The old saw is defense wins football games. But for the Texas Longhorns it might best be stated as the best defense is a good offense. In a 28-24 squeaker win over Oklahoma State, the Horns proved once again why QB Colt McCoy is the Heisman Trophy hopeful and why without him they are toast in the Big 12. And, be certain, McCoy was nearly perfect. What else can you call 38 of 45 completions for 391 yards?
But there were those two interceptions and one fumble that showed just how much McCoy is working to do it all himself. The fumble was particularly Vince Young-like. McCoy, the Superman, tried to push his way toward the end zone, but the Cowboys wrangled that ball loose. Sit, Colt. Sit. Fall on the ball. Don’t try to be a hero.
Occasional Chronicle sports scribe and OSU grad John Razook will tell you the sad truth for Crazy Mike Gundy‘s Cowboys: if given enough time, they will find a way to lose. And so they did Saturday. The game came down to one play: McCoy intercepted; touchdown drive ended. But wait. A roughing-the-passer call erased the interception and let the Horns continue the march. Those seven points were the difference in the game. Thanks, Cowboys! After watching tiny Kendall Hunter show off his track skills for 161 yards, the Horns needed the help.
OK, that’s a bit simplistic. The Texas defense did show up when needed, stopping the Cowboys on a fourth down late in the game to, mostly, seal a chest-tightening win, the kind of win that makes champions tougher. Thanks, Lamarr Houston. Your stop truly saved the day.
This all came as McCoy continued his pitch-and-catch game with Quan Cosby (8 nabs for 76 yards) and Jordan Shipley (15 completions for 168 yards!). The first half was closer than it needed to be and clearly illustrated how a run game can be replaced by a short-passing game. Run the ball? Why bother. And don’t expect it to change this week against Mike Leach‘s Texas Tech, which has a deadly offense but absolutely no defense or special teams. They’re a worse team than OSU overall, but a much better, if unbalanced, offense. So Texas will need to rely once again on McCoy to keep the Tech offense off the field with long, grinding, clock-stealing drives. Here’s betting the Horns pass this final test from a Top 10 team before quietly pounding their way to a Big 12 title game.
This article appears in October 24 • 2008.