presented by the Dental Offices of Wendy Swantkowski, DDS
The Absolute BEST in family and cosmetic dentistry for the Houston-Memorial Area
Now Accepting New Patients --- 281-293-9140
Skill-Player Participation by Week
(snap counts and percentage total offensive snaps played)
Click to Enlarge
OL Thoughts and Grades
LT Calvin Anderson - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.85
1 run-stuff allowed
1 knockdown
74.3 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Calvin Anderson continues to operate at a level which is giving Texas half of its best cumulative tackle play during the Deep Dig era. The 74.3 snaps per disruption is eye-popping and seems ripe for regression to the mean as the best score in this metric -- of 39 qualifying season samples of Texas offensive lineman since 2013 -- was Trey Hopkins' senior season when he only allowed disruption or committed a penalty once every 57.1 snaps. Hopkins is closely followed by the sophomore 2016 version of Connor Williams at 56.9. So, while 74.3 does not seem sustainable for Anderson, it also doesn't appear likely that Anderson is going to have some sort of blow-up game that sends him crashing down to these more normal levels.
The guy has been excellent in pass-protection and good enough in the run game to make you believe he is somewhat immune from the kind of hiccup-filled affair fans at Texas had grown used to at the tackles recently.
Anderson has scored right around this level for every game of the season versus all sorts of different levels of athlete and types of front. He has helped the left side of the line, and to some degree the running backs, with his awareness in pass-protection in identifying stunts and twists. He's not a flashy player who will show elite athleticism in NFL testing and his attributes are not the type that scouts drool over.
He's smaller than you would like, his arms are not as long as you'd think and his feet and balance certainly aren't on par with the Connor Williams' or the world or even the Samuel Cosmis. With this said, he somehow keeps his side of the line as quiet as Texas fans have seen in the last six years as a pass protector through his first three games at Texas. The only leak in his game is in the run-blocking portion where he can get his weight out over the balls of his feet and look balky at times heading into engagement but overall he's fine. Anderson has been a great player for Texas and clearly, Texas fans will take it -- minor run-game leaks and all.
LG Patrick Vahe - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 75.39
1 holding penalty
2 run-stuffs, 2 QB hits, 1 pressure allowed
2 knockdowns
18.6 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Speaking of leaks in the game, Vahe's are showing up like a busted fire hydrant in his last season at Texas.
Vahe's motor is operating dreadfully. He's gives up on plays way too early, especially when he is on the back side of the play and away from the point of attack. Even at the point of attack, he's struggled, and, until further notice, needs to be considered the weakest link on the improving Texas OL. The offensive staff simply must quit pulling Vahe on power concepts as he is the worst possible option Texas has in this capacity. He has been for years and he's not getting better. It's apparently just not going to happen at this point. It's the same story: he drops his eyes, he doesn't understand leverage and he doesn't bring his hips through engagement. Vahe lunges erratically in space and often misses his target altogether.
His 18.6 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused represents the low mark in his career at Texas (31.29 in 2017, 31.8 in 2016, 26.98 in 2015).
C Elijah Rodriguez - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.2
2 pressures, 1 run-stuff allowed
22.3 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Rodriguez continues to play well and this game, despite some major throw-your-remote-control-at-the-television moments, was his best game as a Longhorn. He's coming into his own at the center position and is showing that his abysmal outing at tackle versus the Missouri defense to end a disappointing 2017 season had more to do with Derek Warehime, the OL coach at the time, simply not understanding what kind of player he had on his hands. Herb Hand would never start Rodriguez at a tackle position. He surely sees that his feet are heavy and he really only moves well going forward. He keeps his hands inside and has a far better understanding of leverage and general football sense than Vahe. He doesn't leave his linemates stranded on zone-combos like Vahe does when bailing to the second level (at which point, Vahe just stands there as the LB has invariably already vacated his aiming point).
Herb Hand has a decision on his hands when Zach Shackelford gets back, likely after the TCU game. It will be a hard one because you might want to leave the OL as it is and treat Shack as a Wally Pipp or, despite all the hype surrounding him, look at sending Vahe to the bench and shifting Derek Kerstetter or Rodriguez -- hell, even maybe Shack himself -- over to LG.
RG Derek Kerstetter - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 79.03
1 run-stuff allowed
4 knockdowns
36.6 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
This score is hard to believe as Kerstetter looked pretty good in this one, but certainly not THAT good. A 79.03 grade is a relative monster. The fact is, he didn't allow much disruption at all, was downright dominant in combo down-blocks with Cosmi and had his score buoyed by a string of positive grades to end the game once it was established we were firmly in garbage time. Kerstetter has an outstanding motor and consistently looks for work. Despite their youthful and more "developmental" appearances over on the right side of the line, the Kerstetter/Cosmi combo as a run-blocking tandem has shown to be the best grouping of two Texas has. They had 8 knockdowns in this game between them which tell a small story on their own as a generally ancillary statistic.
