the chest plate. His movements are slow and anything but twitchy, his kick is laborious and lumbering.
The good: he has a good motor and plays through the whistle. As much as we complain about what looks awful on the film trait-wise, he didn’t let edge-rushers use those flaws against him versus ISU. He’s stronger and he can reach-block edge and force players with his long arms or can get under their armpits and ride the all the way to the sidelines if they fight off the reach against outside-zone concepts.
Nickelson’s grade versus ISU is better than all but one of starter Brandon Hodges’ grades on the season, but Hodges has played better teams and has been above-average the whole-time. There is little doubt Hodges would have had a similar score versus a weak ISU DL. Also, Hodges has allowed disruption or committed a penalty on only one of 52.4 snaps while Nickelson has on now one of 39.
A set of moves we’d find to be very shrewd and intriguing would be to leave Nickelson at RT, bump Hodges (who’ll be back versus Kansas State) down to RG and then get McMillon in at center.
OL snaps per disruption allowed or penalty caused
(of players who’ve allowed disruption or committed penalties in 2016)
Alex Anderson
95.0 total snaps in 2016
95.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Connor Williams
415.0 total snaps in 2016
75.5 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Brandon Hodges
367.0 total snaps in 2016
52.4 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Jake McMillon
200.0 total snaps in 2016
50.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Tristan Nickelson
117.0 total snaps in 2016
39.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Patrick Vahe
484.0 total snaps in 2016
33.4 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Kent Perkins
307.0 total snaps in 2016
30.7 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Zach Shackelford
363.0 total snaps in 2016
21.4 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Elijah Rodriguez
72.0 total snaps in 2016
12.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Terrell Cuney
10.0 total snaps in 2016
10.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Skill-position snap counts and one-liners
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SKILL PARTICIPATION CHART
Quarterback
7 Shane Buechele - 80 snaps (79 at QB, 1 at WR)
18 Tyrone Swoopes - 6 snaps
- As the 18-wheeler package dies the same slow death as any popular and gimmicky offensive package eventually does once teams catch on to it, Tyrone Swoopes played his fewest snaps of the 2016 season versus Iowa State.
- We hope Swoopes will stop by and say hello to Ronnie Brown at the Wildcat’s tombstone when he gets to the specialty package graveyard. Roll on, 18-wheeler, roll on. Gone, but never forgotten.
RIP.
Running Back
33 D’Onta Foreman - 60 snaps
21 Kyle Porter - 24 snaps
- We’re becoming less and less sure every week that D’Onta Foreman will be back for his senior season at Texas. It will take a first or second-round grade from the advisory committee to make that happen — but if Foreman keeps this up, he’ll get that kind of grade, even in a stacked NFL draft class for runners.
- The simple fact is that Foreman is the elite of the elite himself. He could just as easily be used as a measuring stick for guys like Nick Chubb and Leonard Fournette instead of vice-versa should Foreman stay healthy and continue producing.
Wide Receiver
3 Armanti Foreman - 71 snaps
8 Dorian Leonard - 57 snaps
9 Collin Johnson - 42 snaps
2 Devin Duvernay - 32 snaps
13 Jerrod Heard - 23 snaps
6 Jake Oliver - 21 snaps
11 Jacorey Warrick - 20 snaps
5 Lorenzo Joe - 11 snaps
- We told you last week that John Burt was losing a job and boy, did he ever. Not one snap on offense.
- Dorian Leonard is doing a good enough job to keep his slot in the starting lineup based on everything we’ve seen in games.
- It was the most snaps of the season for Collin Johnson and it seemed like the first time that the members of our dark basement saw a few flashes of what could be possible given his size, length and speed over the course of a game and not just a here-and-there option.
- It was Duvernay’s most snaps of the season as well and if he keeps looking like Desean Jackson on one long TD bomb per game, we should all expect that number to keep ticking up. He’s two-for-two over the last two weeks.
Tight End
42 Caleb Bluiett - 34 snaps
47 Andrew Beck - 32 snaps
- Texas has tight ends?
Did he play on offense? Nope.
Scholarship players who did not record a snap on offense versus Iowa State (doesn’t include special teams participation if applicable):
OL Brandon Hodges
367 total snaps on offense in 2016
WR John Burt
264 total snaps on offense in 2016
RB Chris Warren
122 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Elijah Rodriguez
72 total snaps on offense in 2016
RB Lil'Jordan Humphrey
27 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Terrell Cuney
10 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Denzel Okafor
5 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Jean Delance
3 total snaps on offense in 2016
RB Tristian Houston
3 total snaps on offense in 2016
TE Quincy Vasser
3 total snaps on offense in 2016
As we turn our attention to (yet another) make-or-break game for Charlie Strong at Texas (how many are there going to be?)
… we thank you, once again, for reading.
Iowa State Part II: Offense
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!
. . .
