No surprises seen in TX–OK interstate matchups

No. 19 Oklahoma State @ No. 6 Texas, 6:00 p.m.

The Longhorns have a very simple formula for winning games: Runthe ball with Cedric Benson, run the ball with Vince Young andevery once in a while go play action and test the defense deep.

Benson became the 10th-leading rusher in Division I historywhile rolling for 141 yards against Colorado. Benson also found theend zone twice on Saturday giving him 57 touchdowns for his careerand tying him for sixth all-time with a guy that turned out prettygood — Marshall Faulk.

Blame Young’s inaccuracy, poor play calling or a lack ofdevelopment due to poor coaching, but whatever the reason, he doesnot look comfortable in the pocket. And until he does that, Texasis a one-dimensional team.

Just rushing the ball is usually enough for the Longhorns due totheir superb defense.

Everyone knows about all-world linebacker Derrick Johnson whosome would argue is the best defender in all the land not namedAntrel Rolle. But it was safety Michael Griffin that came up hugeagainst the Buffaloes, recording an interception, sack and forcedfumble to go along with his five tackles.

Last weekend in the near upset of their Bedlam rival, Oklahoma,the Cowboy offense took to the air and it was all about brotherlylove.

The Cowboys love the deep ball, and Donovan Woods threw for acareer high 207 yards, most of which was to brother D’Juanwho had a career-high 128 receiving yards. Vernand Morency was held(that’s funny) for only 95 yards on 17 carries, which equatesto 5.6 yards per touch in his least productive game of the season(there are literally 100 teams in the nation that would take anunproductive Morency).

OSU even found new a weapon in the form of Prentiss Elliot, thefreshman from Tulsa who is listed as a running back but playsreceiver and caught two balls for 49 yards and a touchdown againstthe Sooners.

The Cowboys defense is an erratic unit, one week stiffening tonot allow Missouri a single second half point, the next allowingOklahoma to go for 488 yards of offense and a special teamstouchdown.

The Cowboys defense gave up 267 yards rushing to the Sooners andthe Longhorns will work exclusively on the ground if they have thelead. Look for the Longhorns to ride the running game all day longand the Cowboy’s late rally to come up short.

The Pick: Texas 24-17

No. 2 Oklahoma at No. 22 Texas A&M, 2:30 p.m.

Adrian Peterson just broke the Oklahoma school freshman rushingrecord with 1,272 yards. Peterson broke the record in just eightgames and only started five on the season.

Some media members have gone from saying a freshman can’twin the Heisman to the point where they now put him as a clear-cutfavorite to win the award. Remember, this guy plays with theleading receiver in Oklahoma history, Mark Clayton, who is nowmoonlighting as a punt returner where he took one to the house onSaturday from 50 yards out against the Cowboys.

Peterson is so talented that the Sooner coaches have changedtheir game plan from a pass based spread offense to the powerrunning to set up the pass attack that has been so successful thisseason. Throw in the talented Mark Bradley, three touchdowns onfour catches for 128 yards Saturday, and the Oklahoma offense isthe most balanced array of talent since the Wu Tang Clan.

The Sooner defense had some holes exposed Saturday by theCowboys and, for the most part, it was linked to theirsusceptibility to the deep ball.

Defensive backs Bradie Pool, Chijioke Onyenegecha, Eric Basseyand Jowahn Poteat must step up in the absence of Antonio Perkinsand the Dan Cody-led defensive line must put more pressure on thequarterback.

The Aggies will definitely test the Sooners deep on Saturdaywith Terrance Murphy, L’Tydrick Riley and Chad Schroeder.Reggie McNeal’s progression as a top passer and runner shouldhave the Sooners worried, and don’t forget that McNeal hasbeen in this position before.

In the opening start of his career, McNeal beat an undefeatedOklahoma team two years ago in College Station. That win give theAggies hope, and last year’s 77-0 loss to the Soonersprovides the motivation.

It was capstone of an absolutely dreadful first season for CoachDennis Franchione, but in year two at the helm the turnaroundwizard has worked his magic again, willing the Aggies to 6-2 recordand a national ranking.

The question is whether or not the Aggies have enough defense tolimit the Sooners.

Last week, A&M allowed Baylor backup quarterback Shawn Bellto throw for 262 yards and four touchdowns on them in aheartbreaking 35-34 overtime loss to the Bears.

Look for Coach Fran to pull out a slew of trick plays like hehas done in the past with overmatched squads to keep things close,but in the end the Sooners have too much talent on offense andtheir defense responds to their poor showing last week to get thevictory.

The Pick: Oklahoma 34-21

Season Record: 24-18 (14-7 last week in the wildestweekend of the year that saw seven ranked teams lose).

Trent Redden is a junior finance and public policy major. Hemay be reached at [email protected].