W2W4 - Prairie View

[JasonB]

This is going to be pretty short, because of the competition level and because certain elements of the team have proven themselves against higher level competition. But some things to keep an eye on this weekend:

- Osborne is going to be out this week, which means you are going to see a rotation of Sparks, Parr, and PJ Williams at guard. Don't worry about who starts the game, but keep an eye on how we do running the ball up the middle. All of our short yard running plays go between center and guard or behind the guard, so it is a really critical position and JO is our best OL. He is going to be missed. PFF disagrees with me, but I thought Sparks held his own quite well last week against OU. Parr, Sparks, and Williams all did well with pass blocking. None of them got much push in the running game. Parr I think has the most mobility of the three, giving him a chance to be more successful when pulling and helping. His question is if he can drive people off the ball. I think Sparks is the best fundamentally, which is why he holds up well in pass blocking, but he doesn't move as well as Parr and need to see him drive. Williams is better at tackle than guard, but he struggles a little more with pass blocking than the others. PV should be a team that we can run against, so I am looking to see who wins more frequently at guard.
- Keep an eye out to see if Clark plays. I mentioned in fall camp that I thought he might redshirt, and people thought I was crazy... I think that was the plan - to hold him out until the last three games and conf champ game. If they plan on getting Clark ready to take over for Osborne because JO might miss extended time, he is going to play in this game in order to get more ready for TCU. If Clark doesn't play against PV, then they view him as the emergency cord they will pull against TCU if nobody shows they can replace JO. If Clark plays in this game it will be a signal that JO is going to miss extended time, IMHO.
- In the running game overall, this is the game we absolutely have to show consistency. As a RB, when there is no H-Back, you need to hit the hole quick, before LBs fill it. But when there is an H-Back you need to be patient enough to allow the H-Back to clear a hole. I'm interested to see if we can improve the timing so that those 3 yard gains become 10 or more.
- Watch how we work the RPO. So far this year, we have stayed with the run, even when the other defense outnumbers us in the box. Count the number of DL/LB/S near the LOS ("in the box") and then count how many OL/TE/H-Back we have. When they have 6 and we have 6, for example, it means that we have a QB and RB in the backfield with 3 WR, while they are playing with two deep safeties and three corners. That is a running play in an RPO. If an LB or DE stays wide to take the QB option away, then Preston will hand it to the RB. If there are 7 in the box with that same situation, then that means there is only one safety in play, so the RPO would call for a pass because a WR is going to be isolated and give you a chance to win. A lot of the time, we are playing with an H-Back and a TE. So, we have 7 potential blockers and only two WR. This is why we end up running so much in the RPO. Obviously, 6 in the box is a pass, but nobody has done that with us. 7 in the box (3 LB and 4 DL) means a hat on a hat and with two running options (RB and QB), you still are supposed to run the ball. Once the defense puts 8 in the box (safety comes down), that is when you are supposed to pass the ball, because you have man coverage on the outside, only one safety helping so if both players go deep one of them is isolated and has an opportunity, and then our TE (Maryland or Harris) is going to win against an LB in space as well. So, count the numbers, see if the right decision is being made. Our problem in the running game so far is that when you have 7 v 7 in the box, three of your players have to block the LBs in space. We have been unable to do that - which is why the OU LB had a million tackles last week. H-Back is helping a DL instead of pushing through a hole, the OL aren't finding LBs to block, and our TE is often asked to block a DE while the OT pushes to the next level, and Maryland/Harris aren't doing a good job with that. We need the RPO blocking scheme to come together before we go against TCU. I expect Rhett to be pretty stubborn about it and run it until it works, because he knows the long term implications.
- Final offensive bit - WR. Out of our targets this year in the passing game, 15 to TE, 11 to HB, 19 to slot (45 non WR), and then 31 to WR. A bit of imbalance compared to the past. Then you look at catches - 30 by TE, HB, Slot and only 18 by WR. Two to one. After two games, we don't have any receivers with a total of over 100 yards. This needs to be the game where an outside WR breaks out and has a big game. Most likely are Hudson or Smith. Don't get me wrong, I love that we can spread it around. But we need to have a threat before the TCU game. And I need to see Stone go through his full progressions from right to left so that we give our WR on the left side a shot at the deep ball. This is important, because as I mentioned with the RPO, when you start your reads right, and there is only one safety, they are going to pull right and your backside read is going to be open deep on the isolation. We aren't making it through the progression, so we aren't hitting that play. It needs to happen on Saturday.
- Defensively, we know we are really good. Only two things I am watching. First, between Samuels, Smith, and Cam, which one can provide a pass rush and still hold up in the running game? In the first game, Cam and Samuels had 15 snaps and Smith 14. Samuels played the best overall, and while Smith was effective rushing the passer, he struggled the most against the run. Against OU, Cam had 32 snaps, Samuels 22, and Smith only 8. Cam really, really struggled against the run. Samuels dropped snaps because we left Roberts in the game for 55 plays, the most of any DL. The better those three guys can play against the run, the more they will play. And with playing against a mobile QB this week, the ones that can both pressure and make plays in the running game are going to move up. Cam had almost the same number of snaps as Paul did against OU, so he is pushing for time. But his performance in the running game has got to improve.
- The other thing defensively - against a mobile QB, the LBs are going to be tested. Against OU, Kilgore dropped too deep in the running game. If he does that against PV, the QB is going to scramble. The balance around playing to defend the run, the pass, and the QB is difficult, and is going to start separating the group. We already went from an even rotation in game one to a game two rotation with Walker, then Adimora, then Wilson, then Kilgore and Burns dropping off. Kilgore and Burns are going to need to show well in this game so that the snap disparity doesn't grow against TCU. Morris is a mobile QB as well, so this weekend is a test run against that type of QB.

If SMU plays well, we are scoring over 50 and allowing 17 or less. 52-10 Mustangs.

[BUS]

Thank you as always. Come by Bishop and Binkley if you want a beverage.
Come check out the Ponysports NIL Donation Drop Box!!!

52-17 is ok too. Everyone plays.

[orguy]

Thank you as always. Come by Bishop and Binkley if you want a beverage.
Come check out the Ponysports NIL Donation Drop Box!!!

52-17 is ok too. Everyone plays.

Hope everyone plays. Would like to see khj get some snaps.