Prepare yourself to be frustrated. A tale of two halves is correct. Starting with the play caller. Will save summary for the end.
Let's start with the fact that Vandy wanted no part of man coverage 2nd half after getting burned twice in the first half. You are going to see a lot of zone.
Pass 1 Vandy with a little roll of the coverage here. 0 is going to come open but Quin has to get rid of this one to the check down because Helm gets roasted. First down here followed by a false start on the very next snap.
Pass 2 Vandy with a little page out of the UGA playbook here as they give a 2 high safety look and turn this in to cover 3 once Quinn turns his back on the play fake. Picture change. Regardless, way too much pressure too soon as 76 does a poor job on his assignment. Pick your poison. Has 0 up top but a long throw to the out and he's running out of field or take Helm which Quinn does. Either way it's becoming evident over the last several weeks that our young recievers are having a hard time recognizing the zones to settle in to. Too many times they are just running through them and not giving Quinn their numbers.
Pass 3 2 weeks in a row blitz comes right in front of Wingo and 2 weeks in a row he carries his route 10 yards down the field and this time runs himself in to over/under coverage. Hard to tell if this is on Wingo or Golden here. Ewers eyes go straight to Golden which tells me that he should have been coming hot. If you'll remember back to the OU game, Wingo caught a ball on a similar pressure and almost took it to the house. If anyone comes hot here, it's likely a touchdown. Instead, it's a sack and OB is going nuts at this point wanting to bench Ewers for holding the ball too long. Nowhere to go for Ewers. Helm turns his guy loose, Campbell does a poor job and they have a man coming free on the left side because of a great job done with the slant by the Vandy d-line.
Pass 4 Ehh I'm not in love with the decision but I get it. I think Ewers was a little impatient here even though it's a pretty dang good ball and a great play by the CB. I think if Quinn looks back he has Golden in the middle of the field but this is getting really nitpicky. Golden is not even when Quinn lets the ball go and the defender has eyes on him at the same time so this is one of those having the benefit of stopping and starting the play over and over. Regardless, both of these were going to be tough throws as Vandy is going to C3 almost exclusively out of C2 or quarters looks at this point. RT is a liability.
Pass 5 - C3 gain. I'm not sure what the left side concept is even supposed to be here. It's a mess down there. Wingo gets re-reouted, Golden is open. Ewers having to quickly step up in the pocket almost before WR's eyes are turned. Look at the difference between Banks and 56 here. 56 gives up at the end of the play and Ewers takes an unneeded shot in the back. There's nothing open here and too much gas on the ball for a RB. Near pick. I give the play call an F and the execution of that play call an F as well. Only thing Ewers has is Golden early and its not near enough for a first down.
Pass 6 First WR screen call of the 2nd half and goes for a first down. Will come back to this in the wrap up.
Pass 7 INT. Again another blitz coming from a shade inside over the WR. Probably not a hot call here but somebody has to see it. Maybe there's some tendencies on tape here because here is another back to the field play action. When Ewers turns, he's got a decision to make. He tries to make a play and the ball gets tipped. Even if he does make the throw, he doesn't see that Helm is covered and this play is shot. Are these things accidental? The defense will tell you they get all the credit for making this happen with the play call. In a perfect world, I guess you could say Ewers should have changed arm angle and grounded this into Helm's feet.
Pass 8 This is where the young WR's need to grow up in a hurry. Wingo runs himself into coverage. And Moore right behind him does the same damn thing. If Moore settles up on the near hash we're 3rd and short at worst. Probably a first down. That's the bad on the WR's If I'm coaching Quinn I'm telling him to fire this thing outside the numbers to Golden up top. Long deep throw but neither of the DB's are in a great position to make a solid play on the ball IMO. Can't go broke taking a profit and we're at 3rd and 6 now.
Pass 9 Ewers believes in Wingo. 1 on 1 to the outside and he takes his man. Nothing wrong with it. Helm also has the first here if Quinn needs to work back.
Pass 10 Ol check down Quinn. He gets hated on for these and rightly so sometimes but not here. Middle of the field closes only a 2 man route concept. Check it down and move on.
Pass 11 3rd and long here after a hold on Niblack. 56 give this play no hope. Also Blue if you're going to chip, chip the MF'n end bro. Wingo was getting ready to take the top off this defense. I don't know if Quinn could have hit it or not but safety had no hope if you continue watching the back view.
