Texas will need Colt McCoy's arm and his legs to outscore Texas Tech Saturday night.
The Texas Longhorns have already played two games, but the season really gets started tonight as they take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders in a primetime matchup on ABC. The Horns are looking for revenge and more importantly the number 2 team in the country is looking to get another win closer to a BCS title shot.
Check out our keys below to beating Mike Leach on International Talk Like a Pirate Day:
1. Pressure QB Taylor Potts with a 4-man rush.
There’s two things you can’t do against the Tech offense: let the quarterback have all day to throw or blitz too often. If you give Potts too much time to throw he’ll be able to take his time and pick apart the defense underneath. If you send extra blitzers at him he can quickly get the ball out and you better cross your fingers the defensive backs don’t miss a tackle. The ideal is that your front four are able to get consistent pressure without bringing extra help, but with [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag] playing defensive end and [tag]Will Muschamp[/tag] drawing things up you’ll likely see Texas bring 3-5 rushers from all over the field. Through two games Kindle is still looking for his first sack of the season, will he blow up the Texas Tech offense tonight?
2. Call just enough designed Colt McCoy runs.
McCoy had -3 rushing yards in the first game and 44 yards in the second on very few designed QB runs. When the offense was sputtering against Wyoming in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, offensive coordinator Greg Davis called Colt’s number to kick start the offense. Tonight against the Red Raiders they’ll likely need that boost from the very beginning and we should see McCoy run some QB draws, the zone read, and the option. McCoy is the franchise and you have to protect him, but this offense isn’t as explosive without him running the football.
3. Commit fewer than 5 penalties.
Through two games the Longhorns have been flagged for 19 penalties, and that doesn’t count penalties that the opponents declined. Those kind of unforced mistakes will kill you in a close contest. Penalties wiped several big 3rd down conversions off the board against [tag]Wyoming[/tag], that can’t happen against higher quality Big 12 opponents. Defensively, the last thing you want to do against Texas Tech’s offense is give them extra chances.
Texas coach Mack Brown talks about the [tag]Wyoming[/tag] game and looks towards this week’s [tag]Texas Tech[/tag] match-up:
Follow along below or with @40AcresSports on Twitter for live updates on the Texas vs. Wyoming game tonight at 2:30pm…
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Refs just blew whistle and called delay of game with 2 seconds left on play clock. Mack is flabbergasted. #ut
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Great effort and block by Tray Allen as Chiles takes screen pass to the house. Touchdown horns!! Nice block by M Williams too. #ut
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#ut receivers don’t do much on most run plays. Never even leave line if scrimmage.
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#UT defense holds on 4th down. Drive starts with nice strong 10 yd run by newton.
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Everyone hates notre dame. Cheers from fans of all allegiances as Michigan scores.
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Wyoming defense looks exhausted. Tre Newton takes it right up middle got 14 yd touchdown. Newton looks good. #ut 34 wyo 10
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Okie State with comeback of their own. Now lead 28-24.
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Colt breaks tackles, rolls left and finds Buckner alone. Buckner breaks tackles, gets block from Newton and scores!! #ut
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Apparently MWC officials have no idea what holding is. Opposite if big 12 refs who never call it. #ut
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Vondrell McGee limps off. Newton back in. No Cody Johnson today?
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96 seconds into 2nd half Longhorns strike on McCoy option keeper. Whew. Don’t take foot off gas Horns. #ut 20 wyo 10
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DJ Monroe takes short 2nd half kickoff back to wyo 40. Great start. Saw 2 #UT players high five, hope refs don’t flag them. 😉
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Think the Wyo coach’s necklace looks like it’s made of gumballs and popcorn. #ut (2nd half bout to start.)
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RT @ChipBrownOB: UT held Wyo w/out a single f1st down in 2nd quarter. Defense playing lights out. All 10 Wyo points traced to sp teams.
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RT @mikefinger: Colt McCoy’s halftime numbers: 17-of-29, 166 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. If no one was watching, it actually looks respectable. #UT
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RT @stevehabel: At half, TX has 237 yards to WYO’s 99, thanks to big final drive for TD. UT has 11 FD to 6 for WYO (none in 2nd qtr) #ut
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Surprised by wyo taking a knee despite getting ball after OOB kickoff. Halftime. Let’s see how horns regroup. #ut 13 wyo 10
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KIRKENDOLL!!! Fantastic run after catch on crossing route and jukes/stumbles into endzone for TD. #ut 13 wyo 10
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Holding call gives Wyoming 7 points as #ut has punt block breakdown and cowboys take it into endzone.
