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The Texas Longhorns played their toughest game of the year last Saturday against [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] and the match-up between two top ten teams came down the last play. Texas had to fight all game long and needed big efforts from players all over the field to pull this one out. Check out this week’s top players below:

[tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]

Colt may indeed be human, but just barely. He made two big mistakes in the second half but overall considered his exceptional play at quarterback. Despite not having a running game and being under pressure from a solid OSU defensive line he still managed to complete 84% of his passes for a career high 391 yards.

[tag]Henry Melton[/tag]

After not playing much against pass-happy [tag]Missouri[/tag], Henry had an outstanding game this week. In addition to his nine total tackles he also had two huge sacks and a quarterback hurry for the Texas defense. He might have earned a few more snaps this week against [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] and their spread offense.

[tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag]

Like his roommate, Shipley also had a career day against the Cowboys. He continued to get open constantly for Colt when lined up in the slot and ended the afternoon with 15 catches for 168 yards.

The Texas defense bent (a lot) against [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] but held strong just when they needed to secure the win. In what may have been the most important play of the season so far they stuffed the OSU offense on fourth down on a critical fourth quarter drive. The defense sniffed out the wide receiver slip screen and defensive tackle [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag] tackled Dez Bryant as soon as he caught the ball, well short of the needed yardage.

That play is up against plays from [tag]Florida State[/tag], [tag]Georgia[/tag]. and probably the deserving winner from the [tag]Ohio State[/tag]/[tag]Penn State[/tag] game. That big hit and then fumble by Terrelle Pryor probably put Joe Pa in the title game.

Go to www.pontiac.com/ncaa and vote for the Horns. Be sure to click on “Rush” to see the ESPN guys talk at length after a good replay of [tag]Vince Young[/tag] running for 80 yards against Okie State back in the incredible 2005 game.

Roy Williams reps the Horns

Texas Ex and new Cowboy [tag]Roy Williams[/tag] is still learning the offense and not playing a ton, but in today’s Cowboys’ game against Tampa Bay he caught the game’s only touchdown with just two seconds remaining in the first half. Roy ran a fade and made a nice catch on a pass from backup QB Brad Johnson. In contrast to his teammate Terrell Owens, Roy celebrated by simply putting his right arm up and flashing the Hook ‘Em hand signal.

This is the same way both he and [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag] celebrated TDs while on campus so it’s great to see Roy still proud of being a Longhorn. He had his ups and downs in Detroit but he’s a great Longhorn and I’ll be rooting hard for the Cowboys as long as he’s on the team.

View the photo at left larger and also an alternate angle.

Update: Video of the play added. (via)

The new BCS standings are out and the Longhorns remain easily atop the list. A close game against [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] had no effect on either the human or computer polls that make up the rankings. Texas is number one in every computer poll and holds nearly every first place vote in both the Harris and USA Today Coaches poll.

All the team has to do is take care of business and it appears there’s no way any other team could jump them in the rankings. One indicator of how much both the humans and robots love the Longhorns are the rankings of both OSU and [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] even after losses to Texas. After the loss this weekend the Cowboys only fell one spot in the Harris Poll and two in the USA Today poll. This might mean the Horns could lose a game and still be around number three in the BCS. Let’s hope we don’t find out.

Check out the top ten in the latest BCS rankings below:

Related: View the full BCS rankings

It wasn’t the high scoring game most of us expected but the number one Texas Longhorns were able to hold off a valiant effort from number six Oklahoma State Cowboys yesterday. The Horns got in front early and stayed there but the game was tight through out and the team had to stop a hail mary attempt on the game’s final play to win.

Watch highlights and post game interviews below:

The Texas Longhorns are a near unanimous number one team in the country and they face a surprising Oklahoma State Cowboys team that is sitting at number six in the BCS standings. The teams will face off at 2:30pm today on ABC in one of the biggest games of the college football weekend. Will the Longhorns keep the train rolling and be one game closer to a national title shot? Find out what the editors of Bevo Sports think below:

Brian – Another top ten opponent for the Longhorns and probably another high scoring game. OSU might have the most balanced offense the Horns have faced all year and everybody of the defense will be tested. This will be a game where linebacker [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] will need to shine and he’s going to come up big. The Texas offense will continue to score in bunches and will get big days from two different running backs. This could be Fozzy Whittaker’s week to finally show he can break a big run. Texas 45 – Oklahoma State 31

Matt – Texas doesn’t get a break as they face another top ranked team for the 3rd straight week. Even though Texas has won 10 straight in this match-up, Oklahoma State has been a trouble spot for Texas in recent years, needing many a miracle 2nd half comeback to pull out the victory. I think this year Texas will jump out early at home and continue to apply pressure throughout the game. Zac Robinson can run, but the speed on the Texas defense should keep him under wraps. This one could be a shootout with both teams ranking in the top 5 in the nation, but the Texas defense will give them the win. Texas 58 – Oklahoma State 40

Mike – Oklahoma State provides a challenge this team hasn’t faced all year. For the first time a team is going to try and establish a running game against Will Muschamp’s defense. Texas’ front seven has been outstanding this year against the run and while some would say it is because their competition has consisted of pure passing teams, I think they are just that good. I see another game similar to the [tag]Missouri[/tag] game last week. I don’t think Texas pulls out to a 35-0 in the first half, but I do see them winning by at least 20 points. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and this offense has been on a roll and they are just going to get better with the emergence of [tag]Brandon Collins[/tag], [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag], and a healthy Fozzy Whittaker. Texas pulls away with a physical second half. Texas 52 – Oklahoma State 34

We’ve heard this before but that doesn’t mean it’s not great news: Texas quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] says he will return to Texas for his senior season. Of course, until press conferences announcing they were gone both [tag]Vince Young[/tag] and [tag]TJ Ford[/tag] were saying the exact same thing. There’s a long time and a lot that can happen before McCoy needs to make a final decision, but as a high school coach’s son Colt seems like the type of kid who will want to not only finish his education but leave Texas as a legend.

