Texas barely got by Vandy, but with a play here or there and a penalty avoided, they couldn't have really blown them out. I'm pretty sick of bashing on Ewers myself. But here's what I think the team is actually up against.
Vandy had it figured out - a very average defense at best, one of the less potent in the SEC, and they caused plenty of problems for the Texas offense and made it a game.
And that's even though Sark is still calling plays/dialing up passes downfield, trying to run the offense as usual, Ewers appears to be playing scared and will have the tendency to keep things closer to the line.
So, like Vandy, the remainder of the opposing teams are going to dare him to pass the ball down the field. This means Texas will see a lot of man coverage with 1 high safety and a lot more crowding toward the line of scrimmage. That will allow opposing defenses more options for blitzing and better success against the Texas running game. They'll get more sacks and cause more hassle for the Texas OL, making them look bad too.
Gee, thanks, Kirby.
Until he plays more aggressively (passing), if I'm a defensive coordinator making a game plan, I can rely on Ewers for several sacks, and a couple of turnovers a game; those are just the obvious stats. And I can crowd the line trusting that Ewers is nervous about trying to get the completions downfield, and take my chances on using an extra man with the rush. Ewers won't run so I can spy his hot routes to the running backs and double the TE.
That's the very strategy Texas used against OU, knowing OU was playing a true freshman at QB, taking advantage of his inexperience. Because we all know - inexperienced QBs play more tentatively, make more mistakes, can be counted on for more sacks, and have trepidation about turning the ball over in the air.
And that's the elephant in the room. This is year 3+ for Ewers.
Credit due: he did a bit better this week with a couple of successful downfield passes. Hats off there. But too often he still seemed tentative. During the game, we counted at least 9 or more opportunities with guys open downfield where he didn't make the throw. On one sack, Golden was standing in front of him 10 yards away in the center of the field - well past the line to gain. Anyway. Something distracted us and we gave up counting. But we couldn't help but notice that Ewers tends to check down to the easy stuff - or, he takes the sack or throws the ball into the defensive player's face, leading to a turnover. He doesn't scramble out of the pocket, and outside of maybe one time, he didn't run instead of pass.
Hoping Sark can continue to build his confidence - find a way to get Ewers to attempt more passes to take advantage in the mid-range stuff, and the occasional downfield shot. I also hope he runs him more and has more bootleg stuff to get him out of the pocket. BECAUSE trying to protect his health to help his draft stock should no longer be listed as a priority - winning out should be all that matters. Ewers is just one of many players on this team with great potential. I hope that last point is the circular thought of the morning for Sark. Louder than the last bad pop song he heard.
Vandy had it figured out - a very average defense at best, one of the less potent in the SEC, and they caused plenty of problems for the Texas offense and made it a game.
And that's even though Sark is still calling plays/dialing up passes downfield, trying to run the offense as usual, Ewers appears to be playing scared and will have the tendency to keep things closer to the line.
So, like Vandy, the remainder of the opposing teams are going to dare him to pass the ball down the field. This means Texas will see a lot of man coverage with 1 high safety and a lot more crowding toward the line of scrimmage. That will allow opposing defenses more options for blitzing and better success against the Texas running game. They'll get more sacks and cause more hassle for the Texas OL, making them look bad too.
Gee, thanks, Kirby.
Until he plays more aggressively (passing), if I'm a defensive coordinator making a game plan, I can rely on Ewers for several sacks, and a couple of turnovers a game; those are just the obvious stats. And I can crowd the line trusting that Ewers is nervous about trying to get the completions downfield, and take my chances on using an extra man with the rush. Ewers won't run so I can spy his hot routes to the running backs and double the TE.
That's the very strategy Texas used against OU, knowing OU was playing a true freshman at QB, taking advantage of his inexperience. Because we all know - inexperienced QBs play more tentatively, make more mistakes, can be counted on for more sacks, and have trepidation about turning the ball over in the air.
And that's the elephant in the room. This is year 3+ for Ewers.
Credit due: he did a bit better this week with a couple of successful downfield passes. Hats off there. But too often he still seemed tentative. During the game, we counted at least 9 or more opportunities with guys open downfield where he didn't make the throw. On one sack, Golden was standing in front of him 10 yards away in the center of the field - well past the line to gain. Anyway. Something distracted us and we gave up counting. But we couldn't help but notice that Ewers tends to check down to the easy stuff - or, he takes the sack or throws the ball into the defensive player's face, leading to a turnover. He doesn't scramble out of the pocket, and outside of maybe one time, he didn't run instead of pass.
Hoping Sark can continue to build his confidence - find a way to get Ewers to attempt more passes to take advantage in the mid-range stuff, and the occasional downfield shot. I also hope he runs him more and has more bootleg stuff to get him out of the pocket. BECAUSE trying to protect his health to help his draft stock should no longer be listed as a priority - winning out should be all that matters. Ewers is just one of many players on this team with great potential. I hope that last point is the circular thought of the morning for Sark. Louder than the last bad pop song he heard.
