Tech deems big plays in secondary as 'unacceptable'
All it takes is a few plays for a defense to turn a great performance into one labeled as "frustrating" and "unacceptable."
In Louisiana Tech's case, two plays have the coaching staff pulling their hair out during an otherwise "great defensive game" Saturday against Texas-San Antonio.
The Bulldogs allowed two short slant passes that went for a combined 95 yards and two touchdowns. Even though Tech still came away with a 34-31 win, the breakdowns accounted for almost a third of UTSA's 300 yards of total offense.
"Honestly, it's quite frustrating so far this year is we can't big up the big play for a touchdown," Tech defensive coordinator Blake Baker said Monday. "That's something we pride ourselves on here. Ultimately, it falls on me but it hasn't happened so far to date. That's something we have to take more serious. That's something we need to fix immediately or it's going to be a long day."
A date this weekend with Mississippi State is the "long day" Baker is referring to. Mississippi State has five touchdowns of 30 yards or more this season, which doesn't bode well for Tech's leaky secondary.
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Ever since the Western Kentucky game, when Tech allowed 441 passing yards, the secondary, more recently pinpointed to the safeties, has given up a long touchdown in three of the past four contests.
Kansas State hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass on a coverage breakdown to win the game, and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette took a short pass 59 yards on another poorly executed play to go along with the two big plays at UTSA.
"The frustrating thing about last week is understanding that if they nickel and dime us here and there, make them snap it again," Baker said. "The frustrating thing is those two explosive plays ... which is unacceptable."
UTSA wide receiver LaBryce Taylor caught both touchdowns, one that went for 38 yards in the third quarter and another that went for 57 yards in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 31-31.
On both occasions, Tech played zone coverage and was a victim of poor execution.
"Both the slants will honestly be completed in that coverage. We just need to vice the ball and make the play and make them 15 yards gains and make them snap it again," Baker said.
The first play happened when Xavier Woods, known as one of the top safeties in Conference USA, came down on tight end David Morgan, who had a monster day with nine catches for 85 yards and two scores, instead of falling back. Woods took a "bad angle," according to Baker, and Taylor sped past him for the score.
Sophomore Secdrick Cooper was the guilty party on the second score that featured an identical play and identical outcome.
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"They call them safeties for a reason because they are the last line of defense. When they miss a tackle or take a poor angle ... right now we have to do a better job at safety," Tech coach Skip Holtz said.
The dissatisfaction with safety play, and the secondary overall, is surprising considering the year Tech had in 2014 when it tied for the national lead with 26 interceptions. After a rough game against WKU, cornerback Adairius Barnes has played well the past few games and Bryson Abraham has returned an interception for a touchdown in consecutive games.
The safeties, however, have been "up and down" in Baker's eyes.
"They need to be more consistent. They've improved every week but they're still not, in my opinion, playing to the level they were last year," he said. "We gotta get them to that level again. Safety is a crucial position in our defense. They kind of make the defense go round."