Football Articles
Defensive Stats: Texas Longhorns @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
Posted by HenryJames on November 2nd, 2009 under Football
The key to stopping Oklahoma State’s offense is to stop them from running the football. If they can run the ball, they can get in a lot of manageable third downs. And their passing game uses a lot of play action based off their ability to run, and with Dez Bryant out they don’t have a lot of guys catching the ball who could can get separation on their own.
They more than doubled our per game average in rushing yards allowed, but they couldn’t run the ball effectively. They ended up going 43-134, 3.1 ypc. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. Look at the median. Texas fans should be very familiar with the median when it comes to running the football. Former Denver Broncos offensive line coach Alex Gibbs said it’s more important what you can gain consistently than what you average. Well OSU’s median rush was 2 yards.
If your median is two yards per carry, you’re not going to be able to put together sustained drives against the Texas defense. ChrisApplewhite texted me (in tears) that our inability to stop OSU’s big 4 yard runs would lead to our defeat. But I wasn’t worried because 1) someone on our defense seems to always come through if you have to drive on them and 2) one incompletion will kill the drive.
Zac Robinson completed 15 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown. Our secondary intercepted 4 of his passes which they returned 139 yards for two touchdowns. Robinson’s passing efficiency rating of 79.7 does not reflect accurately just how badly we made him look. Huckleberry may have a stat that reflects this, but like everyone else I don’t read his stuff.
Oklahoma State actually won the time of possession battle 33:16 to 26:44. Worthless stat.
Think of football as intercourse. Time of possession matters to women, but guys don’t care no matter what they say publicly. If you can ’score’ in under two minutes, it still counts. And it counts more than ‘driving’ six minutes and coming up with nothing.
Thoughts?
Share This
39 Responses
Leave a Reply
Related Articles
-
24
Matchup Preview: Texas Longhorns @ Oklahoma St. Cowboys
By Huckleberry on October 27th, 2009 -
45
Defensive stats that matter
By HenryJames on September 24th, 2008 -
249
Open Thread: Texas Longhorns @ Oklahoma State Cowboys
By Sailor Ripley on February 1st, 2010 -
17
Revisiting the defensive stats that matter
By HenryJames on November 27th, 2008 -
38
Initial Thoughts: Texas Longhorns @ Wyoming Cowboys
By CloseToJumping on September 12th, 2009
Activity
-
Nate Heupel commented on the blog post Oklahoma Sooners – Recruiting So Far 4 minutes ago
BOC: Neither has visited, yet we hold ’ships open for both.
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
Nate Heupel wrote a new blog post: Because We’re Dedicated To Doing Stupid Things – Tiny Gallon Reportedly Took Payout 13 minutes ago
TMZ reports that Tiny Gallon took a $3000 payout from an agent. My God, Capel has no control over this team whatsoever. This is 2007 offseason Texas football levels of embarrassing. You can’t let a half dozen bad apples spoil a bushel of 10 apples…that analogy sucked balls, but you get my
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
Sailor Ripley commented on the blog post Previewing Jimmer and the Cougars 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
Great stuff, bear. really looking forward to this game.
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 1 hour, 24 minutes ago
06_UT: you are probably right. I thought about changing the post description to “least favorite Barnes team” because that’s more accurate but I didn’t feel like it.
That said, I’m not sure this team would beat those other two. They would lose Abrams and let him go 7-15 on 3s and the Abrams team played better -
admin commented on the blog post Nike U in Turmoil 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
Aren’t they building some sort of super duper hoops arena? Most expensive ever bilt or something?
Who will the get? Mark Few?
-
Sailor Ripley commented on the blog post Nike U in Turmoil 1 hour, 29 minutes ago
Aren’t the building some sort of super duper hoops arena? Most expensive ever bilt or something?
Who will the get? Mark Few?
-
srr50 wrote a new blog post: Nike U in Turmoil 1 hour, 46 minutes ago
10 weeks ago, Oregon played in the Rose Bowl as Pac 10 champions. Since their loss to Ohio State, the program has been in some kind of bizzaro parallel universe where every headline concerns a player arrest, a firing, or now a resignation.
