The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Tracking the Longhorns: Todd Orlando and Tim Beck media availability
11.15.2017 | Football
Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando and offensive coordinator Tim Beck met with the media on Wednesday night.
Defensive Coordinator Todd Orlando
On what the defense looked like with no Holton Hill: It's okay. I told Davante [Davis] there were two balls Holton probably would have picked off. I've been trying to stay away from that part of it. I just want him to be realistic. He played with some decent technique but I think at times he's been in position to make plays and his mindset just isn't there yet. That's what we have to change. He's a big, tall guy and we're not in the business of just batting balls or being on guys and saying "I covered him." We're trying to pick balls off. The biggest thing I've expressed to him is we want him to be able to finish plays.
On facing Will Grier this week: They're spreading out people and getting their guys in space. Grier has been very good. It seems like nobody can get him on the ground when they have good shots at him. He's also good at keeping plays alive and keeping his eyes downfield and his receivers do a good job of getting open for him. He's got a quick release. He can read coverages and the ball is out. It makes preparing for those guys very difficult.
On the defensive struggle during the Kansas game: Kansas did a good job. They came into our place and played their game. I thought, schematically, they did a good job and they had a lot of confidence they could beat us and they just hung around. In my opinion, there were spots in that game when one starts to think, "what's going on here?" We did a good job, especially on third down. Our kids had a pick-6 and three turnovers. There was still some fluctuation in game but at the end of the day if our second unit doesn't go in there and give up an 80-yard drive we're talking about holding them to 260 [yards]. Some of the deep passes we have to get cleaned up and we will get them cleaned up. But we won the game.
On the Will Grier-Baker Mayfield comparison: I don't know. Baker's just different because of his personality. In terms of skill level, there are some similarities. I've seen Baker for three years. From my standpoint, the one thing I think he can do a good job of is keeping plays alive and being very accurate. Not to take anything away from Grier, but Baker Mayfield is Baker Mayfield. From what I've seen on film it's kind of a different system. They'll [West Virginia] spread the ball out. Grier's got a great release. He keeps his eyes down field and can scramble around just like Baker. This league never gets any easier. Every week it feels like we go into it and we're seeing one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Grier is along that mold and we're going to have our hands full.
On how this season will be perceived: I think it will be perceived on what we do in the next two games. I think that's what it comes down to. There were a lot of close ball games where we didn't come through. When you look at those teams that we lost to quite a few of them are in the top 12. What we do in the next two weeks will really say what direction we're heading in. We're talking about West Virginia but I know what's really on people's minds. I get that part of it. I'm not naive. It's going to be a collection of these last two ball games that will really put a stamp on the season.
On the defense learning to play aggressive rather than perfect: I do think I see our players doing that. I think we've stayed pretty consistent. I think what ends up happening at this point in the year, you either become like a grab-bag defense because stuff isn't going well or you stay the course. As long as we can stay the course I think the kids will have some confidence. At the end of the day, they'll always play hard if they know what they're doing and they believe in it. This crew has played hard all year. Even if you go back and watch some of the plays in the Maryland game, you can say there were some things we could have done better but they play for each other. They like being around each other. They've been good because we've kept it pretty consistent with what we want to get accomplished.
Offensive Coordinator Tim Beck
On the quarterback situation for Saturday: We're just repping both guys right now and keeping them both ready. That's all I can tell you.
On who is the long-term quarterback: Honestly, right now, we're trying to win this game. Who's going to give us the best chance to do that and how. Based on game plan and so on and so forth.
On if the incoming quarterbacks will reset the current state of the position at Texas: I don't know. Trust me, I can't remember five minutes ago to worry about what's going to happen in the offseason. Right now, we have to continue — we showed some signs of life offensively last game. We have to build on that. We're playing a really good defense, a unique defense. A front and coverage that we have not seen all year. So we've dove in — 22 hours a day to figure out the best way to move the football on these guys.
On if he thinks Sam Ehlinger is back at 100%: Yeah, I do. Like Coach [Herman] had mentioned, it was our intention to put him in. All parties knew our plan to get him into the game early, to give him some reps. Our hope was to maybe get more of him in the second half but we kind of hit some road bumps and we needed to work ourselves through that.
On what the group does best: You know, it's hard because it's ever-changing. We change running backs, our offensive line may change this week, or Sam (Ehlinger) was playing quarterback, moving along, "Here's what you're going to be, and oh! He's out, here comes Shane (Buechele)." It's hard to say this is what we're really good at when the pieces are constantly changing.
On Connor Williams coming back this week: He's a tremendous player, a great young man and he certainly is a competitor and a winner. He's played a lot of football, so Coach Herman could probably talk a little bit more on his status and how it is, but anything we can get out of him would be awesome.
On the biggest difference between Terrell Cuney and Zach Shackelford at center: Not much, I think both of those guys have done a great job for us all year. I think Derek (Warehime) has just been rotating those guys in and out. He watches the pitch count a little bit and makes the rotation. He tries to keep guys healthy as much as we can.
On having a big package for fourth down play calling: No, not really because, again, you try to figure out what is their philosophy. Some teams are going to all-out blitz you on fourth downs, some teams are going to play it safe because they don't know what you're going to do. So you try to get a feel of what they're going to do and how you want to attack them. As far as, "is that good?", yeah, I mean it is, but it also hurts your third down percentage. If it's third and six and we run it for four, to get fourth and two and go for it, then on third down, we're 0-1. So your third down percentages don't look as good, although you converted the fourth down because in your mind you knew that's what you were going to do. Your calls are different. You're not trying to get the first down. You're trying to get the fourth and one or two and feel really good. That happened in that game — we ran Shane (Buechele) on a play and he gained three or four yards and we came back and got the first down on the next play.
