#11 Missouri @ #1 Texas football preview

Mizzou v Texas Preview:

The last time the Tigers played the Longhorns, they received an ample butt-whipping from the hands of eventual National Champion Texas, led by All-Galaxy quarterback Vince Young. Some things never change. Ranked No. 1 in the country and led by Heisman front-runner Colt McCoy, the Longhorns are coming off a signature win against Oklahoma and look as composed as ever. However, things have brewed in Columbia. Missouri enters Austin on Saturday with a Heisman contending quarterback of their own and one of the stoutest run defenses in the country. The Tigers fell last week at home against Oklahoma State and look to make amends to the country and, more importantly, the pollsters. Chase Daniel leads the way for the Tigers. If there was ever a year for the Tigers to take down the Horns in Austin, this would be it.

When Missouri has the ball:

Daniel had his worst game in recent memory in Columbia last week against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Daniel threw only one touchdown, against three interceptions. The Cowboys found a chink in Daniel’s armor, forcing the quarterback to play outside of the pocket and cover his check-down option in the flats. Uncharacteristically uncomposed, Daniel’s third back breaking interception late in the fourth quarter on the would-be game winning drive came when he tried to force a ball into the hands of Jeremy Maclin after being forced out of the pocket. When cool, Daniel is the most efficient quarterback in college football and this will be key to Missouri bringing it’s best against Texas. The Longhorns field two sack specialists in defensive end Brian Orakpo and linebacker Sergio Kindle. Both are fast and aggressive and will look to frustrate Daniel’s pass attempts. Missouri’s quick but undersized offensive line must key in on both players to keep Daniel’s jersey clean and his mind in the game.

To this end, Missouri’s receivers must also make plays. Crucial, drive-ending drops by Danario Alexander and Tommy Saunders, balls hitting them right in the hands, will quickly dig deep graves for Missouri’s chances in the game. Texas’s secondary gave up five touchdowns and 387 yards through the air last week against Oklahoma. In fact, Texas ranks an eye-popping 109 th in the country against the pass, a statistic that plays directly into the hands of Daniel, Maclin and the Tigers. Don’t expect to hear much of Kindle getting to Daniel, as his skills will be needed in coverage to help defend against the myriad weapons Missouri fields on offense.

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When Texas has the ball:

Everything for the Longhorns offense runs through Colt McCoy. He’s not a bad horse to bet on. Beyond his significant accomplishments through the air, 1557 yards and 17 touchdowns, McCoy also leads the team in rushing with 348 yards. There are positives and negatives to this method of offense. On one side, all it takes is for McCoy to get hot—either his arm or his legs, and things will take off for Texas on offense. This plays against him as well—if he starts playing poorly (which he has shown no sign of all season), Texas’s hopes are down the tubes. In order to slow down Texas’s offense, the Tigers will need to get to McCoy. The best way to get to a quarterback has always been to knock him down, something the Tigers will have an opportunity to do often, seeing as how the entirety of Mack Brown’s offense flows through him. Ziggy Hood and Stryker Sulak will be counted upon to get into McCoy’s face to keep him from completing passes and Sean Witherspoon and William Moore will be counted upon to spy on the Longhorn QB and keep him from busting runs.

Beyond McCoy, Texas seems to have little to offer in the running game. Chris Ogbonnaya has carried the ball only 31 times this season and only one attempt resulted in him finding the end zone. Despite what appears to be a huge game on paper last week against Oklahoma, when Ogbonnaya ran for 127 yards, Ogbonnaya is not an effective runner—62 of his 127 yards last week came on a defensive miscue by the Sooners and Ogbonnaya should have been tackled for no gain. Before Oklahoma, Ogbonnaya had accumulated less than 100 yards all season. Missouri gave up plenty of rushing yards against Oklahoma State, but much of that yardage came on a 68 yard run by Kendall Hunter, one of the better running backs in college football, who had a relatively quiet night otherwise. If the Tigers play their game and make eliminate the big play from the Texas ground game, the advantage on the ground must go to the Tigers.

The Tigers will not fair nearly as well against McCoy’s arm. Mizzou currently gives up over 270 yards through the air each Saturday. When William Moore isn’t spying on Colt, he’ll have to help over-the-top. Missouri will key in on Texas receivers Jordan Shiply and Quan Cosby. Shiply has big play ability and has been on the receiving end of eight of McCoy’s 17 touchdowns this season—he’ll be McCoy’s number one option in the red zone. Cosby is the top receiver on the team’s depth chart. He’s a consistent producer who will haul in seven or eight catches each game.

Final Mizzou v Oklahoma State Notes:

The Tigers are out to prove they’re better than the team that committed eight penalties for 68 yards (before Oklahoma State, Mizzou was the least penalized team in the country, averaging only three penalties per game) and failed to defend their home last week. They face a steep hill against Texas in Austin. Expect a great game—both teams have defenses that play into the hands of the others’ stellar offenses. Whichever team can most effectively protect their quarterback will come out the victors in the end. If both do so, expect a shoot-out where the team with the ball at the end of the game comes out the winner.

Texas wins 45-38

By Cory Spicer
Big 12 Fans Missouri Tigers Correspondent

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