Pass 12 I'm not sure what's going on here with the play call regardless. I think Quinn likes his one on one up here. But there's nothing there. If Bolden makes any effort to work back to the ball and separate, he probably gets a holding or PI call as the defender has both hands on him. You could make the case that he could go after Moore here at the bottom of the screen but there's another zone defender out there at the bottom we can't see so I can't say for sure.
Pass 13 First real misread for me in the 2nd half and I'm not sure if Sark said, I need you to throw this MF'r deep or if Quinn just made his mind up to let one fly. Felt like a get back play but who knows. Another hitch and it's another sack as Campbell gets beat again. Golden is the read at the bottom of the screen but if you pause when Quinn is getting hit, Golden is just starting on his in route. Would take great anticipation and a great throw to put that one on the number.
Pass 14 Let's get picky. This turns out well. Ewers working the right side of the field first and there's nothing there. At this point if he just sets his feet while working backside he has Bolden a lot sooner. Instead (and maybe justifiably so as Majors is getting dog walked back to him) he drops his eyes on the rush. Luckily, he makes something happen with it because the cat has arm talent. He gets his eyes back down the field which is a good sign but it's late and this needs to get better. These are the little things that if he puts it all together will win big games. This was not great QB work in the pocket but turned out ok. You can tell the rush is bothering him.
Pass 15 Rush is bothering Quinn. We won't call out the hold on 56 to stop a sack either. Goodness he's gone backwards. Nothing open here and part of that is due to the fact that 81 has no zone awareness. He has to work away from the LB if he wants the ball. Instead he covers himself. Ewers get's happy feet, at least he threw one away? Blah, don't like any of it really.
Pass 16 Drawn up this way. Don't love the play call. All you are getting is zone. This concept smokes man coverage. Not fooling anyone with all eyes on the QB. Probably need to take your one on one to Helm up top here.
Pass 17 Vandy showed too early here. Quinn got to see the picture before the snap. Just waiting on Wingo to work back in the zone and this is a laser. He gets a lot of crap about his arm strength but this one had some juice. Maybe that deep shot to Wingo early did pay dividends? Not so quick to jump underneath here now.
Pass 18 A lot is said about a QB reading the defense. Moore has to see the blitz here. If he just runs to the void, it's an easy 6. Instead, he stems the route, twice, Campbell gets destroyed and we have a man free off the edge. It's the little things. All he has to do is see the blitz and come hot. Quinn's all over it. Unfortunately, nobody else is and he has to airmail it.
So that's it. Other than poor execution by the entire offense, this game wasn't particularly ugly for Ewers, unlike the OU game or even parts of the Georgia game.
A few things stand out: I counted six screens and quick throws designed at the line of scrimmage in the first half, and we had over 100 yards after the catch (YAC) in that period. In the second half, we only attempted one such play, which went for 7 yards and a first down, but then we didn’t go back to it. It’s puzzling why Sark sometimes moves away from strategies that are working.
Vandy didn't return to man coverage after Quinn connected with Moore for a touchdown in the first half. Instead, they sat back in zone coverage, mixing in some pressures, but their pass defense wasn't anything special. The issues facing this offense stem from a few areas. First, the O-line hasn’t been playing at a dominant level. They might’ve barely passed against Vandy because of the run game, but it was close, in my opinion. The other issue is the recognition of zone coverage by the WRs and TEs. Too often, they run directly into coverage, which puts immense pressure on Quinn to be perfect in longer down-and-distance situations. This leads him to hold the ball longer, which allows pressures to get through more frequently. Should he rise to that challenge? Yes. Will he succeed every time? No. Analytics show that third-and-long situations favor the defense. Too many penalties; false starts, holds, etc. have kept setting this offense back, making the margin for error even smaller. We also need to find a way to run the ball consistently. This is not an air raid offense; it's a balanced one, and we have to get the run game going early and often.
The QB often shoulders all the blame, and the backup is always the most popular player on every team. Quinn is improving. Is he delivering elite play for all four quarters? Not yet. He’s had some frustrating moments and lapses in judgment, which you could argue shouldn’t be happening in his third year. But he’s closer to elite than some may think, and he’s been improving every week since the OU game. It’s deeper than just the numbers. The numbers show that something went wrong; the video shows exactly what went wrong.
Texas is establishing tendencies on film that other teams are picking up. Sark loves to repeat runs that have gained big yards, on back-to-back plays even if they come from different formations. He likes the back-to-the-field play action by the QB, and he’s eager to get the deep game going, often forcing routes into heavily covered zones. The route designs fall on Sark, but the WRs also need to recognize when to settle into open spots instead of running into coverage. If, and I believe it’s possible before season’s end, the WR group improves at reading zone coverage and stops running themselves into tight coverage, this offense has the potential to explode.
