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 20 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.

[mmdaytontexas]

10 hours ago, watty7796 said:

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.

Who was Joe DeCamillis? Also, how much of an effect can analysts really have on a team? Don't you think the position coaches and the head coach have more influence on the team than analysts do? Isn't the main problem Banks and Sark's refusal to hold his coaching friends accountable for their position players? 

I've been watching the Saban series, and one thing I've learned about his famous "process" is that he held everyone responsible for everything, from the players to the equipment boys. He was friendly, but he didn't make friends. He held everyone accountable, not for the final score, but for how they accomplished each task and each play, in and out of the game. The sloppiness and lack of awareness on this team would have driven him nuts.

This is ultimately on Sark, don't you think? Sark likes to talk about "culture," but that is a macro term. When you aim too wide, you miss wide; you miss the failed micro steps that led to the miss. That reminds me of the line Mel Gibson says to his sons in the movie "The Patriot": "aim small; miss small!" I think that goes back to Saban's "process," where you take accountability and responsibility for every small detail in your program, and you demand that same responsibility and accountability from everyone on your staff and on your team. I don't think we are getting that from Sark, and maybe not from CDC, since he isn't holding Sark accountable.

 

 

Edited 5 hours ago by mmdaytontexas

[Jacket Horn]

We peaked in 2023 when Joe DeCamillis was on staff as special teams assistant.  We dropped significantly in 2024 when he was no longer here 🤔

[Horns_90]

21 hours ago, PaytonOTF said:

Which one of these plays or issues bugs you the most?

Inexcusable punt protection, specifically man-protection, punter aligned at 12 yards, zero shield integrity, no 2-step redirect once hands are on torso...

Getting triggered again.........................................................

[watty7796]

2 hours ago, mmdaytontexas said:

Who was Joe DeCamillis? Also, how much of an effect can analysts really have on a team? Don't you think the position coaches and the head coach have more influence on the team than analysts do? Isn't the main problem Banks and Sark's refusal to hold his coaching friends accountable for their position players? 

I've been watching the Saban series, and one thing I've learned about his famous "process" is that he held everyone responsible for everything, from the players to the equipment boys. He was friendly, but he didn't make friends. He held everyone accountable, not for the final score, but for how they accomplished each task and each play, in and out of the game. The sloppiness and lack of awareness on this team would have driven him nuts.

This is ultimately on Sark, don't you think? Sark likes to talk about "culture," but that is a macro term. When you aim too wide, you miss wide; you miss the failed micro steps that led to the miss. That reminds me of the line Mel Gibson says to his sons in the movie "The Patriot": "aim small; miss small!" I think that goes back to Saban's "process," where you take accountability and responsibility for every small detail in your program, and you demand that same responsibility and accountability from everyone on your staff and on your team. I don't think we are getting that from Sark, and maybe not from CDC, since he isn't holding Sark accountable.

 

 

Joe DeCamillis was a special teams coordinator assistant head coach 2x superbowl champion coach...list goes on and on.  He is a guy that knows special teams as well as if not better than 95% of any coach college or pro.  The 1 year he was here the ST improved significantly and when he left...so dis the improvement.   Math can be done from there.  While I agree that the buck stops with the HC...there is enough blame to go around on the offensive side of the ball.  With that said Sark has made 1 good hire and 1 imho great hire as DCs.  Gotta give credit where its due.  With that being said I do beleive Sark is loyal to a fault.  Banks has no business as a coordinator of any phase of football.  Position coach fine, but I dont think his ceiling goes much above that.  Same with the oline coach even tho he has the OC tag stuck behind his title.  With that being said if anything undoes Sark it will be ego and stubbornness.   Not just with coaching but players as well.  Players will start looking at the development across the board and the offensive recruita are going to see trends.  2 5* recruit qbs top of their respective class not developed anywhere near capability.   Tackles play well, but Guard and Center is another story all together.  Due to Oline issues WRs and RBs arent able to put up the numbers that get scouts attention.  TEs and RBs are well coached but very limited due to poor play elsewhere.