40 Acres Sports

Don't let Jeremy Maclin beat you

Another week, another tough opponent for the Longhorns. This week it’s [tag]Missouri[/tag] and their Heisman candidate quarterback Chase Daniel in a national primetime game on ABC. The Texas defense will be trying to slow down the Tigers’ offense while [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and the offense attempt to continue to put up huge numbers on the scoreboard.

Read on below to see what the keys are for the Longhorns to come out on top:

1. Use Missouri’s wide splits against them.

ESPN was useful for the first time in years when they posted a video breakdown of how Oklahoma State’s defense slowed down the Mizzou offense. The defensive end instead of trying to get outside simply takes advantage of the wide splits and speeds right at the quarterback while the defensive tackle twists outside to provide contain pressure. The Missouri offensive coaches better either have come up with a counter for that or change strategy completely because if they don’t [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] and [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] are going to blow things up all game long.

2. Don’t let Jeremy Maclin change momentum with a kick return.

Last week against [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] the Longhorns were down by 11 when a big [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] kickoff return for a score completely flipped the game’s score and momentum. Texas can’t let Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin do the same thing in this game. Texas needs punter [tag]John Gold[/tag] and kickoff specialist [tag]Justin Tucker[/tag] to either kick it away from Maclin or put it high enough and deep enough that the coverage teams can do their job.

3. Continue developing third receiving option.

Last week Shipley and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] together absolutely torched the OU defense but at some point this year the Horns will face a team with cornerbacks who can man up against those guys. The team needs to find another option Colt McCoy can rely on. Sophomore [tag]Brandon Collins[/tag] caught three passes against the Sooners and may be becoming that guy. Now that the Texas offense will be using more four wide receiver sets both Collins and [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] will get their chances and need to step up.

Former Texas running back [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] may get his first NFL start this Sunday for the Kansas City Chiefs when they face off against the Tennessee Titans. The Chiefs have suspended Pro Bowl RB Larry Johnson after being charged with assault earlier in the week for a February incident in which he allegedly shoved a woman at a nightclub. Either Charles or Kolby Smith will get the start in his place.

Officially, Johnson was “deactivated” and not suspended by the team:

Running back Larry Johnson will not be active this week when the Chiefs meet the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. Johnson has not been “suspended,” head coach Herm Edwards said today, and his deactivation is not related in any way to Johnson’s pending court case. He won’t be active for the game because “he broke team rules and the consequences are he won’t play this weekend,” Edwards made clear.

“Larry Johnson is not suspended,” Edwards said, “for if you know suspension he can’t be at the facility and he can’t practice. Larry practiced yesterday, he practiced today.” Edwards said Johnson will return to the field next week.

Charles hasn’t gotten a ton of carries this season (21 for 98 yards) but he is averaging a healthy 4.7 yards per carry and has also caught 12 passes for 68 yards. Possibly getting your first start (and for sure getting a bunch of carries) against a tough Titans’ defense isn’t ideal, but it is a good chance for Jamaal to show he should be getting more than six touches per game. The Titans and Chiefs play Sunday at noon on CBS, but the game is not being shown on TV in this area.

The University of Texas faces the Missouri Tigers Saturday night in primetime on ABC. ESPN Gameday will be in town for the first big game in the new and improved DKR. The Longhorns are ranked at number one in the nation after their upset win last week in Dallas. Everybody knows the Colt McCoys and the Brian Orakpos, but football games usually come down to the play of few unsung players. Here is five, technically six, to look for this Saturday.

[tag]Brandon Collins[/tag]

The Longhorn offense is still searching for a third option in the receiving game. Against the Sooners Collins made a few plays and looked like a good option out of the slot. The sophomore ended his day with three catches, which was the most by a receiver not named [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] or [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag]. With Texas moving into more four receiver sets Collins’ role should increase as defenses adjust to Shipley playing in the tight split. Yes Texas is 6-0, and yes they’re number one in the nation, but this offense will not achieve maximum production until a third receiver surfaces. People have been waiting for freshman [tag]Dan Buckner[/tag] and [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] to be that guy, but it seems like that will not happen this year. It is easier for smaller, slot receiver types like Collins and [tag]James Kirkendoll[/tag] to earn a quarterback’s trust mid-season. Last week Cosby proved he can get deep. One of the slot guys needs to step up and take heat off the top two guys.

