The DEEP DIG - Texas Tech Part II: Offense
presented by Hat Creek Burger Company
Skill-Player Participation Log: Texas Tech
Skill-Player Snap Counts and Quick Hits
Quarterbacks
18 Tyrone Swoopes - 51 snaps (50 at QB, 1 at RB)
13 Jerrod Heard - 22 snaps (20 at QB, 2 at H)
Running Backs
25 Chris Warren - 58 snaps (56 at RB, 2 at WR4)
28 Kirk Johnson - 3 snaps
Receivers
1 John Burt - 70 snaps (67 at RWR, 3 at H)
4 Daje Johnson - 40 snaps at H
7 Marcus Johnson - 38 snaps (31 at LWR, 7 at H)
3 Armanti Foreman - 24 snaps (21 at LWR, 3 at H)
27 Roderick Bernard - 4 snaps (2 at WR4, 2 at RB)
8 Dorian Leonard - 4 snaps (2 at LWR, 2 at H)
5 Lorenzo Joe - 3 snaps at LWR
17 Ryan Newsome - 2 snaps at H
Tight Ends and H-Backs
47 Andrew Beck - 40 snaps (6 at split TE, 8 at inline TE, 23 at H-Back, 2 at RB, 1 at H)
42 Caleb Bluiett - 32 snaps (24 at inline TE, 3 at split TE, 5 at H-Back)
36 Alex De La Torre - 30 snaps (17 at H-Back, 5 at split TE, 1 at H, 4 at RB, 1 at inline TE)
photo via @CampbellAward Twitter
- Chris Warren was the player of the game, clearly. Between Warren and D’Onta Foreman, who was injured for the Tech game with a finger, the future at RB is extremely bright for the Longhorns. In fact, it has not been as bright since Jamaal Charles and Ramonce Taylor were youngsters on the 40 Acres.
- Fans (and even some analysts) will envision the future two-headed monster of Warren and Foreman as one that features two power-backs because of both players’ size, but that’s not a correct assessment and the two players’ skill sets actually could not be more different. Here are a few reasons why:
1) D’Onta Foreman is much faster than Chris Warren
- Much faster. Texas fans need to always remember that D'Onta Foreman has Adrian Peterson-speed. Foreman’s also more sudden, more elusive in the open field and, despite his size, is a home-run threat any time he touches the football.
2) Chris Warren is much harder to tackle than D’Onta Foreman
- One of the great shared traits of both players compared here is that neither goes down easily on first contact or changes course at first threat of contact. D’Onta Foreman has the ability to not only break tackles when he has a head of steam, but also to pull away from even the fastest defenders on the field if he has space in front of him. With Warren it’s more simple and something the eyes can see easily. You can’t tackle the guy with your arms - period. Half the time you can’t do it with your full body.
(Is that seven forced missed tackles on ONE PLAY?!?!)
3) D’Onta Foreman is patient, flexible and creative as a runner while Chris Warren is decisive, rigid and instinctual
- Both traits are good ones when matched up with the right bodies (and they are in both cases here). D’Onta Foreman is a runner who likes to process how his blocks are setting up, dodge and weave then dart into free space at just the right moment. This makes him more effective, as we’ve noted all season, in power, lead-draw and man/gap-blocking concepts than in zone. Warren, on the other hand, is just as natural in zone as he is in power, which is unusual for a player so young.
- Versus Texas Tech, the Outside Zone run-blocking concept was Texas’ calling card in the run-game as the Run-Concept Mix and OL Grade Log below will show. The Texas staff clearly loves to utilize Chris Warren in this way. Even though the big run in the tweet above with all the missed tackles (and actually another of Warren’s TDs) came on power concepts, he certainly had other explosive and impressive outbursts via the stretch-play … along with more forced missed tackles.
- When we talk about “shed-ability through the hips" in the outside-zone game when evaluating attributes of runners, Chris Warren gives the textbook example of what exactly that means here:
The Texas backfield will be filthy in 2016 and beyond. But what about the guys blocking for them?
Offensive Line Grade Log and Run-Concept Mix: Texas Tech
OL Quick Hits, Snap Counts and Grades: Texas Tech
55 LT Connor Williams - 68 snaps
Overall Grade: 76.03
1 pressure, 1 sack allowed
1 ineligible player downfield penalty
4 knockdowns
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
It’s clear by the graph that Connor Williams, the best offensive lineman on the Texas roster, is winding down 2015 on a bit of a downtick which should have reasonably been expected of a freshman all along. Even when operating below the baseline set earlier in his first season at Texas, Williams has still been 100 percent acceptable which goes to show that his floor has been established and it’s not unmanageable. Williams is currently 6-4 and weighing in at 290 pounds. With an offseason of work, Williams’ goal is to gain 10 pounds of solid mass to play in 2016 at right around 300. By the time he’s coming into his junior year at 315 to 320 pounds, we’ll be having internal discussions about the likelihood of Williams going pro. With all this said, he was outplayed on Thanksgiving by …
66 LG Sedrick Flowers - 68 snaps
Overall Grade: 77.21
2 TFL allowed
1 false start penalty
4 knockdowns, 1 pin
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
The second week in a row with no disruption allowed from Sedrick Flowers? Let’s not go overboard. He allowed 2 TFL’s on 68 snaps versus Tech. However, it’s an undeniable fact that Flowers played a perfectly acceptable game versus Texas Tech with a few big-time key blocks at the point-of-attack and some really tough ones at the second level. While it’s ‘too little too late’ from Flowers in the grand scheme of Texas football moving forward, he’ll have a great game on senior day to look back on, even if it came in a loss. (Kinda reminds you of Shiro Davis’ going bananas on Senior Day in Part 1) It was Flowers’ best game of the season outside of Rice, and the chart above shows that he’s a player who’s ending the 2015 season on the biggest relative uptick of all.