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More bad officiating. It’s not a hold just because lineman’s hands are on defenders back. Costs #ut 1st down
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Fantastic defense by Randall and huge open field tackle by K Robinson stop wyo on 3rd and 3. #ut ball with 2:40 left.
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@KEYE_Sports #UT is fine. They’ll win thanks to overwhelming D. (knock on wood.) but it’s not overreaction to say they’re playing awful.
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Dan Buckner with fantastic block but Colt McCoy looking very 2007. Not good. Interception Wyoming. #ut
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Horns get down to 3 but false start by Snow and then series of stumbles forces them to settle for fiejd goal. #ut 6 wyo 3
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Another clueless flag by MWC refs. Call illegal forward pass when Colt was behind line of scrimmage. #ut
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RT @chrismaka: That upside-down Horns sign is actually the official international hand sign for “I AM A COMPLETE DOUCHE BAG”
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Surprised by wyo decision to punt with 4th and 5 on #ut 45 yard line. Horns will take ball inside their 10.
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Kindle has gotten several shots in on Wyo qb but he’s doing good job getting rid of ball. #ut DBs giving lots of cushion.
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Colt not looking his normal accurate self. Leaving a lot of passes way high. #ut has to punt. Tucker with nice lefty soccer pooch punt.
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Wyo DBs off the LOS and bailing at snap. Colt having to hit underneath checkdowns. Might need to test deep middle. #ut.
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Not sure that was 15 yd roughing but #ut will take it. Wyo hits punter and gives horns free first down.
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Horns front 4 getting great pressure if Wyo just drops back to pass. More trouble when they zone play action and move pocket. #ut
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After moving downfield easily Horns forced to settle for 32 yd field goal from Lawrence. #ut 3 wyo 0
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Dont forget: Follow along with today’s #UT vs Wyoming game live here on twitter and at http://bit.ly/10exfb
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RT @suzhalliburton: For those keeping score, #ut brought 74 players. Mack brown told us they normally take 80 on non-conf road games
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RT @bobcatbaseball: Snow?! Rain is already blowing my mind. RT @kbohls: About to rain in dallas. Hearing chance of snow in wyoming. #ut
Follow along below or with @40AcresSports on Twitter for live updates on the Texas vs. Louisiana-Monroe game tonight at 6pm…
It’s been a long, dry seven months since the Texas Longhorns last took the field to play some college football. The drought ends today as the team kicks off against [tag]Louisiana-Monroe[/tag] at 6pm to open the 2009 season. The Horns are 42-point favorites in the game, how do the editors of 40 Acres Sports think the burnt orange will fair in the season opener?
Mike – This is a special season for the Texas Longhorns. In years past, this is the type of game the Longhorns coast through, but not 2009. The team has too many leaders on the field, and on the sideline, to not go out there and crush an over matched Louisiana-Monroe team. I think [tag]Vondrell McGee[/tag] establishes himself as a potential 1300 yard back, [tag]Malcolm Williams[/tag] becomes a legit big play threat and [tag]Alex Okafor[/tag] becomes everybody’s favorite young Longhorn. Texas 63 – Louisiana-Monroe 10
Matt – To me this is the perfect type of game to start the year. Everyone will get plenty of playing time and get a good warm-up before their big match-up in a couple weeks against Tech. My big question mark this year is Vondrell McGee. I have always been a huge supporter, but he has yet to really deliver up to his expectations. I am also excited to see how this defense has matured with another offseason with Muschamp. This one will cover the 42 point spread in the first half. Texas 59 – Louisiana-Monroe 7
Brian – The Longhorns lost a few weapons on both sides of the ball pregame, but that won’t change the outcome of this one. The Texas coaches have the team ready and believing this step on the way to a national title and the players are going to come out and dominate to start the season. I expect a heavy dose of the running game (hopefully forcing the running game works better than last year) and defensive coordinator is going to at least partially unleash The Predator, aka [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag], on an overmatched ULM offense. Find a rhythm, get up big, and stay healthy. Texas 56 – Louisiana-Monroe 3
Predictions from Twitterverse
- texascmj5: Colt 220ps yds 2TD – 75 rush yds 1 TD – McGee 125 yards rush w 1TD score 42-10 – don’t care if I’m right want the W!
- jmanishere: 55-10
- jfoster640: 42-12 Hook’em!
