#5 Texas vs. #1 OklahomaSaturday, October 11, 2008 - Noon (EST) ABC Sports
Cotton Bowl - Dallas, Texas
Oklahoma -7.5
Summary
The seats are divided in half at the 50-yard-line...half of the Cotton Bowl goes to Oklahoma fans and thier crimson shirts while the other half goes to Texas fans and their burnt orange shirts...it is one of the great rivalries in sports...this year's game is being played at a $50 million renovated Cotton Bowl...the seating capacity was raised from 76,000 to 92,000 which will probably produce the largest crowd to see this match-up...yep, this time, there is a lot riding on this game...
So far this decade, OU has won six of the eight games including last season's 28-21 game...this will mark the first time that both teams are ranked in the top 10 for the big game since 2004 when #2 Oklahoma shutout #5 Texas 12-0...after this game is settled both teams have tough matches next week as Texas hosts Missouri and Oklahoma hosts Kansas...
As for this game, most of the talk this week has been about the top-ranked Sooners...but quietly, Texas has been a force...the Longhorns are ranked 12th nationally in total offense with 472 yards/game and sixth in scoring offense with 47.2/game...junior QB is having a Heisman-like season as he has tossed 16 TDs and only 3 INTs...McCoy also leads the team in rushing with 317 yards and four TDs...Quan Crosby and Jordan Shipley are his favorite targets as they have combined for 56 catches and 10 TDs...
The Texas defense is a bit unbalanced...they have the third best rush defense in giving up 51.80 yards/game but they are ranked 96 in pass defense by giving up 244 yards/game...despite the weakness in pass defense, Texas is ranked fourth overall in scoring defense by giving up only 11.40 points per game...the Longhorns defense has held its opponents to 14 points or less for the first five games for the first time since 1991...they have not given up a TD in th first quarter this year either...the Horns lead the nation in sacks per game...
The offense that Texas will try to contain will be led by QB Sam Bradford...Bradford has tossed 18 TDs and 3 INTs...unlike McCoy, Bradford does not run...the OU running attack is led by DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown who have combined for over 700 yards and 10 TDs...Bradford has two veterans receivers in Juaquin Iglesias and Manuel Johnson...
The Sooner defense is just as stout at Texas...they are third in the nation in sacks per game and are led by Keenan Clayton and Auston English...overall, they are ranked 11th in the nation in defense and 15th in scoring defense...
General stories
Jake Trotter of the Oklahoma City Oklahoman writes about the rennovated Cotton Bowl... "The Cotton Bowl provides one of the distinct settings in college football, with the stadium surrounded by the Texas state fair and the cheering section divided down the 50-yard line." ...
Ivan Maisel of ESPN breaks down the game...
College Football News gives its take on the game...
The Houston Chronicle provides a nice series of photos of past Texas-Oklahoma games...
What the "experts" say...
The Gold Sheet - Oklahoma 35-22
Pointwise - Oklahoma 31-20
Texas Longhorns (5-0) - Head Coach Mack Brown
Here are the Longhorns Game Notes for the Oklahoma game...
For more information about the Longhorns, check out the Burnt Orange Natio
nal blog...Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman writes about Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and how he was hired for this game... "By now, everyone in college football realizes that the emotional, 37-year-old whiz kid from Georgia has transformed the defense on a Texas team that Howard Schnellenberger labeled softer than Oprah's heart into a band of fire-breathing mercenaries." ...
Ivan Maisel from ESPN writes about the maturation of Colt McCoy... "The Texas quarterback is not concerned about whether his teammates believe in him. They have seen him become not only one of the leading passers in the nation, but also the leading rusher on their team. They have seen the way he took on two Rice defenders at the goal line and knocked them both out of the way to score a touchdown." ...
Kevin Robbins of the Austin American-Statesman writes how this may be the biggest game in the long history between the two schools... "As they have for 102 previous games, one side will wear red Saturday. The other, orange. It won't be just the University of Texas versus the University of Oklahoma. It'll be Texas against Oklahoma. Period. But this year, it's even more." ...
Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News writes how Texas has not been in the spotlight this season.. "It's hard to imagine Texas football flying under the national radar, especially when the Longhorns are 5-0 and ranked fifth in this week's AP and coaches polls." ...
Oklahoma Sooners (5-0) - Head Coach Bob Stoops
Here are the Sooners Game Notes for the Texas game...
For more information about the Sooners, check out the Crimson and Cream blog...
Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News writes how Youngstown, Ohio native Bob Stoops has been a force since being named coach at OU... "After beating Texas six times
in nine years, Stoops' winning percentage against the Longhorns is better than Barry Switzer's, better than Bud Wilkinson's and, well, quite a bit better than his immediate predecessors." ... John Shinn of the Norman Transcript writes how the Sooners secondary has blossomed this year... "Oklahoma’s Red Room has about 80 seats, but the middle 16 in the front are where the defensive backs sit to watch film. The starting four sit in the front followed by the second, third and fourth teams. The depth chart is always adhered to." ...
John Shinn of the Norman Transcript writes how the intense rivalry has not bothered the coaches... "Former Texas coach Darrell Royal has never spoken about former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer in high regard and has tried to avoid the subject over the last four decades." ...
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