Let's start with the fact that Vandy wanted no part of man coverage 2nd half after getting burned twice in the first half. You are going to see a lot of zone.
Pass 1 Vandy with a little roll of the coverage here. 0 is going to come open but Quin has to get rid of this one to the check down because Helm gets roasted. First down here followed by a false start on the very next snap.
Pass 2 Vandy with a little page out of the UGA playbook here as they give a 2 high safety look and turn this in to cover 3 once Quinn turns his back on the play fake. Picture change. Regardless, way too much pressure too soon as 76 does a poor job on his assignment. Pick your poison. Has 0 up top but a long throw to the out and he's running out of field or take Helm which Quinn does. Either way it's becoming evident over the last several weeks that our young recievers are having a hard time recognizing the zones to settle in to. Too many times they are just running through them and not giving Quinn their numbers.
Pass 3 2 weeks in a row blitz comes right in front of Wingo and 2 weeks in a row he carries his route 10 yards down the field and this time runs himself in to over/under coverage. Hard to tell if this is on Wingo or Golden here. Ewers eyes go straight to Golden which tells me that he should have been coming hot. If you'll remember back to the OU game, Wingo caught a ball on a similar pressure and almost took it to the house. If anyone comes hot here, it's likely a touchdown. Instead, it's a sack and OB is going nuts at this point wanting to bench Ewers for holding the ball too long. Nowhere to go for Ewers. Helm turns his guy loose, Campbell does a poor job and they have a man coming free on the left side because of a great job done with the slant by the Vandy d-line.
Pass 4 Ehh I'm not in love with the decision but I get it. I think Ewers was a little impatient here even though it's a pretty dang good ball and a great play by the CB. I think if Quinn looks back he has Golden in the middle of the field but this is getting really nitpicky. Golden is not even when Quinn lets the ball go and the defender has eyes on him at the same time so this is one of those having the benefit of stopping and starting the play over and over. Regardless, both of these were going to be tough throws as Vandy is going to C3 almost exclusively out of C2 or quarters looks at this point. RT is a liability.
Pass 5 - C3 gain. I'm not sure what the left side concept is even supposed to be here. It's a mess down there. Wingo gets re-reouted, Golden is open. Ewers having to quickly step up in the pocket almost before WR's eyes are turned. Look at the difference between Banks and 56 here. 56 gives up at the end of the play and Ewers takes an unneeded shot in the back. There's nothing open here and too much gas on the ball for a RB. Near pick. I give the play call an F and the execution of that play call an F as well. Only thing Ewers has is Golden early and its not near enough for a first down.
Pass 6 First WR screen call of the 2nd half and goes for a first down. Will come back to this in the wrap up.
Pass 7 INT. Again another blitz coming from a shade inside over the WR. Probably not a hot call here but somebody has to see it. Maybe there's some tendencies on tape here because here is another back to the field play action. When Ewers turns, he's got a decision to make. He tries to make a play and the ball gets tipped. Even if he does make the throw, he doesn't see that Helm is covered and this play is shot. Are these things accidental? The defense will tell you they get all the credit for making this happen with the play call. In a perfect world, I guess you could say Ewers should have changed arm angle and grounded this into Helm's feet.
Pass 8 This is where the young WR's need to grow up in a hurry. Wingo runs himself into coverage. And Moore right behind him does the same damn thing. If Moore settles up on the near hash we're 3rd and short at worst. Probably a first down. That's the bad on the WR's If I'm coaching Quinn I'm telling him to fire this thing outside the numbers to Golden up top. Long deep throw but neither of the DB's are in a great position to make a solid play on the ball IMO. Can't go broke taking a profit and we're at 3rd and 6 now.
Pass 9 Ewers believes in Wingo. 1 on 1 to the outside and he takes his man. Nothing wrong with it. Helm also has the first here if Quinn needs to work back.
Pass 10 Ol check down Quinn. He gets hated on for these and rightly so sometimes but not here. Middle of the field closes only a 2 man route concept. Check it down and move on.
Pass 11 3rd and long here after a hold on Niblack. 56 give this play no hope. Also Blue if you're going to chip, chip the MF'n end bro. Wingo was getting ready to take the top off this defense. I don't know if Quinn could have hit it or not but safety had no hope if you continue watching the back view.
Pass 12 I'm not sure what's going on here with the play call regardless. I think Quinn likes his one on one up here. But there's nothing there. If Bolden makes any effort to work back to the ball and separate, he probably gets a holding or PI call as the defender has both hands on him. You could make the case that he could go after Moore here at the bottom of the screen but there's another zone defender out there at the bottom we can't see so I can't say for sure.
