Longhorn Football Notes, 10/21: Brown looks beyond the numbers

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BY CURT McKEEVER / Lincoln Journal Star

When it comes to sizing up statistics, Mack Brown can crunch numbers with all the efficiency of a calculator.

Earlier this week, the Texas coach noted last year’s national champion Longhorns were giving up 16 points a game at this point of the season, while his 2006 team is allowing 13. He pointed out how the Longhorns are forcing more turnovers and that they’re allowing just 47.7 yards rushing per contest, compared with 130 at this point last year.

But even with the defensive improvement, Brown’s concerned that last week Texas gave up 31 points and 303 yards to Baylor.

“We just need to go back and look at the big plays,” he said, “because Nebraska is running the ball so well that play-action gives them the opportunity to get the ball deep.”

No doubt, Brown has let his team know about Nebraska’s 39 offensive plays this season that have gone for at least 20 yards.

“We’ve got to get back out there and show that we’re one of the top defenses in the nation,” end Brian Robison said. “With the way we played the other night, we made plays when we needed to make them, but overall we didn’t play that well. This week is going to be a good test for us.”

THE HEAT IS ON: Offensive coordinator Greg Davis has figured that Nebraska’s defense has blitzed 39 percent of the time this season. That is the highest rate by any Longhorn  opponent.

“They have all the blitzes that anybody has and all of the fire zones, then they have a couple you don’t see on a daily basis, which I’m sure is (Bill Callahan’s) influence from the NFL,” Davis said. “That’s something you have to be buttoned up on. They’re different: both safeties in the A and X gap, some of that kind of stuff, which you have to have — not only your quarterback, your backs, your linemen, everybody — on the same page. Some people blitz, and quite honestly, they’re not trying to put you on the ground. They’re trying to eat up backs, make people play their game. Obviously, they want to put people on the ground, but it’s not really the purpose of the blitz. They also blitz with the idea that they’re going to outnumber you.”

AN AUTOMATIC 10: Texas is the only NCAA Division I-A school to have won at least 10 games each of the past five seasons.

QUOTABLE: “There are a lot of things when you start flipping the coin that look pretty even going into this week.” — Brown.