If the Texas offensive line is a meritocracy, there is no way Kerstetter can go back to the bench once Shackelford returns, even though it is his absence that led to Kerstetter's initial insertion.
RT Samuel Cosmi - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 78.9
2 false-start penalties, 1 QB hit allowed
4 knockdowns
48.8 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Cosmi is one guy who can't be taken off the field, period, as he is the best offensive lineman Texas has. For as good as Anderson has been, Cosmi has just seemed more impressive with his overall game. Cosmi doesn't have quite the snaps/disruption numbers as Anderson following the USC game and that fact has everything to do with his two false-start penalties in this one (one of which was an absolute sham and an abomination of a call by the officials who USC fans will be the first to tell you were terrible).
Cosmi will still get overpowered at times against speed-to-power edge-rush guys while setting into pass-protection, but it's rare that he gets overpowered in the run-game. His strength in this area has seemingly improved leaps and bounds since he came in as a bit of a developmental string-bean as a prospect. We all know his feet are elite and his balance is natural and graceful. It makes it easy to forget that there is still a lot of development left on the road forward for Cosmi, both physically and mentally.
The simple fact is, we came into this game versus USC realizing that, even if it is a "down" USC team, that Cosmi would be competing against athletes. The L.A. area is second to only Miami in density of future NFL prospect, and even though it has what will likely turn out to be a bad coach and is in a funk currently, USC has players. When they match up with you man-to-man, those one-on-one battles aren't going to be easy. We knew that this could be an easy time for us to realize that Cosmi's first two games were fool's gold -- or at least that we should tap the brakes a little in our enthusiasm, after all -- he is just a redshirt freshman, and a developmental one at that. That simply didn't occur, though.
As we move onward to the TCU game -- a game in which Texas doesn't have the most edges on paper -- the Longhorns and their fans can at least walk into DKR knowing that the offensive line through three games has operated at a level that is worthy of hanging their hats on.
That's one hell of a feeling given recent history around here.
The Absolute BEST in family and cosmetic dentistry for the Houston-Memorial Area
Now Accepting New Patients --- 281-293-9140
Skill-Player Participation by Week
(snap counts and percentage total offensive snaps played)
Click to Enlarge
OL Thoughts and Grades
LT Calvin Anderson - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.85
1 run-stuff allowed
1 knockdown
74.3 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Calvin Anderson continues to operate at a level which is giving Texas half of its best cumulative tackle play during the Deep Dig era. The 74.3 snaps per disruption is eye-popping and seems ripe for regression to the mean as the best score in this metric -- of 39 qualifying season samples of Texas offensive lineman since 2013 -- was Trey Hopkins' senior season when he only allowed disruption or committed a penalty once every 57.1 snaps. Hopkins is closely followed by the sophomore 2016 version of Connor Williams at 56.9. So, while 74.3 does not seem sustainable for Anderson, it also doesn't appear likely that Anderson is going to have some sort of blow-up game that sends him crashing down to these more normal levels.
The guy has been excellent in pass-protection and good enough in the run game to make you believe he is somewhat immune from the kind of hiccup-filled affair fans at Texas had grown used to at the tackles recently.
Anderson has scored right around this level for every game of the season versus all sorts of different levels of athlete and types of front. He has helped the left side of the line, and to some degree the running backs, with his awareness in pass-protection in identifying stunts and twists. He's not a flashy player who will show elite athleticism in NFL testing and his attributes are not the type that scouts drool over.
He's smaller than you would like, his arms are not as long as you'd think and his feet and balance certainly aren't on par with the Connor Williams' or the world or even the Samuel Cosmis. With this said, he somehow keeps his side of the line as quiet as Texas fans have seen in the last six years as a pass protector through his first three games at Texas. The only leak in his game is in the run-blocking portion where he can get his weight out over the balls of his feet and look balky at times heading into engagement but overall he's fine. Anderson has been a great player for Texas and clearly, Texas fans will take it -- minor run-game leaks and all.
LG Patrick Vahe - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 75.39
1 holding penalty
2 run-stuffs, 2 QB hits, 1 pressure allowed
2 knockdowns
18.6 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Speaking of leaks in the game, Vahe's are showing up like a busted fire hydrant in his last season at Texas.