Pass 13 First real misread for me in the 2nd half and I'm not sure if Sark said, I need you to throw this MF'r deep or if Quinn just made his mind up to let one fly. Felt like a get back play but who knows. Another hitch and it's another sack as Campbell gets beat again. Golden is the read at the bottom of the screen but if you pause when Quinn is getting hit, Golden is just starting on his in route. Would take great anticipation and a great throw to put that one on the number.
Pass 14 Let's get picky. This turns out well. Ewers working the right side of the field first and there's nothing there. At this point if he just sets his feet while working backside he has Bolden a lot sooner. Instead (and maybe justifiably so as Majors is getting dog walked back to him) he drops his eyes on the rush. Luckily, he makes something happen with it because the cat has arm talent. He gets his eyes back down the field which is a good sign but it's late and this needs to get better. These are the little things that if he puts it all together will win big games. This was not great QB work in the pocket but turned out ok. You can tell the rush is bothering him.
Pass 15 Rush is bothering Quinn. We won't call out the hold on 56 to stop a sack either. Goodness he's gone backwards. Nothing open here and part of that is due to the fact that 81 has no zone awareness. He has to work away from the LB if he wants the ball. Instead he covers himself. Ewers get's happy feet, at least he threw one away? Blah, don't like any of it really.
Pass 16 Drawn up this way. Don't love the play call. All you are getting is zone. This concept smokes man coverage. Not fooling anyone with all eyes on the QB. Probably need to take your one on one to Helm up top here.
Pass 17 Vandy showed too early here. Quinn got to see the picture before the snap. Just waiting on Wingo to work back in the zone and this is a laser. He gets a lot of crap about his arm strength but this one had some juice. Maybe that deep shot to Wingo early did pay dividends? Not so quick to jump underneath here now.
Pass 18 A lot is said about a QB reading the defense. Moore has to see the blitz here. If he just runs to the void, it's an easy 6. Instead, he stems the route, twice, Campbell gets destroyed and we have a man free off the edge. It's the little things. All he has to do is see the blitz and come hot. Quinn's all over it. Unfortunately, nobody else is and he has to airmail it.
So that's it. Other than poor execution by the entire offense, this game wasn't particularly ugly for Ewers, unlike the OU game or even parts of the Georgia game.
A few things stand out: I counted six screens and quick throws designed at the line of scrimmage in the first half, and we had over 100 yards after the catch (YAC) in that period. In the second half, we only attempted one such play, which went for 7 yards and a first down, but then we didn’t go back to it. It’s puzzling why Sark sometimes moves away from strategies that are working.
Vandy didn't return to man coverage after Quinn connected with Moore for a touchdown in the first half. Instead, they sat back in zone coverage, mixing in some pressures, but their pass defense wasn't anything special. The issues facing this offense stem from a few areas. First, the O-line hasn’t been playing at a dominant level. They might’ve barely passed against Vandy because of the run game, but it was close, in my opinion. The other issue is the recognition of zone coverage by the WRs and TEs. Too often, they run directly into coverage, which puts immense pressure on Quinn to be perfect in longer down-and-distance situations. This leads him to hold the ball longer, which allows pressures to get through more frequently. Should he rise to that challenge? Yes. Will he succeed every time? No. Analytics show that third-and-long situations favor the defense. Too many penalties; false starts, holds, etc. have kept setting this offense back, making the margin for error even smaller. We also need to find a way to run the ball consistently. This is not an air raid offense; it's a balanced one, and we have to get the run game going early and often.
The QB often shoulders all the blame, and the backup is always the most popular player on every team. Quinn is improving. Is he delivering elite play for all four quarters? Not yet. He’s had some frustrating moments and lapses in judgment, which you could argue shouldn’t be happening in his third year. But he’s closer to elite than some may think, and he’s been improving every week since the OU game. It’s deeper than just the numbers. The numbers show that something went wrong; the video shows exactly what went wrong.
Texas is establishing tendencies on film that other teams are picking up. Sark loves to repeat runs that have gained big yards, on back-to-back plays even if they come from different formations. He likes the back-to-the-field play action by the QB, and he’s eager to get the deep game going, often forcing routes into heavily covered zones. The route designs fall on Sark, but the WRs also need to recognize when to settle into open spots instead of running into coverage. If, and I believe it’s possible before season’s end, the WR group improves at reading zone coverage and stops running themselves into tight coverage, this offense has the potential to explode.
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