There and back again, a hobbit's tale of Lubbock. I think she meant it as some type of compliment. At the least, a simple observation unworthy of deep analysis. "You look like a hobbit," said the fellow partygoer, celebrating the graduation from Texas Tech of my girlfriend's godbrother. Perhaps it's my curly hair, coupled with a slightly oversized version of Elijah Wood's nose. Regardless, it was my first experience of Lubbock, one my girlfriend worked hard to convince me to experience.

Ultimately, since I have engaged in derogatory comments about the landscape of the South Plains, I felt that at some point I had to visit to see for myself. That, and not having traveled farther west in Texas than Fredericksburg and Johnson City. There is an untamable beauty in the country of the Llano Estacado, the Palisaded Plains, in the escarpments and mesas. Untamable, yes, and also unyielding, the type of place that forces perspective, the marginalization that humans seek to avoid with their endless manipulation of their environment.

While not as overwhelmingly strange as some places I have been, like Spanish Fork, Utah, the ultra-conservative stronghold of the Mormons, Lubbock still struck me as a slightly odd place. In cursory travel around the city, it appeared mostly semi-industrial, a collection of slightly run down and worn buildings, with few apparent neighborhoods in the areas through which we drove. It's also a town still in development around campus, with new apartment buildings and shopping area still under construction. In that sense, Lubbock feels like it is still striving to find it's place, seeking a slightly more sophisticated reputation.

I spent the greatest part of the graduation ceremony entertaining myself by looking at the home towns of every graduating senior, wondering what draws people to Texas Tech. As a native Hoosier, I found myself at UT because of everything that Austin has to offer, attributes that were apparent to me from the moment I set foot in central Texas. For Lubbock, those reasons still remain mysterious to me. Why a native of Los Angeles would matriculate at Cal-Berkeley and Harvard, then gain a doctorate at Texas Tech. Why a child of Snoqualmie, Washington, the beautiful mountain pass in the Cascades through which I have passed when traveling from visiting my brother in Seattle back to Montana, exchanged a rich and lush environment for the semi-arid plains.

My trip failed to truly elucidate my quest, but I do know that I appreciate Austin all the more for my experience. The music. Places of incredible natural beauty like Barton Springs, Hamilton Pool, and Mount Bonnell. The murals covering nearly every blank wall around campus. Most of all, for being a Longhorn and everything it represents. So, after applauding the culmination of the journey of bright young minds at Texas Tech, I still felt obliged to remain seated during the Tech fight song, holding my horns proudly in the air.

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I'm standing with friends outside DKR on a fall Saturday during my junior year, impatiently waiting for a few stragglers from the tailgate to catch up, when two particularly awe-inspiring young ladies in jean skirts and cowboy boots casually saunter by. As 21 year old boys are prone to do, we find ourselves not at all subtly gawking, and after they've passed I turn to my friends and stammer, "All girls should be required to wear skirts and boots."

No sooner have I finished saying 'boots' when I feel on my shoulder the firm slap from an unmistakably gigantic hand, and as I turn, I see a Bunyan of a man--he looks like a burlier Big Tex from the State Fair grounds--gliding past me in impossibly large strides. But he's looking back and when he's sure he's got my eyes he says, "Not short girls, son." He winks and disappears into the stadium, gone as quickly as he appeared.

BEATING OKLAHOMA: TEXAS' LONE STAR ADVANTAGE

I was reminded of that story when reading The Elusive Shadow's Fan Post on "Keys To Winning." It's a fine post, with numerous arguments I find to be right on-point. Except one:

2.  Run the ball consistently well.

I'm going to go ahead and assume Fozzy will not play, probably because he has to go to the Bat Cave and fight some more crime.  Even if he does, we don't need to be looking for homeruns.  We just need a good enough run game to keep Oklahoma honest.  A consistent 4.5 ypc will do the trick.  Also, I think Colt has to run the ball effectively as well.  Seven carries for 45 yards for some key first downs will do.

This has quite a bit to do with our offensive line.  They need to explode off the line and push downfield.

My week has more or less been limited to four activities: brief writing, making fun of OU via Photoshop, sleep, and thinking about what Texas' offensive game plan should look like. And the more I've thought about it, the more confident I've become with what Big Roy and I first discussed on Sunday evening:

Spread the field. As much as possible. Make Oklahoma defend sideline to sideline, with as many defenders occupied in man coverage as possible. Among other things, that gives Colt the best opportunity to be a playmaker. And he's It, right now.

The second thing I'd do which I cannot understand why we haven't/don't is use screens better. Everyone hates the bubble screen, but as a concept, we probably need to use screens of all types against Oklahoma--using their aggressiveness against them. A great offensive game plan will turn weaknesses into strengths: In Texas' case, that can mean showing our bread and butter to entice a hungry defense to overpursue. I have every confidence that Oklahoma will be over-locked in on what we've shown so far this year. It's up to Davis and Applewhite to use it against them.

