What we can learn from 38 seconds of Texas scrimmage highlights

In addition to what Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian said about the first scrimmage of preseason camp and a few more clips shared in the scrimmage analysis collaboration between On Texas Football and Longhorn Network, the school released 38 seconds worth of video on Monday.

Here are some takeaways:

• In the zero-sum nature of intrasquad scrimmages, plays that classify as positive for the offense and the defense are rare, but that’s the case for the first clip, a contested catch by wide receiver Cam Coleman down the sideline against excellent coverage from safety Jonah Williams, who makes it difficult on the Auburn transfer, but ultimately can’t break up the play.

• Nickel back Wardell Mack makes an impressive form tackle against wide receiver Emmett Mosley to negate any yards after the catch. The tackling ability of the third-year defensive back may end up benefiting Texas more on special teams than on defense because Mack is competing for the backup job behind Graceson Littleton with Xavier Filsaime, who is taking reps in the nickel back after starting his career at safety.
• The next clip shows Littleton and linebacker Kosi Okpala arriving at the ball carrier, running back Derrek Cooper at or around the line of scrimmage. It’s something that Okpala did well during the spring-ending open practice, so there’s growing evidence of Okpala getting downhill successfully and finishing plays. Also of note is the presence of tight end Michael Masunas, the projected starter, playing with a third-team running back and third-team wide receiver Jermaine Bishop.
• On another run by Cooper, he’s brought down by defensive tackle Josiah Sharma with some help from defensive tackle Myron Charles as both players compete for a spot in the interior defensive line rotation. Sharma is trending in that direction after losing 20 pounds during what fellow defensive tackle Hero Kanu called a “phenomenal offseason.” “That’s a big mover,” Kanu said. “That’s what we say — we call him the Dancing Bear, because you’re this big, but you’ve got such athleticism. It’s unbelievable.”
• In a number of brief clips, Bishop has a catch working over the middle against cornerback Bo Mascoe, Cooper finds some space on the outside working behind a block from Masunas against cornerback Kade Phillips, and wide receiver Sterling Berkhalter opens up a running lane for running back Raleek Brown. The positives? The perimeter blocking, where Masunas should be a real force, and the burst of Brown through the hole — there’s plenty of film of Brown’s explosiveness at Arizona State last year, but it hits differently in burnt orange and white. The big negative? The ability of Phillips to beat blocks, an area to watch for the potential starter.
• Similar looks at the red-zone interception by Williams posted on Sunday.
• Walk-on quarterback Luke Dunham shows up with a touchdown catch against walk-on defensive back McCoy Bruce playing wide receiver, a position change that isn’t particularly surprising since quarterback reps are at a premium with four scholarship players.
• Wide receiver Kohan Brown, who has drawn more buzz than expected in preseason camp, makes a touchdown catch from quarterback Dia Bell that beats cornerback Hayward Howard Jr. with safety Jordon Johnson-Rubell arriving late. Once again, Masunas is on the field with third-team players.
• Brown catches a touchdown working over the middle against linebacker Darius Snow. When Sarkisian can scheme up matchups like that, Brown can make a huge impact in the passing game, bolstered by his experiencing playing wide receiver at USC.
• A look at the 75-yard interception return for a touchdown by Littleton shows his knee hitting the ground as he secures the football — in a game, it probably would have been blown dead immediately and certainly would not have been upheld on review.
• Based on the combination of footage from the scrimmage analysis and the video posted on Monday, the long touchdown catch by Ryan Wingo looks like a coverage bust — he was well behind the defense with Mack the closest defender, though it’s difficult to determine whether he was at fault for the bust. This is probably the most disappointing play for the defense, albeit mitigated by the fact that Mack could be a third-team player this year.