40 Acres Sports

Texas’ loss to last week to [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] didn’t knock them completely out of the national title race but it certainly shook things up. Texas fans spent the next 72 hours crunching numbers and running scenarios that could result in the Longhorns still making it to the title game. That may make math and stats nerds happy but its just another sign of just how ridiculous the NCAA Division I FBS not having a playoff really is.

ESPN’s Pat Forde makes a(nother) strong case for a playoff in college football:

No less a voice than Barack Obama’s called on Monday night for a playoff in college football. To which The Dash says hallelujah, it’s time for some pressure on the ossified system from the top down. Once upon a time, the Tide wooed Butch Davis to be their coach. The first round of The Dash’s eight-team playoff would shape up as follows today: Top seed and SEC champion Alabama versus eighth-seeded ACC titlist [tag]North Carolina[/tag] in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The backstory would make this interesting, since the Crimson Tide were interested in current Tar Heels.

The first round of The Dash’s eight-team playoff would shape up as follows today:

Top seed and SEC champion [tag]Alabama[/tag] versus eighth-seeded ACC titlist [tag]North Carolina[/tag] in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The backstory would make this interesting, since the Crimson Tide were interested in current Tar Heels coach Butch Davis as far back as 2000, when he was the coach at Miami. That was before Mike Price, before Dennis Franchione and before Mike Shula. Then Bama got it right — royal-flush right — with Nick Saban.

Second seed and Big Ten champion [tag]Penn State[/tag] versus seventh-seeded Big East winner [tag]West Virginia[/tag] in the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. Just for fun they could award the old Lambert Trophy for the best school in the East to the winner.

Third seed and Big 12 champion [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] versus sixth-seeded Pacific-10 champ USC in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Would anyone enjoy seeing the Red Raiders’ O (first nationally in passing offense, second in total offense, third in scoring) against the Trojans’ D (first nationally in pass defense, first in total defense, first in scoring defense)?

Fourth seed at-large selection Texas versus fifth seed at-large selection [tag]Florida[/tag] in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and Tim Tebow on the same field might be a little fun.

(Dash apologies to [tag]Oklahoma[/tag] and Utah for being the best teams left out. Y’all can console each other in, say, the Alamo Bowl.)

After that: semifinals at the Orange and Fiesta Bowls. National title in the Rose Bowl. Championship trophy presented by Dashette Irina Shayk.

Decide for yourself whether that playoff would generate any interest. After you’ve thought it over for five seconds, call the president of your favorite university and scream into the phone that you want a playoff. Do not stop screaming until you are out of breath or they have hung up on you — and then redial and scream again.

Maybe it will come to pass by the time Tebow’s kids are in college.

Or maybe it happens a little faster depending on Tuesday’s election results.

Just imagine adding the Texas Rose Bowl win over USC, plus the brutal four game stretch the team just finished, plus even more on the line than ever before. How fun would that be?

Can the Texas defense step up without Brian Orakpo?

For the first time in over a month Texas faces an opponent that hasn’t been ranked in the top 10 at some point in the season. The players and the staff faced the challenge of staying “up” for such a difficult streak of games, but getting “up” for a game against an inferior opponent like [tag]Baylor[/tag] after a heartbreaking loss may prove to be more of a challenge. Texas appears to have an advantage at every position, even with [tag]Brian Orakpo[/tag] and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag] not likely to play.

When Texas has the ball

The Texas offense found their stride late in the Tech game after struggling to get anything going in the first two and a half quarters. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] had a decent game, but it was no where near the level he had been playing at before the second half of the [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] game. The Longhorn offense struggled after Cosby went down, but the emergence of Malcolm Williams as a deep threat could be the silver lining. When Cosby is able to get back, and he will at [tag]Kansas[/tag], Texas will finally have a three wide receiver set that scares opposing defenses.

The biggest concern coming out of the loss in Lubbock is the play of the offensive line. The big guys up front got beat up for most of the night night. They couldn’t open up holes for the run game or protect McCoy in the passing game. The ability is there, and if some of the older guys like Cedric Dockery and Charlie Tanner don’t step it up they may lose more snaps to younger guys like [tag]Michael Huey[/tag] and [tag]David Snow[/tag].