[tag]Peter Ullman[/tag]

Don’t watch what he does, watch what he doesn’t do. Last weekend, for the first time this season UT’s base offense was four receivers and a running back. The tight end position was all but eliminated from the game plan save for jumbo package situations. It will be very telling for this team’s game plan going forward in the year if Greg Davis’ offense comes out running this formation for the majority of the snaps. Ever since the injury to [tag]Blaine Irby[/tag] earlier in the year, the offense has searched for a way to attack the middle in the passing game. Injuries and a lack of production from the reserve tight ends caused the staff to search for a new way. They found it last week in Jordan Shipley. If you see a lot of number 86 on Saturday (that is Ullman’s jersey number), we’ll know the formation had more to do with match ups than philosophy. But if Ullman and back up [tag]Greg Smith[/tag] are only seen near the goal line, everybody will know the Horns have a new base offense.

[tag]Henry Melton[/tag]

The front four of the Texas defense is playing at a different level, and so far most of the attention, rightfully so, has gone to [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] and [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]. Quietly Melton, the senior starter and former running back, is having a very solid year. He is not going to wow anybody with his pass rushing ability, but he plays hard at the point of the attack and has shown the ability to chase down and make a play on a scrambling quarterback. As Orakpo continues his All-American play more and more focus will be shifted to his side in terms of running back and tight end help. Coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] has used Kindle as his pass rushing specialist opposite Orakpo, but does not like to leave the speedy linebacker on the line on downs when a pass is not certain. That duty goes to Melton, and if he can add more pressure from his position on first and second down there is nothing this defense can not accomplish.

[tag]Aaron Williams[/tag]

The true freshman from Round Rock McNeil high school has been outstanding. Last week in the Oklahoma game senior starting cornerback [tag]Ryan Palmer[/tag] went down with a hamstring injury. Williams was the first guy off the bench. With Williams in the game UT’s secondary was playing three freshman out of a five man secondary against one of the best passing offenses in the nation. The group played well, only allowing seven points after the 10 minute mark of the third quarter. This week’s game sees another top passing offense on the other side of the field, and with Palmer’s status in doubt the secondary may get to play a whole game with three freshmen (two true freshmen) in the secondary of a number one ranked team. [tag]Deon Beasley[/tag] will likely get the start if Palmer can’t go, but Texas has relied on a five defensive back for most of the snaps. It seems clear that Williams has passed up sophomore [tag]Curtis Brown[/tag] for now, so a serious amount on snaps will likely go to Williams even if Palmer can go. A hamstring injury lingers and many times a player can start but have a hard time finishing ballgames. The colder weather expected for the game can’t help.

[tag]John Gold[/tag] and [tag]Justin Tucker[/tag]

Don’t kick it to Jeremy Maclin. Please don’t kick it to Jeremy Maclin. There are only a few ways Missouri can pull the upset. One of them is big plays in the return game. Last week the Longhorns proved that points on special teams can turn a game around, and if Maclin takes one back early in this game it could be the spark that lights the fuse for Missouri’s upset. The loss for the Tigers last week against [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] has made people forget how good this Missouri team can be. Two weeks ago outsiders favored Missouri. This all changed because of one win and one loss. Texas won last week because of the kicking game and turnovers. The Longhorns could easily lose this one because of the same things if Gold or Tucker punts to Maclin through out the game. There is an argument to just kick it deep and rely on your coverage, but why chance it? I’d put my faith in Will Muschamp and the defense over the kick coverage every game. What about you?

Not sure any weekend will be able to top the match-ups we saw on Saturday, but there are plenty of good games to watch tomorrow. You get to start your day off with an early SEC battle with #22 Vanderbilt playing at #10 Georgia. Then you get a nice afternoon game with #16 Kansas playing at #4 Oklahoma. After that I suggest you take a quick nap and then it will be time for #1 Texas to take on #11 Mizzou in the marquee match-up of the day. Gameday will be in Austin, as will I.

Let’s take a look at the rest of the big games. FYI, I went 3-1 last weekend against the spread (for around the 5th straight weekend). Hopefully some of you are making some money with me.