Mike Bellotti, the Duck AD and former head coach earlier this week
-
Luke commented on the blog post First Round: Clemson Tigers 3 hours, 57 minutes ago
Prescient comment, Doc.
I think we learned today that no team is really a mirror image of Missouri, even if Clemson is about as close as it gets. Unless you have significantly better/more talented athletes, if you try to run with the Tigers, you will lose. This team is so much fun to watch in games
-
srr50 commented on the blog post March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 4 hours, 12 minutes ago
Good to see that Tom Penders still believes in the weave offense. Maryland finally figured out that if you pass quickly, the middle is always open.
37-29 Maryland late in the first half.
-
Luke wrote a new blog post: Previewing Jimmer and the Cougars 4 hours, 12 minutes ago
Kansas State is going to be under a lot of pressure tomorrow night in primetime at the Ford Center.
Not only are the Wildcats the favored #2 seed going against #7 seed BYU, but if the Wildcats lose, they may sentence hundreds of boys to nonstop harassment from all the kids who think that “Jimmer” was
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
Ibas water bottle wrote a new blog post: Georgia Tech post mortem 4 hours, 24 minutes ago
We came up short.
Credit to Georgia Tech they worked the ball inside where they had the advantage and played great D on the perimeter. Matt Pilgrim is the most athletic big man we’ve had in years around here and he was irrelevant. When we tried to drive they collapsed like Chris Farley on a
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
Phenomenal Smith commented on the blog post First Round: Clemson Tigers 5 hours ago
Doc, the turnovers seemed to do the trick – there were great big chunks of time when Mizzou didn’t even have to get into a half court offense.
Great to see Ramsey have such a good game and pretty stifle Booker. As Euclid said during the game, even when Mizzou doesn’t play well
-
dick commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 5 hours, 39 minutes ago
“Also because those other teams gave great effort almost every game. This team’s effort was questionable. Dumb and lazy, not a good combo…..”
This is what made this season so bizarre for me. This has never been a problem for Barnes’ teams. But I actually questioned this team’s heart and desire to play together
-
srr50 commented on the blog post March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 5 hours, 53 minutes ago
Travis Ford spent the 2nd half channeling his inner Rick Barnes — lot’s of standing around on offense while one player tries to generate something off a ball screen — then taking a forced shot.
So the Big 12 goes 5-2 in Round One.
-
skymonkeyhorn commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 5 hours, 58 minutes ago
This is the worst coached team ever in Barnes era. Period.
Worst defense over the whole season,
Offense sucked big time and the bench coaching was horrible, ransom’s attitude was better then the coach’s overall this season.
Trips write up pre and post better then the game plan and O schemes.
Hell we could have -
srr50 commented on the blog post March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 6 hours, 1 minute ago
advertisers think they will probably get some deals for the additional 32 games that would be added. The feeling is that an ESPN would disount rates somewhat, since they already have a dual revenue stream — advertising dollars and subscription fees.
It’s all about content for ESPN — even mediocre content.
-
dick commented on the blog post FLV March Madness First Round Bets 6 hours, 3 minutes ago
a great first round of the tournament from an excitement standpoint, very mediocre from a gambling standpoint.
-
srr50 commented on the blog post March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 6 hours, 19 minutes ago
Ga. Tech — last in the ACC in free throw shooting at 64% — 13 for 13 tonight.
-
srr50 commented on the blog post March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 6 hours, 28 minutes ago
A poll of media buyers from the major agencies overhwhelmingly showed that advertisers believe that the NCAA will expand, and the tournament will join the BCS on ESPN.
-
whiskey wrote a new blog post: The week in news- Pariahs, Malcontents and Power Hour 6 hours, 31 minutes ago
In the midst of March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day, house guests, nice weather outside and a host of other distractions I still managed to come across quite a few interesting college football stories this week. Here we go.
Mike Leach and Craig James were apparently in the same room this week and nobody wrestled. Bummer. Leach
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
srr50 commented on the blog post March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 6 hours, 43 minutes ago
Anderson finds out what going to the paint is like when there is a big who knows how to defend the low block.
