Mack Brown may not be finished with the coaching shuffle. Akina to Hawaii? Rucker out of coaching??
All posts tagged with 'Duane Akina'
Here’s how the team did with my keys for the game:
1. Pressure Rudy Carpenter.
The Longhorns not only pressured Carpenter but they eventually knocked him out of the game. Carpenter was rattled early and did not perform well when the Horns were able to hurry him. The team finished the night with four sacks but more importantly was in the quarterback’s face all game long. Defensive coordinator Duane Akina brought blitzes from every direction and every position. Defensive end Brian Orakpo had a heck of a game (two sacks, tons of pressure) was named the game’s defensive MVP. Verdict: Passed.
2. Don’t turn the ball over.
Colt McCoy didn’t throw any interceptions but did put the ball on the turf with alarming frequency. McCoy fumbled the football four times, but only lost a critical one on a boneheaded play at the end of the first half that could have cost Texas dearly. He also botched two snaps and was bailed out big time (after a great long scramble) when Jermichael Finley fell on his fumble in the end zone for a touchdown. The Horns didn’t protect the football very well but they only turned it over once, so… Verdict: Passed.
3. Don’t forget about the run game.
I don’t think the coaches gave the ball enough to Jamaal Charles early in the game, but as the game wore on he ended up getting more than his share of touches. Thanks to the big second half lead Charles finished the game with 27 carries and 161 yards. Colt McCoy did what he’s been doing this season, finding a way to make big plays with his feet. The team also went to freshman quarterback John Chiles early to spark the offense and he carried the ran the ball very successfully. Overall the team ran the ball 54 times for a whopping 300 yards in the game. Verdict: Passed.
Holiday Bowl may be last shot for defensive coordinator Duane Akina. Maybe a chance he’s back in non-playcalling role next year?
Last week’s keys didn’t work out so well. We barely won, Brian Orakpo got hurt, and John Chiles could barely even see the field from where he was sitting on the bench. Let’s hope the Horns come out firing against TCU and turn things around for the rest of the season.
1. Get Jamaal Charles running north/south.
There was some minor controversy this week over a Jamaal Charles quote on Scout that the Longhorns’ sideways running style had made him more hesitant. I’m not sure he should have said it, but I agree with him. I don’t know if it’s Charles or the system (or both) but if your running back is spending half his time running lateraly you’re not going to be successful consistently. If we’re not running the zone read with an athletic QB then we should take a cue from teams like the Indianapolis Colts, which Greg Davis spent time with this offseason. If we can’t run more consistently from the shotgun then we have to put Colt McCoy under center more.
2. Don’t give receivers a ten-yard cushion.
It doesn’t matter who our cornerbacks are if we continue to give wide receivers a 10+ yard cushion. Playing that far off you’re not going to get burned deep but you’re also going to let the opposing QB eat you alive ten yards at a time. If you let a quarterback get comfortable he’s making the easy passes. This week Duane Akina has give Brandon Foster, Ryan Palmer, and/or Deon Beasley a better chance to succeed (or fail).
3. Convert short yardage opportunities.
Not being able to get one yard costs us two games last season and almost costs us against Arkansas State. If it’s first and goal from the two or third and one, the linemen have to be willing and able to whoop somebody’s a**. The offensive line didn’t have a terrible game against ASU but couldn’t get it done when it mattered. Texas should be a team that can maul and get 2 - 3 yards even if everyone in the stadium knows it’s coming, but we haven’t been able to do that since Cedric Benson left.
Texas defense is in good hands with Duane Akina, especially if linebackers step up.
Akina vows the defense will be more aggressive. Just coach-speak, but it’s music to my ears.
Larry Mac Duff is the new name but Duane Akina is Texas’ new defensive coordinator.
The biggest news related to the surprise hire of Mac Duff is that Duane Akina will now be calling the plays for the Texas defense. Under the previous regime coach Gene Chizik was the one really in charge of the defense and was the one calling the shots on Saturdays. Even though Chizik and Akina shared the defensive coordinator title, Chizik was the one who received the hype and he was the one who was referred to as “the defensive coordinator.” Now Akina is 1A and Mac Duff is 1B.
What we do know about Akina is that despite this year’s performance he is an one of the nation’s top secondary coaches and a good recruiter. His promotion means no disruption to the current players or to recruiting. Akina is a guy who has loyalty to Mack Brown and to the University of Texas so unlike the last two guys we can expect him to stick around longer than a year or two.
The Alamo Bowl was Akina’s tryout for the job but I’m not sure if it was enough for us as fans to get a good idea of his coaching ability or style. He was working with Chizik’s guys and didn’t have enough time to get his scheme into place. After struggling mightily in the first half, Akina and the Texas defense stepped it up a little in the second half and came up with the big stops when needed. One game is not enough for us to draw any conclusions from. We don’t have any idea what kind of job he’ll do making defensive calls on gameday or how good he’ll be at making in game adjustments. Next year it’ll be trial by fire and I think Akina has earned that opportunity.
The Mac Duff hire will be great news for the Texas linebackers and special teams play. He’s got experience and success at every level with those two groups and those spots have been a weakness for the Longhorns in recent years. Texas has a lot of young talent at linebacker and all three starters returning at the position, but it still wouldn’t surprise me to see three new starters next year. Sergio Kindle, Roddrick Muckelroy, and Jared Norton are all big, fast and athletic and I think most Texas fans are excited about those guys being on the field a lot more in 2007.
Whoever Mack brought in to replace Chizik needed to be a compliment to Akina because it’s clear Brown likes him and the players do as well. Mac Duff fits perfectly. He’s got a solid relationship with Akina and unlike Chizik and Jerry Gray he’s a true linebackers coach. A bigger name hire might have made more of a splash nationally and made some fans happy, but it would’ve caused more of a disruption to the team and depending on the hire might have meant replacing Akina as well. Brown decided that the Akina and Mac Duff together could do a better job helping the Longhorns win games than any of the other big names would do.
Mack Brown has named former University of Arizona defensive coordinator and current 49ers’ special teams coach Larry Mac Duff as the new Texas co-defensive coordinator. Mac Duff will be the co-DC with Duane Akina and will be in charge of the linebackers, something he has extensive experience with unlike previous coordinator Gene Chizik. Akina is a longtime friend of Mac Duff when they both worked under former Texas coach Dick Tomey in Arizona. We should see immediate improvement from the linebacking corps and the special teams. Interestingly, Akina will handle the defensive play-calling on game days.
We’ll have more thoughts on this news later today.
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