The Texas defense went back to work this week with an unaccustomed chip on its collective shoulder.
There were enough concerns about missed tackles and defensive busts in the Longhorns’ otherwise impressive victory against Kansas that gave Will Muschamp plenty of teaching points.
And even before the fiery Texas defensive coordinator broke down his team’s struggles last week, his defense knew what to expect.
“He had it in big black letters about all the missed tackles we had,” senior defensive end/linebacker Sergio Kindle said. “But before he said anything, our guys all knew what the deal is. And because of that, we’re going to make changes ourselves to get ready for the game.”
Texas’ sporadic tackling in space against the Jayhawks caught the attention of Muschamp and Texas coach Mack Brown.
“We missed nine tackles that gave them about 97 yards after contact. There were three big plays,” Brown said. “It was a real concern.”
The unexpected defensive struggles were out of character for a Texas defense that still leads the nation in rushing defense, ranks third in total defense and seventh in scoring defense.
But against an A&M offense that has produced has improved steadily under mobile, multi-faceted quarterback Jerrod Johnson, the Longhorns defense must rebound if it hopes to continue its perfect season in its quest for the BCS title game.
“We’ll have to go back and do a better job,” Brown said. “Our defense has been bragged on so much that we’re really lucky that Will and our coaches have their attention now.”
The remedial defensive lessons started at a 6 a.m. practice Monday and will continue at those pre-daylight hours for the rest of the Longhorns’ preparations for the Aggies.
“I think this is coming at a great time and it will definitely get our coaches and our team’s attention,” Brown said. “You can see it with how we are practicing this week. It’s not like we laid down out there but we were just facing a tough offense in Kansas. This is a defense with a great amount of pride and I’m sure the kids will respond.”
For his part, Kindle thinks the tackling difficulties were a sporadic instance that could be explained by Kansas’ collection of strong skill-position people.
“We know we have to get to our goal,” Kindle said. “And if somebody gets to the play and can’t make a tackle, they just need to hold the guy until the rest of us get there. We have to do a better job running to the ball and helping each other out.”
Muschamp’s defense didn’t respond in the second half, allowing an 88-yard scoring drive on Kansas’ first second-half possession. The Jayhawks also produced drives of 42 and 41 yards later in the game.
"We didn't tackle well in the second half," Muschamp told reporters after the game. "We missed tackles, and we hadn't done that all year. That allowed for chunks of yardage down the field."
The defensive front help spark the strong effort against the Kansas running game and produced six sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and an interception. But Muschamp was frustrated by the lack of much production from his linebackers and secondary that struggled at times trying to check Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing and his deep collection of receivers.
Some of Texas’ struggles came when Muschamp dared the Jayhawks to beat them on the flanks with repeated use of cornerback blitzes. Reesing did that to the tune of 256 passing yards – the most against Texas since the Oklahoma game. And Kansas’ point total tied for the second-most points that Texas has allowed this season behind the 24 points yielded to Texas Tech on Sept. 19.
Those struggles are a real concern as the Longhorns prepare for a Texas A&M offense that ranks seventh nationally in scoring, 17th in total offense and has scored at least 31 points in every one of its five home games this season.
Additionally, the Longhorns will be facing their quickest turnaround in 16 years after playing on Saturday night and then playing again Thursday night in College Station.
But Kindle said the Texas defense is excited more excited to make amends than worrying about their lack of recovery time or the hostile Kyle Field crowd.
“After last week,” he said, “I wish we could play today.”
There were enough concerns about missed tackles and defensive busts in the Longhorns’ otherwise impressive victory against Kansas that gave Will Muschamp plenty of teaching points.
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Brian Bahr/Getty ImagesDefensive coordinator Will Muschamp has plenty of teaching points this week.
And even before the fiery Texas defensive coordinator broke down his team’s struggles last week, his defense knew what to expect.
“He had it in big black letters about all the missed tackles we had,” senior defensive end/linebacker Sergio Kindle said. “But before he said anything, our guys all knew what the deal is. And because of that, we’re going to make changes ourselves to get ready for the game.”
Texas’ sporadic tackling in space against the Jayhawks caught the attention of Muschamp and Texas coach Mack Brown.
“We missed nine tackles that gave them about 97 yards after contact. There were three big plays,” Brown said. “It was a real concern.”
The unexpected defensive struggles were out of character for a Texas defense that still leads the nation in rushing defense, ranks third in total defense and seventh in scoring defense.
But against an A&M offense that has produced has improved steadily under mobile, multi-faceted quarterback Jerrod Johnson, the Longhorns defense must rebound if it hopes to continue its perfect season in its quest for the BCS title game.
“We’ll have to go back and do a better job,” Brown said. “Our defense has been bragged on so much that we’re really lucky that Will and our coaches have their attention now.”
The remedial defensive lessons started at a 6 a.m. practice Monday and will continue at those pre-daylight hours for the rest of the Longhorns’ preparations for the Aggies.
“I think this is coming at a great time and it will definitely get our coaches and our team’s attention,” Brown said. “You can see it with how we are practicing this week. It’s not like we laid down out there but we were just facing a tough offense in Kansas. This is a defense with a great amount of pride and I’m sure the kids will respond.”
For his part, Kindle thinks the tackling difficulties were a sporadic instance that could be explained by Kansas’ collection of strong skill-position people.
“We know we have to get to our goal,” Kindle said. “And if somebody gets to the play and can’t make a tackle, they just need to hold the guy until the rest of us get there. We have to do a better job running to the ball and helping each other out.”
Muschamp’s defense didn’t respond in the second half, allowing an 88-yard scoring drive on Kansas’ first second-half possession. The Jayhawks also produced drives of 42 and 41 yards later in the game.
"We didn't tackle well in the second half," Muschamp told reporters after the game. "We missed tackles, and we hadn't done that all year. That allowed for chunks of yardage down the field."
The defensive front help spark the strong effort against the Kansas running game and produced six sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and an interception. But Muschamp was frustrated by the lack of much production from his linebackers and secondary that struggled at times trying to check Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing and his deep collection of receivers.
Some of Texas’ struggles came when Muschamp dared the Jayhawks to beat them on the flanks with repeated use of cornerback blitzes. Reesing did that to the tune of 256 passing yards – the most against Texas since the Oklahoma game. And Kansas’ point total tied for the second-most points that Texas has allowed this season behind the 24 points yielded to Texas Tech on Sept. 19.
Those struggles are a real concern as the Longhorns prepare for a Texas A&M offense that ranks seventh nationally in scoring, 17th in total offense and has scored at least 31 points in every one of its five home games this season.
Additionally, the Longhorns will be facing their quickest turnaround in 16 years after playing on Saturday night and then playing again Thursday night in College Station.
But Kindle said the Texas defense is excited more excited to make amends than worrying about their lack of recovery time or the hostile Kyle Field crowd.
“After last week,” he said, “I wish we could play today.”
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