Baylor Football
Film Room: How does Baylor stop their own offense?
More: S11 Breaks Down Baylor's Offense vs. the Texas Defense
This game is historic in many respects in that it is the first time that the Briles offense is being used by both teams in a major college football match up. It's the match up of the original model against the new copycat with very wide receiver splits and uptempo playcalling everywhere you look. So for one week Phil Bennett's defense gets the assignment many opponents have dreaded- how do you stop this scheme???
The basic run plays in this offense usually consist of the following downhill plays:
Inside Zone - Offensive linemen double team the down linemen towards the playside with a vertical and inside leaning aiming point. After the initial block is secured one of the two will work up to a linebacker. The tailback chooses which gap to run through.
Power - The playside linemen block down and the backside guard pulls around to lead the tailback.
Dart - The playside linemen block down and the backside tackle pulls around to lead the tailback.
The offense will then add various ways for the tight end to block to any and all of the prior schemes. The QB is also able to use run reads, inverted run reads, and option pitches in conjunction with any of the existing schemes or just carry the ball himself.
Texas has added a counter play to this group of blocking schemes that I have not seen Baylor run very often if at all. UT will pull two blockers from the backside to help get numbers at the point of attack on the playside.
In the passing game it is usually a steady diet of run-pass option plays, deep play action passing, and a lot of plays where the QB is reading one side of the field.
This is obviously an oversimplification but the general thrust is that given the choice this offense wants to ram it down your throat or throw it deep over your head. Unlike Air Raid schemes it's not a unit that ever is comfortable throwing it 60 times a game unless you completely and utterly over commit against it's preferred choice- the running game. The Cotton Bowl against Michigan State was one of the rare games where an opponent was so obsessively focused on denying the run that the Bears leaned on the pass to a dramatic degree but in all honesty that play selection is exceedingly rare in this scheme. If a team running this offense throws it that much, a good chunk of those "passes" are run/pass options that go in the stat sheet as passes but are de-facto runs that are glorified option plays that prey on a defender ignoring a receiver to focus on the run. The 2014 Baylor-KSU game is a great example of this as RPO's were very common and make up most of the plays in this clip.
Even some downfield throws like this one against TCU fit that mold.
No matter what defense is called there is a way for the offensive play caller to counter it. It then becomes important to find the least capable chalkboard answer the offense has with their current personnel and make them rely on it and not their strength. Much like in Poker where you aren't necessarily playing the hand as much as you are playing your opponent you must find a way to tailor your answer to WHO is running the offense as much as WHAT they are trying to run.
Some of the tactics used against Bryce Petty would have been dead on arrival against RG3 and some of what worked for KSU's 2011 escape against Robert failed so badly that a much less gifted Nick Florence denied them a national title appearance.
So what to do against this Texas offense? For that you have to look at who they have and what they've done.
His backup is former starter #18 Tyrone Swoopes (6-4, 249, Sr.) who has all the raw prototype athleticism you could want from a QB. He's got a very strong arm, can run, is tough to bring down, and is the size of a defensive end. He primarily runs UT's "18 Wheeler" wildcat package. They haven't really let him throw this season.
The man Baylor MUST stop is #33 D'Onta Foreman (6-1, 249, Jr.) who reminds me of former Baylor Bear Terrance Ganaway. Foreman has the speed to break long touchdown plays, good agility for a big back, and the strength that 250 pounds would imply. He has 6.1 yards per carry, leads the Big 12 in rushing, hasn't allowed a sack, and has only lost 11 yards all season on over 140 carries. His current backup is #21 Kyle Porter (5-9, 208, Fr.) who is a solid back but not the freak athlete that Foreman (or injured tailback Chris Warren) is. Porter averages 4 yards per carry.
At the tight end position the Longhorns use a couple key guys. #42 Caleb Bluiett (6-3, 257, Sr.) and #47 Andrew Beck (6-3, 253, Jr.) each see time. Beck had a long touchdown against OSU while Bluiett is a very athletic converted defensive end who started part of last year.
Texas has a lot of athletic targets at receiver. At the outside receiver spots UT will use #3 Armanti Foreman (5-11, 205, Jr.), #1 John Burt (6-3, 189, So.), and taller targets #8 Dorian Leonard (6-4, 200, Jr.) and #9 Collin Johhnson (6-6, 212, Fr.) all see time here. Foreman leads the team in receptions and Leonard averages 16.6 per reception.