- stars_gal: Texas over ULM, of course, 31 – 14…and the Horns never trail. 🙂 #UT
- Texas_Alum2432: Texas 56, la 3
- marshallboone: 50-0 #UT!
The annual Herbie Awards list was released on ESPN this week and four Texas Longhorns garner honors from the ESPN college football expert. Every year Kirk Herbstreit names his top players in several traditional and also some not so traditional categories. It’s always a fun read and Herbstreit really knows his stuff and doesn’t just pick the same 5 most hyped guys as the rest of the media would.
Here’s where the four Longhorns made his lists:
- [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag]: #6 Top Wide Receiver
- [tag]Colt McCoy[/tag]: #2 Dual Threat Quarterback
- [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]: #4 Best Defensive Ends
- [tag]Alex Okafor[/tag]: #8 Top True Freshmen
I think all four guys are definitely deserving and no glaring Longhorn-related omissions. There’s definitely a few player that I think will earn their way onto this list (namely [tag]Earl Thomas[/tag] and [tag]Aaron Williams[/tag]) but there is still much to prove on the field for those guys.
Brandon Collins is expected to step up and give Colt McCoy plenty of WR options.
Maybe for the first time since 2005, the University of Texas has a legit shot at a national championship heading into the season. Sure last year was special, but at this time in 2008 the Longhorn fan base was not thinking championship rings.
It is all different one year later. In this two part series we look at the five things we know and the five things we don’t about this year’s team.
1. Colt McCoy is a bad ass.
There is no way around it. If McCoy leads this team to the national championship, and maybe picks up a Heisman trophy along the way, he will go down as the best, and most loved, quarterback in the history of the program.
McCoy has done everything a coach could want from a leader. And all reports have him playing at an elite level after a dedicated summer. Vince Young rallied Texas’ last national championship team with summer 7-on-7, McCoy did the same. Now it is time to prove it on the field. And there is little doubt that will happen as long as Colt stays healthy.
2. McCoy has targets to throw the ball to.
Sure, Quan Cosby is gone, but Malcolm Williams, James Kirkendoll and Brandon Collins may be better than the “Big 3” of Roy Williams, Sloan Thomas and BJ Johnson. And we haven’t even mentioned Jordan Shipley.
Kirkendoll is going off this year. He will replace Cosby as the safety valve on third down situations when Shipley is demanding double teams. Williams showed his big play ability against Missouri and Texas Tech last year. The knock on the sophomore is his consistency, but when the lights come on, he has done nothing but impress. He looks the part on the field, and defensive coordinators have to account for his speed on the outside. Cosby was great, but he didn’t demand a safety to play over the top. Williams can force defenses to keep a man deep to protect against the fly pattern. That will open more holes for the running game, and open up more room for Shipley,
3. Texas will pressure the quarterback.
Apparently, Will Muschamp has taken off the gloves. In year two under the feisty defensive coordinator all bets are off. Muschamp has his players flying around the ball and blitzing on every down. Gone is Brian Orakpo, but Sergio Kindle is now a defensive end/linebacker/freak of nature. Add an underrated Sam Acho, a seemingly healthy Eddie Jones and an emerging superstar in true freshman Alex Okafor and talent on the edge is not a problem.
Also, Texas has linebackers and secondary personnel to blitz. Emmanuel Acho, Keenan Robinson and Jared Norton have received rave reviews for the blitzing ability. And last year, we saw the ability of Earl Thomas and Aaron Williams coming off the edge.
4. The secondary has transformed from the biggest question mark in 2008 to the strength of the defense in 2009.
The combination of Thomas, Williams, Chykie Brown, Curtis Brown, Deon Beasley, Blake Gideon and Christian Scott is almost laughable. For the first time in the Mack Brown era, a defensive unit has a chance to be dominating. Sure, Texas has had dominate players, and even dominate units, but with Muschamp leading the way, the Longhorns may field their best defense sine the 1980’s.
Texas has all but abandoned the 4-3 as its base defense. Texas runs the nickel because of the offenses in the Big 12. Thomas’ ability in coverage allows Muschamp to bring in Scott to play safety when Thomas lines up against the slot. The depth at cornerback allows Muschamp to bring in Brown or Beasley to keep Thomas at safety if the defense needs more speed on the field.
Bottom line – this group is nasty, fast and experienced. Muschamp can do whatever he wants with the front seven, I mean six, because he knows he has a safety net in the back. Not good for the rest of the conference.