#22 Vanderbilt at #10 Georgia (-15) – 12:30 PM EST on ESPN Gameplan. How will Vanderbilt respond to their first loss of the season? I’ll tell you how, they will get destroyed by Georgia in Athens. Let’s just take a quick look at the numbers here. Georgia is averaging 440 yards in total offense and Vanderbilt is only averaging 262.5 yards. Georgia is averaging 280.8 yards passing and Vanderbilt is only averaging 102.7 yards. This has blow-out written all over it.

#16 Kansas at #4 Oklahoma (-20) – 3:30 PM EST on ABC. Talk about a line jump, this game was set to open at 14 and was immediately bumped up to 20. Seems like a big number to me. Oklahoma’s best defensive player Ryan Reynolds is out for the season and their defense is fresh off allowing 438 yards to Texas. Kansas’ 7th ranked passing offense should keep them in the game. I don’t expect Kansas to win, but I think they can hang in there and not lose by 3 touchdowns.

#12 Ohio State at #20 Michigan State (+3.5) – 3:30 PM EST on ABC. I guess you won’t really be able to watch this game since the OU game will be on, but this one could get interesting. Ohio State should be on high upset alert as Michigan State has been on a roll winning their last 6 games. You may know by now I am a big advocate of the run game, and that is where Michigan State excels with Javon Ringer already racking up over 1100 yards. And just so you know since Pryor took over the quarterback duties from Boeckman, the Buckeyes have had the 10th worst passing offense averaging 128 yards per game. I am liking Michigan State here, money-line.

#11 Missouri at #1 Texas (-5) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. I remember reading Hornfans last week and noticing most people seemed pretty level headed in that it would take a great game to beat OU. Now if you read Hornfans you will see a lot of people talking about how we will dominate Mizzou and how we will be all over Chase Daniel, etc, etc. This scares me a little. Missouri is a tough team and they don’t average 555 yards (383 yards passing) for nothing. And then you have the fact that Texas just gave up 5 passing touchdowns and you can see where my concern is. With all of that said I think Texas will be up for this game and ready to defend their #1 ranking. Home field advantage is the key here.

Can the Longhorns stop Missouri's Chase Daniel?

It could have been a match-up of top three teams but Missouri’s loss to [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] takes just a little away from this Saturday’s game between the Longhorns and Tigers. With the Horns now the number one team in the country every game is huge so the atmosphere for a night game at DKR should still be incredible. ESPN’s College Gameday will be present once again as the Longhorns try to keep another dynamic offense from scoring as many points as [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] can muster.

When Texas has the ball

Texas’ offense looked great last week against a solid [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] defense. The offense found a running game in the second half, they proved the wide receivers could get deep in one-on-one coverage, and coordinator [tag]Greg Davis[/tag] showed an ability to make adjustments and exploit a defense’s weakness. All of these things had not been proven heading into last week’s game.

Missouri’s defense has not looked so good. They probably played their best game last week in the loss to Oklahoma State. The Tiger defense struggles in pass coverage, so expect Colt McCoy, [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag], and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] to have another big day. The Longhorn offenses wants to find a third receiver, but at this point any production outside of Shipley and Cosby will be considered a bonus. Texas will be able to move the ball against Missouri, but the Horns must capitalize inside the red-zone with touchdowns not field goals.

The offensive line is playing great and should have a physical advantage across the board on Saturday night. McCoy helps the big guys out by buying time in the pocket. If McCoy can break contain and put Mizzou’s linebackers in awkward spots Texas will move the ball with ease. The Tigers must force McCoy to stay in the pocket and make mistakes to have any chance.

The running game has come alive the past two games because of senior [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag]. His name has been typed so much the past two weeks that sports writers can finally spell it without referring to the media guide each time. At this point it appears Fozzy Whittaker will not be a factor this year. His knee injuries have only allowed him to play in one game, and I don’t expect the coaches to give the redshirt freshman many carries in big games moving forward. The ball will be in Ogbonnaya’s hands a lot in the running and passing game, but the key may be the short yardage play of [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag]. If the big guy can continue his success there is not much defenses can do against this team.

Like last week, Texas faces another high powered offense with the ability to score quickly and frequently. It will be up to McCoy’s offense to put points on the board, and to take time off the clock. Last week Texas was brilliant in this regard. The offense picked up third down conversions when they needed to and stuck with the running game even when it appeared they had no chance to make plays. This effort wore down the Oklahoma defense and got Sam Bradford and the Sooner offense out of rhythm. Texas outscored OU 25-7 in the last quarter and a half last week and will need that type of effort again to come out with a victory.

