None of Texas’ wins against [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] the last few years have come easily and that isn’t likely to change today. This team showed last week it could come back from a big deficit and win, but hopefully they don’t have to keep doing that. I wouldn’t mind jumping out to an early 17-point lead like last year, that might be the only way I’m not a nervous wreck this afternoon.
Here are three keys to a Texas victory against the Cowboys:
1. Find a way to run the football
Oklahoma State isn’t a terrible football team but they’re not a good one either. This is a team that’s giving up an average of nearly 26 points per game and gave up 41 in an early season loss to Troy. The Longhorns won against Nebraska because they suddenly rediscovered the zone read, against the Cowboys they’ll have to try that and a bunch more because they can’t win if they can’t run the ball. [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] showed what he can do when he’s feeling it, let’s hope he can stay on a roll, find a few holes, and make some more big plays this week.
2. Beat the blitz
Texas got lucky last week. The Cornhuskers blitzed often and with tons of success against the Longhorns for the first three quarters. Quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] didn’t have time to think let alone throw and that resulted in one of the worst performances in his career. Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy is 40 years old and claims his team won’t blitz like Nebraska did but I don’t buy it, they’d be stupid not to. McCoy and the Texas offense have to threaten the defense deep in order to open on the quick hot routes they’ll need to hit to beat the blitz. Of course if Charles rushes for nearly 300 yards again that would be nice as well.
3. Have a linebacker lead the team in tackles
The bad news: Sergio Kindle is out this week. The good news: the coaching staff appears to be noticing that the young, athletic linebackers can make more plays that the veteran group. Last week the team’s top three tacklers were all linebackers (when is the last time that happened?) and the defense needs to be led again by it’s linebackers against OSU and their option attack. If Marcus Griffin or another member of the Texas secondary is the game’s leading tackler that probably means OSU running back Dantrell Savage had a big day and the Horns are headed home to Austin as losers.
Prediction: Texas 35, Oklahoma State 31
reply to #1
Game Ball Award
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:35 pm
4. Dont throw the ball to the other team
reply to #2
Game Ball Award
November 3rd, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Brian, if it took an “early 17 point lead” to calm your nerves, you may want to go to the hospital treat your series of heart attacks lol. What a game!
reply to #3
Brian
November 4th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Trust me, I struggled to get through this one. Especially after that touchdown to end the first half. Ugh.
reply to #4
TestName
November 18th, 2007 at 7:55 pm
sfR6c1 Test myfunction comment