Crucial: Analyzing Texas’ third-down and red zone performance against Florida

Last Saturday, the then-No. 5 Texas Longhorns defeated the Florida Gators 49-17, with the Longhorns’ offense leading 35-0 at halftime and winning the final two quarters. It was his fourth SEC win.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers looked calm and deliberate in the pocket, taking big shots at pass catchers behind a top-notch game plan from head coach Steve Sarkisian. Ewers finished the day with 333 yards and five touchdowns. As a team, the Longhorns had 12 plays of 20 yards or more.

Games that get out of hand too early can be difficult to scrutinize with a fine-toothed comb. Nevertheless, this week on Crunch Time we break down Texas’ performance on third down and in the red zone.

third down

5/11 (45.5%)

Texas converted 45.5 percent of its third-down opportunities, about the same as its season conversion rate of 46.5 percent. But the underlying story behind these numbers is that Texas was just 1/5 (20.0%) in the first half. It’s rare for a team to have only one third-down conversion while holding a 35-point lead. While this shows the talent of Texas’ offense and how well they were moving the ball early in the chain, it also begs the question – what went wrong on third down?

In the first quarter, the recipe for third-down failures remained the same from the previous week. Texas fell behind the chains and created third-and-long, which led to pocket collapses and failed conversions.

The offense was fine until the first third down of the game. The Longhorns got four first downs in five plays and were under threat on 1st-and-10 at the University 23-yard line.

On first down, the Longhorns opted for a swing pass down field to running back Quintrevion Wisner. Wisner started in the backfield and swung toward three perimeter blockers: wide receivers Isaiah Bond and Matthew Golden, and H-back Juan Davis.

They gained 7 yards on this play, but the potential for more is obvious. Sarkisian had a man advantage in space, with each blocker taking care of the secondary defenders while Wisner had to outrun the linebackers in man coverage. Either Davis or Bonds could have scored if they had stayed blocked long enough for Wisner to get the pass through.

At the time, the 7-yard first-down gain felt like a victory for the Longhorns. When evaluated under the crunch-time microscope, it becomes clear how much more this play was. The point is clear, especially in hindsight and considering how the rest of the drive unfolded. Texas has to take advantage when they can, or things could go south quickly.

After a swing play, the Longhorns gave Wisner ground on a break play, rushing for a 7-yard loss on 2nd-and-3, setting up a 3rd-and-10, and Texas taking a timeout for a sack. I stole it. The sack set up kicker Bert Auburn for a 51-yard field goal, but it missed to the right.

Ewers’ third-down sack continues an unwelcome trend of putting pressure on the quarterback on third down. In this example, Florida loosely faked a cover-two-man look on the back end and only had four rushes. They were able to get home thanks to a weakside T/E stunt that Texas right guard DJ Campbell and right tackle Cam Williams were unable to properly diagnose, pass, and handle.

Apparently Campbell was a step behind in diagnosing and responding to the stunts that were coming his way. His attention from the snap was captured by the tackle and he remained there for far too long. By the time he reacted to the looped edge, it was too late.

Without knowing the protected call, it is difficult to determine exactly why the handoff is poor. Campbell may have thought he had help from Major or Wisner. Either way, Ewers didn’t have enough time and the drive ended with no points.

Texas faced another third-and-10 on the next drive. Once again pressure from Florida dictated the play, but this time Ewers scrambled 9 yards.

A chess match between the coaches was on full display from each play call on this third down. After the previous third-down sack, Sarkisian opted for a heavier protection package with tight end Gunnar Helm supporting Campbell and Williams on the right side, while his best pass-blocking back, Jadon Blue, backed up. I hit a chip on my way out of the field.

Meanwhile, Florida lined up six defenders at the line of scrimmage before rolling into back-end zone coverage with a four-man rush. Both tackles and edges stagnated.

This interaction shows the interaction between the play callers. Texas opted for more protection and shadow on the right side, while Florida added stunts and changed coverage.

With strong defense and just three routes, none of the receivers could find enough daylight to get Ewers on offense, giving Florida’s front four enough time to collapse the pocket. After a scramble, Texas decided on a 4th-and-1 deep in their own territory due to Sarkisian’s bold decision.

The starting Texas offense’s third-down failures continued into the second quarter. As is often the case, mistakes on early downs put Texas in a tough situation. In this case, left tackle Kelvin Banks was called for a holding penalty and helped make a 3rd-and-20. A drop on first down and an errant throw on third down derailed another drive.

The only conversion in the first half was beautiful. Facing 3rd and 7, Ewers and Bonds connected for a big gain. With the ball in the left hash, Sarkisian packed Bonds and DeAndre Moore Jr. on the perimeter, while Florida rushed four and played zone.

