Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Pete Kwiatkowski meeting with the media is a rare occurrence.
Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski spoke with the media this week ahead of the Longhorns’ Alamo Bowl matchup with Washington on Thursday. Continue reading “What Texas DC Pete Kwiatkowski said to the media this week”
Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby is among highest paid coordinators from 2022.
For the most part, the Oklahoma Sooners offense had a really good season. Jeff Lebby’s first season as offensive coordinator wasn’t perfect, but the offense was productive, had moments of explosiveness, and produced a 1,000-yard wide receiver, Marvin Mims, and a 1,000-yard rusher, Eric Gray.
The Sooners ranked 35th in the country in points per game, 32.9. Take away the 49-0 shutout, and the Sooners averaged 35.89 points per game, which would have moved them into the top 20 in the nation.
The Sooners were 18th in yards per game, ninth in plays per game and 24th in first downs per game.
Sure, there were moments the offense didn’t rise to the occasion. Specifically, third and fourth down were a struggle for the Sooners. Oklahoma converted on third down just 39.9% of the time and was worse on fourth down.
Heading into the offseason, the Sooners have to figure out their money-down offense. Their inability to convert on third and fourth down crushed this team, especially late in the season.
Because the offense had a lot of good moments, the Sooners could have won a few more games had the defense held up its end. Perhaps the biggest issue was not having a reasonable plan at quarterback when Dillon Gabriel went down.
Lebby didn’t trust Davis Beville to throw the ball and didn’t give him the chance in the second half of the TCU game or much in the Texas game. When it was clear Beville wasn’t the answer, they could have given Nick Evers some snaps to see if his athleticism could have provided a spark. Instead, Evers didn’t come in the game until the final few minutes and ran one series.
The Sooners have to find a better option at backup quarterback this offseason unless they believe that Jackson Arnold is the answer should something happen to Dillon Gabriel.
Lebby was among the highest-paid coordinators from the 2022 season, according to USA TODAY Sports. Here are the top 10.
Let’s take a look at what we can expect from both teams in the Alamo Bowl.
The No. 20 Texas Longhorns (8-4) face another significant test in their bowl game. They will take on the No. 12 Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl.
Both teams have seen dramatic turnarounds, but the Huskies have made the bigger leap this season. Washington improved its win total by six games in 2022 following a 4-8 season a year ago.
Much of their success revolves around Michael Penix and a lethal passing game. Penix led the nation with 4,345 passing yards on the year. The talented passer completed 330 of 500 passing attempts with 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Despite significant growth defensively, Texas has had its share of struggles in pass defense. While the Longhorns are above average in yards per attempt (6.43), they are No. 88 in pass yards allowed per game (239.0).
Let’s take a look at what we can expect from both teams in the Alamo Bowl.
Defense made all the difference in erasing last year’s Kansas loss.
The Texas Longhorns secured arguably their most impressive win of the season on Saturday. Steve Sarkisian’s squad took down the Kansas Jayhawks on the road, 55-14.
Texas wholly defeated the Jayhawks on the strength of Bijan Robinson and the Texas running game. Robinson ran for 243 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries. It was the type of performance Texas should have had last season against the Jayhawks. This time, the defense made all the difference.
For all that has been said about defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, and I’ve personally said plenty, the unit has become the defense fans hoped it would become.
The last two games have seen the unit reach another level defensively. Last week, the Longhorns held the playoff favorite TCU Horned Frogs to 17 points despite hardly any offensive production. They followed that performance by keeping Kansas off the scoreboard for nearly three quarters.
Let’s examine a few statistics that capture the improvements the Longhorns have made this season.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s first quarter might be his best of performance of the year.
Barryn Sorrell started the game on a mission early in the first half. In a surprising twist, the Texas defense is keeping the Longhorns in the game early.
The Texas offense played an uncharacteristically incompetent first quarter. Bijan Robinson missed running lanes, while Quinn Ewers couldn’t find a receiver who could hold onto the ball. Despite it all, the Texas defense hung in and made impressive early plays.
On second-and-long with the ball on the Texas 38-yard line, Pete Kwiatkowski unleashed Sorrell and Moro Ojomo into the backfield, taking down TCU quarterback Max Duggan.
On an earlier play, Sorrell and Ovie Oghoufo slammed the pocket on Duggan forcing a punt on the third down play.
Pete Kwiatkowski’s first quarter might be his best of performance of the year. Here’s a look at defensive highlights from the first quarter.
On3 deemed Pete Kwiatkowski vs. Garrett Riley one of the top six coordinator matchups to watch in Week 11.