Offensive Line Thoughts and Grades
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS OFFICIAL OL GRADING LOG
Deep Dig Grading Scale
55 LT Connor Williams - 85 snaps
1 pressure allowed
2 knockdowns, 1 pin
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.94
all photos vs. OU courtesy of UT Athletics
It was Williams’ worst game of the season and he only allowed one pressure and scored in a range that represents excellent D1 play. While we certainly aren’t thrilled with the notion that this could show a small trend downward for Williams, let’s keep one important thing in mind:
Williams had one of the most amazing freshman seasons many can remember and his average score on the Deep Dig on the year was only just over 76.5. It’s clear Williams has established a baseline at a whole-new level when a near-78 grade is somewhat of a disappointment.
77 LG Patrick Vahe - 85 snaps
1 pressure allowed
2 pins
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.35
On Connor Williams’ worst game of the season, Vahe gave us his best. In fact, it was Vahe’s third-best game as a Longhorn, the only two better coming in 2015 as a freshman versus Rice (77.98) and K-State (78.38). Wouldn’t fans love a repeat-2015 performance out of Vahe this coming weekend as the Longhorns travel north to visit the dastardly and crusty-lipped old man purple.
64 C Jake McMillon - 62 snaps
1 pressure allowed
1 pin
DEEP DIG GRADE: 75.18
(56 Zach Shackelford - 23 snaps; 1 run-stuff allowed)
The hit Zach Shackelford took to the back of his leg(s) that ended his day versus ISU looked excruciatingly painful, and we hate to add insult to injury here, but McMillon coming in was an upgrade. Let’s just examine the outputs of the two players on the season:
Disruption allowed comparison:
McMillon (200 snaps total): disruption allowed or penalty committed once every 50 snaps.
Shackelford (363 snaps total): disruption allowed or penalty committed once every 21.4 snaps.
Grade Comparison:
McMillon (75.16 vs. UTEP; 75.15 vs. OSU; 75.18 vs. ISU) - average of 75.16.
Shackelford (71.71 vs. Notre Dame; 74.78 vs. Cal; 72.61 vs. OSU; 75.75 vs. OU) - average of 73.71.
So, it could be argued that McMillon has faced weaker teams in his three gradable performances, but that logic seems flawed when we consider that Shackelford performed miserably versus OSU at center while McMillon (who was filling in at RG for a suspended Kent Perkins) played an above-average game, matching up against virtually the exact same personnel.
The Deep Dig does not spend so many countless hours in the basement analyzing these things for our own health and amusement. At some point, we need to take the work at face-value and begin to understand that the trends uncovered in the analysis are actually meaningful.
Jake McMillon should be starting at center for the Texas Longhorns, regardless of Shackelford’s health. Now, does this mean he’s a player free of drawbacks and warts? Absolutely not. But for now, how can anyone argue who’s been more effective?
76 RG Kent Perkins - 83 snaps
3 run-stuffs, 1 sack, 1 QB hit allowed
1 knockdown
DEEP DIG GRADE: 74.28
(63 Alex Anderson - 2 snaps; 1 pin)
We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad tidings, but it’s been a season of bad tidings which will hopefully lead to new beginnings, new outlooks and reasonable hopes of long-forgotten 10-win seasons in Austin. Until then, we have to shoot you straight.
Kent Perkins has been awful.
When we’re talking about players who need to be starting and who don’t need to be starting, the order of operations in this case dictates that the Perkins demotion needs to happen before any of the other math even works.
Perkins is either hurt, lazy, extremely unathletic or just doesn’t care about his assignments. Fans — and dwellers of our dark basement, especially — have been waiting on a Kent Perkins breakout for 2.5 years as we’ve graded his every snap at Texas. Now that we’re basically 100% sure he’s not even good enough to play well at the college level, we can kiss any NFL hopes goodbye and ask: ‘where did it all go wrong?’
We bang our heads on the wall — play after play — wondering aloud, “Why does he always look like he’s going in slow motion? Why can’t he square up and engage a target with his eyes up in space? Why does he always take the wrong steps, why does he lung at targets and lose his feet, why can’t he ever, ever, ever once take a decent angle to the second level and where on earth is the motor?!”
And yet, amidst this right-guard desperation there was a glimmer of hope versus Iowa State. On one snap, when Tristan Nickelson committed the illegal man downfield penalty, Perkins lost his helmet and had to come out for a play. What his replacement, Alex Anderson, did with that small opportunity has stuck with us as a vivid memory. And why wouldn’t it? Kent Perkins hasn’t made a block this dominating and simply pleasureful to watch in literally two seasons.
Who is making the personnel decisions to send Perkins back out on a football field after witnessing this?
No one who’s opinion about football we give a damn about, we’ll tell you that much.
75 Tristan Nickelson - 85 snaps
1 run-stuff allowed
1 ineligible downfield penalty
DEEP DIG GRADE: 76.17
It was certainly nice to see that Nickelson’s illegal man downfield penalty on a Shane Buechele run-pass option was the only penalty committed by the entire offensive line versus ISU, especially considering that the unit was missing two starters.
Still, we can’t say we weren’t a small bit surprised by Nickelson’s very good grade versus Iowa State. It was our first time getting to see him in true game-action this year and we’ll give you the good with the bad.
