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Game Thread Game Two: #1 Ohio State 24, #2 Texas 7 (9/9/06)

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Let's get the quartback situation out of the way. I echo what your boy Kirk had to say about Colt: Given the level of competition, he did as well as can possibly be expected of him. Yes, yes, yes, I realize UNT sucks. That's not the point. Given what little live action we have seen of him, I think we can all agree that Colt is ahead of the curve. He did NOT look like a freshman.

Except for one play. I don't know what he was looking at, but he threw it to a big mass of humanity consisting of two UT recievers and three UNT defenders. Freshman moment, even the smart ones have them.

He went 12 of 19. He had three of his passes dropped (yes, drops are part of the game, but again, that is not the point). That means he had 15 of 19 passes that were very catchable. Groovy.

Finally, I was impressed with Colt's mobility. He's a little faster than I thought he was.

Snead looked okay. His interception came on a dropped pass. It was a little behind the receiver, but still very catchable. Speaking of.........

Other than Sweed, I was disappointed with the receivers. 5 drops. If I recall correctly, 2 were by Pittman, 2 were by Shipley, and 1 was by Hardy. Very frustrating to watch, especially since Shipley has the best hands on the team. It's his first live action in 3 years though, so I'll give him a break. Hardy's drop and one of Pittman's were completely inexcusable. Colt hit'em right in the hands. Help out your freshman quarterback, guys. With all that said, I don't think we'll have this problem next week.

Running game: I'm a little disappointed. Selvin and Jamaal ran very well, but they at times struggled to get 3 yards. No long gains. Offensive line? Not sure, but I don't think so. I think it was UNT completely selling out to stop the run. In fact, I know that's it as the UNT coach said as much. If there is no safety help 10 yards downfield on a slant pattern (Sweed's long TD), then you have sold out to stop the run. Still, I would've liked to see a long run or two.


Defense. Yes, the UNT offense sucks. Once again, that's not the point. If you limit a Division 1 offense to less than 100 yards, then your defense has done a fantastic job. I'm even more pleased that 80 of their 91 however many total yards came on one drive- UNT's first of the second half (per Chizik's words, it was a lack of intensity), meaning they gained 11 yards on their other drives combined. The defensive line is the strength of the defense. They were always in the backfield.

It was nice to see the backups play well. We have very good depth on D, particularly on the defensive line. Muckelroy had some nice plays, and Orakpo proved he's more than just a passing down pass rusher (even if he's very good at it).

The UT defense vs the tOSU offense will be a clash of titans.

Final score prediction: 27-24. Flip a coin for the winner.
 
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I'll agree Colt did not look like a freshman out there...But lets see how he looks when he gets knocked on his ass a few times. Just ask Quinn...When you get planted a few times its tough to do much, muchless, a freshman qb...
 
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Elephant said:
I'll agree Colt did not look like a freshman out there...But lets see how he looks when he gets knocked on his ass a few times. Just ask Quinn...When you get planted a few times its tough to do much, muchless, a freshman qb...
Click to expand...

I agree, and I meant to include that in my post above. He had all the time in the world to throw. That will certainly not happen next week.
 
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It will be interesting to see how he responds when Pitcock and Patterson blow up the middle a few times. Hopefully, Ohio State brings the heat and if not then you might see Colt have a field day. Im anxious to see the Charles kid. He is the stud out of the group....When i think of the Longhorns and their running game i think of him. The Young guy is okay i guess but when i think of him i think of Lydell Ross for some reason. He lacks that "it" factor. Damn this game should be a good one but there are some serious question marks everywhere.
 
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So the question is...........what in the wide, wide world of sports does all this have to do in our game next week? We really can't take a whole lot from our respective games as they were both blowouts. I'm most interested in knowing how these teams and individual players react when the game is on the line.

I think tOSU has a slight advantage there. Their defense is still an unknown, but a team generally takes on the attitude of its veteran, Heisman trophy candidate leader at QB. Just like Vince and the 2005 Texas team. If I'm a Buckeye fan, I feel pretty confident in a close game, but I'm also a little worried that the defense might not come up with a stop in a clutch situation.

For Texas fans, we have to worry about Troy's ability to pull something out of his rear end, much like Vince did last year. I have all the confidence in the world in our defense, but Sept 9 will be the only time this year the UT D sees such a dynamic player.

And as much as we all liked Colt's first game, he's still an unknown at QB. Think about it: a freshman quarterback who spent the first 18 years of his life in a small West Texas town, in the second game of his college career, playing in a 1 vs 2 matchup on national TV. Wow. A recipe for disaster? I can see it going one of two ways. One, he plays to his potential but doesn't come up with crucial scoring drives when the game is on the line. Just as well, he's a freshman. What do you expect him to do? Or two, he plays within himself, runs the offense efficiently, and leads a scoring drive in the fourth quarter to put Texas in the lead.

Maybe I can't look at my team objectively, but I honestly think the latter scenario has an equal chance of happening as the former. Colt McCoy thought there was something wrong with him because he wasn't nervous before the UNT game (per the Austin American Statesman). Seriously. I think that speaks volumes about his mental state and psyche. If the latter does happen (please God), Colt's short career will already be enough for an NBC made-for-TV movie. Texas Gunslinger: the story Colt McCoy, a humble West Texas country boy quarterback with ice in his veins. Yeah, I'd watch it. But at the same time I'm ashamed of myself for actually typing the previous 3 sentences.