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Blast from the past. Going into the 2005 season, I had endured three losses to Oklahoma as a Texas fan after showing up on the UT campus in 2002. I wasn't sure if a Mack Brown-coached team could even compete against OU. But then there was Rhett Bomar. Ah, Rhett Bomar, my heart swells with happiness at the sound of your name. The Longhorn defense abused the young quarterback and young offensive line (the same lineman that are now seniors) that day, sending OU crawling back to Norman with their tails between their legs. And for me, Texas finally showed that Bob Stoops didn't own their mortal souls and that the team could come out with every bit of the OU swagger that had turned Texas players into little sniveling wrecks. Bomar symbolized the victory, as Texas defenders harassed him into a 12-33, 1 int performance. Revel once again in the victory, Longhorn fans, and let's go to Dallas and Bomar Sam Bradford.

Rhett Bomar gets laid out (via dbw11783)

McCoy becomes a man. He may not be 40 (or 41 now), but Colt McCoy is every bit (and probably more) of the man Mike Gundy claims to be. And he won't be afraid of Oklahoma players coming after him. Not with the nearly 30 pounds of muscle he's added since showing up on the 40 Acres, newly-acquired speed to burn, and guns that I'm positive he must carry a concealed weapons permit for when he wears long-sleeved shirts. 

Looking into McCoy's now-grizzled (okay, maybe not grizzled, but he doesn't look like he's 12 any more) face, there's no doubt that every Texas player sees in him the leader of a good, possibly great football team. In 2006, it was still Vince Young's team. Last year, McCoy started taking control, especially with an impassioned speech after the loss to Oklahoma, but turnovers cost him crucial respect.

This season, the team is unequivocally his. He's taken on the role Vince Young used to occupy, challenging his teammates when necessary, and keeping them loose when they need a spark. He sets the tone for the team's toughness, taking on defenders at the goal line against Rice and forcing not one, not two, but three Colorado defenders to bring him down. Little country boy Colt McCoy, starring on one of the biggest stages in college football. What a story.

BOOM! The first great test of his Texas career awaits a sleepless Will Muschamp. The Statesman reminds that Muschamp wasn't promised his $425,000 just to scheme a defense capable of stopping Oklahoma, but it sure feels that way this week. In a coaching match-up long dominated by Bob Stoops and the Oklahoma staff, Muschamp is the Texas wild card, the first coordinator in Mack Brown's tenure whose stratospheric trajectory ensures he will give the Longhorn defense any advantage possible. So far, that advantage has resulted in 3.8 sacks per game and 222 yards lost by opponents, with both numbers leading the nation. Oops, I forgot that stats are for losers.  Oh well. Not only has the defense taken on Muschamp's fiery personality, but with some tricks still up his sleeve and a knack for in-game adjustments, there is no doubt that Muschamp will put the Texas defense in a position to win the game. He believes there's nothing the defense can't do to win the game:

We've taken positive steps every week. I've never watched a film and thought that there was no way we could do this or that we couldn't handle something. It's just a matter of the reps and the experience.

And for all those Texas fans worried about Muschamp leaving after the season? Well, a close friend says in the Statesman article that Muschamp's wife is tired of moving and that Coach Boom may have found a home in Austin. With athletic department coffers full to overflowing, rest assured that money won't be a factor in keeping Will Muschamp in burnt orange for the next several years.

More DKR expansion. The north end zone expansion wasn't ambitious enough for planners who envision a stadium expanding more quickly than Mark Mangino's waistline. The south end zone is next in line. The temporary bleacher seats beneath the Godzillatron will be replaced with permanent seats, while increasing capacity by 500. The football academic center will increase from 2,500 square feet to 8,500 square feet. The recent improvements to the football stadium, coupled with the new renovations and the upgrade to the Erwin Center, addition of the Cooley Pavilion, and renovations to UFCU Disch-Falk Field all mean that Texas remains near the top of the college sports world in terms of quality facilities. Even more reason to love being a Longhorn. Just sit back and watch the recruits continue to pour into Austin.

From the Land of Miscellany. This just in from the news room: It's 12:59 and OU still sucks. Groundbreaking stuff...More 2005 TX/OU highlights...Colt McCoy's start to the 2008 season is the best ever for Texas quarterbacks...Roy Miller is a beast...Texas still looking for third wide receiver.

Hook 'Em!

OU gets healthy. Any premature speculation about OU missing line stalwarts Jon Cooper, Gerald McCoy, DeMarcus Granger, and Frank Alexander appears to be exactly that. Premature. Cooper and McCoy practiced Monday after sustaining minor injuries against Baylor, while Granger and Alexander may be healed in time for the game. Certainly bad news for Longhorn fans, particularly since the offensive and defensive lines are major strengths for OU. However, Cooper may be slowed enough to allow half man/half beast Roy Miller easier access to the OU backfield.