5. Texas will have the advantage on special teams in virtually every game.
I know, I know, it is just special teams and that isn’t as sexy of a topic as scoring touchdowns or creating snot bubbles. But the third aspect of football should not be overlooked. Where would the program have gone if Dusty Mangum misses the field goal against Michigan in the first Rose Bowl? Do we win a championship the next year? Who knows? Do we beat OU last year if Shipley doesn’t take a kick to the house?
Texas has two reliable field goal kickers, a two legged punter and return guys growing out of their ears. Add to that the most prolific punt block team in the last decade and opponents have no time to relax.
At least one game a year comes down to special teams play. In 2009, that is to Texas’ advantage.
Watch practice highlights from yesterday’s second practice courtesy of MBTF at CBS College Sports.
Will Keenan Robison blow up at linebacker in 2009?
Football has become a 24/7, 365 days a year sport. We talk about football in the fall. We watch the spring games in April. And we even follow recruiting with the fervor of a Saturday night in Baton Rouge.
But the one aspect of college football that is overlooked is the work done in the summer with 7-on-7 workouts. Vince Young and the 2005 Championship team proved that chemistry and timing built in the summer can propel a team to the top. After a near perfect season in 2008 Colt McCoy and the Texas football team are looking to duplicate the blue print of the last team to make it to the Rose Bowl and win.
The similarities of this year’s team to the 2005 squad are alarming and are sure to be talked about like McCoy and Jordan Shipley’s fishing plans.
Not all aspects of the game can be worked on over the summer without pads, but plenty can be accomplished. Even with more answers than questions lingering to enter this season there is room for improvement. And here are five questions that could be answered over the summer?
1. What will be the base offensive formation?
The lack of a viable tight end may force Greg Davis’ hand when it comes to “go to” formations. In the biggest games of the year, and when Texas needed to move the ball, they abandoned the tight end set for a four wide receiver spread. With McCoy’s accuracy and the depth at the receiver position having a tight end on the field may be a detriment to the team.
From a skill stand point there is no question the fourth receiver will be more talented than any healthy tight end on the roster, unless we assume DJ Grant can emerge as a catcher and a blocker in his first year at the position. Frankly, it would be unfair to ask that of Grant so the question becomes – is it more important to disguise your play calls by being multiple on offense with a tight end or is the talent difference so great that putting a tight end on the field is holding the team back?
I don’t know the answer, maybe Davis and McCoy don’t either, but a huge summer by the receivers combined with no progress from the tight ends might equal a wide open spread attack for the majority of the snaps.
2. Can Garrett Gilbert handle being the backup quarterback right away?
Anyone who has seen or followed the career of the incoming freshman from Lake Travis knows that all signs point to a successful career at Texas and beyond. But all the skill, and smarts, in the world don’t necessarily spell success as a true freshman. In a perfect world Gilbert will only see the field in controlled situations. The plan is to bring him along slowly at the end of games that Texas has in the bag.
The problem is Texas cannot be comfortable with Sherrod Harris as the primary backup. The coaches and the players love Harris but he has never shown he could carry the team if needed. And with the junior recovering from surgery Gilbert has the chance to secure the backup spot if he can prove he has what it takes on the field, in his head, and in the huddle.
Like it or not Texas is one freak play away from starting a quarterback with no experience. With Chiles at receiver the only real hope is Gilbert. There is no doubt the pressure and expectations will not be fair or realistic for the prodigy, but he should have never expected them to be. This is Texas; he’ll learn that soon enough.
3. Who will be the running back?
Realistically this could be a question that isn’t answered at all this season. Mack Brown and Major Applewhite have proven they’ll mix backs in and out as much as they deem necessary. And while they’ll do it again this year, one has to think the staff wants a “go to” guy. A lot of the inconsistencies last year can be attributed to the lack of familiarity with the backs and the offensive line. The running game can be about timing as much as anything and UT had none last year.
It is true that the full running game cannot be featured without pads, but Applewhite has shown he values pass protection and ball security over big play ability. Vondrell McGee, maybe the most complete runner in the backfield, learned this lesson the hard way when he was benched for the entire Fiesta Bowl.
McGee may be the best runner, but it is Foswhitt Whittaker that can excel in 7-on-7 drills because of his ability to catch the ball and run in space. If he can stay healthy and prove he is willing to block Whittaker may finally break out this season.
The other option is freshman Chris Whaley. All reports have the physical freak as being impressive. The coaching staff has all but said he’ll get his shot to compete, so if he can pick up the small things this summer he’ll have a huge chance this fall.