Bonds displayed elite speed and crisp route-running ability in this play. Bond was able to start from a base of numbers and sell vertically with a stem inside. The college safety bought every vertical sell, even with an 11-yard head start, highly respecting Bond’s deep threat and opening his hips. This temporary change in stance gave Bonds more space and he used a speed cut to accelerate before finishing the route. He secured a first down catch with a toe tap.

This route by Bonds highlights how he can transform defenses while demonstrating his NFL-level ability. Bonds’ top-end speed can blow the lid off a defense. That means whenever he’s on the field, the opposing team’s safeties are strung vertically. This creates endless combinations of route concepts and formations that allow you to take advantage of that deep threat to score points.

In terms of making this conversion, Ewers looked composed and athletic in the pocket. After receiving the drop, Ewers felt pressure from the left and naturally maneuvered towards the open area. He kept the base directly underneath him the entire play, looked downfield, and made powerful throws.

Ewers was eventually pulled in the third quarter after throwing his fifth touchdown of the game.

In the second half, Texas converted 4 of 6 third downs (66.7 percent), including 3 of 4 (75.0 percent) in the fourth quarter.

The performance against Florida gave Texas a 45.6 percent third-down conversion rate, up from 38.4 percent last year. The Longhorns currently rank 18th in the country and 4th in the SEC in third-down conversion rate.

red zone

4 attempts, 2 TDs, 1 missed FG, 1 game-ending knee

Texas scored touchdowns on two trips to the red zone, but missed a long field goal and kneed the ball to end the game.

As previously mentioned, the missed field goal came at the end of a drive that looked promising but quickly derailed. Facing 2nd and 3, Texas lost 16 yards on the next two plays and had to burn a timeout, ultimately leaving Auburn with an even tougher attempt.

Auburn has struggled this year with fewer chances and longer kicks. Through nine games, he only attempted nine total field goals and only three shots from less than 40 yards. Saturday’s missed field goal was Auburn’s first attempt from beyond 50 yards this season and nearly became the second-longest of his career.

Excluding the final red zone drive where Texas took a knee to end the game, there are two red zone trips left worth analyzing, both of which resulted in rushing touchdowns for the Longhorns.

The first of those two drives capped off an already impressive first half for the Longhorns. Thanks to an interception by freshman linebacker Ty-Anthony Smith, Ewers and the team were stationed at the varsity 45-yard line. With only two finishes, Ewers moved the offense to the University 5-yard line.

Sarkisian didn’t have to dial up anything diabolical. The outer zones worked fine. On the right side of the offensive line and behind Helm, Blue found the crease that led to six points.

Even with time running down in the first half, Sarkisian trusted his primary running play in the outside zone. Helm made a key block with a double team, opening up just enough space for Blue to cut the field to six.

The Longhorns’ final red zone trip came at the end of the third quarter, with the score 42-10 in favor of Texas. A 12-yard gallop from freshman Jerick Gibson brought the ball to the University 18-yard line.

With backup quarterback Arch Manning at the helm, Sarkisian started a red-zone series, with Manning swinging the ball to freshman Ryan Wingo, who used a helm block for a free 4-yarder. obtained. In this scenario, Sarkisian used a specific personnel formation to steal several yards on first down. As long as Helm handles the corners, Florida won’t have enough defenders to stop him from gaining at least a few yards.

Facing second-and-6 from the UF 14-yard line, Sarkisian handed the ball to Gibson, who made it to the end zone nearly unscathed and scored his fourth touchdown of the year. Gibson showed vision and speed, and the offense blazed its way through.

After ensuring that the intended hole on the play was not completely removed, Gibson cut the ball onto the field from the left side of the offensive line. His vision was fast enough to spot open spaces and take advantage of them. As a hitter, he continued to show his determination in Florida’s front seven. A clean run from inside the red zone to ending in the end zone is difficult to accomplish, regardless of the score, opponent, or time remaining.

For Gibson, the opportunities on this play, and others against Florida, are a testament to his perseverance and team-first mentality. Gibson, a Tallahassee native, led Texas with career highs in touchdown yards (100) and attempts (16).

The freshman burst onto the scene in the first few weeks of the season thanks to injuries and a situational running style, but after gaining 210 yards in the first four games, he has been sidelined recently and has been out for the past four games. has only 17 rushing yards.

With Wisner and Blue fully healthy, the staff opted to keep Gibson off the field so Texas would have enough scholarship running backs in case someone went down. Despite this selection and lack of playing time, Gibson showed he was ready to be called up. Although the true freshman had a fumble, his performance Saturday proved once again that he can run the ball with speed, vision and physicality.

Gibson’s role going forward will likely be a return to his previous week’s role. Nevertheless, he is an asset on the field, especially in the red zone, as he proved against Florida.

This season, Texas recorded 31 touchdowns on 43 red zone attempts and five red zone field goals, giving them an overall scoring percentage of 83.7 percent, tied for 79th in the nation. But the Longhorns have a touchdown rate of 72.1 percent, which is up from last year’s abysmal 50.8 percent and ranks 22nd in the nation.