FROM THE BENCH : Win over No. 1 Sooners could lock up Heisman for UT’s McCoy
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Hey OU fans, I've got $ 5 that says the No. 5 Texas Longhorns will stun the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners this Saturday in the Red River Shootout held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
And why is that ?
Two words.
Colt McCoy.
McCoy has the Sooners number and is playing his best football this season.
Yeah, but OU has the nation's best quarterback in Sam Bradford.
That may be true, but three fourth of the Sooners'top playmakers come from Texas.
Everyone knows that high school football in Texas is king. If I recall, didn't one of OU's best running back in school history - Adrian Peterson - come from Texas.
Hmmm, it seems that Oklahoma has to get the majority of its players from the Lone Star State. What's wrong with the level of high school football in the Sooner State ?
Looking at the rosters of both Texas and Oklahoma, the number of players from Texas is startling.
Texas has 98 of its 115 players from the Lone Star State. Not one of the remaining 17 players is from Oklahoma.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, has 43 players from Texas and 30 from the Sooner State.
As for the battle between McCoy and Bradford, it's time to see how each quarterback did in their first Red River Shootout.
In 2006, McCoy, as a freshman fresh out of Class 2 A football in Texas, led the No. 7 Longhorns to a 28-10 victory over the No. 14 Sooners.
Texas registered 131 yards on 14 plays and scored touchdowns on its first two possessions of the second half to rally the Longhorns from a 10-7 halftime deficit.
On that day, McCoy completed 11-of-18 passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
In 2007, Bradford led the No. 10 Sooners past the No. 19 Longhorns, 28-21.
Bradford, showing no signs of freshman jitters, tossed three touchdown passes and completed 21-of-32 passes for 244 yards with no interceptions.
So, what's going to be the difference in 2008 ?
Well, OU fans, I think it will be Mc-Coy's ability to run against the Sooners.
The Sooners are allowing 97. 2 rushing yards per game and six touchdowns. Texas, meanwhile, is averaging 198 yards on the ground with 13 touchdowns.
McCoy, in his five games, leads the Longhorns in rushing with 346 yards on 45 carries with four touchdowns. McCoy is also averaging 63. 4 rushing yards per game.
Another matchup that might make a difference could be Bradford's passing against the Longhorns'youthful secondary, which is allowing 244 yards per game and five touchdowns. Through the air, Bradford has completed 106-of-146 passes for 1, 665 yards and 18 touchdowns with three interceptions. In five games, Bradford has a passing efficiency rating of 204. 97. But, let's not forget about Mc-Coy's consistency through the air. The three-year starter is having a Hesiman-type season with 1, 280 yards on 103-of-130 completions with 16 touchdowns and three interceptions. Also, McCoy's passing efficiency rating in five games is very similar to Bradford's at 197. 94. So, who's it going to be Timbo ? Well, my gut instinct and loyalty to my native roots tells me that Texas will stun the Sooners, 28-24. If I remember correctly, the Longhorns lead the series, 57-40-5. And, better yet, Texas is 45-36-4 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Chalk up another'W'for Texas. The headlines will read," Colt is the real'McCoy'in Texas."
Week 6 Predictions No. 3 MISSOURI vs. No. 17 OKLAHOMA STATE... The Cowboys are good, but Missouri is in a different league. Chase Daniel and Jeremy Maclin are the best one-two combination in the nation. MISSOURI 52, OKLAHOMA STATE 31. No. 4 LSU at No. 11 FLORIDA... There will be more rushing yards combined than passing yards in this SEC grudge match. FLORIDA 17, LSU 10. No. 6 PENN STATE at WISCONSIN... Are the Nittany Lions for real ? Joe Paterno seems to think so and he coaches from the press box. PENN STATE 28, WISCONSIN 17. No. 7 TEXAS TECH vs. NEBRASKA... After the Red Raiders wallop Nebraska in Lubbock, the Big 12 Conference will have four teams in the Top 5. Times are a changing and the Big 12 Conference is way better than the SEC. TEXAS TECH 49, NEBRASKA 24. No. 8 USC vs. ARIZONA STATE... The Trojans, before the season ends, will be back in the BCS title hunt. Give it time. USC 35, ARIZONA STATE 14. No. 9 BYU vs. NEW MEXICO... Too much offense for the Cougars in this Mountain West affair. BYU 45, NEW MEXICO 14. No. 10 GEORGIA vs. TENNESSEE... This one could get ugly in a hurry. The Vols don't have a clue who their starting quarterback is and Georgia has the best signal-caller in the SEC. GEORGIA 31, TENNESSEE 7. No. 12 OHIO STATE vs. PURDUE... Terrelle Pryor plus Beanie Wells in the backfield for Ohio State equals victory in the Horseshoe. OHIO STATE 28, PURDUE 10. No. 13 VANDERBILT at MISSISSIPPI STATE... Is it true to say that Vanderbilt is the best team in the SEC East ? Sorry, Mississippi State, the Commodores are living right in Nashville. VANDERBILT 21, MISSISSIPPI STATE 3. No. 14 UTAH at WYOMING... The Utes have what it takes to run the table in the Mountain West. UTAH 31, WYOMING 13. No. 15 BOISE STATE at SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI... Southern Mississippi pulls off the upset of the day with a last second field goal to give Boise State its first loss of the season. SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI 17, BOISE STATE 14. No. 16 KANSAS vs. COLORADO... The Jayhawks scored 35 unanswered points to beat Iowa State last week and the Buffs couldn't stop Texas. Once again, Kansas remains undefeated at home. KANSAS 24, COLORADO 17. No. 20 AUBURN vs. ARKANSAS... Arkansas has yet to score in the first quarter and Auburn hasn't tallied 18 points (current spread ) in three SEC games. Look for a nailbiter in favor of the Tigers. AUBURN 17, ARKANSAS 13. No. 21 WAKE FOREST vs. CLEMSON... The Demon Deacons improve to 2-1 at home against the free-falling Clemson Tigers. WAKE FOREST 18, CLEMSON 12. No. 25 BALL STATE at WESTERN KENTUCKY... Hmmm, are either of these teams in Division I ? BALL STATE 14, WESTERN KENTUCKY 10.
(Tim Ritter is the sports editor for the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader. He can be reached at timothyr @ nwnanews. com. )
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