At slot receiver UT will rotate #6 JakeϬiver (6-3, 215, Jr.), #11 Jacorey Warrick (5-11, 173, Sr.), converted quarterback #13 Jerrodȥard (6-3, 201, So.), and former Baylor signee #2 Devin Dvernay (5-11, 195, Fr.) who leads the team with 273 yards and over 27 yards. Duvernay is the most explosive but all can make plays for the Longhorns downfield.
The Texas offensive line is better than the unit that paved the way for them last season. Left tackle #55 Connor Williams (6-6, 288, So.) is one of the best in the Big 12 and Texas has two very strong performers at guard with #77 Patrick Vahee (6-3, 320, So.) and #76 Kent Perkins (6-5, 320, Sr.). One of the two spots on the line that haven't been as consistent have been at right tackle where #75 Tristan Nickelson (6-9, 322, Jr.) has started the last two games in place of #58 Brandon Hodges (6-4, 310, Jr.) against Iowa State and Kansas State. The other spot is at center where UT starts a true freshman #56 Zach Shackelford (6-3, 290, Fr.) but has played #64 Jake McMillon (6-3, 300, So.) while he has been hurt. Shackelford is expected back this week.
AdjustedStats.com (great site by the way) has Texas as the 55th best yards per drive offense when adjusted for competition which fits the numbers but as you can see on the game by game chart below the performances have been up and down depending on the opponent. Texas beat the brakes off of expectations against the best per-drive defense they played (18% higher than expected vs OSU) but struggled relative to what KSU and OU typically give up. UT's best outing per-drive was against Iowa State with 45.36 yards per drive.
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In the red zone the Longhorns have seized 71.4% of the available points they could have. Their P5 opponents typically give up 76.4% so on a relative scale it's not up to expectation but it's still above average nationally. Texas ran the ball 57% of the time against P5 teams with a non-sack average of 5.4 per carry.
This will be one of the most productive running teams on Baylor's schedule. In pass protection they do a good job with 4.8% sack rate against P5 teams and it's helped UT to 7.2 per pass play while completing 61% of their passes.
Note: Notre Dame versus North Carolina State was omitted due to hurricane skewing the stats.
Baylor will need to be very aggressive with run blitzes and coverage options to defend this much like they did when they played Oklahoma in 2013.
Stop? Wrong question. How do slow them down so you average five to ten more possession than you do? How do you get stops from their inefficiency? With this team you have to do your best to take away D'Onta Foreman. The question becomes whether you will give up the run/pass option plays or deep plays on the chalkboard. I could see Baylor mimic what Michigan State and to a lesser extent SMU tried to do with very aggressive match quarters assignments to simply outnumber the offense at the point of attack. It carries the risk of letting Texas possibly land deep throws though.
Kansas State runs mostly split safety coverages like Baylor does. They at times put more coverage pressure on their Nickel to keep Safety Dante Barnett spying the run for stretches of last week's game. That may be something to imitate. Whether it's this specific tactic or something else to free up extra bodies against the run while remaining sound against the pass you can't let this offense run all over you.
No matter what you call there is going to be something open but you have to break down film and place your bets where you think makes the best odds of success. Texas doesn't seem to be anywhere near the full playbook in terms of run/pass option plays. I think the play here is to take away the run with numbers but while you take chances in coverage you do so while scouting out their most common RPO answers. As 2013 showed us, this offensive scheme's passing results can be night and day different when the opponent forces you to throw against tight coverage if the passer isn't up to it.
I would possibly give them some new fronts that their blockers may not have seen this season and find ways to outnumber the run. I like what KSU did above but I could also see modifying Baylor's scheme to keep giving the QB keep reads like SMU and NSU tried to do in 2014 for stretches of the game. Basically conceding rushing yards only as long as the opponent is willing to get their QB hit.
Honestly the offenses are the same basic idea. Kendall has a few more exotic looks with a more experienced roster but for the most part it's right with what you would expect.
