The University of Texas defensive coordinator faces a heck of a challenge this Saturday. Duane Akina, a member of the Texas defensive staff for 10 years, was given the reins to control the defense this season in what many thought was a long overdue acknowledgement of continued success by Texas coach Mack Brown. Over the past four season, Akina has been labeled Assistant Defensive Coordinator, a position many folks scratched their heads about.
In 2004, Brown brought in Greg Robinson, a former NFL Defensive Coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, to lead the Longhorns D. He did so, helping take Texas to the 2005 Rose Bowl. Akina came in 2nd place during the interview process.
In 2005, after Robinson moved on to the head coach at Syracuse, Brown hired Auburn defensive coordinator Gene Chizic. All he did was lead the D to a victory against powerhouse USC for a National Championship. Akina came in 2nd place during the interview process.
Chizic returned in 2006, but bolted for the head job at Iowa State before this year. So the 2007 year was finally Akina's year. He's been less than stellar.
The defense is ranked 88th nationally against the pass. What is worse, a team once predicated defensively on creating turnovers has shown a glaring inability to force mistakes from opposing offenses. At one point this season, Texas had gone 10 quarters without forcing any turnovers. The Longhorns loss to Oklahoma can be attributed in part to the fact that OU made Texas cough it up, while the UT defense couldn't force the Sooners to put the ball on the ground.
As Texas Tech heads into Austin this weekend, there are many folks, myself included, worried about the UT defense against the Red Raiders #1 ranked passing attack. In years past, Texas has been able to offset the Tech video game offense with team speed - getting to the quarterback and forcing bad throws or decsisions which lead to turnovers. Texas has not shown the ability to do so this year - if the Horns can't force turnovers against Central Arkansas, what makes them think they can force Tech QB Graham Harrell into hurried passes?
Pundits point out that Missouri and Colorado were able to slow down the Texas Tech pass attack, and few would argue that the athletes in Columbia and Boulder don't match up with the boys in Austin. Hence the pressure on Duan Akina. To be a top coordinator at one of the premier football schools in the country means having the ability to draw up game plans allowing for you to beat the teams you should. If Akina can't find a way to turn the inconsistent D around, you can expect some upset Longhorns come Saturday night, and some Red Raiders may be rubbing my previous post in my face...
http://www.sportswithandy.com/2007/10/whats-wrong-with-texas-tech.html
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