Thu Jul 02, 2009 2:40 pm EDT
Everybody loves Texas this summer, for obvious reasons -- namely, it's likely to take 35 points to beat the Longhorns, and the only two teams that hit that mark on them last season finished first and third nationally in scoring offense. (And it still wasn't enough to put Oklahoma over the top.) Still, every giant has his Achilles heel, and as hard as it is to find fault with an offense very likely to top 40 points per game again, in the case of Texas' offense, the target is a fat one: The running game. Quick -- name the 'Horns' starting running back this fall. Even Texas fans might be slow on the draw with that question because it's not clear that they have one, or, after their performance in last year's underwhelming rotation, that one will emerge.
It's also not clear that it matters, given the absurd heights of the passing game, which incorporates plenty of safe throws of the "long handoff" variety. I went much further in his critique earlier this season:
... the Longhorns' backs certainly don't want a repeat of last season, when quarterback Colt McCoy pulled a Vince Young and led the ground attack with 561 yards and was the only member in the backfield to have 100 carries, with much of his run production coming primarily on scrambles in the spread attack.
[...]
It's understood the Longhorns will have to make a dramatic improvement running the ball this season if they seriously hope to compete for a national title. Their inability to effectively run and possess the football was probably what stood between them and the BCS title game last season.
The no-name running backs are fair game for skepticism, but both of those assumptions seem a little out of place when referring to a team that a) Presumably has "a serious hope" of competing for a national title even without dramatically improved rushing numbers, because it seriously competed for a championship last year despite mediocrity on the ground, and b) Finished second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally in time of possession, holding the ball for 15 minutes longer than Oklahoma, 13 minutes longer than Missouri, seven minutes longer than Oklahoma State, five minutes longer than Kansas and Texas A&M and almost 17 minutes longer than Baylor. The game Harris cites as a failure of the Longhorns' ability to control the clock with the run, the loss at Texas Tech, was one in which UT was scrambling to make up a 22-6 deficit at the half, after the Longhorn defense allowed Raider drives of 37, 52, 96, 83 and 46 yards that ate more than 20 minutes off the clock. After the 'Horns' first carry of the game -- a missed assignment that led to a Red Raider safety, and a subsequent Tech touchdown that put UT two scores in the hole after a single offensive snap -- the "ball control" approach wasn't exactly viable.
I do feel where Harris and similar critics are coming from, when Mack Brown's offenses for so long were based on either burly workhorses or Vince Young's having descended from the planet Freakalon 9, both of which have been conspicuously absent the last three years, and last year especially. I mean, there must be something wrong with this trend:

If you include Young's 1,000-yard season in 2005, all of Brown's offenses have featured one go-to back who handled in the neighborhood of three-fourths of all the carries -- Ricky Williams, Hodges Mitchell and Cedric Benson ran themselves ragged between the tackles before Young's talents forced a greater emphasis on the shotgun and zone read. That was a perfect vehicle for Jamaal Charles' big season in 2007, but McCoy had vastly less support in 2006 and almost none to speak of last year -- obviously no one of Charles' caliber -- when he handled most of the business himself.
Texas' position toward this, I think, is as follows: They're fine with it. When you're in front, you don't shift gears; you hit the gas. As middling as it looked in the big picture, the committee approach was still above average by Big 12 standards and had solid efforts -- over 150 yards on at least four yards per carry -- in the wins over Oklahoma, Missouri, Baylor, Kansas and Texas A&M. Beyond that, as the time of possession numbers here clearly demonstrate, "ball control" does not always mean "grinding running game," if your robot quarterback is the most consistent passer in NCAA history. Look at Colt McCoy's completion percentages -- the guy hit at least 80 percent of his targets in seven different times last year, including all three wins in the Oklahoma-Missouri-Oklahoma State gauntlet that put UT back on the national map at midseason. At nine yards a pop, that's a better success rate than handing off has ever had, no matter who was in the backfield.
McCoy only looked human once, in that loss to Texas Tech, and still almost left Lubbock with the game-winning touchdown drive under his belt. So the only thing that is clearly "understood" about Texas' running game is that its major function -- other than picking up a crucial yard here and there on third or fourth down -- is just keeping defenses honest as long as McCoy is pulling the trigger.
In fact, if there's any incentive to shift a heavier burden to the running game, it's keeping McCoy upright; he's never been seriously injured, but after well over 300 carries through the years by a guy who doesn't know how to slide, there have to be fewer sands left in that hourglass. Texas can't afford to lose its quarterback, which seems like a good enough reason to shift some of McCoy's carries to the backs. But that's just spot relief. Assuming they still let Colt throw at least 30 times a game, the results speak for themselves: The Longhorns' title drive is only going to be derailed by another offense -- like Texas Tech's last year -- explosive enough to set the pace, or at least keep up with it. Unless McCoy's arm goes limp between now and October, there's no reason for Texas to let off the pedal.
