Takeaways: Red Raider offense wants to speed things up

"We want to get it snapped above 30 seconds on the clock. That's kind of our goal. Now, we just kind of get up and get lined up and go as fast as we possibly can. Whenever it does hit or whatever number hits we kind of live with it but we're shooting for 30."

That was Alan Bowman addressing the speed of this offensive coordinator David Yost offense. Both, and even offensive tackle Casey Verhulst, addressed the media following practice on Tuesday. Here's how the entire session played out.

Bowman continued to speak about this offense's speed that ultimately ended up in 95 plays on offense with 691 total yards.

Bowman added he feels as though this 11 personnel unit can operate even faster.

"I think it was fast enough but I still think we can go faster for sure," Bowman said. "It was week one so I definitely feel like we can go faster."

Bowman mentioned the offensive tempo not only benefits them but the defense, which makes the Jordyn Brooks and Broderick Washington side of things one of the most prepared defenses in the country.

The alignment speed on defense allowed the Keith Patterson coached bunch to better its communication and take advantage of breaks between action.

For him, the old staff's style and Yost's is about the same in terms of screens thrown per game but is a little more Run-Pass-Option oriented than previously.

The UTEP Miners are loading the buses for a Saturday night game against the Red Raiders. Bowman said the Miners present a five defensive back scheme that adds to the excitement and how much fun it will be to play against that coverage.

Coach Yost provided Red Raider fans with a new look on the sideline – no offensive coordinator on the field. Yost is perched up in the coaches box calling the plays to Bowman and making adjustments from the bird's eye view. His takes...

Yost on the tempo of the offense:

"It was on the verge. When we went fast, tempo-wise, we were pretty good. We were averaging about 28 seconds on the clock when we snapped it, that's kind of on the low side of what we want but it's not far off. Normally, 29 is the highest so it's within a second of everything. We pointed out some things where we let the official get out of the way more than we needed to or we let the guys be set a little too long. There was multiple times that Montana State would not be in their stance and get their hand down before we could snap it where we could snap it with their hand up but we were close."

Yost went on and said the biggest thing with this offense is getting aligned and set fast and actually not snapping the ball. He said they subbed at a little higher rate than what he's used to doing.

Yost added that they'll need every guy to run one or two more plays in a row to tap out their opponent. With this implemented those 13-14 play drives go down to 9-10 plays, weakening the opposing team's defense.

For Bowman, he graded out at a 91-percent on the game, which is a "championship level" in the coaches eyes. Yost said that translates to he did the right things to win and showed them he can lead the offense. "It's enough to win games for us."

Yost talked about SaRodorick Thompson, Ta'Zhawn Henry and Armand Shyne each having a hand on the ground game. That takes pressure off of Bowman but also cuts back on the distance on third downs in reference to the yards to gain category.

"We had like 11 3rd-and-6 or less ... Having a lot of really positive third down situations. That helps because basically every time we ran the ball it guaranteed we'd get about four or five at least."

Going forward it will be whoever has the best practice and performs well that dictates who gets the bulk of the carries in a game.

Moving forward, Yost said the 3-3-5 defense UTEP uses is something that Big 12 member Iowa State presents, which helps them in the long run to see it early.

He added that they'll be blitzed from every side but will have to also deal with six guys waiting for the run in the box and then the five cover guys.

Verhulst got the start at right tackle on the day with Terence Steele remaining out of game action this past week. Verhulst said the nerves were very apparent until he looked over to his left and saw Jack Anderson, knowing he wasn't alone on the field and could rely on Anderson's tips and help in his first start as a Red Raider.

Verhulst said he found out he would get his first start probably on Monday of last week, which was a surprise for his family, especially with his mom.

"I told my mom and she freaked out," he said. "I mean, goodness gracious, Facebook, Instagram, you name it and she put it on social media. The whole nine yards."

You won't get much inside scoop by following his mother. Instead you'll get, 'oh my gosh, my baby is amazing," or stuff like that, "I love 68.' Don't expect any kind of info related to football."

Verhulst turned his attention back to football and said the tempo of the offense is something they're progressing each day.

His favorite part of game day was seeing his opponent, Montana State, start tapping out – something the offense will pounce on.

Zach Adams did get to see some snaps on Saturday though and Verhulst said he saw it shaping up. He said he wasn't caught off guard with the switch because he knows they need to get each guy reps.

"It sounds cliche but it's the next man up," Verhulst said on knowing about his first start.

Verhulst said he learned that the game of college football actually takes a step back in speed when you're in the action.

He added that his nervousness was settled once he got the first drive under his belt.

"I learned that college football slows down when you start playing," Verhulst said. "Going back to those nerves that I had, once I got through that first drive, I learned that it's only as bad as you make it and if you're playing hard the game's going to respond in a positive way for you."