Tag: offense

What will it take for UF to beat UGA? Three keys on offense for a Florida victory

UF and UGA face off in a titanic matchup this Saturday with both teams coming in quite evenly matched. Here are the offensive keys for UF.

The Gators haven’t won the SEC East and made the pilgrimage to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game since 2016. This squad could be its best since that season, but if it’s going to win the division, it has to do another thing it hasn’t done since 2016: beat Georgia.

The one-loss Bulldogs enter this game coming off a 14-3 win over Kentucky, and they appear to be as vulnerable as they’ve been in years. The Gators’ defense has struggled, but their elite offensive unit has been enough in three of their four games.

Here are three offensive keys to the contest against UGA.

Texas Longhorns vs West Virginia: How do the stats matchup?

Breaking down the offense vs defense matchups in the Texas Longhorns-West Virginia game on Saturday. Who has the edge in this game?

Diving into the key stats for both sides of the ball. The calling card for West Virginia has been the Mountaineers defense. That is their best unit. For Texas, they counter with the Longhorns offense. It has been inconsistent this year at times but when backs are against the wall, Sam Ehlinger rises to the occasion.

When Texas has the ball

Offensively is where the Longhorns are strongest. They have the 10th highest scoring offense in the country. They have cracked the 40-point threshold in four of their six games this year. Can they generate enough offense against a top 20 scoring defense?

The West Virginia defense is top 20 in every major category. They are also one of the four best defenses at forcing interceptions. Their nine interceptions through six games proves that they can create for their offense. Last week against Kansas State, WVU forced Will Howard into three interceptions.

Key Stat

Texas sacks given up- 30th worst

WVU sacks generated- 6th best

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Category UT Stats UT Rank WVU Rank WVU Stats
Scoring 44.3 PPG 10th 19th 19.8 PPG
Rushing 165.3 YPG 63rd 11th 97.8 YPG
Passing 284.2 YPG 27th 7th 157.8 YPG
Total 449.5 YPG 26th 4th 255.7 YPG

When West Virginia has the ball

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

The Longhorns defense has been their weakness this year aside from their special teams blunders. Last week was a much better performance despite the fact they gave up 400 yards in the air. Their focus was shutting down Chuba Hubbard which is where they succeeded. Plus four turnovers forced and that is how you walk away with a win on the road against a top six team in the nation.

West Virginia’s offense is not necessarily a weakness but their defense gets all the headlines. The big question is can they show up on the road? This year WVU is 0-2 on the road with losses at Oklahoma State and at Texas Tech. The Longhorns will provide their next test. However, WVU hasn’t lost in Austin since 2014. Does that streak continue?

Key Stat

WVU has six fumbles lost- Worst in the Big 12

Texas has six fumbles recovered- Best in the Big 12

Category UT Stats UT Rank WVU Rank WVU Stats
Scoring 32.5 PPG 77th 37th 33.0 PPG
Rushing 130.3 YPG 41st 51st 172.0 YPG
Passing 277.5 YPG 92nd 25th 292.8 YPG
Total 407.8 YPG 66th 22nd 464.8 YPG

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5 takeaways from Seattle’s 37-27 victory over San Francisco Week 8

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 37-27 to move into first place in the NFC. Here are five takeaways.

The Seattle Seahawks (6-1) defeated the San Francisco 49ers (4-4) by a score of 37-27 at CenturyLink Field. Here are five takeaways from the game.

Keys to Auburn’s dominant 48-11 win over LSU

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know how it would look. Whenever Auburn and LSU face off the one given is that something strange is going to follow.

We knew it was coming, we just didn’t know how it would look. Whenever Auburn and LSU face off the one given is that something strange is going to follow.

This time that meant the worst rule in college football would make an appearance when Seth Williams fumbled it out of the endzone and Auburn’s offense would have a historic performence against a struggling LSU defense in a 48-11 blowout victory over the defending national champions.

The last four times Auburn and LSU have played the games were decided by a total of 13 points. Saturday, the Tigers won by 37 points, the biggest margin of victory in the series.

Here’s how Auburn pulled off the upset over the Bayou Bengals.

Bobby Wagner and Pete Carroll discuss improving Seahawks defense

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner and head coach Pete Carroll discussed the team’s defense and how it could be markedly improved.

The Seattle Seahawks have no chance to be Super Bowl contenders if they do not improve on the defensive side of the ball, where they have struggled immensely throughout the entire 2020 season.

They simply cannot win consistently without the offense and quarterback Russell Wilson playing at his best and that has never been more evident than in the team’s 37-34 overtime loss to the Cardinals Week 7. Linebacker Bobby Wagner told reporters that the defense is not anywhere near its destination and that the players must improve in every facet of play.

“We’re not where we want to be,” Wagner said in the wake of the ill-fated contest. “We have to play better, we have to execute the plays better, be more consistent. We have to find a way to get off the field. We can’t put the offense in the situation that we put them, can’t make penalties that we had to extend drives, we have to find a way to get off the field. We’re not where we want to be. It’s going to take some focus. At this point, you’ve just got to make your mind up and say you want to play good defense, period.”

Coach Pete Carroll agreed with Wagner’s assertions and stated that they are all committed to defensive improvement but noted that it may not come immediately, as is often the case in such situations.

“Going into last week, we really wanted to see if we could make a move here, get going in a direction we really felt better about,” Carroll said. “Just because you want to doesn’t mean that happens right away; it takes some time. So as we continue, I totally am planning on us turning, and being at the top end of our game. It’s out there for us, and we’re going to keep battling to get it done. I agree with Bobby, he’s on point. Everybody’s working at it, we got a great attitude about it, the guys are spending their time studying and all that. We got to get our combinations of guys right and max out and make sure we’re really, really clean with our execution. That’s coming. How long can I keep telling you that it’s coming? But our best football is still ahead of us, there’s no question in my mind.”

Let’s hope Carroll is right and the Seahawks defense improves to help the offense on a more consistent basis. The team will certainly need it if they wish to become true contenders this year.

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Kyle Trask and running game among major focuses on offense for UF

Florida Gators football has a few areas it needs to make sure it hits on after a prolonged break. Here are three offensive keys to the game.

It’s been hard for Gators fans to not watch the best offensive they’ve seen in years the last two weeks. That unit, led by redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask, is back in action again this weekend against a Missouri team that has struggled defensively against talented quarterbacks.

Florida hopes to get back on track and stay in the running for the SEC East after suffering its first loss of the season in its lasting outing on Oct. 10. That game was a 41-38 shootout, and it’s hard to pin much of the blame on the offensive unit.

Still, UF has a few areas it needs to make sure it hits on after a prolonged break. Here are three offensive keys to the game.

Chiefs WR Byron Pringle an emergent weapon on offense, special teams

The former Kansas State Wildcat has been playing some great football over the past several weeks.

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Kansas City Chiefs WR Byron Pringle has been taking full advantage of his opportunities over the past several weeks. The 2018 undrafted free agent has made limited contributions up until this point, notching a few flashy blocks and plays on special teams last season. With an injury to WR Sammy Watkins, Pringle is seeing more opportunities on special teams and the offense. In turn, he’s starting to make an impact on the scoreboard.

Pringle had a key 37-yard reception on third-and-12 against the Buffalo Bills in Week 6 which helped put the game on ice. He followed it up with a great game in Week 7 against the Denver Broncos, notching the longest play from scrimmage in the NFL this season with a 102-yard kick return for a touchdown. It was his first kick return of the 2020 season and I reckon it won’t be his last.

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“He was a good player in college with the return game,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said following the game. “He was good in the preseason when we did it, he was healthy, so we wanted to give him an opportunity back there to return. You see how he hits it, that becomes important on kickoff returns. I thought he did a nice job with it. He hid it hard and fast, and everything else.”

Pringle has boasted great vision on kick returns throughout his football-playing career. As a Kansas State Wildcat, Pringle has 39 career returns for over 1,000 yards and two touchdowns. When he lined up in the endzone to return the kick, he already knew that he was going to take it out with the intent to score.

“When they kicked the ball to me, I knew it was going right,” Pringle told reporters after the game. “I just took full advantage of my opportunity being back there, for one, as the kickoff returner for this game. I knew I was going to hit it hard, and once I saw the hole open up, I just ran through with power. I knew I had two dudes backside to make miss and once I made them miss, I just ran for the touchdown. I wasn’t looking back.”

But that wasn’t the only area where Pringle impacted the game in Week 7. He is also one of the Chiefs’ starting gunners on the punt coverage team. He helped rookie punter Tommy Townsend this week, downing one of his punts at the one-yard line.

“We never stop working on it and me especially because last year in the Super Bowl I missed one,” Pringle said. “I told myself, ‘next time I’m able to throw it back into the field of play, I’m going to do the best that I can to get it back to the other players on the field.’ The returner was blocking me and I knew he wasn’t going to block me for that long. Once I saw the ball take a bounce I knew it was coming back towards me so I just picked it up and I was so happy I made that play.”

