Gimme a break
Ineffectiveness, injuries, fast pace of games combine to wear out a unit that lacks depth
UH’s defense is wearing down from too many plays.
In the second half Saturday, Ed Oliver trudged off the field at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock to catch a breather.
Yes, even Superman needs a break every now and then, especially with the University of Houston defense unable to get off the field in a 63-49 loss to Texas Tech.
Only three games into the season, it might feel like UH’s defenders have put in overtime. . They have played 284 snaps, the fourth-highest total nationally among Football Bowl Subdivision teams. In back-to-back weeks, Arizona and Texas Tech ran 100 plays apiece.
All the extra repetitions have put a strain on a defense that lacks depth and will enter Saturday’s game against Texas Southern without safety Garrett Davis (broken foot) and linebacker Darrion Owens (knee).
“At the end of the day, our emphasis is what I have talked about since the spring — that we are trying to build more depth and create more competition,” UH defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio said. “Because when you play the number of plays that we are playing right now, either your really good players are going to get tired or they are going to be in ultimate condition. Or you have to put somebody in that’s maybe a drop-off. We are in a rush every single day we have been here since the spring and summer to see how many players we can put in a game without a drop-off.”
UH got off to a good start against Texas Tech, forcing punts on four of the first six drives. The two touchdowns during that stretch were aided by missed tackles that led to 54and 58-yard catches.
Total collapse at Tech
A combination of 18 missed tackles, inability to make stops on third downs (52.9 percent on third-down conversions) and in the red zone (Tech had touchdowns on all seven trips), and breakdowns in coverage translated to one of the worst defensive performances in school history. The Cougars allowed 704 yards (605 through the air) and nine touchdowns.
D’Onofrio said many of the mistakes are “correctable,” but the underlying issue remains inexperience and lack of proven depth, with players who were once lower on the depth chart now being asked to play bigger roles.
“There are some guys out there that haven’t done it very much,” D’Onofrio said. “This is their first or second time doing it. That experience is going to play dividends for us the rest of the season. Sometimes there are some growing pains as you are putting guys into their first or second college football games.”
As for veteran players, D’Onofrio said they must “play up to the standard they should.”
Part of the reason for the defense’s spending more time on the field is the inability to make stops; for the season, opponents are converting nearly 50 percent on third down and once inside the 20-yard line have scored touchdowns on 11 of 14 trips.
In those cases, D’Onofrio said, “you are asking for trouble.”
An improved offense built to score quickly also has meant a shorter time for the defense to rest on the sideline. UH has 15 scoring drives under two minutes this season compared to 18 such drives in 12 games last season. In terms of time of possession, the Cougars are tied for last nationally with Mississippi, SMU and Central Florida, averaging 23 minutes per game.
Control the clock
Coach Major Applewhite stressed the need at times to control the clock with a more effective running game.
“From a time-of-possession standpoint, we have to run the football better,” Applewhite said. “We have to run the football better as an offense. It's great to be explosive, but there's times where you need to control the game.”