Texas Longhorns spring game: Defensive takeaways

It was a very mixed bag for the Texas defense in the spring game. The 1st team unit had a solid day overall against the 2nd team offense and they won the red zone competition which concluded spring practice. Yet the 2nd team offense they faced included a walk-on left tackle and big plays throughout the scrimmage made clear the offense is the more talented and put together unit.

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There were definitely some positives and it was clear we weren’t seeing the real 2022 base defense nor any stunts or blitzes. So we didn’t see a realized version of what this defense will be come fall, but we could at least see some of the component parts which will go into the final product.

Here’s a few observations…

They know how to defend counter now

The offense ran counter a handful of times in the spring game. Not all of the Edges handled it particularly well, but the players likely to see the field in 2022 showed real improvement.

Better by Oghoufo than last year. Much better. Ends up getting doubled into oblivion but now the ball is spilled and the playside linebacker is totally free.
Watts as a Cover 2 corner now and again makes a ton of sense. pic.twitter.com/yOgVJ0ZJbX

— Special asst to the special asst to the HC (@Ian_A_Boyd) April 25, 2022

This is how Washington defended counter under PK. When the Edge is unblocked he’ll find and wrong-arm the pulling guard by crashing into his inside shoulder. When done properly it should erase any inside lane and spill the second puller and runner laterally toward the sideline in order to find daylight.

In the first example, Barryn Sorrell hits the guard way upfield and there’s nowhere for the ball to go. In the second, Ovie Oghoufo spills the guard but the tight end joins the party and they double team him into the abyss. It’s a tough look for Oghoufo, but he gets a 2-for-1 on behalf of his teammates and the linebacker is free to make the tackle.

The linebacker (Devin Richardson) whiffs, but Ryan Watts cleans up in run support. This latter detail was another interesting quirk to the scrimmage, Texas could play more Cover 2 in the boundary next season now they have a pair of 210-pound cornerbacks (Watts and Terrance Brooks) there who will tackle.

To be able to erase the boundary side receiver with safety help over the top and not lose much in run support is a big win. The early 2000s Oklahoma Sooners made a living off covering up Derrick Strait with a safety and letting him hang around underneath to support the run or blitz the edge.

Jahdae Barron guarantees a nickel identity

Jahdae Barron was quietly one of the better players on defense in the spring game. He’s twitchy and can turn and run with slots well. Even the early miss from Quinn Ewers to Dajon Harrison was due in part to Barron denying an outside release.

There was also this:

Expecting to see base nickel defense a lot next year. pic.twitter.com/pmPOMPRDN2

— Special asst to the special asst to the HC (@Ian_A_Boyd) April 26, 2022

Barron carried these deeper crossing routes from the slot well throughout the game, this one was obviously particularly good. He’d be a good cornerback as well but Watts, Brooks, and D’Shawn Jamison should allow Texas to play him inside where he could have a considerable impact.

Texas spent the game playing 2-4-5 personnel when in nickel, as they did a year ago, but it was more of a pure 4-2-5 with both Edge defenders putting their hands in the dirt. 1st team featured Oghoufo at Buck and Sorrell at Jack and the second team put Justice Finkley at Jack with Prince Dorbah or D.J. Harris at Buck.

Sorrell had positive moments in this game, although it was mixed overall, and Finkley is clearly going to be a player. However even with those two, Oghoufo, and potentially Ochaun Mathis, the overall depth on the Edge is still about a year away from making the 2-4-5 the best option. What does a 3-3-5 look like with this roster? We probably won’t get a clear glimpse until next season.

One thing is clear enough, they’ll play man coverage on the slot this year and use the safeties more in run support.

The linebacker positions are at least one more year away

Inside linebacker is much closer to being ready for competitive play than in the past. Jett Bush has Cort Jaquess ability at Mike linebacker, he knows where to be in the pass game and has some closing speed against the run. Jaylan Ford could be a good player in 2022 so the overall depth chart at Mike is solidified with some time to recruit and develop the future.

Will linebacker has athleticism, we’ll have to wait and see how much closer DeMarvion Overshown and David Gbenda are to playing fast. They were clearly benefitting from the chance to play in tighter match schemes.

The question at inside linebacker for Texas is along the lines of, “how long untill Texas has NFL players on the two-deep?” They could arrive at competence and quality in 2022 but then might be a few classes away from having true game changers.

The Edge linebacker positions are in the opposite boat. There are game-changing talents emerging on the roster, with more help on the way, but they aren’t yet ready to supply consistently solid play in the 2-4-5. Oghoufo will be better than a year ago, but he’s still a tweener and more comfortable as a Sam linebacker who’s in and out of the box. Sorrell and Finkley are exactly what this defense requires and are progressing on pretty quick timelines, but probably can’t run the show until 2023.

Pete Kwiatkowski has some pieces to work with this season. Texas can play better, tighter coverage at all levels and they don’t have glaring holes at major positions. They’re still clearly a work in progress who aren’t ready to pace a championship team, perhaps they can support an offense who does.