I took the opportunity to watch last Saturday’s UTEP at Texas Tech game to see what we can expect this week from the Red Raiders. Anytime a program welcomes in a new coaching staff, it is interesting to see how their systems match the available personnel in the program and what differences there are from the prior season.
In the case of first-year Texas Tech coach Matt Wells, he brought nearly his entire coaching staff from Utah State. More impressively, he made sure his assistant coaches received two-year contracts and the coordinators received three-year deals. He and his staff are committed to the job, and that continuity on the coaching staff makes the transition easier. His coaches don’t have to learn his style or his schemes – they’ve been running it together prior to arriving in Lubbock.
From a personnel standpoint, the Red Raiders have good skill talent on the field, especially offensively. Quarterback Alan Bowman is a true slinger, willing to throw the ball into tight spots on the move and from various arm angles. He has an elite talent to throw the ball to in T.J. Vasher, who is tremendously athletic at 6-foot-6, along with a handful of other targets.
The M.O. for offensive coordinator David Yost is tempo. The Red Raiders want to play as fast as possible, and will probably be the fastest-tempo team Arizona plays this season. But unlike some of the pass happy Air Raid teams we have been used to at Texas Tech, Wells does want his offense to establish a physical presence in the run game. From that standpoint, former Utah running back Armand Shyne is a good fit in the offense.
Meanwhile, the offensive line does have some experience, but has been dealing with the absence of left tackle Terrence Steele, a 37-game starter. His void has been filled by Travis Bruffy, a veteran starter at right tackle who has shifted to the left side. Casey Verhulst has started the first two games at right tackle, the first starts of his career.
On the defensive side of the ball, Texas Tech will deploy three-down lineman and usually three or four linebackers depending on coverages. Like the offense, the Red Raiders like to attack and force quick decisions by the quarterback. The secondary is a heavy man-coverage unit with a single-high safety, and they like to move linebackers and safeties around prior to the snap to confuse a quarterback.
After a few atrocious years, this was an improving unit last season in Kliff Kingsbury’s final season, and the hope is the Red Raiders are taking additional steps this year under coordinator Keith Patterson. Patterson will be no stranger to the talents of Khalil Tate; he was the defensive coordinator and assistant coach at Arizona State from 2014-17 before going to Utah State in 2018 following the dismissal of Todd Graham.
One critical area this week is going to be special teams play. By now both teams have two game’s worth of film on each other for kick protections and coverages, so if there’s a weak link somewhere, these teams can try to expose it. I expect one of these teams to make a big time special teams play, either blocking a kick or punt, or finding room in the return game.
Now let’s take a look at a few of the highlights that jumped out from the UTEP at Texas Tech game last Saturday:
When Texas Tech has the ball…
Fast Tempo
In the first quarter, the Red Raiders averaged 15 seconds between the end of a play and the snap of the next. A couple snaps were off within nine seconds. This is a team that thrives on the tempo and catching the defense off guard. Often this is easy for quarterbacks and skill players, but the urgency in which the TTU offensive line gets set and ready to snap the ball is impressive. Arizona cannot get caught looking at the sidelines, notably the defensive line. On-field communication is critical this week, so Colin Schooler and Jace Whittaker should be relied upon to be those guys making calls on the field. This is also on the defensive coaches to get the calls in quickly.
No Substitutions
If Texas Tech is moving the ball, then most of the time it is not going to substitute. It wants the next snap within 10 seconds. Similar to looking to the sidelines too long for a call, Arizona cannot try to substitute unless the Red Raiders substitute. From that standpoint, I’d use every opportunity to substitute when Texas Tech does switch personnel. The officials have to hold the play for the defense matching the substitution, and the Wildcats will still need to rotate players in to stay fresh, particularly up front.
Stop Them on First Down
We often talk about the importance of third-down stops, and that will certainly be important this week. But a fast-tempo team like Texas Tech is best stopped – or slowed – by winning first down. If they get stopped on first down, Tech is often switching personnel and taking its time to regather for the next two downs. . And if they don’t see what they want when they’re lined up, Bowman will get a decision or new play call from the sideline which slows things down. This is not the way they want to operate. They’d rather get five yards on the first play, line up within 10 seconds and run the same play again – or something similar out of the same formation. Again, tempo is what they want to do. The better Arizona plays on first down, the more it gets the Red Raiders out of that tempo.