4. Who will start as the third linebacker?
Roddrick Muckelroy and Jared Norton have starting jobs locked up in the 4-3 alignment, but with Sergio moving to defensive end one of the outside linebacker spots are open. The two candidates for the position are Keenan Robinson Emmanuel Acho. Both can rush the passer and both can make plays.
The skill that may separate them, and determine who plays more, will likely who can play in pass coverage the best. This is where 7-on-7 comes into play. With the Big 12 becoming football version of the Blue Angels air show finding linebackers that can stop the run and cover the pass is invaluable. In his short time on campus Robinson has shown the ability to play the pass and that’ what puts him at the top of the depth chart at strong side linebacker.
Texas will play with five defensive backs a lot this season, and that means only two linebackers on the field. Norton, who is a prototypical middle linebacker in the 4-3, has struggled in the nickel formation so if Robinson plays well enough he may be alongside Muckelroy when teams are spread out.
5. Is the work ethic there?
For the first time in a long time Texas overachieved last season. It had more to do with expectations, but the Longhorns had a workman like feel that wasn’t the norm in the last decade. Will Muschamp has gotten a lot of credit for the attitude change, but more credit needs to go to the players and especially the leaders on the team. More than talent, UT lost some big time leaders in Quan Cosby, Roy Miller, and Brian Orakpo.
Those guys kept the young guys in check in practice, off the field, and in the locker room. Texas still has established leaders in Colt McCoy and Sergio Kindle and new leaders are stepping up like Earl Thomas. But until the team faces some adversity no one will know if the team has the backbone they showed in games against Oklahoma and Ohio State last year.
The 2005 team established that ethic in the summer with many players pointing out that they had worked too hard in June and July to let anyone beat them. If this year’s team comes out of the summer with the same feeling another special year could be on the horizon.
Chris Ogbonnaya scores against the Sooners.
Sometimes, I love ESPN Classic. Usually when they replay college football during the “dog days” of the season (May-July) that keeps my ever-present desire for college football that much sharper. One such occasion occurred last week, as ESPNC replayed the Texas/OU 2008 game in all its glory, unless you’re a Sooner. So, with pen and paper in hand, I decided to cue up my DVR and record some observations in hindsight (i.e. when I’m not shot gunning Modello’s and cursing whatever evil demon Bob Stoops sold his soul to). Enjoy!
1. Our offensive line got whipped in the first half.
Colt was running for his life in the 1st half, and our passing game was relegated to quick passes out of necessity. I forgot how badly we got worked in this area early on. The three first half sacks really could have been six were Colt not so mobile.
2. The Ryan Reynolds myth.
I have officially had enough of this crap; YOU know what I’m talking about, cause we’ve all heard this excuse since about five minutes after the final gun in the RRS. We only began to move the ball once Oklahoma’s leader Ryan Reynolds left the game with a knee injury, and IF he stays healthy it would have been a different story. If you need a refresher, just read this OU stooge or check the game recap at Red Dirt Kings.
Funny thing about it… Reynolds wasn’t even on the preseason All Big-12 team; after he tears his ACL every Sooner fan will tell you he’s the best MLB in the country. Let’s look at some hard data:
For the game, in which he lasted about 2 1/2 quarters, Reynolds registered 3 tackles. What’s more, two of them game on his first series (he stuck [tag]Chris Ogbonnaya[/tag] for no gain, and then limited him to a 3 yard run). So, for those of you math majors, in the remaining 2 quarters he played (which translates to five series) he made ONE TACKLE!! Why the drop off in production? Simple once we went to the 4 WR formations, Reynolds became obsolete. He’s your typical OU linebacker, he plays the run aggressively and rushes the passer, but if you get him in coverage he is vulnerable. Three separate times in the first half, [tag]Jordan Shipley[/tag] either shook him loose or made him miss badly on a tackle. It was a totally mismatch, and St. Reynolds became Donnie from The Big Lebowski…totally out of his element. The longer he would have stayed in the game, the worse he would have looked.
So, why did we start to move the ball better in the second half? Because their defensive line wore down, giving Colt more time to find holes in the zone defense Oklahoma was playing. Reynolds being in there would have lead to him having to cover someone down the field, and we’ve seen that movie (go cue up [tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] career highlight video, I swear half the plays are against Oklahoma. Where he was covered by… drumroll please… Ryan Reynolds).
One more thing, Reynolds’ replacement Brandon Crow, who OU fans blame solely for the loss to us, registered five tackles in barely over a quarter of action. That’s right, Reynolds’s replacement logged almost twice as many tackles than he did. So, that’s it, Ryan Reynolds is good not great and his injury didn’t hurt OU all that much. The next time snotty dirt burglar fans try to use his injury as an excuse, drop the hammer of knowledge on them.