The bad: he still looks like a prospect who’s just too tall and gangly to ever really play with good balance and feet. As much as he’s worked and improved in these areas, the fact is, he needs to overextend his body over the balls of his feet to physically get down to a level to engage opposing defenders with his hands inside to the chest plate. His movements are slow and anything but twitchy, his kick is laborious and lumbering.
The good: he has a good motor and plays through the whistle. As much as we complain about what looks awful on the film trait-wise, he didn’t let edge-rushers use those flaws against him versus ISU. He’s stronger and he can reach-block edge and force players with his long arms or can get under their armpits and ride the all the way to the sidelines if they fight off the reach against outside-zone concepts.
Nickelson’s grade versus ISU is better than all but one of starter Brandon Hodges’ grades on the season, but Hodges has played better teams and has been above-average the whole-time. There is little doubt Hodges would have had a similar score versus a weak ISU DL. Also, Hodges has allowed disruption or committed a penalty on only one of 52.4 snaps while Nickelson has on now one of 39.
A set of moves we’d find to be very shrewd and intriguing would be to leave Nickelson at RT, bump Hodges (who’ll be back versus Kansas State) down to RG and then get McMillon in at center.
. . .
OL snaps per disruption allowed or penalty caused
(of players who’ve allowed disruption or committed penalties in 2016)
Alex Anderson
95.0 total snaps in 2016
95.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Connor Williams
415.0 total snaps in 2016
75.5 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Brandon Hodges
367.0 total snaps in 2016
52.4 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Jake McMillon
200.0 total snaps in 2016
50.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Tristan Nickelson
117.0 total snaps in 2016
39.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Patrick Vahe
484.0 total snaps in 2016
33.4 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Kent Perkins
307.0 total snaps in 2016
30.7 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Zach Shackelford
363.0 total snaps in 2016
21.4 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Elijah Rodriguez
72.0 total snaps in 2016
12.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
Terrell Cuney
10.0 total snaps in 2016
10.0 snaps per disruption allowed/penalty committed
. . .
Skill-position snap counts and one-liners
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SKILL PARTICIPATION CHART
Quarterback
7 Shane Buechele - 80 snaps (79 at QB, 1 at WR)
18 Tyrone Swoopes - 6 snaps
- As the 18-wheeler package dies the same slow death as any popular and gimmicky offensive package eventually does once teams catch on to it, Tyrone Swoopes played his fewest snaps of the 2016 season versus Iowa State.
- We hope Swoopes will stop by and say hello to Ronnie Brown at the Wildcat’s tombstone when he gets to the specialty package graveyard. Roll on, 18-wheeler, roll on. Gone, but never forgotten.
RIP.
Running Back
33 D’Onta Foreman - 60 snaps
21 Kyle Porter - 24 snaps
- We’re becoming less and less sure every week that D’Onta Foreman will be back for his senior season at Texas. It will take a first or second-round grade from the advisory committee to make that happen — but if Foreman keeps this up, he’ll get that kind of grade, even in a stacked NFL draft class for runners.
- The simple fact is that Foreman is the elite of the elite himself. He could just as easily be used as a measuring stick for guys like Nick Chubb and Leonard Fournette instead of vice-versa should Foreman stay healthy and continue producing.
Wide Receiver
3 Armanti Foreman - 71 snaps
8 Dorian Leonard - 57 snaps
9 Collin Johnson - 42 snaps
2 Devin Duvernay - 32 snaps
13 Jerrod Heard - 23 snaps
6 Jake Oliver - 21 snaps
11 Jacorey Warrick - 20 snaps
5 Lorenzo Joe - 11 snaps
- We told you last week that John Burt was losing a job and boy, did he ever. Not one snap on offense.
- Dorian Leonard is doing a good enough job to keep his slot in the starting lineup based on everything we’ve seen in games.
- It was the most snaps of the season for Collin Johnson and it seemed like the first time that the members of our dark basement saw a few flashes of what could be possible given his size, length and speed over the course of a game and not just a here-and-there option.
- It was Duvernay’s most snaps of the season as well and if he keeps looking like Desean Jackson on one long TD bomb per game, we should all expect that number to keep ticking up. He’s two-for-two over the last two weeks.
Tight End
42 Caleb Bluiett - 34 snaps
47 Andrew Beck - 32 snaps
- Texas has tight ends?
. . .
Did he play on offense? Nope.
Scholarship players who did not record a snap on offense versus Iowa State (doesn’t include special teams participation if applicable):
OL Brandon Hodges
367 total snaps on offense in 2016
WR John Burt
264 total snaps on offense in 2016
RB Chris Warren
122 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Elijah Rodriguez
72 total snaps on offense in 2016
RB Lil'Jordan Humphrey
27 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Terrell Cuney
10 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Denzel Okafor
5 total snaps on offense in 2016
OL Jean Delance
3 total snaps on offense in 2016
RB Tristian Houston
3 total snaps on offense in 2016
TE Quincy Vasser
3 total snaps on offense in 2016
. . .
As we turn our attention to (yet another) make-or-break game for Charlie Strong at Texas (how many are there going to be?)
… we thank you, once again, for reading.
