How Texas Attacked Defenses Through the Air in 2024
Texas blends creativity with core principles in the passing game. While Coach Sarkisian is widely known for being on the cutting edge offensively, the Longhorns still rely on a foundation of classic concepts to consistently beat coverage. Like most elite offenses, they don’t try to reinvent the wheel on every snap, they just execute at a high level and layer their looks with formation, motion, and timing.
In this article, we’ll break down Texas’ best downfield concepts from the 2024 season, focusing on the routes, structures, and coverages they’re built to attack.
Disclaimer: I’m a defensive guy by trade. So if I name things a little different (or not at all), don’t shoot the messenger. Just keep your eyes on the structure.
Deep Curls
Against Arkansas’ 3-high structure, Texas leaned on this deep curl concept to attack the soft spots between the zones. On this rep, the Longhorns work their curl, or stop, routes to a depth of 14–16 yards, sitting down well behind the hook droppers and underneath coverage. This isn’t a “choice” or “option” route, the receivers aren’t reading leverage post-snap. It’s a pure landmark throw designed to stretch zone defenders vertically. Play action helps create even more space, holding linebackers and delaying any underneath support. Classic way to stress a defense playing with depth but not enough width.
Flooded Concepts
Texas leans into a traditional flooded concept here, but with an untraditional twist, layering routes to one side of the field to attack Cover 3. While it’s textbook in structure, the Longhorns dress it up with motion and play action to stress the zone integrity post-snap. The intermediate crosser functions as the high read in the flood, working behind the flat route and underneath a vertical stressor, effectively creating the classic three-level stretch. The flat defender is put in immediate conflict, take the flat and give up the deep crosser, or sink and leave the flat wide open. If the safety works to take the crosser, it exposes the post. When the linebacker opens to run with the crosser, he’s leveraged and late. It’s a perfect example of using a classic concept to manipulate modern zone structures.
Texas ran the exact same concept against Georgia, a much stiffer test defensively, and still got the result they wanted. The Bulldogs’ flat defender tries to cheat the intermediate window, recognizing the route development and peeling off to cover the crosser. But even with better anticipation and range, he can’t get there in time. That’s the power of the concept: it creates horizontal and vertical stress faster than zone defenders can react, especially when paired with play action that freezes defenders for a split second.
Against Arizona State, Texas saw a different wrinkle, the safety jumped the crosser, likely as part of a coverage variation designed to take away that intermediate window. No problem. Ewers simply worked the flood progression and hit the flat route for a clean gain. That’s the beauty of the concept: when defenders stay back to handle the deeper route, the flat becomes an easy outlet. It’s not flashy, but it’s efficient, and it keeps the offense ahead of the sticks.