My instant reaction to Texas vs. Oklahoma following the weekend?
This is a game that is there for the taking for Tom Herman and Co. There will be big plays available for the Texas offense against an Oklahoma defense that can absolutely be had. Texas has big-time players that can make big plays in the biggest games.
When you look at these two teams on paper, there's not much of a separation in talent across the board.
Except at quarterback.
After a run of games to start the season against teams mostly possessing quarterbacks not ready for prime time, the Longhorns will face a player in Kyler Murray that would absolutely be in New York if the Heisman ceremony was today. Meanwhile, the Longhorns come into this game with a player in Sam Ehlinger that is playing a better brand of football than he did as a true freshman, but at times seems to be riding a bike with training wheels.
For better or worse, it's hard to see this game as anything but a battle between the quarterbacks ... Kyler vs. Sam.
A season ago, Baker Mayfield established a new single-season NCAA quarterback efficiency rating with a mind-blowing 198.6 number, which is 25 points higher than the number Colt McCoy posted in 2008.
Murray's current rating is almost 33 points higher than Mayfield's, which means it's almost 60 points better than McCoy's.
It's absolutely true that Murray hasn't faced a defense nearly as good as the one he'll face on Saturday (sorry, Iowa State), but all we can judge his current play by is what he's done in five games, and what he's done in five games this year is better than what any quarterback in the history of the game (not named Tua Tagovailoa) has done in the history of the sport over 12 games.
By every measure of quarterback play, he's been sensational and he'll personally view Saturday as the moment in his football career he's waited his entire life for, as he takes on the program he teased in recruiting and loathed as a young player growing up. With the entire nation watching, this is a chance for him to have a Heisman moment. On the other side of the fence, it's a chance for Todd Orlando's defense to send a statement to the entire conference that the path to a Big 12 title will go through them.
While all of the fuss in the build up to this game will center on Murray, it cannot be overstated enough that the Longhorns will need Ehlinger to play his best game of the season in Dallas if the Longhorns are going to win this game. Taking care of the football this weekend won't be good enough. Leading the team to points in just one half of football won't be good enough. Averaging under six yards per attempt as he did on Saturday won't be good enough.
Like Murray, Ehlinger is playing an opponent this weekend that he's been dreaming of playing against his entire life. Of all the games in which a Texas quarterback can play, none matter more than this one. Peter Gardere still doesn't have to buy a drink in this town more than a quarter-century since his last snap because he went 4-0 against Oklahoma. James Brown's career truly began with a win in this game. Major Applewhite, Vince Young and Colt McCoy all had wins in this game at quarterback.
Ehlinger doesn't have to be better than Murray for the Longhorns to win the game on Saturday, but he has to play at a level that's probably on par with what he did against TCU eight days ago. If we're talking about yards per attempt or a sub 50-percent completion percentage or an inability to create big plays down the field against the Sooners, the Longhorns will lose.
Two quarterbacks ... both playing in games they have dreamed of starring in ... facing off with higher ground in a chase for a spot in the Big 12 championship game on the line.
It'll be fascinating theater to watch unfold.
No. 2 - Tale of the Tape - Murray vs. Ehlinger ...
Here's how each quarterback ranks in a number of key statistical quarterback categories coming into the game.
Efficiency Rating
Murray: 231.0 (1st in the Big 12)
Ehlinger: 139.7 (6th in the Big 12)
Yards Per Attempt (minimum 50 attempts)
Murray: 13.4 (1st in the Big 12)
Ehlinger: 7.1 (7th in the Big 12)
Yards Per Game)
Murray: 292.0 (fourth in the Big 12)
Ehlinger: 237 (6th in the Big 12)
Touchdown Passes
Murray: 17 (1st in the Big 12)
Ehlinger: 9 (5th in the Big 12)
Rushing yards per game
Murray: 57.0 (1st in the Big 12)
Ehlinger: 30.6 (4th in the Big 12)
Yards Per Carry
Murray: 6.2 (1st in the Big 12)
Ehlinger: 2.8 (5th in the Big 12)
No. 3 - One of the keys to Saturday ...
It's time for Keontay Ingram's usage to change this weekend or else.