-
srr50 wrote a new blog post: March Madness Open Thread Part Deaux 6 hours, 52 minutes ago
So far on Day Two, no buzzer beaters, but there was the obligatory #12 over #5 with Cornell thumping Temple 78-65, but the Ivy League school was everyone’s “inside” pick for an upset. Still the day hasn’t come close to generating the action that Thursday had.
Today
#5 Texas A&M 69 #12 -
Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 7 hours, 17 minutes ago
I wasn’t trying to say they quit. They just didn’t play hard a lot of the time. Lazy = lack of effort. Example, our transition defense was about 75% effort and 25% stupidity. We loafed down court a lot. The kids didn’t like to lose so they would fight back,
-
Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 8 hours, 50 minutes ago
This the most disappointing team because our talent level is higher than those others.
The DGib/Buckman team was the least talented, barely, after the injury to LaMarcus and Tucker’s suspension.
Last year’s team was the hardest to watch. Just watching AJ Abrams, who I don’t hate as much as most, run around like a
-
uthookem commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 8 hours, 57 minutes ago
Agreed on Damo being my favorite Longhorn basketball player, I wish him all the best.
This was definitely the worst, by far.
-
Trips Right commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest: Post Mortem 10 hours, 10 minutes ago
Don’t have time to address each and every comment now, but I wanted to say thanks to everyone for contributing to the site this season. It’s made it a lot of fun to follow a team that’s tough to watch at times.
Also, I wanted to thank you for the kind words as
-
Hiphopopotamus commented on the blog post Big Dance: Day Two 10 hours, 11 minutes ago
And that’s all she wrote…relatively boring day so far. A&M out to a nice early lead.
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
-
Art Vandelay commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest: Post Mortem 10 hours, 14 minutes ago
Trips,
Great work all year long. Love the passion. The fact that you kept writing these (even around the birth of a child), is fantastic, shows your commitment, and is a little freaky. :-)
I think you showed great restraint in this post. It would have been easier to “go off” on Barnes.
-
ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post Barnes worst team 10 hours, 15 minutes ago
Second awesomest thing — Magnus gets his woman to go to Hooters with him.
-
Hiphopopotamus commented on the blog post Big Dance: Day Two 10 hours, 21 minutes ago
Missouri going to hang on…
Sconsin clinging to a 2 point cushion
SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ””, url: ”” });
texoz said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 10:44 am
“Think of football as intercourse. Time of possession matters to women, but guys don’t care no matter what they say publicly. If you can ’score’ in under two minutes, it still counts. And it counts more than ‘driving’ six minutes and coming up with nothing.
Thoughts?”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your girlfriend/boyfriend? is either miserable, or has a large supply of batteries stashed bedside.
t1climb1 said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:07 am
Huckleberry may have a stat that reflects this, but like everyone else I don’t read his stuff.
That’s funny. I admit I am in the group whose eyes glaze over 2 sentences into a Huckleberry post. I hated statistics class.
HenryJames said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:19 am
Talking to him in person is even worse.
NVHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:29 am
This is all crap. Echeese just revealed that the offense “bailed out the D.” The O “set the tone early” and “forced OSU out its gameplan.”
Then he chided an unbeliever, telling him, “Try being objective and giving credit where it’s due.”
I think he was talking to you, HenryJames.
nordberg said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 am
That’s all fine well and good, but how many laughing emoticons did he use?
HenryJames said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:40 am
That dude has zero self-awareness.
NVHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:43 am
“That’s all fine well and good, but how many laughing emoticons did he use?”
He used them sparingly, but he came in above his averages on references to “intellectual dishonesty” and straw man arguments.
“When you have followed football for awhile, you will know DC’s love it when they get a 3 score lead, it forces the other team to throw constantly and makes playing D fairly easy.
One of the reasons TT’s D does well statistically most years, their high powered O forces teams to try and win shootouts with them giving them easy INT opportunities.