So that's how I'm looking at the game. Two known quantities: UT's defense and the tOSU offense. We know what to expect from those two units. They are both ridiculously good. The immovable object versus the unstoppable force. We know how that scenario usually turns out: spectacular plays from both sides and 21-28 points from the offense.

Then the two unknowns: the UT offense and the tOSU defense. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 points or 35 points from the UT offense. That's a big range.

So that's how I came up with the prediction in the previous post: Winner-27 Loser-24. Flip a coin.
 
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Great stuff UH. The only thing I would add is that I'm disappointed we didn't attempt any FGs yesterday. We had a FG blocked during the scrimmage. I'm hoping it was blocked because Brian Robison is such a badass on special teams (he blocked one against North Texas yesterday as well). But I'm more inclined to believe it was the low angle our kicker kicked the ball at. Oh well, I guess we'll find out next week. Cross your finger horn fans!
 
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It has been a LONG time since we, as Buckeye fans, have had to say that the weakness of our team is the defense.

It just didn't feel like there was a clear cut leader out there for the young guys to look to, and that makes a difference.

That being said, it was the first game...lets see what another week of coaching and game film does.
 
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osugrad21 said:
EH, that is why I make sure to read all of your posts. Great stuff.
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What he said. Greenies for you. A balanced and informative assessment, minus the homerism.

I was able to see the Texas - UNT game. Colt did have a lot of time back there. In my mind, that is an important issue in the upcoming game. Can the Texas O-line protect this kid or will he get his lights checked like Quinn did in the Fiesta Bowl.

On the other hand, I think you are right in that NIU did expose Ohio State's weakness wide. Also, McCoy isn't the only small town kid in his first big game. Some Ohio State defenders will be in that same place.

It's equally hard for me to see my own team objectively. I like the Ohio State running game and possibility of controlling the clock in a close game and the big play capability. On the other hand, the defense did worry me a bit yesterday but then I did not see the Ohio State game and I am reacting to some of the comments by posters I respect on BP.

It's been really great having the quality Texas guys on the site. Thanks for your contributions here.
 
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EngineerHorn said:
So the question is...........what in the wide, wide world of sports does all this have to do in our game next week? We really can't take a whole lot from our respective games as they were both blowouts. I'm most interested in knowing how these teams and individual players react when the game is on the line.

I think tOSU has a slight advantage there. Their defense is still an unknown, but a team generally takes on the attitude of its veteran, Heisman trophy candidate leader at QB. Just like Vince and the 2005 Texas team. If I'm a Buckeye fan, I feel pretty confident in a close game, but I'm also a little worried that the defense might not come up with a stop in a clutch situation.

For Texas fans, we have to worry about Troy's ability to pull something out of his rear end, much like Vince did last year. I have all the confidence in the world in our defense, but Sept 9 will be the only time this year the UT D sees such a dynamic player.

And as much as we all liked Colt's first game, he's still an unknown at QB. Think about it: a freshman quarterback who spent the first 18 years of his life in a small West Texas town, in the second game of his college career, playing in a 1 vs 2 matchup on national TV. Wow. A recipe for disaster? I can see it going one of two ways. One, he plays to his potential but doesn't come up with crucial scoring drives when the game is on the line. Just as well, he's a freshman. What do you expect him to do? Or two, he plays within himself, runs the offense efficiently, and leads a scoring drive in the fourth quarter to put Texas in the lead.

Maybe I can't look at my team objectively, but I honestly think the latter scenario has an equal chance of happening as the former. Colt McCoy thought there was something wrong with him because he wasn't nervous before the UNT game (per the Austin American Statesman). Seriously. I think that speaks volumes about his mental state and psyche. If the latter does happen (please God), Colt's short career will already be enough for an NBC made-for-TV movie. Texas Gunslinger: the story Colt McCoy, a humble West Texas country boy quarterback with ice in his veins. Yeah, I'd watch it. But at the same time I'm ashamed of myself for actually typing the previous 3 sentences.

So that's how I'm looking at the game. Two known quantities: UT's defense and the tOSU offense. We know what to expect from those two units. They are both ridiculously good. The immovable object versus the unstoppable force. We know how that scenario usually turns out: spectacular plays from both sides and 21-28 points from the offense.

Then the two unknowns: the UT offense and the tOSU defense. I wouldn't be surprised to see 3 points or 35 points from the UT offense. That's a big range.

So that's how I came up with the prediction in the previous post: Winner-27 Loser-24. Flip a coin.
Click to expand...

Good stuff...

As a Buckeye, I think we need to get Colt on his heels early. If he gets through the first half feeling comfortable, Texas has the advantage. With young players, it's all about building the confidence. There will be those points in the game where a reciever will have just that small window to make the catch. While I'm sure Colt has the ability to make that pinpoint throw, will he have the confidence to pull the trigger? That's where I see this game turning. Anyone who has played sports knows what I'm talking about. It's those points in a game where your brain can get in the way of executing what would otherwise be a routine play. Confidence is the difference IMO...We need to shake his confidence early...
 
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