When Ingram isn't on the field, the Longhorns have an average at best running attack. Daniel Young is consistently 4.0 yards and a cloud of dust. Same with Tre Watson. When you take Ingram out of the equation, the team averages 3.3 yards per carry.
There's only one thing that makes the running game look better than that and it's when Ingram touches the football. And when I say he makes it look better, what I mean is that he averages more than two yards more per carry than his older teammates. Against Kansas State on Saturday, the number was nearly doubled.
While Ingram is coming off an injury from a few weeks ago, I'm not buying it as the reason Ingram had only six carries through the first 45 minutes of a close game. Instead, I'm just not sure that Tom Herman and Stan Drayton have been as quick to understand and process his importance to this offense being good.
Well, this can't be like in 2001 when Mack Brown waited until after the Oklahoma game to start and exclusively feature Cedric Benson as the primary focus of the ground game.
Herman might call me crazy, but I'd contend that this is a game where Ingram needs 10 carries in each half and maybe 25 in the game. It's the only chance Texas has at producing a strong running game, a balanced offense and a chance of keeping Kyler Murray off the field for long stretches of the game.
I'd almost call anything else offensive coaching malpractice.
No. 4 - The two things that should give Texas fans the most hope on Saturday ...
* Oklahoma ranks as the ninth-best defense in the league in total defense.
* Oklahoma is equally below average in run and pass defense, ranking 7th and 8th in the Big 12, respectively.
This is a game Texas will probably need to score 30 points if it wants to win, but the Oklahoma defense is just vulnerable enough that it'll practically beg the Longhorns to do it.
No. 5 - Story-time with Uncle Ketch ...
Here are my Top five most memorable Texas/OU experiences.
1. 2003 - After being put on a bus full of Oklahoma fans on the way to the game, I was later thrown out of the fairgrounds after nearly getting into a scuffle with Oklahoma fans. What started the scuffle? On the way out of the fairgrounds, I watched an OU fan startle an older Texas fan who was walking with a cane by screaming "Texas sucks" in his face. I walked over to the Oklahoma fan and strongly told him that he was out of line. His wife then started yelling some explicit words my way and I nicely told her husband that they both needed to move away from me. At that point, a large group of about 10 male OU fans circled around us all and were trying to escalate the situation. One of those dudes whispered something under his breath that I happened to hear and it triggered me, as I took a half-swing at him before stopping myself. As he fell to the ground and I yelled at him how lucky he was that I was sober, a policeman came over and escorted me out, telling me on the walk, "I would have hit that guy if I were you, but if you were me, you'd be in the back of my car instead of driving it."
Oh, and I watched Adrian Peterson sing the Eyes of Texas with his "Horns" in the air during the pre-game. I also watched him walk out of the stadium that day. His recruitment was over.
2. 2005 - The first time in six tries that I had been to a Texas/OU game (My car broke down on the way to the 1998 game, which I missed) and witnessed a Texas win. It felt like a coronation moment for the 2005 team.
3. 1995 - The first of two times in my life when I have walked with both teams out of the Cotton Bowl tunnel. It's a wild experience. Also, it's a hell of a thing to watch a game that ends with both teams wanting to fire their coaches.
4. 1996 - Was able to watch the entire game from the sidelines and was about 10 yards away from the winning touchdown in overtime.
5. 2001 - It was one of the most life or death feeling games I have ever attended and the emotional frustration that was felt by the fan base in the stands when Roy Williams leaped over Brett Robin and strip sacked Chris Simms in the end zone late in the fourth quarter defined the early part of Mack Brown's tenure.
No. 6 - Compare and contrast ...
With Texas senior defensive end Charles Omenihu dominating for 30 minutes on Saturday in a way that should make him an obvious candidate for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, I thought I’d take a look at the defensive ends ranked ahead of him as a recruit.
Omenihu was a low four-star weak-side defensive end and ranked No. 15 at the position nationally. Let's take a look at both the top 15 weak-side defensive ends and the top 4 in-state ends in his class.
Top 15 Weak-side defensive ends
1.
