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Home field will be winning advantage for Texas
Longhorns vs. Buckeyes very well could be Game of the Year
Expect redshirt freshman quarterback Colt McCoy to lead Texas to victory over Ohio State, writes MSNBC.com contributor Joey Johnston.
ASK THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL EXPERT
By Joey Johnston
MSNBC contributor
Updated: 8:47 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2006
Ohio State at Texas.
For nearly a year, we have anticipated the game and what it could mean to the 2006 power structure in college football. With Saturday’s prime-time showdown almost at hand, our opinion hasn’t changed.
It should mean
everything
Ohio State, class of the Big Ten Conference, needs a nationally prominent jump start heading into its league schedule. Texas, with the door already cracked ajar in the Big 12 South (see Bomar, Rhett), could actually start believing in the long shot, post-Vince Young notion of a national repeat.
It might seem early to start making sweeping generalizations, but Ohio State-Texas could very well be college football’s Game of the Year (or at the very least, finish in a dead heat with Notre Dame-USC on Nov. 25).
Who’s going to win? Buckeyes? Longhorns?
We’ll get to that. But first, let’s talk about the key areas in which this game will be decided.
- Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith vs. the Texas defense — Smith is the game’s most compelling player, and it’s hard to visualize a defense shutting him down. It’s funny, but Smith was supposed to be a runner who could also (maybe) throw. Now it’s almost the other way around. Smith’s passing touch was brilliant against Northern Illinois. “I don’t know what a classic drop-back passer is, but Troy Smith can make all the throws,” Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. “He can also hurt you with his feet.” Can he ever. EDGE: Troy Smith.
- Ohio State’s front seven vs. the Texas backfield — The Buckeyes have nine new starters on their defense, which allowed 343 yards to Northern Illinois (and 171 yards to back Garrett Wolfe, who also was deadly on screen passes, catching five for 114 yards). You can bet the Longhorns will be pounding Selvin Young and Jamaal Charles at every opportunity. The Buckeyes aren’t without premier defensive talent — but they don't have nearly the experience and savvy of last season. EDGE: Texas backs.
- Ohio State wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. vs. the Texas secondary — The Longhorns, somewhat retooling in a thin secondary, didn’t exactly get off to a great start in this area. Senior cornerback Tarell Brown, expected to draw the assignment on Ginn, was arrested Monday and charged with misdemeanor drug and weapons offenses. Troy Smith gets big attention, but Ginn is a huge reason for the success of Ohio State’s offense (and, in some eyes, just as big of a Heisman Trophy candidate). Ginn is an absolute jet, and Texas would be well-advised to keep him away from the ball — and that goes double for Ginn’s presence on special teams. EDGE: Ted Ginn Jr.
- Texas quarterback Colt McCoy vs. the big-game atmosphere — It’s difficult to put the ball in the hands of a redshirt freshman and expect a national championship. It’s tough to think a guy can face the Ohio State Buckeyes in his second college game ever — on prime-time television, no less — and thrive in that environment. But McCoy seems to have the right stuff (and Jevan Snead, his true freshman backup, probably will see action, too). This is not Vince Young’s offense. McCoy does not need to win this game by himself. If McCoy can get the ball to his playmakers, consider his night a huge success. EDGE: Colt McCoy.
- Ohio State coach Jim Tressel vs. Texas coach Mack Brown — Some Ohio State fans think Tressel blew it last season against Texas. They might be right. Using a quarterback tandem of Justin Zwick and Smith, Tressel seemed to ignore the fact that Smith rallied the Buckeyes into a winning position. Zwick was sent out for the final possession, lost a fumble, and that was that. Last season at this time, few people would give Brown an edge in the big-game coaching department. But things look different when viewed through a national-championship lens. Brown is more relaxed and better prepared for big occasions. EDGE: Mack Brown.