Bedford talks defensive grades, injury updates, and Aaron Jones

Vance Bedford. (Will Gallagher/IT)

AUSTIN — Vance Bedford waited nearly 40 years for Texas to beat Notre Dame, but there’s a reason why he graded his defense with just a C+ following Sunday’s double-overtime thriller.

There’s also one thing UTEP brings to the field that, literally, is keeping Bedford awake at night. Plus, Texas’ DC revealed Wednesday where he now expects to align true freshman Jordan Elliott and FS Jason Hall.

Bedford played for the 1977 Longhorns that finished the regular season ranked No. 1 only to see Notre Dame destroy Texas’ national championship dream with that 38-10 heartbreaker in the Cotton Bowl.

Even so, the 24-hour rule applies to a stunning win that was a lonnnnng time coming. Since Sunday, a celebratory locker room has become a sober defensive room. That’s what happens when you surrender 47 points, 444 yards and miss 14 tackles. And that’s why Bedford gave his unit just an average grade. His biggest concern was the 280-yards allowed through the air, with much of the damage incurred against slip-screens.

“We wanted to make these guys throw the football, and we did it, but we didn’t hold up…Any time you pressure a team – and we are going to continue to pressure – you’re going to see screens. One screen was on 3rd-and-9, and we were only rushing three. They went empty and then motioned a guy in the backfield. We told our guys that anytime (they do that), then something’s up. Last year, it was a run. This game, it was a screen. Malik (Jefferson) saw it, but he had a block on him. Some of our younger guys didn’t see it.”

The third quarter “stunk”, Bedford conceded, as Texas slowly lost its 17-point cushion.

Yet, the defense stiffened in crunch time. The final tally included seven TFL, notably Paul Boyette Jr. stopping RB Josh Adams for a two-yard loss in the second OT.

“In the fourth quarter, we had three series where (Notre Dame) got just 19 yards and we had two, three-and-outs. We got the ball back for the offense. The last two years, our attitude would have been that, once we got down, we wouldn’t have come back.”

The defensive line, considered the team’s weak link, impressed against a big, physical Notre Dame front that boasts NFL-caliber athletes, Bedford believes. NT Chris Nelson stood head-and-shoulder pads above the rest and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. The sophomore notched a game-best eight tackles and 1.5 TFL in his first career start.

Bedford put some speed on the edge when he moved freshman DT Jordan Elliott to DE. Expect more of the same.

“We moved Jordan to the outside during the second week of camp. He likes it out there. Even though he’s a freshman at 315 pounds, he knocked an offensive tackle back five yards. He doesn’t know how good he can be. He has the potential, which is a dangerous word, to be an extremely good football player. He’ll be really special in the years to come, hopefully more sooner than later.”

Jason Hall, much like a certain credit card slogan, can be everywhere you want him to be. Part of the reason is that the ‘strong safety’ designation is a bit of a misnomer against spread offenses, Bedford noted.

“Offenses play left-and-right, so he could be in the box, he could be at linebacker, he could be on the wide receiver or he could be on the tight end. That’s the way the game is now. There is no ‘strong’ safety and there is no ‘free’ safety. You have to play ‘left and right’ safety. You have to learn a lot more things to play in today’s game.”

Sixth-year CB Sheroid Evans logged his first career start, but Bedford insists it wasn’t a consolation prize after missing the past three seasons (knee). Evans’ impassioned work ethic is what earned his starting nod against the Fighting Irish, Bedford noted.

“He’s a guy who has a chip on his shoulder. He’s come back from two major surgeries on the same knee. That’s perseverance. That shows leadership. That shows mental toughness. Those are the things this program has been built on.”

CB Kris Boyd saw limited action due to pre-game cramping, Bedford said, but will be more involved against UTEP.

SS Dylan Haines (concussion) was held out of practice Monday and is day-to-day, Bedford reported.

The line may have its hands full when it faces UTEP RB Aaron Jones who ran for 249 yards on 31 totes against New Mexico State University.

“That’s all I can think about,” Bedford said. “I woke up last night at three o’clock (thinking about) this guy who rushed for 249 yards. I don’t care who you’re going against, he went for 249 yards. He’s 215-pound, he’s wide, he’s quick and he runs downhill. That’s all I could think about when I woke up at three o’clock in the morning: how am I going to slow down this cat?”

Rest assured, it’s already begun with Bedford putting Sunday’s spectacle to bed.