You lack the intellectual honesty to give credit where it is due but then I noticed on another thread, you do love your myths.”
BrickHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:54 am
A debate with echeese is a war of wits against an unarmed man.
EyesOfTX said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:59 am
I thought we had a rule against quoting echeese on this website. If we don’t, we need to implement one before every rational person here experiences his brain imploding.
What makes the rushing stats even more impressive for this game is that that 3.1 ypc was compiled without benefit of sacks making it artificially lower. That’s a hard 3.1.
Hook ‘em!!!
homesickalien said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Come on, y’all. I come here to get away from echeese. You quoting him all the time isn’t gonna pay my light bill.
BrickHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:04 pm
One of the reasons TT’s D does well statistically most years, their high powered O forces teams to try and win shootouts with them giving them easy INT opportunities.
Texas Tech’s national ranking in total defense under Mike Leach:
2009: #59
2008: #79
2007: #45
2006: #58
2005: #30
2004: #46
2003: #106
2002: #85
2001: #50
2000: #24
HenryJames said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
That’s a hard 3.1.
That’s what she said.
EyesOfTX said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Please note that that highest ranked Tech Defense occurred when Spike Dykes was still their head coach.
Hook ‘em!!!
nordberg said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
That’s crazy that they had statistically their best year under Leach the first year he was there.
BrickHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:07 pm
I thought Leach took over in 2000.
nordberg said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Never mind.
parlinhall said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Huck has an application that pits HenryJames against minor American humorists.
So far, HJ beats Bobcat Goldthwait at home, but loses out to Ruth Buzzi at a neutral site.
BrickHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:09 pm
That’s crazy that they had statistically their best year under Leach the first year he was there.
What’s really crazy is that there’s someone out there who is so fucking stupid that he would actually base an argument on the premise that Texas Tech’s defense “does well statistically most years.” Then again, every time I think there’s an argument too stupid for any human to make, echeese comes along and takes up the challenge.
EyesOfTX said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Oops, my bad. Leach did go to Tech in 2000. Sorry about that.
That said, I fully endorse Brickhorn’s last post.
Hook ‘em!!!
bateshorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
I’ve abandoned at least a couple of different sites because of him.
You think sports is bad, I once threw a stapler across my office because of a politics argument with him. It’s like trying to hold sand. I suppose he figured out if you cheeriful quote inanity and falsehoods, you can’t actually lose an argument in your own mind.
HenryJames said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:21 pm
Earl Thomas was ridiculously good. Having the ability to move into the slot like he did is a luxury for a DC.
dedfischer said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Our defense has sucked balls for pretty much a decade. I don’t know what the stats are, but any year-to-year improvement is probably attributable to scheduling.
lurkerinthedark said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Good point, Eyes. Last year’s good rush defense stats were artificially improved by the whopping number of sacks added in. Then Beany Wells reminded us how the big boys run the ball.
This year, we ARE the big boys in stopping the run. I honestly think this is the best defense overall I’ve ever seen from a Texas team in nearly 40 years of following them.
The other side of the equation is with our offense. We only had 99 yards rushing (113 without two sacks), but they were mostly effective runs until the game was out of reach. Not impressive numbers, but important to the efficient functioning of the offense. Of Texas’ 275 total yards, fully 270 of them were gained on scoring drives amassing 27 points. 85 of the rushing yards (which includes a 10-yd loss on a sack) came on those scoring drives. THAT is efficiency.
EyesOfTX said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:32 pm
lurker: good points all, and where the offense is concerned, we have to remember that all the defensive scoring and putting them in short field situations limited them to 52 plays for the game. That’s 20 or so plays less than they average. When you take that 5.3 per play average and apply it to another 20 plays, you’d add 106 total yards, getting it to a very respectable 381 yard game.
Our offense was very efficient and productive in this game. That said, our defense was freaking awesome. And that pretty much describes the state of the team.
Hook ‘em!!!
BrickHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:39 pm
You think sports is bad, I once threw a stapler across my office because of a politics argument with him.
Really? Wow. I’ve never gotten genuinely frustrated by echeese. Although I have sometimes been annoyed by my inability to underestimate his intellect.
dasmithjones said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Environmentally conscious suggestion: go with the rechargeable batteries.
BrickHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:49 pm
Think of football as intercourse. Time of possession matters to women, but guys don’t care no matter what they say publicly. If you can ’score’ in under two minutes, it still counts. And it counts more than ‘driving’ six minutes and coming up with nothing.
NY Horn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Hating on the cheezz is akin to killing a mockingbird.
bateshorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I finally learned not to argue with him, but it took me a while to realize that you can’t argue with somebody who doesn’t or won’t work with basic facts (or intelligence).
EyesOfTX said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
That’s a hard 3.1.
That’s what she said.
==============================
HJ: Are you really sure you want to brag about that?
Hook ‘em!!!
Blueshorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:32 pm
***Echeese just revealed that the offense “bailed out the D.” The O “set the tone early” and “forced OSU out its gameplan.”***
One positive outcome of Gerry and Bobby throwing in the towel is that cheeseboy is back at OB full-time, where I don’t have to read his shit.
echeese said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Strawman. Intellectual dishonesty.
Where are the emoticons? Where’s my stapler?
75 % male said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
HenryJames is a cult of one.
ChrisApplewhite said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:31 pm
“ChrisApplewhite texted me (in tears) that our inability to stop OSU’s big 4 yard runs would lead to our defeat. But I wasn’t worried because 1) someone on our defense seems to always come through if you have to drive on them and 2) one incompletion will kill the drive.”
Oh that is just hilarious. I should charge you for my thoughts since they always end up in the internet anyway. $9.99 a month.
Lactose Intolerant said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I thought this site was safe for me?
The General said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
“Our defense has sucked balls for pretty much a decade. I don’t know what the stats are, but any year-to-year improvement is probably attributable to scheduling.”
The light has gone out of dedfischer’s eyes. Somebody, QUICK! Pop in the tape of the 2008 Texas game in Lubbock! NOW! Trips, give him mouth-to-mout. You know you want to! Hold on, ded! Hold!
Exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I like lamp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Slap hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OldTimeHorn said:
November 2nd, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Two pick-sixes and a muffed punt pretty much guarantees you won’t dominate in possession time.
dedfischer said:
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:07 am
Ha. After I saw this yesterday, I did a little homework and it’s funny how we consistently got worse as Spike’s defensive recruits graduated. Our starting OLBs in 2000? John Norman and Dorian Pitts, two guys that showed up in Lubbock as oversized safeties. 2007 you ask? Chad Hill and Kellen Tillman. We’ve managed to get slower in time on that side of the ball due to our shitty JUCO recruiting policy and bingo-calling DCs. No player development on that side of the ball and your depth turns over every 2 years. You can’t reload like that at Tech. What I do appreciate about Ruff is that he is getting much better athletes on that side of the ball on the recruiting trail. 2009 was his first full class and when we have Will Ford on the field, or D.J. Johnson in Kansas’ case, then we’re a much better defense than what we’ve been in the past Leach years. Ruff still has my support at this point and I hope the Kansas gameplan was a step in the right direction long-term as a means to getting faster on that side of the ball. In the games we’ve been exposed the last 2 seasons under Ruff, team speed has killed us.
cincinnatus said:
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:42 am
They more than doubled our per game average in rushing yards allowed, but they couldn’t run the ball effectively. They ended up going 43-134, 3.1 ypc. But that doesn’t tell the whole story.
I’ll see your “median analysis” and raise you with this: When Texas went up 34-7 midway through the 3rd quarter, Gundy packed it in and started running the ball to roll the clock. I noticed it when I finally re-watched the game last night, but seeing that they had 43 RUSHING ATTEMPTS in a game in which they were being blown out just confirms it. If he could’ve taken his ball and gone home at that point in the 2nd half, he would’ve. Instead, they churned up some meaningless rushing yards that skewed our rushing defense numbers. (The exact opposite of most blow-outs). So, in addition to the median analysis, factor that in and you get an even more impressive performance.