3. Our “calls”
You know, cause between the refs screwing them AND losing the greatest linebacker every to step put on a pair of shoulder pads, what chance did OU have to win the game? This might be beating a dead horse, but I decided to look into this for the record. There were three main calls that drew criticism: the two roughing the passer calls and the “fumbled” interception in the end zone that was ruled an incomplete pass.
- The first roughing the passer call was a BAD call that went in our favor, no question about it. This call bailed us out of a 3rd and 14 and probably resulted in a “free” 3 points for us. No excuses.
- The second RTP penalty was correct. It wasn’t malicious, but Colt was a good four steps out of bound when Travis Lewis shoves him in the back and jerks his jersey. It looked to be one of those “I’ll hit you late, but not hard enough to get a flag” shenanigans that OU seems to specialize in. Keep your hands to yourself Mr. Lewis!
- The dropped interception…I don’t even know what to say. It’s like trying to explain to a grownup why water is wet; you don’t even know how to begin because the point is so blatantly obvious that any explanation feels asinine. Anyway, here goes… IF a player catches the ball, maintains possession, but when he hits the ground the ball gets jarred loose, IT IS NOT A CATCH!! Invariably there is always some moron who chimes in (usually very know-it-allish) “The ground can’t cause a fumble!” No, it can’t, but it damn sure can cause an incompletion. Learn it, live it, love it.
4. OU’s tomfoolery
Before I can get into this, I think everyone out there that supports the Burnt Orange can agree that Oklahoma cheats worse than a meth-addicted three card Monte dealer. However, that seems to be a common theme in ANY heated rivalry; the Haggys and Red Faders swear that the refs give us every call. The difference is, in this case it is totally true (see Big Red Auto Imports and any game film of an Oklahoma). But instead of making random claims, I decided to game to the game film:
- 1st drive of the game (that didn’t take long, did it?), [tag]Lamarr Houston[/tag] beats Duke Robinson off the ball and has a beeline to sack Bradford. Robinson grabs Houston’s jersey and spins him (blatant holding) and Bradford has time to let the play develop and hit the running back for a 34-yard gain. There is no way that WASN’T holding! So instead of a third and long (if Houston makes the sack) or 2nd and 20 (if the refs could have found their flags), OU had a 1st down in Texas territory.
- In the second quarter, 2nd and 19, Oklahoma runs that jailbreak screen and Manual Johnson is a good yard past the line of scrimmage when he catches the ball. That would have been okay, except for the three OU linemen downfield. Instead of a 2nd and 24, they get 3rd and 6.
- In the third quarter, same situation that I just described, only this time Johnson is a good two yards past the line of scrimmage when he catches the ball. Instead of 3rd and 15, they score a touchdown.
That’s three infractions calls that OU got away with, all which lead to touchdowns. And don’t even get me started on Loadholt; he grabbed Orakpo so often I think he wanted to date him. Don’t be shy Phil, tell him how you feel!
- In the sake of fairness, there were a couple of plays I thought OU got away with something turned out to be legit. A few of their jailbreak screens WERE behind the line of scrimmage (nullifying the illegal man downfield) and the first touchdown where I thought Manual Johnson never broke the plane (he clearly did).
- You want proof of the Big 12 media bias for the Sooners? Trent Williams, the All-Big 12 first team and winner of the lineman of the year award, was absolutely destroyed by [tag]Sergio Kindle[/tag]. Sergio beat him for a sack, two QB pressures and drew a holding penalty against Williams. DeMarcco Murray, who was a repeat selection on the All-Big 12 team first team, did absolutely nothing against us, gaining seven yards on six carries. And the Big 12 coach of the year Bob Stoops? He spent the entire second half taking turns looking confused, and then constipated.
In closing, now that I have watched this game for the third time, this was Oklahoma’s best shot. Seriously. DeMarcco Murray was healthy (for all the good he did), Oklahoma busted out their maddeningly effective jailbreak screen for this game (which we had no time to prepare for, as opposed to Florida) and they converted all their opportunities inside the red zone. For all the smoke being blown about how OU was a different team at the end of the season, with all due respect, so were we. Our freshman safeties had grown up, the young receivers had emerged and our defense was playing lights out (allowing 16 points combined it its last 2 regular season games). We could have played them again and the result would have been the same.
God, I can’t wait for October 17th!
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