By the Numbers: A deeper look at the troubling trends with Texas special teams

[PaytonOTF]

Hey everyone, Payton here. I’m one of the new interns at OTF. Gavin’s post on the missed field goals got me curious whether the kicking game was the whole issue or just the most memorable part of the last couple of years, so I pulled every special teams play from 2022 through the Oklahoma game. The graphic covers the seven plays that either swung a loss or made a game way closer than it should have been, how the return game has trended on both sides, and the penalty numbers. Which one of these plays or issues bugs you the most?

[Hank South]

Good stuff Payton! 

[Horn89]

The UGA (SEC title) and Arizona st ones were so easy to predict.

UGA was had just lost their all world punter in game to injury. 
 

Arizona st. was just desperate after falling behind. They needed a spark.

[DanielOnorato]

Alarming trends in the special teams department. Hopefully Texas can figure it out and play disciplined winning football in all 3 phases.

Good stuff, Payton and glad to have you here on the team!

[Texas fan in Georgia]

These interns are on banks ass like bounty hunters. I love it.

[Jordan Scruggs]

The games vs. Georgia def bug me the most. Especially the one in Athens. The personnel decisions were ridiculous for who was on the front line of the kick return unit that night. 

Great stuff here Payton!

[Tuco Ramirez]

Great work! It’s disturbing that Sark can’t see this. 

[TexasEx]

5 minutes ago, Tuco Ramirez said:

Great work! It’s disturbing that Sark can’t see this. 

I'm sure he's aware. What he says about it publicly versus behind the scenes, one would hope, is quite different. 

[thatdude2]

Definitely fake punt against Georgia. 

[KumarOTF]

Concerning trend...and gotta wonder how much of that #21 ranking last season was carried by Niblett's heroics

Edited 9 hours ago by KumarOTF

[Tex555]

Payton

Insightful info.  For the sake of showing the other side of a perspective, could you show the number of positive plays for us and the resulting impact (example - Nibblet’s punt return TDs last year).  I don’t like what is happening with ST, but you got to show the whole picture 

[RattlerHorn]

Good info, Payton. 

[Alex Butler]

58 minutes ago, Tex555 said:

Payton

Insightful info.  For the sake of showing the other side of a perspective, could you show the number of positive plays for us and the resulting impact (example - Nibblet’s punt return TDs last year).  I don’t like what is happening with ST, but you got to show the whole picture 

Thank you!! 

[PaytonOTF]

2 hours ago, Tex555 said:

Payton

Insightful info.  For the sake of showing the other side of a perspective, could you show the number of positive plays for us and the resulting impact (example - Nibblet’s punt return TDs last year).  I don’t like what is happening with ST, but you got to show the whole picture 

Very fair, you can also see how the punt return unit as a whole so far this year has been completely down compared to last year. Good plays off the top of my head: Niblett against OU, Miss State, and Kentucky. And then obviously Silas Bolden in Quarterfinal against ASU. I know we had almost an identical blocked punt TD in that 2023 OU game as to what they had this year, albeit in a loss. We also had a kick return TD against Texas Tech in that 2023 game as well. The real questions I think is what is just a player making a play? And what’s a result of scheme and coaching? And recently we have seen a whole lot of getting caught with our pants down (2 onside kicks in 2 years, directional punt messed up leading to a score, multiple blocked punts, and 2 fake punts converted within 3 games in the 2024 Postseason), and not a whole lot of us making those kind of game-changing plays from a scheme or decision-making perspective.

[PaytonOTF]

11 minutes ago, PaytonOTF said:

Very fair, you can also see how the punt return unit as a whole so far this year has been completely down compared to last year. Good plays off the top of my head: Niblett against OU, Miss State, and Kentucky. And then obviously Silas Bolden in Quarterfinal against ASU. I know we had almost an identical blocked punt TD in that 2023 OU game as to what they had this year, albeit in a loss. We also had a kick return TD against Texas Tech in that 2023 game as well. The real questions I think is what is just a player making a play? And what’s a result of scheme and coaching? And recently we have seen a whole lot of getting caught with our pants down (2 onside kicks in 2 years, directional punt messed up leading to a score, multiple blocked punts, and 2 fake punts converted within 3 games in the 2024 Postseason), and not a whole lot of us making those kind of game-changing plays from a scheme or decision-making perspective.

Missing a Worthy PR TD against BYU 2023, and allowed OU to convert a fake FG in first quarter in 2022, although it didn’t end up mattering whatsoever. 

[watty7796]

Special Teams has been a train wreck since Analyst Joe DeCamillis left.  Banks was never a good choice here.  ST even with a bit of Nibblet magic was heavily penalized and disorganized.

[westx]

The ST issue is so obvious.