From the SportingNews.com:

There is not a high level of agreement among scouts about where Colt McCoy will ultimately fit into the NFL draft. As for the “when,” the Texas junior quarterback — a favorite to win the 2008 Heisman Trophy — made that clear this week, telling Sporting News, “I’m going to play here for four years.”

“I’ve been blessed to be able to play here,” McCoy said. “Not very many people get to (start) here for four years, so what an opportunity.”

While he has solid size and fantastic accuracy, McCoy lacks prototypical NFL arm strength. His play so far this season has gotten his name mentioned occasionally as a first round guy but he’s more likely a mid-rounder. NFL scouts fall in love with QBs with the huge arm and guys like Colt fall to teams not looking for immediate help at the position.

ESPN NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper thinks highly of his NFL prospects and agrees with Colt that he’s a similar player to NFL starters Tony Romo and Jake Delhomme:

Both Romo an Delhomme are great NFL players, but ironically neither was drafted high so the comparison is a little awkward. Maybe the success of guys like Romo and Tom Brady mean teams are more likely to take a quarterback based on skill, success, and intangibles and not just arm strength. Hopefully we won’t find out until 2010 with Colt.

In what has probably been his best coaching job at Texas, head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] has taken a team not many pundits were expecting much from and put them in the driver’s seat for a second national championship in four years. He’s recruited standout players, hired good coaches, and has the whole team playing incredible football this season. Even after winning the national title, somehow all the credit went to [tag]Vince Young[/tag] and none to Brown.

And now finally some much needed love is coming Mack’s way. Check out this article on SI.com and read an excerpt of the main points below:

But here’s the thing: Mack Brown IS the best college football coach in America. I’m not offering this up as an opinion. I don’t even see how anyone else has a case. I mean, let’s break this down here. What do you want a college football coach to do? I can think of six main things:

1. Win.

Brown has won more games this decade than any coach in the country. He is the only coach in America to win at least nine games every season for the last dozen years.

2. Win the big games.

Brown was the winning coach in the 2006 Rose Bowl — USC vs. Texas — perhaps the greatest college football game ever played. His Longhorns have beaten Stoops and Oklahoma three of the last four years. In the Longhorns last 25 games against Top 25 opponents, they are 21-4.

3. Go to bowl games and win them.

Brown has taken his teams — Texas and North Carolina — to 16 consecutive bowl games, and Texas has won four straight bowl games.

4. Make game adjustments.

Texas has made 21 fourth-quarter comebacks under Brown — the 21st came this year against Oklahoma.

5. Recruit talented players.

Nobody questions Brown’s recruiting genius — in fact, he derisively has been called “Mr. February” because some think he should win EVEN MORE with the amazing recruiting classes he signs.

6. Energize the fan base.

When Mack Brown took over at Texas, there were 39,743 season ticket holders. That was a record. Today, there are 83,000 season ticket holders. The school has added 20,000 seats to the stadium, and they are adding more. Celebrities are showing up more and more too. Just last week, Derek Jeter was on the sidelines of the Texas-Missouri game, perhaps in the hope that some of his credit rating would rub off on Mack Brown.

I’m sure if the Longhorns keep winning we’ll be seeing a lot more of these stories as the year goes on.

How far can Kevin Durant take the Thunder?

Last week, Texas quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and then avoided the jinx when he went out and walloped the Missouri Tigers. The NBA preview edition is out and on the one of the regional covers of the magazine is former Longhorn basketball star [tag]Kevin Durant[/tag].

No big article on Durant or the OKC Thunder but he is of course the main feature on the team preview. Another form Horn [tag]LaMarcus Aldridge[/tag] is also the focus of the Blazers’ preview, but of course the overrated Greg Oden gets an eight-page story. Whoever the real star is, the experts expect another big improvement this season for Portland.

Click on the thumbnail on the left to view a larger version.

Texas quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] has rocketed to the top of every Heisman poll and this week garnered every single first place vote in the poll of ESPN’s experts. But he also has at least one vote from someone that matters, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow:

Tebow, who could become the first player since Ohio State’s Archie Griffin in 1975 to win consecutive Heismans, said Monday that Texas quarterback Colt McCoy is his top choice right now.

“Being smart and just looking at guys who are having a good year, he obviously is someone to look at and would probably be my top guy I’d vote for right now,” Tebow said. “He’s playing extremely well and doing a great job leading his team and handles it with a lot of class, too.”

Like every other former winner, Tebow has a vote in the poll along with 870 media members. If the season ended today, it appears that Colt would receive a ton of first place votes and run away with the award.

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