Texas’ offense has gone all year without a consistent run game and it is probably naïve to believe one is miraculously going to appear. The hope for Texas is that a healthy and utilized [tag]Foswhitt Whittaker[/tag] can provide enough of a spark to take some pressure off of Colt McCoy. McCoy proved to be human last week and in those games the Longhorns have to be able to run the ball to stay effective. They couldn’t in last week’s loss and it may have cost them a shot at the Conference and National Championships.

Texas should be able to move the ball against Baylor. The Bears defense has allowed over 30 points in five of their last six games, all of which were losses. Applying pressure and creating turnovers are the only way Baylor stays in this game and the Bears defense has not been good at either.

When Baylor has the ball

This is not your older brother’s Baylor offense. First year coach Art Briles found his future in his first year. That future goes by the name Robert Griffin. The freshman quarterback has been nothing short of outstanding. He can run and pass, and was the last quarterback in Division I to throw an interception. For the first time in a long time Baylor has a player that can scare you on every play.

The Longhorn defense played well in the second half last week. The only touchdown they gave up came with one second left in the game. The task this week will be to rebuild the psyche of the young secondary. [tag]Curtis Brown[/tag], [tag]Blake Gideon[/tag], and [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] all had a forgettable last minute of the game, and each of them may have left the field with the feeling they were the reason their team is no longer number one in the nation.

The staff and fellow players have spent a whole week assuring these guys that one play and one guy has never lost a football game. But with young emotional players no one can tell how they will react their next time out. They could turtle up and play tentative from here on out, or they can feed off of the emotion and become better football players because of it.

Texas lost their best player for the week in Brian Orakpo. Most would believe that Texas doesn’t need Orakpo to win the game, but when facing a dual threat quarterback like the one Baylor has every team would want to be at full strength.

Just like on offense, the biggest concern heading out of last game was the play of the defensive line. Texas Tech’s offensive line won the individual battles last week. Baylor won’t have the talent that Texas faced last week and it will be important to regain confidence with early pressure.

Texas’ speed should be able to nullify most of what Baylor would like to do. Even with Orakpo out Texas should be able to get pressure with [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag], [tag]Sam Acho[/tag], and [tag]Henry Melton[/tag]. The key for this defense will be keeping Baylor out of manageable third downs. If Texas can force Baylor’s freshman quarterback into long distance plays, one would think defensive coordinator Will Muschamp can overwhelm him with schemes.

Malcolm Williams had a breakout game in the loss

It wasn’t the greatest game for the Longhorns individually. In the heartbreaking loss to [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] only Malcolm Williams had the kind of night you brag about to your friends. Most weeks it is a struggle to settle on the top 11 players, but this week it was a struggle to simply find 11 players to put on the big board.