Edge Pressure
UTEP was able to get some solid edge pressure in the first half, especially against the right side of the Texas Tech offensive line where Verhulst has made his first two starts. If Steele is not back at left tackle, which would allow Buffy to move back to right tackle, this could remain a vulnerability for a player like Jalen Harris to exploit. The importance of this is Bowan seems more comfortable throwing in the pocket to his right. And while he is adept at throwing to either side, he can get happy feet and a little loose with the football when he senses pressure. He looked good against the blitz when he could see it early, but late pressure from linebackers or safeties seemed to catch him off guard.
Run to Pass, Pass to Run
Even with an up-tempo spread attack that can throw the ball all over the field, Wells wants his team to be physical. To that point, they want to run the ball. That can work two ways. First, they can lull a defense to sleep with the run game, then hit them over the top with the passing attack. Or he can get the defense on its heels and then pound it. Take those options away, they have an RPO game that mimics what Arizona can often do with the triple option threat (hand off to RB, QB run or QB pass). Bowman isn’t a great runner like Tate, but he’s athletic enough to stress the defense on the edge and make them pay in the RPO game when they fail to account for him. Lastly, if the defense is winning plays with pressure, they will counter with their screen game. The bottom line is to stop their tempo on first down, make them one-dimensional, cover well and get to the quarterback up front.
When Arizona has the ball…
Stack the Box
Texas Tech will be in a three-down lineman look most of the game, but they’ll often load four or five defenders at the line of scrimmage. They also aren’t afraid to show six or seven in the box to bring safeties down to the linebacker level. They want to win at the point of attack by using speed and numbers to shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield. Arizona’s offensive line needs to be physical and communicate well. Block at the point of attack, and there could be some big plays in the run game.
Stretch the Field
This fits into what Noel Mazzone likes to do anyway, but Arizona can clean up the box by stretching the field horizontally and vertically. Using two backs and motioning one out of the formation will take someone out of the box. The swing passes and screen game to the sideline will also get the second and third-level defenders coming down. Once that happens, it’s going to create one-on-one opportunities down the field. Tate loves to throw the deep ball, and he’s going to need to hit a few if Arizona is to win this game.
Physical on the Perimeter
Texas Tech’s secondary is not an overly physical group, but they do use their hands (read: grab, pull, etc) to stay in contact with receivers. This is a must so they don’t get beat over the top when they send a blitz. It will be interesting to see how the officiating crew calls the game. Some crews are hypersensitive when defensive backs are “handsy”. Others ignore it. The key is for the Wildcats receivers to be physical and continue through the routes. An additional point for the receivers will be blocking downfield. There will be some opportunities to make a few plays in the run game or screen game, and the perimeter blocking needs to be there to help break those plays free.
Tight Ends
Bryce Wolma being sidelined last week was a blow to the Arizona offense. His availability in a game like this would be very critical to help both as a blocker as well as be an easy outlet in the pass game. Zach Williams was the beneficiary of Wolma being out last week, and that experience is good for him. He’s a known asset as a pass catcher, but his willingness to block was encouraging. Blocking effectively against Texas Tech will be a different challenge. Either way, this position has the opportunity to offset some of the downhill aggressiveness of the second level of the Tech defense. Quick outs and pop passes behind the linebackers should be open at times if they Wildcats can set up those opportunities with play-action and RPOs.
Play Keep Away
Arizona’s best defense could be its offense, especially early in this contest. If the Wildcat’s can control the clock and move the ball consistently, it will provide a chance for the defense to rest and adjust on the sidelines. Quick three-and-outs from the offense are not going to help slow down the tempo for which Texas Tech wants to run plays. However, the earlier in the game Arizona can set a tone and take momentum, the more it tests a Red Raider team that has yet to face a true challenge this season. That will be a big key to this game: can the Wildcats put Texas Tech in an uncomfortable spot and can they deliver the knockout blows when they have the football?
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