40 Acres Sports

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.

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.

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:

Points

Player	School	Last week
Colt McCoy, QB	Texas	28-for-35 passing, 277 yards, 2 TDs	49 (9)
Sam Bradford, QB	Oklahoma	28-for-39 passing, 387 yards, 5 TDs	24
Javon Ringer, RB	Michigan State	35 rushes, 124 yards, 2 TDs	21
Chase Daniel, QB	Missouri	39-for-52 passing, 390 yards, 1 TD	16 (1)
Tim Tebow, QB	Florida	14-for-21 passing 210 yards, 2 TDs	14

Wow, what a game. I must say that after [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] scored so quickly on their first two possessions, I thought we were going to get run out of the Cotton Bowl. Thankfully Jordan Shipley stepped up and Colt McCoy was able to keep the team calm. After that our defense made some big plays and Colt seemed to have full control of the game.

My favorite play of the game was easily the Quan Cosby block where he laid out #11. And my least favorite had to be the horrible penalty call when we supposedly “ran into” the punter. That punter has been watching too much soccer because that was some serious flopping.

So now Texas is 6-0 and #1 in the nation. No more relaxing, the target is on our backs. But enough of that, let’s see how each position fared against OU:

Quarterback – Overall Grade: A-

Even though [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]’s stats don’t really show he had a great game, I felt his leadership and calmness was the key to victory against OU. Colt finished with 28/35 passing, 277 yards, and 1 touchdown. The most important stat Colt put up Saturday was zero turnovers. Colt simply didn’t make any mistakes. Colt definitely put himself into the thick of the Heisman race with this victory, and I think it is about time. Sam Bradford may have had better numbers, but I would take Colt any day.

John Chiles actually got some early playing time, probably trying to catch OU off-guard, but it was to no avail. Chiles did absolutely nothing and continues to disappoint.

Running Backs – Overall Grade: A-

[tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] got the start again Saturday, and I think he proved why. He ended up with 127 yards on only 15 carries, including a long 62 yard run which sealed the game for Texas. And even though [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag] only got 3 carries, he made the most of them scoring touchdowns on each one. He has proved he is a great goal line runner, and he and Ogbonnaya are proving to be a lethal 1-2 punch. In our most important game of the year so far, [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] ended up with only 1 carry for -2 yards. I think it is safe to say the coaches know who to give the ball to now.

Wide Receivers – Overall Grade: A

I didn’t think Texas could win this game with only 2 receivers, but the combo of [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] was just too much for the Oklahoma secondary. Shipley seemed like he was open on every play and made some key first downs. He finished with 11 catches, 112 yards, and 1 touchdown. Cosby was all over the place too adding 9 catches and 122 yards. Cosby may be a little undersized, but he probably has some of the best hands in the Big 12 and always seems to make big plays. The rest of the receivers combined for 4 catches and 16 yards.

Defense – Overall Grade: B+

Even though I think the defense played great, I do have to dock them for allowing 5 passing touchdowns. The greatest part of the defense on Saturday is that I actually noticed our safeties, and in a good way. [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] seemed to always be around for the tackle, and [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] ended up with two interceptions. Both young safeties seem to be coming around and I can’t wait to see how much more they can improve before Missouri. And [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] was simply ridiculous. He led the team with 16 tackles, 13 of them solo. Didn’t you notice every time OU ran the ball they seemed to go nowhere? Yeah, that was “Muck”. [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] showed again that he is scary athletic. Kindle flies around the field with reckless abandon, and the combo off him and [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] coming off the edges is just too much for most teams to handle.

Special Teams – Overall Grade: A

The A mainly comes from Jordan Shipley’s 96 yards kickoff return in the 2nd quarter. Texas was down 14-3 at that point and it looked like it could be a blow-out. I think that play single handedly kept Texas in the game and was the spark to get the team going. [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag] added 3 field goals and looks like he is a kicker that we can rely on in tough situations.

Overall Grade: A-

How can you not be pleased after that game. Even after the referees giving OU a free touchdown, Texas still prevailed. Now Texas faces the pressure of being #1, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier. They only have #11 Missouri, #8 Oklahoma State, @#7 Texas Tech, and @#16 Kansas. And did you realize the Big 12 Conference South Division has 4 teams in the top 8? That has to be a first.

For the second time this year 3 of the Top 4 teams in the nation lose. No one is safe at the top, and most of the Top 10 will be playing each other in the next few weeks so expect to see even more changes. So far this year is looking even crazier than last year.

1. [tag]Alabama[/tag]

   
   LW: 3

   Even though they didn’t play, I don’t think they deserved to be bumped down below Texas.

2. [tag]Texas[/tag]

   
   LW: 5

   Texas won with Colt’s leadership and the defense stepping up at the right times. Will Muschamp has the defense improving every week. It was kind of nice cruising through the season unnoticed, but that time is definitely over.

3. [tag]Penn State[/tag]

   
   LW: 7

   I guess I to move up Penn State after their blowout win. It looks like they are definitely the class of the Big 10, though that is not saying very much.

4. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   
   LW: 1

   Sam Bradford threw for 5 touchdowns and still lost. Oklahoma has a great team and their schedule is setup to keep them in a BCS bowl game.

5. [tag]Florida[/tag]

   
   LW: 11

   I had watched Florida play a few times this year, but I have never seen the speed and precision they displayed against LSU. They have some of the fastest running backs in the nation, and if they can keep Tim Tebow from making mistakes they should be good.

6. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

   
   LW: 8

   Texas Tech played like crap but was surprisingly still able to come out with a win against Nebraska. They have a pretty easy road before playing Texas at home.

7. [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]

   
   LW: 15

   Not sure if was too much of an upset, but Oklahoma State managed to put a hurting on Mizzou. Oklahoma State has proven they definitely have the offense, but do they have the defense to hang with the big boys.

8. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   
   LW: 2

   I am actually pretty disappointed that Mizzou lost, because that would have meant Texas would play two #1 teams in a row. Now that Mizzou has lost, Texas will definitely be expected to beat them this Saturday.

9. [tag]USC[/tag]

   
   LW: 10

   Looks like USC is getting back into form after totally dominating Arizona State 28-0. They probably have the easiest schedule left of any Top 10 and will probably somehow backdoor their way into the national championship.

10. [tag]Georgia[/tag]

    
    LW: 9

    Georgia had a solid win against Tennessee but I am still not very impressed with this team. I expect them to lose 2 more games this season.

11. [tag]BYU[/tag]

    
    LW: 6

    I have decided to not leave BYU so high up in the polls. They play nobody, and until they beat Utah I will not move them any higher.

12. [tag]LSU[/tag]

    
    LW: 4

    You either smoke, or you get smoked, and LSU got smoked. That was a pretty weak performance against Florida, and if they don’t get someone to play quarterback they will struggle all season long.

13. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

    
    LW: 12

    Kansas continues to plod along and will probably go relatively unnoticed the rest of the way unless they can beat one of the big teams in the Big 12. Don’t expect that to happen.

14. [tag]Utah[/tag]

    
    LW: 13

    Utah and BYU really don’t seem much different to me. They will have to prove their ranking by beating both TCU and BYU.

15. [tag]Boise State[/tag]

    
    LW: 16

    Thank goodness we didn’t have to see them play on their ugly blue field this weekend.

16. [tag]Ohio State[/tag]

    
    LW: 17

    Luckily Ohio State beat Purdue because they are about to lose two in a row. I can’t wait to drop them out of the Top 25.

17. [tag]Michigan State[/tag]

    
    LW: 19

    Again, the only thing they have going for them is their running back, but man is he awesome. Can we trade for him?

18. [tag]Virginia Tech[/tag]

    
    LW: 18

    Does anyone really care about anyone in the ACC. They will probably all beat each other and end up with a conference champion that has 3 losses.

19. [tag]South Florida[/tag]

    
    LW: 20

    Bye week

20. [tag]North Carolina[/tag]

    
    LW: 21

    It took a last minute play, but North Carolina thankfully kept Notre Dame out of the Top 25. North Carolina is making the most out of their spot, but see Virginia Tech.

21. [tag]Wake Forest[/tag]

    
    LW: 22

    Another so-so ACC team barely holding on to their spot in the Top 25.

22. [tag]California[/tag]

    
    LW: 24

    Bye week

23. [tag]TCU[/tag]

    
    LW: –

    TCU has another huge game coming against BYU. Can they prove BYU is overrated, or will they fall back out of the Top 25?

24. [tag]Vanderbilt[/tag]

    
    LW: 14

    It was only a matter of time before Vanderbilt came back down to reality. They couldn’t handle the pressure of the being a top team and now they will probably struggle the rest of the way.

25. [tag]Tulsa[/tag]

    
    LW: 25

    They struggled a little only scoring 37, but I am sure they will get back on track and put up 60+ on UTEP.

In his weekly press conference, Texas head coach [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] discusses the upset victory over [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] and the players that excelled during the game. Mack names the players of the game for the defense, offense, and special teams, discusses the Horns being ranked number one, and looks ahead towards [tag]Missouri[/tag].

Watch Mack Brown’s 22-minute press conference:

The Texas Longhorns were led to victory in the [tag]Red River Rivalry[/tag] by two wide receivers that ABC/ESPN’s studio guys called “no names” before the game. Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby combined to catch 20 passes for 234 yards and Shipley added a momentum changing 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as well. Check out the hottest 11 Longhorns after the [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] game:

1. [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] – Shipley led the team in catches with 11 for 112 yards and a touchdown. He did most of his damage in the middle of the field once Oklahoma linebacker Ryan Reynolds tore his ACL. Shipley’s biggest play came on special teams when he took a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown that kept Texas in the game. Without that play Oklahoma is still number one in the nation.
2. [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] – “Muck” is a beast. He led the team in tackles again, this time compiling 16 with 13 of them being solo. He did a good job when matched up on OU tight end Jermai Gresham and completely shut down the Sooners running game. Sergio Kindle gets the attention, but Muckelroy is the best linebacker on the team.
3. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] – What is there left to say about Colt? The guy is everything you want in a quarterback. He has now won two out of three in the Red River Rivalry and has played good in each game. He finished the day 28 of 34 for 277 yards and a touchdown as a passer while adding another 59 yards on the ground. He kept plays and drives alive when he had to, and most importantly never made a mistake to take his team out of the game.
4. [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] – Cosby is a man. Literally. He is a few years older than the guys he is playing with and against because of his baseball career. The maturity exudes off of him when he is on the field. He had nine catches for 122 yards, and may have had the play of the game when he decleated Lendy Holmes on a Jordan Shipley pass reception. Texas finally found a deep threat and it was Cosby all along.
5. [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] – “Rak” is officially rich. The big defensive end has played great all year and has finally become the dominant presence the staff hoped he would be. He racked up seven total tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery. By the end of the game OU quarterback Sam Bradford was looking for him after every snap. Orakpo has made this defense go, and will be a top pick in the upcoming draft if he can stay healthy.
6. [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] – Sure he made a few mistakes, but the red-shirt freshman made two interceptions of Sam Bradford with one setting up a field goal before the end of the first half. Thomas has the attitude that is infectious to the rest of his teammates, and as he gets more and more comfortable playing in the deep middle for Texas his athleticism and hunger for the game have become evident to everyone. This secondary play hinges on Thomas and for the last few games that has been a good thing.
7. [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] – All Spring, summer, and for four games of the regular season the staff and the fans have been searching for a go to running back. The whole time it was senior Chris Ogbonnaya. Chris “O” became the first running back of the year to go over 100 yards in a game when he ran the ball 15 times for 130 yards. He had two big runs in the second half, the last one sealing the game. He can run, he can catch, and he can block. Look for his role to expand moving forward.
8. [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] – The athleticism of Sergio Kindle is off the charts. He finished the game with five tackles and a sack, but his effect on a game can not be measured. He flies around the field, and when he hits someone he hits them hard. I thought he was going to break Sam Bradford in half on his lone sack of the game. The combination of Orakpo and Kindle coming off the edge gives Texas an advantage that it has never had, and the two will be the key to stopping the high powered offenses Texas still has to face.
9. [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag] – Last week I said two touchdowns will get you on the big board every week, so three has to right? The big guy only had three carries, but he made them all count. His role seems to be cemented with the emergence of Ogbonnaya as the goal line and short yard specialist.
10. [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag] – The true freshman plays quietly in games. He is always where he needs to be and makes sure tackles when he has the chance. Gideon has become the quarterback of this defense which is remarkable when you realize he was at the prom less than six months ago. He had eight tackles and a pass breakup against OU. The best part is the combination of Thomas and Gideon still has four years of eligibility.
11. [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag] – Lawrence made all three field goals he attempted. The margin of victory was 10 points. Coming into the season many expected [tag]Ryan Bailey[/tag] to continue to be the kicker, but Lawrence has grabbed the position and won’t let go. He has a powerful leg and has been perfect on the season. Odds are a game or two will come down to his leg and right now Texas has got to like their chances when it does.

Well lookie here, the Texas Longhorns are the new number one team in the land. After the team’s big win over [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] the team vaulted from number five in both polls to the very top. Huge shakeup this week with losses in the top five by OU, Missouri, and LSU, but in the AP poll the Sooners surprisingly only fell to number four. [tag]Alabama[/tag] is a very close second in both polls followed by [tag]Penn State[/tag].

This week’s opponent [tag]Missouri[/tag] fell out of the top ten with a loss, but they’re still a very good team and it doesn’t get easier after them. Due to the way the schedules lay out, the Longhorns could actually face two more top five teams in [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] and [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] if they win the games they should and stay undefeated.

Check out this week’s rankings or view the top 10 teams below:

	AP Top 25		USA Today Poll
1	Texas (39) 6-0 1,599		Texas (44) 6-0 1,505
2	Alabama (26) 6-0 1,582		Alabama (14) 6-0 1,452
3	Penn State 7-0 1,492		Penn State (3) 7-0 1,416
4	Oklahoma 5-1 1,306		USC 4-1 1,198
5	Florida 5-1 1,284		Texas Tech 6-0 1,195
6	USC 4-1 1,247		Oklahoma 5-1 1,147
7	Texas Tech 6-0 1,210		Florida 5-1 1,145
8	Oklahoma State 6-0 1,184		Brigham Young 6-0 1,143
9	Brigham Young 6-0 1,131		Georgia 5-1 1,010
10	Georgia 5-1 1,081		Oklahoma State 6-0 958

The play that had Texas fans up out of their seats screaming the loudest Saturday against [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] didn’t end up being a touchdown. Quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] found an open [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] across the middle and hit him in stride. Shipley was headed to the end zone for an apparent score when BOOM, fellow receiver [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] flies in knocks the daylights out of OU’s Lendy Holmes with a bone jarring block.

Shipley ended up being ruled down inside the one yard line, but that didn’t matter as the Horns eventually scored and Cosby’s big hit will be watched over and over by Texas fans for some time.

It was a thing of beauty. Enjoy it with an animated .gif and some YouTube clips:

Watch a couple more angles of the play after the jump.

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