1. [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] – All year Texas’ offense has searched for a legitimate deep threat out of their third receiver. Many around the program felt that the guy would be red-shirt freshman Malcolm Williams because of his size and speed. Saturday Texas found their deep threat, but it took Quan Cosby getting hurt to do it. Williams had without question his best game as a college player finishing with 182 yards on four catches including two touchdowns.
2. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] – Colt McCoy entered the Tech game as the clear leader for the Heisman trophy, and while Texas lost and McCoy didn’t play his best game he still led his team to a potential comeback. McCoy finished the game 20 of 34 for 294 yards and two touchdown passes. McCoy’s struggles came in large part to his offensive line getting manhandled all night. He was sacked four times.
3. [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] – It wasn’t a great day for the Texas defense, but Kindle made some plays. Kindle finished with six tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. The Texas defensive line failed to get pressure throughout the night giving Tech’s offense all the time it needed to make plays. After Brian Orakpo went down with an injury Kindle was being used almost exclusively at defensive end.
4. [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] – Down 5-0 in the first quarter Shipley dropped a deep pass that would have given Texas the early lead. After that play Shipley played a pretty good game. He got Texas back in the game with a punt return for a touchdown in the second half. Shipley ended his night with six catches for 45 yards.
5. [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag] – The Junior linebacker continues to lead Texas in tackling in seemingly every game. Saturday night Muckelroy registered 12 tackles, most coming in the middle of the field. Tech had a little success running the ball, but in the second half Texas’ defense shut out the Red Raiders until their last drive of the game.
6. [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] – Most people will only remember the last play of the game where the freshmen tried to undercut Harrell’s pass to Crabtree allowing a touchdown pass. What most people won’t remember is that Thomas was playing maybe his best game as a Longhorn before he took that chance at the end of the game. Thomas had ten tackles with two pass breakups on the night.
7. [tag]Foswhitt Whittaker[/tag] – Fozzy has been struggling all season to get on the field. Early in the year he suffered through two nagging knee injuries only to see senior Chris Ogbonnaya secure the running back position by the time Fozzy got back healthy. The Texas staff didn’t allow the speedy freshman to make an impact until the second half, but when they did the potential big play ability he brings to the position was clear. On a night where Texas could do nothing on the ground Whittaker averaged seven yards on six carries in limited action.
8. [tag]Roy Miller[/tag] – When Texas did apply pressure it seemed the big man in the middle was the one applying it. Miller went down with an injury during the game but was able to get back on the field. Miller has been the most consistent player on the d-line this year. He finished the game with five tackles and one of UT’s two sacks.
9. [tag]Hunter Lawrence[/tag] – You know it is bad when a kicker made an impact in a loss. Lawrence continues to be the model of consistency going two for two on the game. Lawrence has been perfect on the season even though he entered it without being expected to get the job.
10. [tag]Aaron Williams[/tag] – The true freshman doesn’t get the chance to play as much as the other corners, but he continues to stand out every time he is on the field. Williams is quickly becoming a playmaker on special teams recording another blocked punt against Tech. He recovered a fumble, had two pass breakups, and made a great play on a screen pass during the game.
11. [tag]Justin Tucker[/tag] – Two kickers on one list? I know, I know, but try to find someone who made more of an impact than Tucker. The rugby style kicks he utilized on Saturday night ended up working extremely well for Texas as they averaged over 50 yards. Tucker also continues to get his kickoffs consistently into the end zone.

Quan Cosby should have a big day against Texas Tech

The final game of Texas’ incredible four-game gauntlet is tonight at 7pm in front of a national television audience. The Longhorns will face off against the Red Raiders on ABC and with a win will become only the second team in college football history to beat four top 11 teams in a row. Check out how the Bevo Sports editors believe the Horns will fare tonight below:

Brian – A week ago the national media talked about how overrated Tech was and undeserving of being in the top ten, now this week somehow the same people are predicting the Longhorns will be upset in Lubbock. Not me, I think the Horns go out there and win big. The Texas Tech defense is not improved from years past and this is the same Tech team that struggled against Nevada, [tag]Nebraska[/tag], and Texas A&M. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] continues to dominate and the defensive line doesn’t give Graham Harrell time to think on the way to another solid Texas win over a top 10 opponent. Texas 48 – Texas Tech 28

Matt – I think what determines the outcome in this game is the Texas defensive front seven. Can they put pressure on Harrell and slow down the explosive Tech offense? I think think they can, and will do so in a dominate fashion. Everyone thinks this one will be close, but this one could get ugly quickly. Remember when we were all worried about the Mizzou game? Not sure we should be for this one. Texas 58 – Texas Tech 27

Mike – I keep trying to get nervous about this game. I know, I know, the game is in Lubbock, it is at night, Tech’s offensive is explosive and the defense is improved, Texas has to have a let down eventually, and Colt McCoy can’t be this good. I’ve heard it all and I may agree with some of it, but I just don’t see any team beating this Longhorn team right now. This team responds better on the road than at home and I think all the hype in Lubbock is only feeding into this team’s mentality of us against the world. Tech’s defense isn’t slowing Texas down, and Will Muschamp’s group can at least slow down this group enough for Texas to win. I don’t think this one lives up to the hype either. Texas 45 – Texas Tech 30

Will Colt McCoy have room to operate against Tech?