When Missouri has the ball

Missouri may be the best offense this Texas defense has to face this year. Quarterback Chase Daniel is a Texas native and has expressed his interest on many occasions to prove he should have been recruited harder by the Longhorn staff. Daniel isn’t the most dangerous player on Mizzou’s team however, that honor goes to red-shirt sophomore Jeremy Maclin. Maclin can do it all, he catches, he runs, and he is deadly in returns. It will be interesting to see what coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] comes up with to defense Maclin. If cornerback [tag]Ryan Palmer[/tag] isn’t healthy I’d suspect Texas shadows Maclin with a safety over the top. If Palmer can go, look for the senior to get matched up on Maclin for most of the game. Both guys are small and quick and would provide a great match up on the outside. Missouri does a good job of moving Maclin around; Texas’ most important job pre-snap will be to identify the dangerous Maclin.

The Tiger offense creates big plays, but they don’t necessarily do it through deep passes. Daniel likes to get the ball out quickly underneath and let his playmakers make plays with their feet. Texas’ best weapon on defense is their pass rush, led by [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] and super freak [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]. Missouri will look to throw a lot of screens. The screen game was effective against Texas in their last two games because of the Horns eagerness to get to the quarterback. Unlike McCoy, Daniel is not a great quarterback if he is forced to move around and create plays. It will be up to the front four to provide that pressure for Texas’ defense because the linebackers will need to be used to stop the short passing game.

Texas faced a great tight end last week, and will face another one this week. Missouri’s Chase Coffman is one of the best in the nation. [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] was in coverage for most of the second half against OU’s Gresham, if Coffman has early success Muschamp will go back to this strategy. But Texas must be careful to not forget about the running game. UT’s defense has been great against the run. They face a decent back this weekend in Derrick Washington. Washington leads the nation in scoring. He is a powerful back that has the ability to make big runs if he can get to the second level with a full head of steam.

Missouri’s offensive line uses big splits, like Texas Tech, to provide more time and space for their quick passing game. Last week, Oklahoma State tried to go inside the tackles in order to force Daniel to scramble. Texas would like to get conventional pressure from the corner, but may use this strategy if no pressure is being made. I’d expect a lot of three defensive end looks, or a 3-3-5 look with Kindle playing linebacker or defensive end depending on the circumstances. If Texas can put pressure on Missouri and keep everything in front of them it has a chance to be a great night for the Horns.

Good interview up on Dan Patrick’s site with Dan and [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]. Colt talks about beating OU, being on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and of course the SI cover jinx. Click play to listen to the eight minute interview below:

Great video analysis from ESPN of what [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] did defensively last Saturday in their upset win over [tag]Missouri[/tag]. They look at how the defensive line did such a good job getting pressure on quarterback Chase Daniel and at how the OSU secondary took away Daniel’s options if he did have time. Watch:

With the athleticism of the Texas defensive tackles a similar strategy would be effective at getting to Daniel both up the middle and around the edge. It will be interesting to see what wrinkles Texas defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] will use to shut down Mizzou’s high powered offense and if their coaches have any answers now that a team has them “figured out”. We’ll find out Saturday at 7pm.

Roy Williams is the newest Dallas Cowboy

Former Texas Longhorns wide receiver [tag]Roy Williams[/tag] was traded just before today’s NFL trading deadline from the woeful Detroit Lions to the Dallas Cowboys. Williams is in a contract year and had been pretty vocal about wanting a new contract and not being happy in Detroit. To get Williams the Cowboys gave up their first-round pick, third-round pick, and a sixth-round pick in the 2009 draft. In addition to Williams, Dallas also gets a seventh-round pick in the same draft.

Roy will be the number two receiver for the Cowboys and will prevent most teams from double teaming Terrell Owens, or else risk being burned by the dynamic Williams. At only 26 he also gives the Cowboys a number one caliber player when Owens is no longer one of the league’s top players.

