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On Texas Football: How will opponents defenses adapt to Texas’ 11 personnel attack?

Steve Habelby: Steve Habel07/23/23stevehabel
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Jonathon Brooks (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

On the latest video episode of On Texas Football, Inside Texas’ Bobby Burton and Ian Boyd discuss the changes in the Texas running game, how the Longhorns will spread the field on offense and who – if anyone – could stop the Texas running game in the coming season.

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Boyd, Inside Texas’ X’s and O’s expert, said the Longhorns will almost surely look different this year.

“Last year Texas’ plan was to throw two tight ends out there on the field, pound the ball with Bijan (Robinson) or Roschon (Johnson) and then take shots from max protection with seven or eight blockers for Quinn Ewers dropping and then trying to throw to a spot for Xavier Worthy,” Boyd explained. 

“This year they will probably spread the field more, which probably plays to Ewers’ strengths more as a kid growing up in Texas and throwing the ball around in the spread. That allows Texas to make the use of all these talented receivers. 

“But defenses are not going to just play Texas the same way they did last year. They’re not going to load the box against this team. They even if they wanted to try to match up against the passing game, they probably can’t – Texas has just too much talent, too much firepower. So it changes the whole equation for Texas from last year.”

Burton remarked that a few teams – maybe Texas Tech and TCU – have the talent to stop the Longhorns’ run game.

“A lot of teams are gonna need to drop eight,” Boyd opined. “With Ja’Tavion Sanders matched up on linebackers – that is a big problem before you think about whether their corners can handle Xavier Worthy or A.D. Mitchell or whoever. Iowa State is always good at this – at holding up while dropping eight players and keeping safeties tight to the line.”

The duo talked about the likelihood that Jonathon Brooks would be a “bellcow” running back for the Longhorns this season. Both agreed that Texas will likely employ a running back by committee strategy headed by Brooks.

“Texas needs to be able to run the ball when teams back everybody off in a way that keeps the chains moving,” Boyd said. “They don’t have to be great at it. But they can’t be running the ball for negative-1 yards, zero yards, four yards negative. The runs don’t have to be 20-yard chunks, but they need to be able to keep the offense on schedule when those teams back everybody off.”

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Burton said Texas’ overall quality on offense poses difficulty for many teams but added that teams “flyover” defense can give the Longhorns problems in the past. Iowa State and Kansas State employed that defense last year and Texas countered with a two-tight end attack that produced wins.

There’s plenty more to catch up on in the video, so go check it out in its entirety.

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