Texas faces another top ten team in what has to be the game of the week (sorry [tag]Florida[/tag] and [tag]Georgia[/tag]). This will be the third nationally televised game in the last four weeks for these Horns. Texas Tech is building this game as the “biggest” game ever to take place in Lubbock. The Tech fans are going to “black out” the stadium and the Longhorns are trying to do to Tech what [tag]Alabama[/tag] did to Georgia when the Bulldogs held a “black out” on ABC primetime. Let’s look at what we’re in for.

When Texas has the ball:

In this year’s Big 12 conference I feel like I could write the same thing each week. The Longhorn offense faces a team that gives up and puts up points and yards in bunches. [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag] and his offense should have no problem putting up points; the question will be the strategy offensive coordinator Greg Davis uses to achieve those points.

UT went over a quarter and a half without scoring a point to end last week’s [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag] game. Texas had their chances though, as McCoy committed two turnovers deep in OK State territory that allowed the Cowboys to stay in the game. The running game was lacking for the first time since conference started and I think the coaching staff would like to get that part of the offense back on track. When this team can run the ball the middle of the field becomes wide open for McCoy and [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] to work their overhyped roommate magic (they’re not over hyped, but their story has been). Most have been looking for Fozzy Whittaker to get his chance, and it might be this week.

Tech has a new defensive coordinator but remains the same defense it always is. They give up points on big plays and can be overmatched physically if a team stays within striking distance. The Red Raider defense thrives when an opposing team gets so far behind that they become one dimensional out of necessity. The Longhorns keeping the game close in the first quarter will go a long way in determining the outcome. It will be up to the offensive to control the ball and come away with points on virtually every possession because Texas Tech will score points.

The Longhorns will use short passes to set up the run as the game goes on. At this point in the season teams know who they are. The Longhorns are a possession passing team with the ability to run at times. Colt McCoy is the leader of the offense and this unit goes as he goes. If McCoy can eliminate turnovers it is very doubtful Tech will be able to slow Texas down.

When Texas Tech has the ball:

This is where it gets tricky. Everybody knows what the offense does, but I’m not sure even the coaches or the players know much about this defense. On one hand the talent is not in question. When the outside guys get to rush the quarterback there is not another team in the nation that is more dangerous. The linebackers have been playing as well as a unit as any group under [tag]Mack Brown[/tag]. And the young secondary is getting better and better.

On the other hand, this same group just gave up over 200 yards of rushing offense in a game, Texas as a defense, including leading tackler [tag]Roddrick Muckelroy[/tag], struggled with open field tackling, the two safeties are still freshmen, and injuries are plaguing the best two cornerbacks on the team. All this the week the number one ranked Horns take on the most explosive offense, when clicking, in all of college football.

The good news is unlike the previous three weeks, the Tech offense won’t have a NFL caliber tight end. The bad news is Michael Crabtree still is in college. People talk about Jeremy Maclin and Dez Bryant, but neither of them compare to Crabtree. The guy is unbelievable and no one man is going to guard him. Defensive coordinator [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] has shown he likes to leave a safety over the top against elite receivers, as he did with Maclin and Bryant. Tech’s offense makes it hard to do that to a particular receiver because every wide out can line up at all the receiver positions in the Mike Leach offense. This is the first year Muschamp has gone up against Leach, so it will be interesting to see what the first year coordinator does. Odds are [tag]Duane Akina[/tag] will be giving out advice this week because Texas has done relatively well against the Tech offense.

This is another game where it seems the running game will be an after thought. Tech uses short passes, much like Texas coincidentally, to supplement the run game. This will force UT’s linebackers and safeties to tackle well in space. Open field tackling by the Texas defense will be the difference in the game. If Texas can stop plays immediately after a reception they have a good chance of making some stops and getting off the field. But if Tech’s skill position players are able to make big plays after the catch the Longhorn offense will be forced into a shootout.

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.

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.

Can Rod Muckelroy hold back the OSU offense?

The number one ranked Texas Longhorns face another tough test this weekend when the undefeated and seventh ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys come to town. Texas has met every challenge so far, and must show OSU the same respect they showed Oklahoma and [tag]Missouri[/tag] in order to stay at the top of the BCS. Three out of the last four times the Cowboys and Longhorns have met Oklahoma State took a lead into halftime. Texas was able to make the comeback with superior talent, but this OSU team is far better than in past years and may not give up the lead if they are able to get it.