Dr. Saturday is a college football blog edited by Matt Hinton. Email him tips and feedback.

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21 Comments
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McCoy is an overrated HS QB.
Think Sooners will kick their ass and most likely put him out of the game. OSU
will beat them at home and they'll stink it up in another somewhere playing away.
Sure don't want to endure another round of all that crying and politicing, its getting
old.
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"Joe" to say that all OU starters are from TX is a joke. Oklahoma does have a lot of kids from TX on the team but the majority of them are from the DFW area and that is far from prime recruiting ground for Texas. I would dare to say that if you even get 50% of the kids in the DFW area at Texas that would be it. As far as 9-10 starters you were right there are 10 out of 22 starters from TX BUT as far as skill position players: Bradford(OK), Murray(NV), Brown(LA), Gresham(OK), Broyles(OK), Madu(OK), and Tennell is from TX. So Joe as far as the QB, 2RB, 3WR and the starting TE goes there is one kid from Texas. Oklahoma is very strong in recruiting DFW and the surrounding areas and that is where they get the TX kids. Maybe if Mack Brown could get DFW in his back pocket then they could wipe OU out but until then get used to seeing those kids make a short trip to Norman.
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jb i was at the game also interception is the end zone, if the player goes to the ground with the ball he has to maintain possesion of the ball and you know he didnt. if qb runs out of bounds you cant touch him and they did. bob stoopid tried a fake punt and that stupid kid from oklahoma didnt get out of the punters way. big game bob choked again. him and pete carroll are mr febuary.
I was at that game to. I will give you the non pic in the end zone, but Those two roughing the passer calls were BS. Both plays the defender was in reality just trying to help McCoy from falling. It was bad acting by McCoy and even worse officiating by the ref. Still a defensive player has to be smart enough not to even take the chance that that can happen and just let the QB bite the turf. The real difference in that game was Ryan Reynolds going down and not playing the 2nd half. Either way You see it....it was still a 3 way tie last year....ESPN loves to stir the pot for ratings and it was shameful with all the politickin the Mac did last year.(like being allowed to come on the broadcast while OU and OSU are Playing) Texas should be tuff again this year, and the possibilty of a 3 way tie is back if OSU can live up to the hype. (Just a side note to the the other conferences...more to the point SEC fans. See how the big 12 are rivals and don't like the other teams to be succesful.....SEC fans are sickening when they talk up there conference rather than their actual team. If You like Arkansas(or any other sub par sec team)...root for your team and stop bragging about Florida and the freaking SEC. Florida fans are the only sec fans who have any room to run smack.
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As for the comment about TT upsetting the Horns in Austin, I know that was just a comment to stir the pot, because no one could possibly be stupid enough to believe that.
Hook Em'
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I love this line " Texas would have been the 3rd best team in the SEC last year behind Florida and Georgia."
Are you freaking serious? You have Georgia(9-3) over Bama(12-1) in Your own conference for last season?
Lets talk about her and now. Yes Florida is the only team from the SEC that can run smack. If you want to hang your hat on old titles....well then OU wins this arguement hands down. 7 AP National tiltes....(oh wait if you want to get crazy and count all the titles that bama claims I gues you sorta win....considering they claim every small paper and trivial title that ever printed them as #1)but I'm talkin about last year and this upcoming season....the ones that matter in the present. So SEC lover....who is your team and not your conference?
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HOLY COW!! Bradford a better QB than Colt? Really? Please go ahead and justify that one for me. And yes OU may still have a good defense, but they lost almost their entire O Line. Oh you forgot to mention that didnt you. How do you expect Bradford to get any protection? Bradford is gonna get put on his butt more that Colt did his Soph year. Bradford doesn't have the wheels to get out of trouble like Colt does. If any QB gets "knocked out" of the Red River shoot out this year it will be Bradford.
As for the comment about TT upsetting the Horns in Austin, I know that was just a comment to stir the pot, because no one could possibly be stupid enough to believe that.
Hook Em'
Colt McCoy 2008 Rating 173.75 Yards 3,859 Touch Downs 34
Sam Bradford 2008 Rating 180.84 Yards 4,720 Touch Downs 50 (oh and the Heisman)
Colt McCoy three full years career Yards 9, 732 TD's 85
Sam Bradford two full years career Yards 7, 841 TD's 86
The numbers speak for themselves
Sam Bradfords projected Draft position is #1
Colt McCoy may not get drafted in the first 3 rounds.
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