We’ll be damned …
74 C Taylor Doyle - 68 snaps
Overall Grade: 75.44
2 run-stuffs allowed
1 false start penalty
2 knockdowns
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
Another senior ending the year on an uptick.
76 RT Kent Perkins - 68 snaps (62 at RG, 6 at RT)
Overall Grade: 74.85
3 run-stuffs, 1 pressure allowed
5 knockdowns
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
It’s clear by the graph alone that Perkins has struggled and his play has regressed since coming back from injury. He has been moved from tackle to guard and back with great frequency due to injuries and the tinkering of one Joe Wickline, and it just seems like he hasn’t gotten back comfortable again since his return. Perkins leaves his inside-half open too often to opposing pass-rushers and takes lazy angles to second-level defenders in the run game, especially as the backside tackles on run concepts going away from his side. With all of this said, Perkins continues to flash NFL upside. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re done. There is hope among our basement that with a year of development under a new offensive line coach (and big dose of whatever practice-habit Kool Aid Malcom Brown used to drink) Perkins will be taken in the 2017 NFL Draft.
65 RT Marcus Hutchins - 36 snaps
Overall Grade: 76.66
No disruption allowed
1 knockdown
75 RT Tristan Nickelson - 29 snaps
Overall Grade: 70.17
1 run-stuff allowed
1 holding penalty, 1 chop-block penalty
72 RG Elijah Rodriguez - 6 snaps
1 pressure allowed
1 clipping penalty
As we turn our attention to Baylor, we thank you, once again for reading.
presented by Hat Creek Burger Company
. . .
Skill-Player Participation Log: Texas Tech
Click to Enlarge Image
. . .
Skill-Player Snap Counts and Quick Hits
Quarterbacks
18 Tyrone Swoopes - 51 snaps (50 at QB, 1 at RB)
13 Jerrod Heard - 22 snaps (20 at QB, 2 at H)
Running Backs
25 Chris Warren - 58 snaps (56 at RB, 2 at WR4)
28 Kirk Johnson - 3 snaps
Receivers
1 John Burt - 70 snaps (67 at RWR, 3 at H)
4 Daje Johnson - 40 snaps at H
7 Marcus Johnson - 38 snaps (31 at LWR, 7 at H)
3 Armanti Foreman - 24 snaps (21 at LWR, 3 at H)
27 Roderick Bernard - 4 snaps (2 at WR4, 2 at RB)
8 Dorian Leonard - 4 snaps (2 at LWR, 2 at H)
5 Lorenzo Joe - 3 snaps at LWR
17 Ryan Newsome - 2 snaps at H
Tight Ends and H-Backs
47 Andrew Beck - 40 snaps (6 at split TE, 8 at inline TE, 23 at H-Back, 2 at RB, 1 at H)
42 Caleb Bluiett - 32 snaps (24 at inline TE, 3 at split TE, 5 at H-Back)
36 Alex De La Torre - 30 snaps (17 at H-Back, 5 at split TE, 1 at H, 4 at RB, 1 at inline TE)
photo via @CampbellAward Twitter
- Chris Warren was the player of the game, clearly. Between Warren and D’Onta Foreman, who was injured for the Tech game with a finger, the future at RB is extremely bright for the Longhorns. In fact, it has not been as bright since Jamaal Charles and Ramonce Taylor were youngsters on the 40 Acres.
- Fans (and even some analysts) will envision the future two-headed monster of Warren and Foreman as one that features two power-backs because of both players’ size, but that’s not a correct assessment and the two players’ skill sets actually could not be more different. Here are a few reasons why:
1) D’Onta Foreman is much faster than Chris Warren
- Much faster. Texas fans need to always remember that D'Onta Foreman has Adrian Peterson-speed. Foreman’s also more sudden, more elusive in the open field and, despite his size, is a home-run threat any time he touches the football.
2) Chris Warren is much harder to tackle than D’Onta Foreman
- One of the great shared traits of both players compared here is that neither goes down easily on first contact or changes course at first threat of contact. D’Onta Foreman has the ability to not only break tackles when he has a head of steam, but also to pull away from even the fastest defenders on the field if he has space in front of him. With Warren it’s more simple and something the eyes can see easily. You can’t tackle the guy with your arms - period. Half the time you can’t do it with your full body.
