Scoop27
09-17-2013, 11:23 AM
Jackson Jeffcoat has no idea what to expect from Kansas State.
Well, actually he does.
The Longhorns’ senior defensive end knows the Wildcats are going to feed Texas a healthy dose of option offense Saturday until the Longhorns prove they can stop it.
Stopping it, which Texas has been spectacularly unsuccessful at the past two games, is at the top of Greg Robinson’s long to-do list as his second tenure as defensive coordinator enters its second week.
The list is so long that Robinson again was a no-show at Monday’s weekly media availability. It was easy to understand why. To borrow the lyric from an old Jerry Reed song, Robinson’s got a long way to go and a short time to get there.
In Saturday’s 44-23 loss to Mississippi, the defense performed statistically better than the week before — the 40-21 loss at Brigham Young. Of course, it would be hard not to do better since BYU cost former coordinator Manny Diaz his job after Texas allowed a school-record 550 rushing yards.
The Longhorns (1-2) surrendered 272 rushing yards to Ole Miss. Of that, 159 came in a second half in which the Rebels outscored Texas 27-0. For the season, UT ranks 121st out of 123 FBS teams in rushing defense, giving up 308.7 yards per game.
In overall defense, Texas ranks 114th, allowing 491.3 yards per outing.
In his meeting with the press Monday, in a subdued atmosphere fueled by rumors about his future, coach Mack Brown said he spent time with Robinson before the press conference, reviewing the big plays Texas’ defense has allowed the past two weeks.
“Just about every one of them was option,” Brown said. “That’s something you can fix.”
As far as Brown and the Longhorns are concerned, the sooner the better.
It won’t be easy. Of course, what has been easy for Texas against the Wildcats? The Longhorns haven’t beaten Kansas State since 2003 and bring a five-game series losing streak into Saturday night’s Big 12 opener at Royal-Memorial Stadium.
To hear Texas defenders, it’s easier to talk about defending the option than it is to actually stop it. Essentially, it’s two words: gap control.
Obviously it’s been a gigantic issue, since three opposing players have had their career-best rushing performances against Texas in the past two games: BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (259 yards) and tailback Jamaal Williams (182), and Ole Miss tailback Jeff Scott (164).
“I know we can stop it,” Jeffcoat insisted. “It’s just everybody doing his job. If you have the quarterback, you have to take the quarterback. If you have the dive, you have to take the dive. You have to do your job.
“Some people, including myself, are trying to make plays and miss their jobs. We have to get back to our technique and do the job.”
Added safety Adrian Phillips: “It just comes down to gap control, and we’re going to have to do better holding our gaps. We haven’t stopped (the option) the last two weeks, so K-State has no choice but to use it. This week it’s something we’re going to have to put an emphasis on. It’ll get turned around.”
In his postgame comments after the Ole Miss loss, Robinson expressed confidence that the defense, overall, can get turned around.
“I believe we’ll continue to grow and get better,” he said. “I really do, because I see the way that the players respond. These are good, young guys that want to win, so they’re going to do what they’ve got to do.”
Despite allowing 44 points to the Rebels, Brown said he detected several reasons for optimism, when compared with the disaster at BYU.
“I thought everybody knew who was responsible for what Saturday night,” he said. “We just didn’t get there at all times. There were some guys running free at Brigham Young where we were just misaligned.”
Robinson now is in his second week of getting it fixed. With speculation swirling, and showing no sign of abating, about Brown’s future, the sooner Robinson can make big strides, the better his boss will like it. Brown said Robinson showed the players clips of his 2004 Texas defense chasing the ball.
“That’s what we’ve got to get back to,” Brown said, “and we’ve got to get back to it by this weekend.”
Well, actually he does.
The Longhorns’ senior defensive end knows the Wildcats are going to feed Texas a healthy dose of option offense Saturday until the Longhorns prove they can stop it.
Stopping it, which Texas has been spectacularly unsuccessful at the past two games, is at the top of Greg Robinson’s long to-do list as his second tenure as defensive coordinator enters its second week.
The list is so long that Robinson again was a no-show at Monday’s weekly media availability. It was easy to understand why. To borrow the lyric from an old Jerry Reed song, Robinson’s got a long way to go and a short time to get there.
In Saturday’s 44-23 loss to Mississippi, the defense performed statistically better than the week before — the 40-21 loss at Brigham Young. Of course, it would be hard not to do better since BYU cost former coordinator Manny Diaz his job after Texas allowed a school-record 550 rushing yards.
The Longhorns (1-2) surrendered 272 rushing yards to Ole Miss. Of that, 159 came in a second half in which the Rebels outscored Texas 27-0. For the season, UT ranks 121st out of 123 FBS teams in rushing defense, giving up 308.7 yards per game.
In overall defense, Texas ranks 114th, allowing 491.3 yards per outing.
In his meeting with the press Monday, in a subdued atmosphere fueled by rumors about his future, coach Mack Brown said he spent time with Robinson before the press conference, reviewing the big plays Texas’ defense has allowed the past two weeks.
“Just about every one of them was option,” Brown said. “That’s something you can fix.”
As far as Brown and the Longhorns are concerned, the sooner the better.
It won’t be easy. Of course, what has been easy for Texas against the Wildcats? The Longhorns haven’t beaten Kansas State since 2003 and bring a five-game series losing streak into Saturday night’s Big 12 opener at Royal-Memorial Stadium.
To hear Texas defenders, it’s easier to talk about defending the option than it is to actually stop it. Essentially, it’s two words: gap control.
Obviously it’s been a gigantic issue, since three opposing players have had their career-best rushing performances against Texas in the past two games: BYU quarterback Taysom Hill (259 yards) and tailback Jamaal Williams (182), and Ole Miss tailback Jeff Scott (164).
“I know we can stop it,” Jeffcoat insisted. “It’s just everybody doing his job. If you have the quarterback, you have to take the quarterback. If you have the dive, you have to take the dive. You have to do your job.
“Some people, including myself, are trying to make plays and miss their jobs. We have to get back to our technique and do the job.”
Added safety Adrian Phillips: “It just comes down to gap control, and we’re going to have to do better holding our gaps. We haven’t stopped (the option) the last two weeks, so K-State has no choice but to use it. This week it’s something we’re going to have to put an emphasis on. It’ll get turned around.”
In his postgame comments after the Ole Miss loss, Robinson expressed confidence that the defense, overall, can get turned around.
“I believe we’ll continue to grow and get better,” he said. “I really do, because I see the way that the players respond. These are good, young guys that want to win, so they’re going to do what they’ve got to do.”
Despite allowing 44 points to the Rebels, Brown said he detected several reasons for optimism, when compared with the disaster at BYU.
“I thought everybody knew who was responsible for what Saturday night,” he said. “We just didn’t get there at all times. There were some guys running free at Brigham Young where we were just misaligned.”
Robinson now is in his second week of getting it fixed. With speculation swirling, and showing no sign of abating, about Brown’s future, the sooner Robinson can make big strides, the better his boss will like it. Brown said Robinson showed the players clips of his 2004 Texas defense chasing the ball.
“That’s what we’ve got to get back to,” Brown said, “and we’ve got to get back to it by this weekend.”