Colin, we put in mass subs in every game
you deal with statistics
statistics lie
put on your tv
and watch the D Saturday
espn.com
Red River Shootout
The oddsmakers have not been able to figure out this rivalry. Until this game, Mack Brown's side has been expected to win each year, but lost the last three. Finally, Oklahoma is the favorite. That's a pretty easy call, actually.
Bob Stoops says this is the best Oklahoma team he's coached.
There's something of a myth at work here. Some fans want to believe that Texas has a huge edge in number of thoroughbreds in the stable and that, somehow, the scrappy OU overachievers just find ways to win. Nonsense. OU has phenomenal talent all the way down the defensive two deep. Texas has had great offensive skill people the last few years and sent tackles like Leonard Davis and Mike Williams to the NFL. But OU hasn't exactly had backs and receivers off the scrap heap.
Bob Stoops rarely blows smoke and is not often unguarded in his rhetoric. So take note when he says THIS is his best OU team. That would include the 2000 national title team that waxed Texas, 63-14. There's no reason to doubt Stoops. The Sooners have a more complete, versatile offense than the one that limped down the stretch three years ago.
The defense is now without two excellent linebackers, with Pasha Jackson joining surgery case Lance Mitchell on the sidelines for a couple of weeks with a sprained MCL. That'll hurt, no doubt. But the offensive line from Texas I watched up close last weekend will have some serious trouble with Tommie Harris and the Sooners' front.
Mack Brown has a problem: using Vince Young may spark the offense and give provide better mobility, but it also lessens the potential value of Roy Williams. Young is not yet an accomplished passer. With him running the show, receivers become blockers more than catchers. Williams said as much this week. Young is a special option quarterback, though, the kind that can turn the corner and lean forward for five yards before you know what's hit you and he can also take it 60 yards to the house.
Chance Mock is the guy with the better mastery of the passing game, but will he be able to deliver before he's buried? The defensive tackles of Kansas State caused big trouble for UT and they're not in Harris' class. At times, the Horns second offensive line looked more physical and inspired last Saturday as they rotated in during Young's early series.
I see trouble for Texas Saturday.
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