Struggling defense faces another tough test
AUSTIN — These have been trying times for Todd Orlando.
Still, Texas’ third-year defensive coordinator has for the most part muffled whatever frustration he might be feeling — with himself, his team, his scheme and anything else that has contributed to a vexing season.
With four regular-season games remaining, there’s no time for a schematic overhaul. The fact is the Longhorns’ defense has been ineffective, and all Orlando can do is rally the troops for a stretch run that will determine whether this season can be salvaged.
“We’ve gotta get better at executing, better at tackling, better at all the fundamental stuff,” Orlando said. “And eventually what’s going to happen is these kids are going to show up and play huge, they’re going to make plays, and get more confidence going into it.
“But you can’t push the panic button, because to me lack of faith, or whatever you want to call it, that’s not the message you want to send to anybody.”
Texas (5-3, 3-2) will at least be closer to full strength when it takes on 16th-ranked Kansas State (6-2, 3-2) on Saturday afternoon at RoyalMemorial Stadium. Sophomore safeties Caden Sterns (knee) and B.J. Foster (shoulder) will both be active, and fellow safety DeMarvion Overshown (shoulder) and senior linebacker Jeffrey
McCulloch (shoulder) will be game-time decisions.
Potentially injecting four experienced players back into a unit that has had to plug holes with raw, overtaxed neophytes should help Texas overcome some lingering issues with alignment and coverage.
“There’s certain things, adjustments off of whatever an offense does, and with younger guys you’re always worried about how much you can give them, because nothing in our league stays stagnant,” Orlando said. “But a vet can make things right.
“I think also it allows some of the guys to listen, to watch these guys go to work. And really at the end of the day you can take a guy like
Caden, he’s a good example of a guy who can make somebody else better around him or make a handful of guys better around him.”
Reinserting players won’t cure all that ails the Longhorns, though. Especially when faced with a Wildcats offense that likes to control the clock and wear down its opponents with a powerhouse rushing attack.
In its past two games, wins over Oklahoma and Kansas, Kansas State rushed for a total of 555 yards and seven touchdowns. And junior quarterback Skylar Thompson has been a critical component in that surge, having accounted for 166 of those yards and seven of the 11 scores.
“The way he can get out the pocket and run surprised me, to be honest,” redshirt freshman nose tackle Keondre Coburn said. “I watched one play, I think it was against Kansas. The safety had him, and he broke the tackle and ran for another 15 yards. It was amazing.”
The Longhorns will have to remain disciplined, keep Thompson contained in the backfield, and force Kansas State to go aerial. They also will have to step up on third down, where they’re allowing Big 12 opponents to convert at a 41.6 percent clip.
While other coaches spent the bye week on the recruiting trail, Orlando remained behind to work on fixing several issues, notably
third-down defense. He told his players that conversion percentage needs to dip about 10 points over the coming month.
“We got everybody in and we broke it down, literally put down these are the amount of points that (the opponent) got when we didn’t get off the field,” Orlando said. “You’re talking about four or five points a game based on being in third-and-long when you didn’t get off the field (and) they extended the drive and ended up scoring.
“This league, if you can limit explosive plays and get off the field on third down, eliminate those big 60-yard touchdowns and make somebody drive, if you can bat in the 30s, 30-32 (percent), that’s going to save you a ton of points.”