He has elite talent but so far this season had caught only 17 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown from two different awful Lions’ quarterbacks. Getting out of the bad situation he was in in Detroit will hopefully give him a fresh start and renewed energy for the game. New focus and a much better guy throwing him the ball (at least when Tony Romo returns) could mean a good finish to this season and even bigger things for Williams in the future. This could be the perfect scenario for Williams and his fans.

Also: Listen to Roy discuss being traded to the Cowboys.

Ricky Williams had his first TD of 2008

Slow week for former Longhorns in the NFL with many players on byes and several injuries as well. San Diego cornerback [tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] and Miami running back [tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] had the best games of the weekend. Find out how the rest of the former Horns active this week performed below:

[tag]Tarell Brown[/tag] – The forgotten member of the 2005 championship secondary has found a place as the nickel back in San Francisco. Tarell had two tackles and a pass breakup this weekend versus Philadelphia.

[tag]Cedric Benson[/tag] – Benson had a slow game in his second game back in the league, only carrying the ball four times for six yards. He appears to be the most talented back in the Bengals backfield, but until he learns the playbook the snaps will be limited.

[tag]Justin Blalock[/tag] – His Falcons continue to win, this time on a late second field goal against the Chicago Bears. Blalock and his fellow lineman have protected rookie Matt Ryan and opened holes for Michael Turner consistently this year. The combination of Blalock and rookie left tackle Sam Baker makes the Falcons left side of the line one of the better young groups in the league.

[tag]Tim Crowder[/tag] – Crowder recorded no stats against Jacksonville.

[tag]Leonard Davis[/tag] – The Cowboys and their running game continue to struggle. Davis had a personal foul penalty at the end of the loss against the Cardinals. The offensive line must play better for the Cowboys to win and Davis is a huge part of that.

[tag]Phil Dawson[/tag] – Dawson went two for three on field goals with a long of 28 and three for three on extra points in the Cleveland win Monday night.

[tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] – Did not play this week for Packers.

[tag]Cedric Griffin[/tag] – The corner recorded seven tackles in the ugly win against Detroit. The Vikings secondary played well, not allowing the Lions to record a touchdown.

[tag]Michael Huff[/tag] – Huff’s Oakland secondary was torched by Drew Brees this weekend. The former Thorpe Award winner had three tackles on a day he’d like to forget.

[tag]Quentin Jammer[/tag] – Jammer had a huge day in the Charger win over the Patriots. He recoded three tackles, an interception, and five pass defended while matched up most of the night against Randy Moss. Jammer has come on in the past few years becoming one of the more physical corners in the league.

[tag]Brian Robison[/tag] – Robison didn’t record any stats in the Viking win over the Lions but he did get on the field on a good number of snaps.

[tag]Shaun Rogers[/tag] – Rogers had his best game of his young Browns career on Monday night. He only recorded two tackles but clogged up the middle and applied pressure on Eli Manning all night.

[tag]Lyle Sendlein[/tag] – Sendlein has found himself starting at center this year for the Arizona Cardinals. He had a decent day matched up against Cowboy nose tackle Jay Ratliff. His Cardinals pulled the upset in overtime on a blocked punt.

[tag]David Thomas[/tag] – Thomas caught his first ball since week three. The catch went for 13 yards.

[tag]Nathan Vasher[/tag] – Vasher missed another game with an injury.

[tag]Ricky Williams[/tag] – Ricky Williams found the end zone for the first time this year on Sunday against the Texans. Ronnie Brown has taken over the number one running back spot, but Ricky has found a niche in the offense and should continue to get 10 plus carries a game. He finished the game with 11 carries for 46 yards and two receptions.

[tag]Roy Williams[/tag] – Roy Williams and the Lions had a horrid offensive game against the Vikings. Williams had two receptions for only 23 yards. This has been a very disappointing season for Roy and the recent talk may have him being traded before the season is over.

[tag]Selvin Young[/tag] – Selvin didn’t play this week for the Broncos. It is hard to know if it was actually for injury or due to play on the field.

The Rocky Mountain News’ weekly Heisman poll has been going strong for over 20 years and is one of the most accurate predictors of the winner of the award out there. In this week’s poll Texas quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] has vaulted to the top of their list. Nine out of the ten sportswriters voting put McCoy in the number one spot, giving him a comfortable lead over [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] QB Sam Bradford

Check out the top five in the Heisman Trophy poll below: