Tag: Pete Kwiatkowski

Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski discusses impact of DT T’Vondre Sweat

T’Vondre Sweat gives Texas freedom to allocate defensive help elsewhere.

Texas defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat is a versatile player and an integral part of the Longhorns defense. His defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski knows it.

Kwiatkowski shared what Sweat brings to the Texas defense. He said the following of the massive defensive tackle.

“He is hard to move. He takes up a lot of space. Takes multiple blockers, and so that frees up the linebackers. Gives us a little bit more luxury to play with lighter boxes.”

The luxury of playing with less defenders in the box is particularly important in this week’s matchup. It might shed light on how Texas plans to defend Washington’s potent passing offense in the Sugar Bowl.

Players like T’Vondre Sweat and fellow defensive tackle Byron Murphy are able to shoulder more of the load in run defense. They allow more players to help in coverage and limit more of the passing game.

Sweat is a primary reason why Texas has made it to the College Football Playoff. More than likely, he will be a primary reason for more success if the Longhorns advance to the national title.

Sugar Bowl could be Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski’s game to win

Texas vs. Washington is a Kwiatkowski game.

The Longhorns season falls into the hands of Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski. In many ways, the team’s chances of winning depend on its defensive play caller. In this case, that’s probably a good thing.

Kwiatkowski’s philosophy is built to stop an offense like Washington. That fact proved true last bowl season when his defense held the high-scoring Huskies to 27 points. In addition, his unit limited Washington quarterback Michael Penix to 5.3 yards per attempt with his leading receiver amassing 58 receiving yards.

The Washington offense was more explosive last year than it is this season. Penix threw for over 400 more yards in 2022 without a Pac-12 title appearance. In last year’s Alamo Bowl, Kwiatkowski shut them down. Texas’ offense didn’t produce.

We don’t expect the Texas offense to no show this season. As we noted before, the Washington defense is remarkably poor. In particular, the team is far more vulnerable than Texas is against the pass. Simply capitalizing on opportunities can keep the Longhorns offense moving the football.

The challenge will come on defense. Stop the pass, and Texas probably wins the game.

The Longhorns’ title chances will be entrusted to Kwiatkowski on New Year’s Day. In this matchup, that favors Texas. The Texas defense will look to be the reason the team advances to the next round.

Beat Iowa State: Texas must be wary of Cyclones’ passing attack

Rocco Becht is not to be messed with this week.

The No. 7 Texas Longhorns (9-1) face the Iowa State Cyclones (6-4) this week in Ames, Iowa. There is reason for unease as we approach the matchup.

The lack of confidence in Texas’ ability to handle business is more about the Longhorns than the Cyclones. Texas has made several quarterbacks look better than expected.

Here’s a look at a few quarterbacks lit up the Longhorn defense in the last four weeks.

  • Josh Hoover: 24-for-36, 302 yards, two touchdowns, one interception.
  • Will Howard: 26-for-41, 327 yards, four touchdowns, one interception.
  • Donovan Smith: 32-for-46, 378 yards, three touchdowns, one interception.

The above quarterbacks are not often mentioned among the most prolific passers in college football. Texas has made them appear to be so.

Enter Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht who leads an underrated Cyclone offense. Becht has 2,121 yards, 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the season. You can expect the Iowa State signal caller to have a big game this week.

Texas is No. 12 in the Big 12 in pass defense surrendering 247 yards per game through the air. Many of those yards come in what defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski might deem as garbage time, but those totals have certainly aided opponents in making games close.

How does Texas avoid a letdown this week? Its defense would be wise to treat each defensive sequence as if the game were locked in a 0-0 tie. If we don’t see that from the defense, expect Iowa State to take the game down to the final seconds.

The Longhorns must improve in pass defense this week. They are capable. Saturday will reveal if the unit can maintain a championship level of play for four quarters.

Texas will take on the Iowa State Cyclones at 7 p.m. CT on Fox.

Pete Kwiatkowski reportedly on short list of defensive coordinator’s for USC

Could you see PK leave Texas?

Pete Kwiatkowski was hired in January 2021 and has done an incredible job of turning the Texas defense around.

In his first year, the Longhorns’ defense gave up an average of 31 points per game. However, in 2023, they have reduced that number to under 18 points per game.

Kwiatkowski has an extensive coaching background, having worked at Montana State, Boise State, Washington, and Texas. His adept ability to revamp the defense has earned him admiration from Texas fans.

On Tuesday, a report was released stating that Kwiatkowski is being considered as a potential candidate for the defensive coordinator position at USC that is currently vacant. It would be wise for USC head coach Lincoln Riley to pursue Kwiatkowski, given his reputation for leading the Texas defense.

The former defensive coordinator for USC, Alex Grinch, earned around $1.8 million, slightly more than PK’s current salary ($1.7 million). Although USC might try to lure Kwiatkowski with a higher salary, it is hoped that his decision is based on the promising future of the Longhorns.

Looking at what could be Texas’ undoing in pass coverage

Will Texas be more aggressive or continue to allow pitch and catch throws on third and fourth down?

The Texas Longhorns defense was one of the better defenses in the Big 12 last season. Even so, it had one fatal flaw, and it cost the team dearly in a loss against Texas Tech.

The Longhorns struggled particularly in allowing inside leverage routes. It didn’t appear the team did much to stop it. Last season Texas ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 conference in yards per snap (7.6) against the pass when opponents threw to an inside leverage route. Slant and sit routes against Texas Tech come to mind, although dig routes would certainly be included.

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski might be conceding shorter routes against some offensive attacks to avoid allowing the explosive play. Even so, the adjustments for the defense will need to come on third and fourth down where the Longhorns were horrendous early last season.

The Longhorns defense allowed a 41.3% conversation rate on third down compared to its offense’s 38.8% third down conversion rate. The trend continued on fourth down where opponents converted 57.1% of their fourth down attempts. Comparatively, the Texas offense converted 54.6% of their fourth down tries.

Texas has to win third and fourth down, and certainly can’t lose each by just under 3%. Doing so is how the team lost five close games. The Longhorns will look to improve on money downs in 2023.

Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski has players ahead of freshman LB Anthony Hill

It appears Pete Kwiatkowski doesn’t intend to start Anthony Hill this season.

Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski appears to be making an interesting personnel decision. It seems Kwiatkowski has no intention of starting five-star freshman linebacker Anthony Hill this season. Unless he’s truly not ready, which is doubtful, it appears his skillset could be underused.

Kwiatkowski said the following of what Hill will bring to the team.

“He just has a knack for finding the ball. He’s got some good players in front of him, so he’s going to be able to learn, not be thrown into the heat of things. He’s going to be able to learn piecemeal, then for us as coach it’s finding that role for him where, like I mentioned earlier, maybe it’s on third down, passing situations where we can get him involved coming off the edge or blitzing, playing to his skillset.”

That’s not exactly encouraging about the prospects of playing time this season. Kwiatkowski has had a history of interesting depth chart decisions. In 2021, the Texas assistant opted to start linebacker Luke Brockermeyer over Jaylan Ford despite Ford making plays consistently in game time. Predicting a breakout season for Ford was perhaps the easiest pick last offseason. Anyone with football intelligence could have predicted Ford’s breakout.

The roster decisions extend to other positions as Kwiatkowski had defensive lineman Alfred Collins in a situational role that hardly saw the field in 2021. It appears that’s what he has planned for Hill.

Kwiatkowski had a strong season in 2022. He clearly knows football. Nevertheless, should the defense not continue to improve, questions over the depth chart decisions could be among the first talking points for the defense.

Texas’ defense viewed as one of the most improved units in 2023

The Texas defense is steadily improving.

The stars are aligning for Texas in 2023 with the rest of the Big 12 in flux and other national powers appearing to have to reload at key positions. Continue reading “Texas’ defense viewed as one of the most improved units in 2023”

Texas Football: What we’re gathering from spring practice reports

We know more about the football team following spring practice reports.

Practice reports can be hit-or-miss in regard to what a team actually brings to the table. We saw that fact bear itself out under past football and basketball coaches.

There was a time when the Texas football coaching staff viewed the team as a playoff contender before falling flat in the regular season. Former starting quarterback Hudson Card, who could be primed to finish in the Top 10 nationally in passing yards at Purdue, was once viewed as an Aaron Rodgers clone. Those predictions were both swings and misses.

There are a few reports that have caught my attention and appear to have merit based on what we’ve observed and what makes logical sense. Here are a few things we’re picking up about the team as we approach the spring game.

Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian shares what his team must improve

Texas needs to win in the passing game on both sides of the field.

Texas is in search of its first Big 12 championship since 2009. Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian shed light on what it would take to accomplish that goal.

Sarkisian said the following about what he will prioritize for the team this season.

We need to be more efficient throwing the football … Defensively, (we need to) find ways to affect the quarterback.

The offensive talking point is apparent to everyone who watched the football team last season. Although I have seen enough of Texas’ signal-caller to know he can be special for Texas, there’s still plenty of room for Quinn Ewers to grow.

Steve Sarkisian is as dependent on Ewers’ success as athletic director Chris Del Conte’s legacy is dependent on Sarkisian’s success. It’s evident Sark understands the gravity of this season and the importance of getting the passing game up to par.

The defensive issues may not be as evident to the average fan. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski did a tremendous job last season. Albeit, a recurring issue for his defense revolved around not playing tight enough coverage to give pass rushers time to get to the quarterback.

This season, we learned that Keondre Coburn was not only a capable, but an effective and disruptive threat up the middle. Texas needs to allow time for T’Vondre Sweat, Barryn Sorrell, Byron Murphy and Justice Finkley to get after the quarterback. If it can, the team could win as much with defense as it does on the offensive side.

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Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. defeated the middle of Texas’ defense

Texas’ “damage control defense” must figure out how to disrupt to get late stops.

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. had a strong performance against Texas. His second half put the game out of reach. Continue reading “Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. defeated the middle of Texas’ defense”