As for Pringle’s outlook for the rest of the season, his workload will be a game-by-game discussion. He’s one of the many players that Coach Reid has to choose from. Once Watkins returns, Pringle very well could be relegated to special teams duty. Reid now at least has a recent reminder — whenever Pringle does get opportunities — he’ll be ready to make an impact.

“Yeah, he just needs to keep being him and stay healthy doing it and roll,” Reid said. “We’ve seen him periodically throughout – either in the preseason with his return game, we saw it in college at Kansas State there… so I think as far as working in the offense, he is there. [We] just don’t have enough spots. [We’re] going to have to kick the tight ends out of the game plan or the running backs. But when given the opportunity, everyone has trust in him.”

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Texas Football: Longhorns need to use Jared Wiley more

The Texas Longhorns have a weapon in the passing game with Jared Wiley. They just need to utilize him more in the final five games.

In the modern game of college football it has become about three things. Mobile quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs. The days of the traditional tight end have really become all but extinct. At the NFL level, the ones who excel most are the big wide receivers. A “light end” if you will. However, there are always exceptions to that case and for the Texas Longhorns they just might have one of those exceptions on the roster.

The starting tight end has been Cade Brewer. The senior does a lot well. He can block, he can catch. All the way around Brewer is a solid tight end for this offense. The guy they should get involved a lot more is Jared Wiley. The sophomore stands at 6’6″ according to the bio but he might be closer to 6’7″. Regardless Wiley stands out in a crowd.

For an offense that has shown the ability to go downfield, they do lack the playmakers to do so consistently. Joshua Moore has been their stud wide receiver. Tarik Black and Brennan Eagles have shown flashes when they stay committed to throwing the football. Jordan Whittington and Jake Smith can’t stay healthy and then you have Brewer.

A solid group of players, but if you needed a guy who can go up and get the ball, better go to Jared.

This season Wiley has played a total of 159 offensive snaps and 66 more on special teams for a total of 225 snaps. Of those 159 snaps he has been targeted by the quarterback on just eight of those snaps. That means five percent of the time Wiley is being targeted by the quarterback. Of those targets he caught six passes, 75% catch rate.

Wiley is averaging 18.4 yards per target, when he catches the ball he averages 24.5 yards per reception. Every reception has come up the seam. Of the 147 yards receiving, 47% of those yards have come after the catch. Two catches alone have accounted for 99 yards.

Using his size in the red zone is another way that he can be utilized. Something that he did in high school. All offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich needs to do is dial it up and let Sam Ehlinger find him.

The player that Wiley has shown to be for this team is what many thought they were getting from Malcolm Epps. If the Longhorns want to threaten defenses as the season goes, get 18 on the field and let him thrive.

Texas Longhorns vs Baylor: Three key offensive players

We highlighted three key offensive players for the Texas Longhorns. Each one needs to step up and help the team defeat the Baylor Bears.

On Saturday the Texas Longhorns are sending their offense on to the field to attack the Baylor Bears defense. That side of the ball has been good averaging a FBS-best 49.5 points per game. They are also the 12th highest in total offense.

It all starts with the quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Can the Longhorns be more consistent than they have been over the last couple weeks? Against Oklahoma the Longhorns were held scoreless in the first and third quarters. Against TCU they had spells of 10 plus minutes without being able to move the ball and put points on the board.

The offense is as guilty as the defense for this issues that have repeatedly bit this team. There are three players who need to step up on Saturday for this team to win.

Next, three key offensive players against Baylor

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Texas Football: Five areas of improvement on offense for Saturday

The Texas Longhorns have plenty of areas of improvement across the board. Longhorns Wire highlights five areas on the offensive side.

When your football team is losing football games, it is all bad right? Every glaring detail becomes magnified but for good reason. When a team as talented as the Texas Longhorns start losing games, then the finger pointing begins. This team is talented but there isn’t just one area of emphasis that needs to be fixed.

To quote Shrek “it has layers.”

On the offensive side of the ball it starts with quarterback Sam Ehlinger. He has been the savior at times, see Texas Tech for example. He has also been the guy that shoulders the blame due to how the game ended, see Oklahoma. It isn’t fair for him to carry all of it around with him. There are several issues on the offensive side of the ball.

Here are five areas the Longhorns need to improve on against Baylor.

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