Ironically it was Iowa State! Two weeks after their defense gave up 469 rushing yards to Baylor the ISU Cyclones used a cover three scheme to limit Texas on the ground and it worked reasonably well as UT didn't want to risk getting the young QB hit very often. This was a strategic departure from their scheme against Baylor. The problem for Iowa State is that they left two wheel routes uncovered which helped Texas blow open a close game.
Phil Bennett can't say that they don't know what they are facing. After half a decade of practicing against it I would expect some good insight from him on stopping this scheme.
It's an advantage but players can't get caught guessing. UT has some bells and whistles they've added to it.
Baylor kept playing coverage against OSU and Mason Rudolph kept finding open men. Against ISU there were poor coverage plays that extended drives as well as generally poor play for an entire half. Against Kansas the Bears simply played sharper and Bennett didn't play as cautious on third down.
Both teams put up points but the Bears are a little more efficient on each side of the ball and get the win.
This game is historic in many respects in that it is the first time that the Briles offense is being used by both teams in a major college football match up. It's the match up of the original model against the new copycat with very wide receiver splits and uptempo playcalling everywhere you look. So for one week Phil Bennett's defense gets the assignment many opponents have dreaded- how do you stop this scheme???
TEXAS OFFENSIVE SCHEME
Texas is running a variation of the Baylor/Briles offense that Bear fans have enjoyed watching for almost a decade. The system that originally grew out of the split back veer and revolutionized college football by combining a spread passing attack with downhill option run concepts is now taking up residence on both sidelines.The basic run plays in this offense usually consist of the following downhill plays:
Inside Zone - Offensive linemen double team the down linemen towards the playside with a vertical and inside leaning aiming point. After the initial block is secured one of the two will work up to a linebacker. The tailback chooses which gap to run through.
Power - The playside linemen block down and the backside guard pulls around to lead the tailback.
Dart - The playside linemen block down and the backside tackle pulls around to lead the tailback.
The offense will then add various ways for the tight end to block to any and all of the prior schemes. The QB is also able to use run reads, inverted run reads, and option pitches in conjunction with any of the existing schemes or just carry the ball himself.
Texas has added a counter play to this group of blocking schemes that I have not seen Baylor run very often if at all. UT will pull two blockers from the backside to help get numbers at the point of attack on the playside.
In the passing game it is usually a steady diet of run-pass option plays, deep play action passing, and a lot of plays where the QB is reading one side of the field.
This is obviously an oversimplification but the general thrust is that given the choice this offense wants to ram it down your throat or throw it deep over your head. Unlike Air Raid schemes it's not a unit that ever is comfortable throwing it 60 times a game unless you completely and utterly over commit against it's preferred choice- the running game. The Cotton Bowl against Michigan State was one of the rare games where an opponent was so obsessively focused on denying the run that the Bears leaned on the pass to a dramatic degree but in all honesty that play selection is exceedingly rare in this scheme. If a team running this offense throws it that much, a good chunk of those "passes" are run/pass options that go in the stat sheet as passes but are de-facto runs that are glorified option plays that prey on a defender ignoring a receiver to focus on the run. The 2014 Baylor-KSU game is a great example of this as RPO's were very common and make up most of the plays in this clip.
Even some downfield throws like this one against TCU fit that mold.
No matter what defense is called there is a way for the offensive play caller to counter it. It then becomes important to find the least capable chalkboard answer the offense has with their current personnel and make them rely on it and not their strength. Much like in Poker where you aren't necessarily playing the hand as much as you are playing your opponent you must find a way to tailor your answer to WHO is running the offense as much as WHAT they are trying to run.
Some of the tactics used against Bryce Petty would have been dead on arrival against RG3 and some of what worked for KSU's 2011 escape against Robert failed so badly that a much less gifted Nick Florence denied them a national title appearance.
So what to do against this Texas offense? For that you have to look at who they have and what they've done.
PERSONNEL
Texas has had a Quarterback issue ever since Colt McCoy graduated and may have their first real answer at the position in true freshman signal caller #7 Shane Buechele (6-1, 191, Fr.) who has solid accuracy and mobility. He reminds me of a young Nick Florence. He's got the ability do give you a little of everything and generally makes good decisions but isn't going to jump off the film at you as the next sure NFL prospect. He doesn't have elite arm strength but he can certainly sling it well enough to hit deep shots. Much like Florence in 2009 (who embarrassed Missouri in Columbia) he's done well with a young group around him but the typical ups and downs are there.His backup is former starter #18 Tyrone Swoopes (6-4, 249, Sr.) who has all the raw prototype athleticism you could want from a QB. He's got a very strong arm, can run, is tough to bring down, and is the size of a defensive end. He primarily runs UT's "18 Wheeler" wildcat package. They haven't really let him throw this season.
