Texas Football: 3 players struggling mightily before Big 12 play

DeMarvion Overshown, LB

Very few players on the defensive side of the ball for the Longhorns so far this fall have been placed in a tougher spot with more responsibility than senior linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. As one of two linebackers that is expected to cover the field in run defense, the pass rush, and pass coverage, Overshown has to do just about everything for Texas.

The problem that Overshown faced thus far is that he gets overwhelmed since the defensive line doesn’t really do their job at times. Overshown is not the biggest linebacker in the world, hence he can get pushed around when opposing linemen and bigger tight ends reach the second and third levels of the defense in run blocking.

Overshown also has to make up for occasional misreads and missed tackles so far from fellow starting linebacker Luke Brockermeyer.

We saw in the win over Louisiana in the opener that this linebacker duo of Overshown and Brockermeyer has a lot of potential in Kwiatkowski’s defense. And I still buy into what this duo brings for the table for the Longhorns.

There are still areas where Overshown needs to make significant strides this fall.

Overshown needs to improve in pass coverage when he drops back into assignments. He’s allowed five completions on five balls thrown his way in pass coverage, good for 59 yards (52 of them after the catch). Overshown also has five missed tackles thus far, tied for a team-high.

This season will not be perfect for Overshown with another defensive scheme he has to learn and an inconsistent start. But Overshown is one of the most talented and versatile players on this Texas defense. He will respond and needs to come up big for Texas to thrive in Big 12 play.