Keisean Lucier-South (Signed with UCLA): Has had a disappointing career thus far, although he's having a nice start to his junior season after moving to starting linebacker. Has five tackles for loss and two sacks this month.
2.
Josh Sweat (Signed with FSU): A productive three-year starter for the Noles (17.5 sacks in three years), Sweat turned pro early this year and was a fifth-round pick by the Eagles.
3.
Natrez Patrick (Signed with Georgia): Has been a part-time starter throughout his career, but has only started one game as a senior.
4.
Jalen Dalton (Signed with North Carolina): Has been a part-time starter throughout his career, but he's emerged as a full-time starter this season and has 1 1/2 sacks in four games this season.
5.
D'Andre Walker (Signed with Georgia): One of the top defensive playmakers in the SEC in his final season. Currently leads the team in tackles for loss (3), sacks (4) and quarterback hits (7).
6.
Clelin Ferrell (Signed with Clemson): One of the best defensive ends in the country and a player that has had a monster of a career with nearly 40 career tackles for loss and more than 20 sacks.
7.
Andrew Butcher (Signed with Tennessee): Had his Vols career ended by multiple injuries to his legs and knees.
8.
Marques Ford (Signed with Rutgers): Transferred to Bethune-Cookman following his freshman season.
9.
Mekhi Brown (Signed with Alabama): Transferred to Tennessee State after getting into a scuffle with a Bama assistant coach in the 2017 national championship game.
10.
Anfernee Jennings (Signed with Alabama): Has been a starter throughout his three seasons with the Tide and projects as a future NFL player.
11.
Jamario Bell (Signed with Arkansas): Just a guy for the Hawgs.
12.
Darrell Taylor (Signed with Tennessee): Recorded two forced fumbles in his first bit of playing time of the season against Georgia yesterday, but his career has otherwise been a disappointment.
13.
Arden Key (Signed with LSU): An All-SEC player as a sophomore, who battled injuries throughout his junior season, Key declared early for the NFL Draft and was a fourth-round selection by the Raiders.
14.
Michael Barnett (Signed with Georgia): Just a guy for the Dawgs.
15.
Charles Omenihu (Signed with Texas): A three-year starter for the Longhorns, Omenihu has emerged as one of the better defensive ends in the Big 12. Has three sacks this season and 10.5 in his career.
Top 5 In-State Strong-side/Weak-side Defensive ends
1.
James Lockhart (Signed with Texas A&M): Transferred to Baylor and has been nothing more than just a guy in his career.
2. Omenihu
3.
Kenneth Mann (Signed with Oklahoma): The former three-star has emerged as a starter this season for the Sooners, but he hasn’t really been a standout player.
4.
Breylin MItchell (Signed with TCU): Didn't last long at TCU and eventually had some pretty serious off-field issues.
No. 7 – Buy or Sell …
BUY or SELL: Sam’s ceiling is middle of the road big 12 quarterback?
(Sell) I think everyone needs to keep in mind that he's a second-year player who didn't have the luxury of a redshirt season. There's not a starting sophomore quarterback in the country that I would likely put that type of cap on as a general rule of thumb. So much of the game is determined by the mental side of the position and I think that's an area that Ehlinger will improve in with added experience.
BUY or SELL: The wheel route has been missing from our offense for a reason, and that reason is Saturday in Dallas?
(Buy) I've been waiting to see Texas run this play with Tre Watson all season.
BUY or SELL: Football is more important than meth in Oklahoma?
(Sell)
More people die of meth in Oklahoma each year than oxycodone, hydrocodone and heroin combined. You can't be the Meth Capital of the World and think that football is more important.
BUY or SELL: Sam isn’t the only Texas QB that plays this Saturday?
(Sell) Unless he's hurt, he's playing the whole game.
BUY or SELL: 2 parter:
The offensive performance (or lack thereof) without Beck shows that the issues are larger than we thought (OC), and might only be fixed by a large offensive staff overhaul?
The offense could just as easily be fixed with a different QB behind center?
(Buy and Buy) The offensive issues are Tom Herman-directed because it's his offense, but it's amazing how awesome coaching can look when elite quarterback play is available.
BUY or SELL: Spying Murray next week is a lost cause due to his speed?