The man Baylor MUST stop is #33 D'Onta Foreman (6-1, 249, Jr.) who reminds me of former Baylor Bear Terrance Ganaway. Foreman has the speed to break long touchdown plays, good agility for a big back, and the strength that 250 pounds would imply. He has 6.1 yards per carry, leads the Big 12 in rushing, hasn't allowed a sack, and has only lost 11 yards all season on over 140 carries. His current backup is #21 Kyle Porter (5-9, 208, Fr.) who is a solid back but not the freak athlete that Foreman (or injured tailback Chris Warren) is. Porter averages 4 yards per carry.
At the tight end position the Longhorns use a couple key guys. #42 Caleb Bluiett (6-3, 257, Sr.) and #47 Andrew Beck (6-3, 253, Jr.) each see time. Beck had a long touchdown against OSU while Bluiett is a very athletic converted defensive end who started part of last year.
Texas has a lot of athletic targets at receiver. At the outside receiver spots UT will use #3 Armanti Foreman (5-11, 205, Jr.), #1 John Burt (6-3, 189, So.), and taller targets #8 Dorian Leonard (6-4, 200, Jr.) and #9 Collin Johhnson (6-6, 212, Fr.) all see time here. Foreman leads the team in receptions and Leonard averages 16.6 per reception.
At slot receiver UT will rotate #6 JakeϬiver (6-3, 215, Jr.), #11 Jacorey Warrick (5-11, 173, Sr.), converted quarterback #13 Jerrodȥard (6-3, 201, So.), and former Baylor signee #2 Devin Dvernay (5-11, 195, Fr.) who leads the team with 273 yards and over 27 yards. Duvernay is the most explosive but all can make plays for the Longhorns downfield.
The Texas offensive line is better than the unit that paved the way for them last season. Left tackle #55 Connor Williams (6-6, 288, So.) is one of the best in the Big 12 and Texas has two very strong performers at guard with #77 Patrick Vahee (6-3, 320, So.) and #76 Kent Perkins (6-5, 320, Sr.). One of the two spots on the line that haven't been as consistent have been at right tackle where #75 Tristan Nickelson (6-9, 322, Jr.) has started the last two games in place of #58 Brandon Hodges (6-4, 310, Jr.) against Iowa State and Kansas State. The other spot is at center where UT starts a true freshman #56 Zach Shackelford (6-3, 290, Fr.) but has played #64 Jake McMillon (6-3, 300, So.) while he has been hurt. Shackelford is expected back this week.
STATISTICS
Offensively the Longhorns have tracked pretty closely with what other power teams have averaged against their opposition. In their games against Power 5 teams the Longhorns average 98.5% of what their opponents typically give up per-possession.AdjustedStats.com (great site by the way) has Texas as the 55th best yards per drive offense when adjusted for competition which fits the numbers but as you can see on the game by game chart below the performances have been up and down depending on the opponent. Texas beat the brakes off of expectations against the best per-drive defense they played (18% higher than expected vs OSU) but struggled relative to what KSU and OU typically give up. UT's best outing per-drive was against Iowa State with 45.36 yards per drive.
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This will be one of the most productive running teams on Baylor's schedule. In pass protection they do a good job with 4.8% sack rate against P5 teams and it's helped UT to 7.2 per pass play while completing 61% of their passes.
Note: Notre Dame versus North Carolina State was omitted due to hurricane skewing the stats.
