• The Big Red Today show:



LINCOLN — Texas A&M did more than dent the Texas defense last week. It shattered the belief that going to third down was a death knell against the Longhorns.

The Aggies converted 9 of 16 third downs against a UT defense that previously was allowing just a 25.6 percent success rate in such situations.

In retrospect, Texas coach Mack Brown said, the Longhorns probably tried to do too much defensively in a short week. But they also might have given Nebraska optimism that it can convert — if it stays in favorable scenarios and avoids negative plays.

“If they get you behind the chains, any defense is going to be pretty effective on third down,'' NU associate head coach Barney Cotton said. “They do a great job on third-and-long, especially. They give you multiple looks once you get to third-and-7, and they've got athletic guys.''

Even figuring in Texas A&M's success, the Longhorns still rank No. 4 nationally in third-down defense efficiency. At 28.49 percent (49 of 172), they trail only Texas Christian (26.1 percent), Florida (26.2) and North Carolina (28.48).

It presents a huge challenge for Nebraska in the Big 12 championship game considering that the Husker offense is right around the league average by converting 39.5 percent of its third downs.

“We can't be put in third-and-10s because obviously they're very good at third downs,'' NU tackle Mike Smith said. “We just need to be able with first and second down to get to manageable third downs — or not even into third down at all.''

What do the Huskers consider manageable? Cotton can put it in simple terms.

“If you got 4 yards on first down, I mean, that's a win,'' he said. “If you get at least half of what's left on the next down, that's a win. That's not always going to happen, but third-and-3 is a lot better than third-and-8, I know that.''

Texas A&M was 4 of 8 against Texas when it needed 5 yards or fewer on third down. The key for A&M was converting five times when it needed more yards thanks to the play-making ability of quarterback Jerrod Johnson — including a third-and-15 and a third-and-6 on the scoring drive that narrowed the Longhorn lead to 42-39.

Because of its style of play, Nebraska likely would prefer to stay “on schedule'' more often against UT. If not, quarterback Zac Lee said, the Huskers have to be realistic.

“I think it's going to be important for us on early downs to make sure that we're getting positive plays, but also just to manage plays,'' Lee said. “If it becomes a field-position game, be OK with that and make smart decisions as far as that goes.''

Since adjusting its offense, Nebraska has tried to establish its running game to set up the pass. Texas will counter, however, with a rushing defense that leads the nation by allowing just 61.8 yards per game and 1.99 yards per carry.

That's a big reason the Longhorns have stifled a number of teams on third down, including Oklahoma (3 of 15), Wyoming (3 of 17), Texas Tech (3 of 13), Texas-El Paso (1 of 12), Colorado (3 of 15) and Central Florida (2 of 12). Before Texas A&M, the only opponents to convert better than one-third of their third downs were Baylor (6 of 17) and Kansas (5 of 13).

“They're really good,'' NU offensive coordinator Shawn Watson said. “They are as advertised. They have a lot of speed, a lot of really good players and they've got a nice scheme. They do an excellent job.

“If you watch every game, they do everything well. I'd consider them having no weaknesses.''

Contact the writer:

444-1042, rich.kaipust@owh.com

« Sports - Big Red Today

Share