Passing the Test
If you needed any proof of Kansas and Missouri’s mettle, you got it this past weekend, when they were both tested by quality opponents.
Kansas fell behind early to Oklahoma St., but bounced back with a vengeance and won 43-28 in Stillwater.
In Columbia, Missouri saw a 24-9 halftime lead tighten to 24-19 after three quarters and 31-26 midway through the fourth, but the Tigers calmly drove down the field for a touchdown on their next drive, and a safety on Texas A&M’s next drive wrapped up a 40-26 win.
Is the Real McCoy Back?
Texas’ defense has given up 103 points in the last three games, but the Longhorns are 3-0. The offense has had issues with turnovers and consistency all season long, but has woken up when it’s needed to. And, while the defense has had its struggles, the offense has picked up the slack, averaging more than 41 points and 567 yards per game.
In comeback wins over Nebraska and Oklahoma St., Texas scored 25 and 24 points in the fourth, and got that same output on Saturday, when Texas Tech predictably made a comeback, and answered every time the Red Raiders tried to find a way back into the game after trailing 35-20 entering the fourth.
In the last two games, Jamaal Charles took over in the fourth quarter, minimizing the pressure on Colt McCoy to win the game with his arm, which has been mistake-prone this season.
But, with Charles nursing a injured ankle in the latter part of Saturday’s game, the old Colt showed up, throwing two touchdown passes and running for another in the fourth quarter to help Texas outscore Graham Harrell and Texas Tech 59-43.
McCoy had thrown only two touchdown passes with six interceptions in the last three games, and had 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions on the season going into Saturday. But, he threw for 268 yards and four touchdowns (with only one pick), and added 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
That running ability has been big recently, and as was the case in the last couple of games, he had a big run in the fourth against Texas Tech, with a 19-yard touchdown run to make it 45-28 with seven minutes left, after the Red Raiders had drawn within ten.
Then, after Texas Tech drew within 10 again, it was McCoy that put the game out of reach with two touchdown passes, both of which came on third-down plays.
McCoy was 10 of 11 passing on third and fourth-down plays, with all 10 completions going for first downs (and three for touchdowns), and added two first-down runs in those crucial situations.
When you have players that you know you can count on to step up for you, even when they’ve had their struggles, you can be pretty confident when you’re entering the final quarter, even when your defense isn‘t playing as well as it should.
Murray Needs Some Hype Too
While Sam Bradford continues to put up big numbers (20 of 25, 353 yards, 3 TD in a 52-21 win over Baylor on Saturday), and making his case as a top Heisman candidate for next year (and an All-American this year), another Sooner might need to get some consideration as well.
While Bradford was busy solidifying himself as the nation’s most efficient passer, DeMarco Murray was busy terrorizing Baylor as well.
By now, we’ve seen Murray’s kickoff return touchdown against the Bears, where he not only navigates out of a potential disaster, but finds a lane down the right sideline and takes it all the way for a touchdown, his second kick return for a score this year. Along with that touchdown, Murray had three touchdowns on the ground, taking his season total to 15 (13 rushing, 2 return).
The issue in the way of Murray being a serious Heisman candidate next season is not the fact that his quarterback is also going to be in the running, but that Oklahoma will have 3,682 other backs getting carries.
That hasn’t stopped Darren McFadden from being a Heisman candidate, but he’s only really sharing carries with one other guy, and the Razorbacks don’t have a passing game, whereas OU has one of the nation’s top quarterbacks, and a couple of other backs to hand the ball to besides Murray.
But, on the other hand, he could end up like Reggie Bush, who was in a backfield with another 1,000 yard rusher and an All-American quarterback, but ran away with the Heisman with his versatility and electrifying ability as a runner, receiver, and returner.