UT's OTHER OFFENSE
I would be overlooking one big key if I did not make note of the other offense that Texas brought over from another Big 12 team, the "18 Wheeler" package. This is essentially the old OU "Belldozer" series that former receiver coach Jay Norvell brought to Austin last year. The offense uses a lot of quarterback runs and potentially some misdirection to allow the very big and athletic Swoopes to get short yardage success for the Longhorns.Baylor will need to be very aggressive with run blitzes and coverage options to defend this much like they did when they played Oklahoma in 2013.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Texas has had a lot of issues in the kicking game. Against both Notre Dame and Oklahoma State they had field goals and PAT attempts blocked. Their return game isn't glaringly good or bad despite having some very athletic return guys and their coverage units have been fair. #38 Mitchell Becker (6-2, 188, Jr.) handles kickoffs and gets touchbacks on almost one third of his kickoffs and opponents on average start on the 24 yard line. #17 Trent Domingue (6-2, 170, Sr.) has been decent as a kicker with 9 of 13 accuracy on the year and only one miss inside of 40 yards. Dickson averages 47 yards per punt.QUESTIONS
How do you stop it?
Stop? Wrong question. How do slow them down so you average five to ten more possession than you do? How do you get stops from their inefficiency? With this team you have to do your best to take away D'Onta Foreman. The question becomes whether you will give up the run/pass option plays or deep plays on the chalkboard. I could see Baylor mimic what Michigan State and to a lesser extent SMU tried to do with very aggressive match quarters assignments to simply outnumber the offense at the point of attack. It carries the risk of letting Texas possibly land deep throws though.
Kansas State runs mostly split safety coverages like Baylor does. They at times put more coverage pressure on their Nickel to keep Safety Dante Barnett spying the run for stretches of last week's game. That may be something to imitate. Whether it's this specific tactic or something else to free up extra bodies against the run while remaining sound against the pass you can't let this offense run all over you.
No matter what you call there is going to be something open but you have to break down film and place your bets where you think makes the best odds of success. Texas doesn't seem to be anywhere near the full playbook in terms of run/pass option plays. I think the play here is to take away the run with numbers but while you take chances in coverage you do so while scouting out their most common RPO answers. As 2013 showed us, this offensive scheme's passing results can be night and day different when the opponent forces you to throw against tight coverage if the passer isn't up to it.
If you were defensive coordinator preparing to beat Texas, what wrinkles would you throw at them?
I would possibly give them some new fronts that their blockers may not have seen this season and find ways to outnumber the run. I like what KSU did above but I could also see modifying Baylor's scheme to keep giving the QB keep reads like SMU and NSU tried to do in 2014 for stretches of the game. Basically conceding rushing yards only as long as the opponent is willing to get their QB hit.
What are some similarities/differences in play calling between Gilbert and Kendall Briles?
Honestly the offenses are the same basic idea. Kendall has a few more exotic looks with a more experienced roster but for the most part it's right with what you would expect.
Who has done a good job slowing the run game down?
Ironically it was Iowa State! Two weeks after their defense gave up 469 rushing yards to Baylor the ISU Cyclones used a cover three scheme to limit Texas on the ground and it worked reasonably well as UT didn't want to risk getting the young QB hit very often. This was a strategic departure from their scheme against Baylor. The problem for Iowa State is that they left two wheel routes uncovered which helped Texas blow open a close game.
Surely Bennett knows more about what Gilbert is going to do than Gilbert himself knows, right?
Phil Bennett can't say that they don't know what they are facing. After half a decade of practicing against it I would expect some good insight from him on stopping this scheme.
How much of an advantage does our secondary have because they have been practicing against this same offense the whole time they've been in our program?
It's an advantage but players can't get caught guessing. UT has some bells and whistles they've added to it.
After two horrible games in this area, we were finally able to get Kansas off the field after 3rd downs. Why were we so bad on 3rd downs vs OSU and ISU, and do you think we'll have more success vs. UT?
Baylor kept playing coverage against OSU and Mason Rudolph kept finding open men. Against ISU there were poor coverage plays that extended drives as well as generally poor play for an entire half. Against Kansas the Bears simply played sharper and Bennett didn't play as cautious on third down.
PREDICTION
Baylor and Texas each have really strong offenses this season. I think Baylor's match quarters scheme has a better chance on the chalkboard of slowing this scheme down but carries a greater risk of giving up deep passes. Baylor's defensive interior is a big question mark but should be able to do well enough to not give up consistent rushing yards if Bennett calls this game aggressively. Texas has a defense that hasn't played well but has enough talent to make things interesting.Both teams put up points but the Bears are a little more efficient on each side of the ball and get the win.
Baylor 41, Texas 34
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