Vahe's motor is operating dreadfully. He's gives up on plays way too early, especially when he is on the back side of the play and away from the point of attack. Even at the point of attack, he's struggled, and, until further notice, needs to be considered the weakest link on the improving Texas OL. The offensive staff simply must quit pulling Vahe on power concepts as he is the worst possible option Texas has in this capacity. He has been for years and he's not getting better. It's apparently just not going to happen at this point. It's the same story: he drops his eyes, he doesn't understand leverage and he doesn't bring his hips through engagement. Vahe lunges erratically in space and often misses his target altogether.
His 18.6 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused represents the low mark in his career at Texas (31.29 in 2017, 31.8 in 2016, 26.98 in 2015).
C Elijah Rodriguez - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 77.2
2 pressures, 1 run-stuff allowed
22.3 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Rodriguez continues to play well and this game, despite some major throw-your-remote-control-at-the-television moments, was his best game as a Longhorn. He's coming into his own at the center position and is showing that his abysmal outing at tackle versus the Missouri defense to end a disappointing 2017 season had more to do with Derek Warehime, the OL coach at the time, simply not understanding what kind of player he had on his hands. Herb Hand would never start Rodriguez at a tackle position. He surely sees that his feet are heavy and he really only moves well going forward. He keeps his hands inside and has a far better understanding of leverage and general football sense than Vahe. He doesn't leave his linemates stranded on zone-combos like Vahe does when bailing to the second level (at which point, Vahe just stands there as the LB has invariably already vacated his aiming point).
Herb Hand has a decision on his hands when Zach Shackelford gets back, likely after the TCU game. It will be a hard one because you might want to leave the OL as it is and treat Shack as a Wally Pipp or, despite all the hype surrounding him, look at sending Vahe to the bench and shifting Derek Kerstetter or Rodriguez -- hell, even maybe Shack himself -- over to LG.
RG Derek Kerstetter - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 79.03
1 run-stuff allowed
4 knockdowns
36.6 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
This score is hard to believe as Kerstetter looked pretty good in this one, but certainly not THAT good. A 79.03 grade is a relative monster. The fact is, he didn't allow much disruption at all, was downright dominant in combo down-blocks with Cosmi and had his score buoyed by a string of positive grades to end the game once it was established we were firmly in garbage time. Kerstetter has an outstanding motor and consistently looks for work. Despite their youthful and more "developmental" appearances over on the right side of the line, the Kerstetter/Cosmi combo as a run-blocking tandem has shown to be the best grouping of two Texas has. They had 8 knockdowns in this game between them which tell a small story on their own as a generally ancillary statistic.
If the Texas offensive line is a meritocracy, there is no way Kerstetter can go back to the bench once Shackelford returns, even though it is his absence that led to Kerstetter's initial insertion.
RT Samuel Cosmi - 77 snaps
DEEP DIG GRADE: 78.9
2 false-start penalties, 1 QB hit allowed
4 knockdowns
48.8 snaps per disruption allowed and/or penalty caused (2018 season)
Cosmi is one guy who can't be taken off the field, period, as he is the best offensive lineman Texas has. For as good as Anderson has been, Cosmi has just seemed more impressive with his overall game. Cosmi doesn't have quite the snaps/disruption numbers as Anderson following the USC game and that fact has everything to do with his two false-start penalties in this one (one of which was an absolute sham and an abomination of a call by the officials who USC fans will be the first to tell you were terrible).
Cosmi will still get overpowered at times against speed-to-power edge-rush guys while setting into pass-protection, but it's rare that he gets overpowered in the run-game. His strength in this area has seemingly improved leaps and bounds since he came in as a bit of a developmental string-bean as a prospect. We all know his feet are elite and his balance is natural and graceful. It makes it easy to forget that there is still a lot of development left on the road forward for Cosmi, both physically and mentally.
The simple fact is, we came into this game versus USC realizing that, even if it is a "down" USC team, that Cosmi would be competing against athletes. The L.A. area is second to only Miami in density of future NFL prospect, and even though it has what will likely turn out to be a bad coach and is in a funk currently, USC has players. When they match up with you man-to-man, those one-on-one battles aren't going to be easy. We knew that this could be an easy time for us to realize that Cosmi's first two games were fool's gold -- or at least that we should tap the brakes a little in our enthusiasm, after all -- he is just a redshirt freshman, and a developmental one at that. That simply didn't occur, though.
As we move onward to the TCU game -- a game in which Texas doesn't have the most edges on paper -- the Longhorns and their fans can at least walk into DKR knowing that the offensive line through three games has operated at a level that is worthy of hanging their hats on.
That's one hell of a feeling given recent history around here.