(Is that seven forced missed tackles on ONE PLAY?!?!)
3) D’Onta Foreman is patient, flexible and creative as a runner while Chris Warren is decisive, rigid and instinctual
- Both traits are good ones when matched up with the right bodies (and they are in both cases here). D’Onta Foreman is a runner who likes to process how his blocks are setting up, dodge and weave then dart into free space at just the right moment. This makes him more effective, as we’ve noted all season, in power, lead-draw and man/gap-blocking concepts than in zone. Warren, on the other hand, is just as natural in zone as he is in power, which is unusual for a player so young.
- Versus Texas Tech, the Outside Zone run-blocking concept was Texas’ calling card in the run-game as the Run-Concept Mix and OL Grade Log below will show. The Texas staff clearly loves to utilize Chris Warren in this way. Even though the big run in the tweet above with all the missed tackles (and actually another of Warren’s TDs) came on power concepts, he certainly had other explosive and impressive outbursts via the stretch-play … along with more forced missed tackles.
- When we talk about “shed-ability through the hips" in the outside-zone game when evaluating attributes of runners, Chris Warren gives the textbook example of what exactly that means here:
The Texas backfield will be filthy in 2016 and beyond. But what about the guys blocking for them?
. . .
Offensive Line Grade Log and Run-Concept Mix: Texas Tech
Click to Enlarge Image
. . .
OL Quick Hits, Snap Counts and Grades: Texas Tech
55 LT Connor Williams - 68 snaps
Overall Grade: 76.03
1 pressure, 1 sack allowed
1 ineligible player downfield penalty
4 knockdowns
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
It’s clear by the graph that Connor Williams, the best offensive lineman on the Texas roster, is winding down 2015 on a bit of a downtick which should have reasonably been expected of a freshman all along. Even when operating below the baseline set earlier in his first season at Texas, Williams has still been 100 percent acceptable which goes to show that his floor has been established and it’s not unmanageable. Williams is currently 6-4 and weighing in at 290 pounds. With an offseason of work, Williams’ goal is to gain 10 pounds of solid mass to play in 2016 at right around 300. By the time he’s coming into his junior year at 315 to 320 pounds, we’ll be having internal discussions about the likelihood of Williams going pro. With all this said, he was outplayed on Thanksgiving by …
66 LG Sedrick Flowers - 68 snaps
Overall Grade: 77.21
2 TFL allowed
1 false start penalty
4 knockdowns, 1 pin
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
The second week in a row with no disruption allowed from Sedrick Flowers? Let’s not go overboard. He allowed 2 TFL’s on 68 snaps versus Tech. However, it’s an undeniable fact that Flowers played a perfectly acceptable game versus Texas Tech with a few big-time key blocks at the point-of-attack and some really tough ones at the second level. While it’s ‘too little too late’ from Flowers in the grand scheme of Texas football moving forward, he’ll have a great game on senior day to look back on, even if it came in a loss. (Kinda reminds you of Shiro Davis’ going bananas on Senior Day in Part 1) It was Flowers’ best game of the season outside of Rice, and the chart above shows that he’s a player who’s ending the 2015 season on the biggest relative uptick of all.
We’ll be damned …
74 C Taylor Doyle - 68 snaps
Overall Grade: 75.44
2 run-stuffs allowed
1 false start penalty
2 knockdowns
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
Another senior ending the year on an uptick.
76 RT Kent Perkins - 68 snaps (62 at RG, 6 at RT)
Overall Grade: 74.85
3 run-stuffs, 1 pressure allowed
5 knockdowns
Deep Dig Grades by Game: 2015 Season
It’s clear by the graph alone that Perkins has struggled and his play has regressed since coming back from injury. He has been moved from tackle to guard and back with great frequency due to injuries and the tinkering of one Joe Wickline, and it just seems like he hasn’t gotten back comfortable again since his return. Perkins leaves his inside-half open too often to opposing pass-rushers and takes lazy angles to second-level defenders in the run game, especially as the backside tackles on run concepts going away from his side. With all of this said, Perkins continues to flash NFL upside. Once he gets his hands on you, you’re done. There is hope among our basement that with a year of development under a new offensive line coach (and big dose of whatever practice-habit Kool Aid Malcom Brown used to drink) Perkins will be taken in the 2017 NFL Draft.
65 RT Marcus Hutchins - 36 snaps
Overall Grade: 76.66
No disruption allowed
1 knockdown
75 RT Tristan Nickelson - 29 snaps
Overall Grade: 70.17
1 run-stuff allowed
1 holding penalty, 1 chop-block penalty
72 RG Elijah Rodriguez - 6 snaps
1 pressure allowed
1 clipping penalty
. . .
As we turn our attention to Baylor, we thank you, once again for reading.