(Sell) This needs to be the game of Gary Johnson's life. He's the guy that's capable of nipping that Murray run threat in the bud.
BUY or SELL: If Texas finishes 9-3 and A&M finishes with 6 wins or fewer, Texas finishes with a Top 5 recruiting class and A&M falls out of the Top 10?
(Sell) I don't think Texas has a real shot at a top five class and A&M's class won't be any more tied to first-year success than Tom Herman's 2018 class was.
No. 8 – Eternal Randomness of the Spotty Sports Mind …
... Jimbo Fisher is a punk for putting his hands on one of his players like he did. I had the parent of one former Texas All-American text me on Saturday that he would have been waiting in Fisher's office to put his hands on him after the game if that had been his son handled in such fashion. If that had been one of his players doing that to Fisher, his ass would be off the team and his career would potentially be over. Total punk-move.
... This Tweet stood out to me this weekend
... So did this one...
... West Virginia can play. I'm more impressed with them at every turn with every game that passes.
... After seeing TCU beat Iowa State 17-14 at home, I find myself just not knowing what to think about this team, but I apologize to everyone for going ga-ga over the Horned Frogs after that Ohio State performance.
... James Franklin will have nightmares of his fourth down call against Ohio State all the way down to his final breath as an old man. Wow, that was all-time awful.
... Very quietly, LSU is just hammering everyone on its schedule.
... Jaylen Waddle was in the starting line-up for Alabama this week as a true freshman. He also had a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown.
... Nice win for the Cowboys on Sunday. That was about as complete of a performance as I'll expect to see all season.
... Frank Reich is an idiot.
... The injury that Earl Thomas suffered on Sunday is exactly the reason why he has done everything possible to push for a contract extension. That injury will cost him millions.
... Myles Garrett is one of the best football talents the state of Texas has every produced. He's just awesome.
... The Dolphins are what we thought they were.
... Damn, Mitchell Trubisky, I didn't think you had that in you.
... So, the Americans lost the Ryder Cup by a touchdown. I'm not sure it ever felt that close.
... In what can only be seen as the worse advertisement for a one-on-one pay-per-view in six weeks, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson combined to go 0 for 6 in the Ryder Cup.
... I've watched this goal at least 400 times this weekend.
... That Liverpool/Chelsea game was easily the best game of footy that I've seen so far this season in any league. Man, that game was wide-open and thrilling for 90 minutes.
... I'm going to miss Jose Mourinho at Manchester United when he's no longer there. He's just forever interesting.
... Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have been pretty awesome in the MLS this season. Zlatan has 20 freaking goals in an abbreviated season. Only Josef Martines of Atlanta United has more goals and goals per 90 minutes in the entire league than Zlatan.
... Real Madrid misses Cristiano Ronaldo.
... Barcelona misses peak-Luis Suarez.
... Speaking of Ronaldo,
this story will be one to keep an eye on.
No. 9 - The List: Woody Harrelson ...
Is Harrelson the Alan Trammel of acting? A guy good enough to have been a multiple-time all-star that ends up in the Hall of Fame, but probably never good enough that anyone would ever say he was truly one of the best ever?
Outside of the Emmy he won for a best supporting actor in a comedy when he was on the classic show Cheers, Harrelson has never really been an award-winner for his craft, but it's impossible to ignore how many monsters he's been a part of... from Cheers to True Detective on television to White Men Can't Jump to Natural Born Killers to No Country for Old Men to The Hunger Games to Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri.
Here's my personal top 10 Woody Harrelson TV/movie roles.
10. Krushinski (Wildcats)
9. Mickey Knox (Natural Born Killers)
8. Carson Wells (No Country For Old Men)
7. Roy Munson (Kingpen)
6. Captain Anthony "Tony" Stone (The Messenger)
5. Larry Flynt (The People vs. Larry Flynt)
4. Sheriff Bill Willoughby (Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri)
3. Marty Hart (True Detective)
2. Billy Hoyle (White Men Can't Jump)
1. Woody Boyd (Cheers)
No. 10 – And Finally...
I'm going to let the greatness of this moment end this week's column.
