Texas · SECTexas can add a sixth defensive back without giving up its four-man rush
Will Muschamp’s “Dime Rabbits” package trades Rasheem Biles for a third safety and leaves Texas with one linebacker behind four defensive linemen. That gives the Longhorns more speed when the down and distance point toward a pass, while putting a clear limit on when the group can safely appear.
AUG 22, 2026
Defensive backs on the field in the dime package
Defensive linemen in the 4-1-6 alignment
Mike or Mac linebacker in the package
01 · The NewsWhat Happened
Pack reports that Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp plans to use a dime package known as the “Dime Rabbits.” The group puts six defensive backs on the field in a 4-1-6 alignment. Four defensive linemen stay up front, while one Mike or Mac linebacker plays behind them. Texas removes Money linebacker Rasheem Biles and brings on a third safety. The secondary then includes three cornerbacks, counting the Star nickel, and three safeties. Pack and Ian describe the package as a passing-down call, with second-and-10 or longer and third-and-5 or longer among the situations where it could appear. The point is direct: put more speed on the field when Texas can focus on the pass.
02 · The StakesWhy This One Matters
Most dime packages ask the defense to solve one problem first. Can six defensive backs cover long enough for the rush to matter? Texas keeps four defensive linemen in this group, so Muschamp isn't sacrificing the front to get the extra defensive back. The trade comes behind it. Rasheem Biles leaves, and a third safety takes his place. That gives Texas more coverage bodies and less linebacker presence if the offense runs anyway. The package matters because it lets the Longhorns answer a spread formation with speed without changing the four-man rush. The cost is just as plain. A defense with one linebacker has to be right about the down, distance, and offensive intent.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
The name “Dime Rabbits” is more than a nickname buried in the package sheet. It tells you how Texas wants the group to feel: fast, active, and built to chase the quarterback’s answer after the offense shows pass. But the personnel call also gives an offense a possible test. If Texas puts a third safety on the field too early, the run becomes the immediate check. That makes the package less about living in dime and more about earning the right to call it. Second-and-10 is a different gamble from third-and-5. Muschamp has to know which one he’s holding.
“On second-and-10, the offense still has enough room to make Texas pay if it runs into the lighter box.”
The Wire Desk04 · The PersonnelWhat This Changes
Texas now has a way to treat passing downs as a speed contest without taking a defensive lineman off the field. That matters against an offense using four or five receivers, because the Longhorns can match the spread with three corners and three safeties while keeping four rushers in front of the quarterback. The trade is the Money linebacker. Rasheem Biles is the player removed when this package enters, and the defense is left with one Mike or Mac linebacker. On third-and-5 or longer, that may be a clean exchange. On second-and-10, the offense still has enough room to make Texas pay if it runs into the lighter box. The package gives Muschamp another call. It doesn't erase the choice that comes with it.
05 · The ChessboardWhat the Coaches Can Actually Change
Picture Texas in a 4-1-6 on third-and-5. Four defensive linemen are set, one linebacker sits behind them, and the secondary has three corners plus three safeties. Muschamp can keep the rush steady while the extra safety handles a coverage job that might otherwise fall to a linebacker. That is the likely use of the group. The pressure arrives before the snap, when the offense has to decide whether its personnel can run against one linebacker or protect long enough to throw into six defensive backs. If the offense stays committed to the pass, Texas has speed at every level behind the front. If it shifts the picture toward the run, the package becomes a down-and-distance gamble.
06 · The ThesisThe Pate State Read
The Dime Rabbits give Texas a useful passing-down tool because the trade is measured. Muschamp isn't asking the Longhorns to replace their four-man rush with a collection of defensive backs. He’s taking out one linebacker and adding one safety. That keeps the front recognizable while changing who handles the space behind it. The package is at its best when the offense has already paid for its earlier mistake and needs to throw. It gets shakier when Texas guesses wrong and the offense runs at a one-linebacker box. So the value won't come from how often the Dime Rabbits appear. It’ll come from whether they show up on the exact downs where Texas can force a pass. Watch whether the offense runs when Biles leaves the field.
07 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
When does Biles leave the field?
The first useful tell is the down and distance. If Texas waits for third-and-5 or longer, Muschamp is using the package as a clear pass call. Earlier appearances would show a bigger willingness to accept the run risk.
Can the four-man rush finish?
Six defensive backs only help if the front can pressure the quarterback without extra rushers. Watch whether Texas keeps the same four-man rush or has to add pressure from the secondary.
How does the offense answer the third safety?
A run call after Texas removes Biles would test the package immediately. If offenses keep throwing, the Dime Rabbits are getting the situation Muschamp built them for.