Mike Huguenin of On3 Sports recently took a look at the six coordinator matchups to watch in Week 11. Continue reading “Pete Kwiatkowski vs. Garrett Riley deemed one of top coordinator matchups this week”
Texas has to raise its defensive standards on Saturday.
Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has a decision to make on Saturday. He can either be aggressive and force West Virginia’s hand or the Mountaineers will dictate to the Longhorns defense.
By now, we have a solid idea of what Kwiatkowski wants to do. The veteran play caller wants to eliminate explosive plays and make teams drive the field. That sounds great on paper, but it didn’t work last week against Texas Tech.
Despite the lack of talent in the conference, Big 12 teams have a reputation for being well coached and fundamentally sound. West Virginia was not that last season, but is vastly improved with new quarterback JT Daniels and offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Texas can’t count on the Mountaineers to make mistakes.
Nobody should question whether or not Kwiatkowski can coach an effective defense. Whether or not he creates a game plan that protects his linebackers in coverage is to be seen.
Kwiatkowski has to force the issue. The Longhorns need to move the game behind the West Virginia line of scrimmage and make JT Daniels hold the football.
If Texas can take away passes within ten yards their defensive line will wreak havoc. Texas has to raise its defensive standards on Saturday. If they do, the Longhorns have a chance to erase last week’s loss from memory.
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
Texas needs to find the urgency they had against Alabama.
The Texas Longhorns lost to an inferior opponent on Saturday. The problem wasn’t effort, execution or dedication. The problem was the Longhorns’ mindset.
Sure, the Longhorns could have executed better, but that was less glaring than the way they attacked. The Texas defense played the Texas Tech offense as if they were their equal and to be feared. Caution allowed Tech to hang around, and eventually strike the Longhorns down.
Passing game coordinator Terry Joseph and defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski conceded short yardage with the goal of stopping explosive plays, waiting for the Red Raiders to make errors. Unfortunately, Texas Tech played sound football and took free yards all the way down the field.
More alarming than any of that was Texas Tech’s 75% conversion rate on fourth down. The Raiders went a staggering 6-for-8 on fourth down. Their success illustrated what happens when you give lesser teams ample opportunities to score.
The mindset needs to change. The Texas defense needs to approach every play as if it’s 4th-and-4. The offense needs to attack every drive as if they’re trailing by a touchdown.
Playing with urgency at all times could be what Texas needs to get out of this funk. If they bring focused effort against West Virginia, they can look more like the team that challenged Alabama.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
The Texas defense has become Steve Sarkisian’s responsibility.
Texas’ defense is struggling, and now it must become Steve Sarkisian’s problem to fix. Coaches are problem solvers, but defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has proven incapable of solving the problem. Sarkisian needs to take the reins.
The problem is pretty simple for the Longhorns. Opposing offenses are picking apart the soft coverages that Texas runs. UTSA exposed the Longhorns in Week 3, and the next week Texas Tech capitalized. The problem dates back to early last season and it isn’t going away soon.
Ultimately, you want to be able to trust your coaches. Nevertheless, Kwiatkowski has forfeited that right.
The head coach can’t do everything, but Sarkisian cannot allow Kwiatkowski to insist on being wrong his own way.
Texas pass rushers were noticeably making the effort to get upfield and get to the quarterback. Defensive backs were hustling to make plays. Unfortunately the defensive calls did not give them a chance.
Whether or not Steve Sarkisian needs to oversee the whole gameplan or intervene over the headset on nonsensical calls, the defense has become his responsibility. He needs to fix it immediately.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=none image=https://longhornswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
Allowing 6-for-8 conversions on fourth down should never be normal.
There are a number of sentiments defending Texas’ defensive performance in Week 4. But make no mistake, Saturday’s defensive showing against Texas Tech was unacceptable.
Texas should never allow an opponent to go 6-for-8 on fourth down. Had Alabama done it, we would probably let it slide. In fact, we did let their fourth down success slide. Even so, Saturday’s performance was even more demoralizing.
The Longhorns choked away a 24-14 halftime lead against the Red Raiders. Hard as you try, you can’t make that result normal.
Pete Kwiatkowski apologists point to past success as reasoning that he is the right defensive coordinator for Texas. Jimbo Fisher apologists do the same at Texas A&M.
Far more important than past success is philosophy and whether or not it translates to defeating the team’s scheduled opponents. Neither Fisher nor Kwiatkowski fit that description.
Let’s make sense of what went wrong for Texas.
