The Texas Longhorns may be 5-0, but they have hardly looked like a dominant team this season. The 'Horns have let teams with inferior talent like Wyoming and Colorado hang in there until halftime, before Texas ultimately pulled away. Meanwhile, Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy has not been as sharp as he was last season. The lackluster play has finally been reflected in the polls, with the Associated Press dropping Texas to third.
Alabama has leapfrogged Texas in the AP and Harris polls, but the Horns could score major style points and leap back into the second spot with a strong showing in the Red River Shootout this weekend. With Sam Bradford back, the Oklahoma offense will be the strongest that Texas has faced this season. However, the offensive line for OU is still a work in progress, which should allow Sergio Kindle to pressure Bradford into some bad throws. Bringing the heat will certainly help the young Texas secondary make some plays against a group of OU receivers that were forced into action because of injuries.
Ultimately, the game will come down to McCoy playing like the '08 version of himself. The Sooners are far more talented than the defenses McCoy has seen this year. Star DT Gerald McCoy will need to collapse the pocket. Colt has been turnover prone this season, and some pressure up the middle might force him into some more of the interceptions that were so uncharacteristic of him last year. Colt McCoy will undoubtedly look to Jordan Shipley, his most reliable target when the heat comes. However, McCoy also needs to make a few more plays with his legs. He only has run for 58 yards this season, compared to 561 in 2008. The threat of McCoy running in the zone-option will put more pressure on the opposing defense, and with the ends playing wider to stop McCoy, the middle may open up for a big Vondrell McGee run.
The weakness of the OU offensive line should propel the Longhorns to victory, but if Jordan Shipley is the only person on the Texas offense that comes to play this week, then the Sooners could very easily derail Texas' National Championship dreams, and put themselves in the driver's seat for a berth in the Fiesta Bowl.
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