When Texas has the ball

The Texas offense, led by super efficient quarterback [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag], has been clicking on all cylinders this season. It has been hard for the offense to top the previous week’s performance for much of the year, but this week will be especially tough considering UT played its best game of the year last week in the destruction of a good Missouri team.

As with most Big 12 teams, the defense is behind the offense, and for this reason Texas expects to put up big numbers again. The emergence of a third receiver (and a fourth and a fifth) last week was almost as big as anything that has happened for this offense this year. Sophomore [tag]Brandon Collins[/tag] had a huge day, and has set himself up to be the outlet on blitzes and when a defense takes away [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] and [tag]Quan Cosby[/tag]. Teams have been unable to take away Shipley or Cosby for a whole game, but it will free up even more room to work if opposing coordinators have to game plan for the young studs at receiver. For most of the year Texas has lacked a deep ball threat in the passing game. That could have changed with the acrobatic catch by [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] which showed the freshman’s unique skill set. Fellow freshman [tag]Dan Buckner[/tag] also made a big play late in the game.

The running game is improving each week to the point where this offense no longer relies on McCoy to be their leading rusher. Texas has gone from having no running backs to having four. Senior [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] is playing at a level not even the coaching staff predicted, sophomore [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] had his best game of the season last week, freshman [tag]Cody Johnson[/tag] has been unstoppable on the goal line and in short yardage situations and fellow freshman Fozzy Whittaker finally got back in action, wasting no time showing off his ability on a 20 yard plus explosion through the middle of the Missouri defense.

The success of the offense depends on the play of the offensive line. So far, they have been dominant. Opposing defenses have chosen to blitz the Longhorn offense at a high frequently. McCoy says every team they have faced has blitzed more than they usually do in their games against UT. Oklahoma State already blitzes half the time and if that rate goes up this line will be key in providing time for McCoy and holes for the backs. Texas should have a physical advantage in this game and will look to exploit it more and more as the game wears on.

When Oklahoma State has the ball

This Oklahoma State offense could be the most balanced offense Texas will play all year. It will most definitely be the best running team, maybe the only running team that Texas has faced thus far. The Cowboys rely on a running back by committee but have relied heavily on Kendall Hunter as their main running threat.

Texas’ defense has been outstanding against the run, but it may be due to the teams they have faced. We will learn an awful lot about this defense after this game. We know they can get to the quarterback, but can they stop the run and get to the quarterback when a team throws a combination of the two at them for a whole game.

Last week the defense was dominant in the first half before taking their foot off the pedal in the second. It could have been the best thing that happened to Texas this week because it gave plenty for coaches [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] and [tag]Mack Brown[/tag] to complain about in film study. Some have said that the points Missouri put up in the second half (28 of them) was on the second team, but if you look back at the game only the last touchdown came with all second team guys on the field. Texas lost its passion, which is to be understood in a blow out win, but they must get it back this week and not start believing all the hype. This team looks to be great at forgetting last week and refocusing, but it only takes one flat game for all of the big wins to become obsolete.

Oklahoma State is not just a running team. In fact they may have the best receiver in the league in Dez Bryant. Bryant, a Texan by birth like everyone else it seems in the Big 12, has been tearing apart opposing defenses. Like Jeremy Maclin last week, the Longhorn defense will have to identify where Bryant is on every single play. Bryant has the ability to take it the distance every time he touches the ball, and he touches the ball in special teams, in the passing game, and on reverses and screens. Bryant is by far quarterback’s Zac Robinson’s favorite target.

Speaking of Robinson, the Longhorn defense will face a quarterback with a skill set they haven’t seen this year (if you don’t count the practice field). Robinson is efficient with the ball and has the ability to pull it down and take off if the defense breaks down. OSU uses him on different types of options to press the edge of a defense. The Cowboy offense does a great job of forcing a defense to move up before burning them deep. UT’s defense must stay at home and prevent big plays in order to come out with this win.

This is the type of game that scares a team. But Muschamp and this defense face a similar offense everyday and practice, so I expect no problems in terms of scheme for this defense.