It's all about the timing. We've all been there: You've got something going on with that girl you're crazy about, but you can't get together because the timing isn't right for her. Attempting to defend spread offenses requires the same confluence of timing. Either the defensive line must get pressure, or the secondary has to stay on their receivers to disrupt the quarterback's timing.

Easier said than done with the premium placed on getting the ball out quickly. Several times against Colorado Colt McCoy held the ball less than a second before finding an open receiver. On the other side of the ball, Texas sometimes got pressure on Cody Hawkins at around a second and a half.  Success against Oklahoma will depend on pressuring Bradford in the 1.5-2 second range.

Press man coverage on the outside could be the key to allowing the defensive line enough time to acquaint themselves with the OU quarterback, Rhett Bomar-style. Given some time by the secondary, the speed of Brian Orakpo and Sergio Kindle on the outside may be too much for the mammoth OU offensive tackles.

Time to step up, o-line. Texas fans and coaches aren't happy with the short-yardage production from the football team after failing several times third-and-short situations against Colorado. Greg Davis expects 75% conversion on plays of less than two yards:

We're not doing that. We've got to evaluate what we're doing in those situations, everything from play-calling to personnel groupings.

Davis estimates the Longhorns are converting at around 66% in those situations. In the Colorado game, I think part of the problem was not using a fullback in the power formations, instead going with two tight ends. The loss of Luke Tiemann may be more significant than originally thought. Even though Ullman and Smith are supposed to be the "blocking" tight ends, the Longhorns haven't had much success running the ball from the two tight-end formation. After four games, it appears that the offensive identity of Texas football is a finesse passing team. Not a good sign for those moments when lining up and bludgeoning the other team into submission becomes necessary.

Better than expected? After losing Curtis Lofton to the NFL after his junior season, the OU linebacking corp wasn't expected to be a strength of the defense. In fact, compared to the excellent defensive line, the linebackers looked like a real weakness on the defense, particularly after two disappointing seasons from highly-recruited Ryan Reynolds. After Reynold's 14-tackle performance against Baylor, which defensive coordinator Brent Venables graded out at a 100, it may be time to re-evaluate. The other two linebackers, Keenan Clayton and Travis Lewis (a converted safety), have 5.5 sacks between them, while the three are the top tacklers on the team. What looked like an exploitable group before the season no longer looks that way, and coupled with secondary play also exceeding expectations, the back seven of the OU defense may well hold their own against a Texas offense lacking Blaine Irby to exploit the seam.

 Chris O knows all-purpose yards. Texas coaches named Chris Ogbonnaya the starter at running back against Oklahoma after his outstanding performance against Colorado. Obgonnaya caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Colt McCoy on a scramble when McCoy appeared to cross the line of scrimmage, while also breaking of a 51-yard run and another touchdown on a run.

The question remains, however, even after his career-best performance: Is Ogbonnaya the answer at running back? It seems like too big of a leap after one good performance to say that all the running back issues at Texas are resolved, but with Ogbonnaya showing a combination of speed and power not witnessed before in his career, he certainly seems deserving of more touches. With his ability to catch balls out of the backfield and pick up blitzes, he provides a versatility at that position no other running back on the team can. And that looks like enough for him to be a critical part of the game plan against Oklahoma.

The outcome was: Bacon! Just totally tasty. For the fourth straight game, Texas buried the opposition early, this time with 24 points on its first four drives and 31 by halftime--the 31-3 halftime lead Texas' largest of the season.

Texas in the 1st Half, 2008

Game	Halftime Score	# of Drives	Drive Results
Florida Atlantic	28-10	5	TD, TD, Punt, TD, TD
UTEP	24-13	5	Punt, TD, TD, TD, TD
Rice	24-3	5	Fumble, TD, TD, TD, FG
Arkansas	31-3	6	FG, TD, TD, TD, Punt, TD

The Offensive MVP was: Colt McCoy. He may not be 40, but my God, he is a man. McCoy was perfect once again, on Saturday completing 17 of his 19 pass attempts for 185 yards, including 3 touchdowns and 0 turnovers. Throw in another 84 yards rushing on 9 attempts and 2 more touchdowns and it was the kind of performance that Heisman voters won't be able to ignore. (Though postseason awards just barely register on my radar screen these days, if both Texas and Oklahoma cruise to wins next week, the attention focused on Bradford vs McCoy in Dallas is going to be incredible.)

This is glorious. A hundred thousand people frying their butts off to worship a cow.

Which McCoy play on Saturday was most impressive? The perfect dart to Shipley for Texas' first score or his 35-yard touchdown gallop to put Texas up 24-3? Both were jaw-droppers and exemplified the enormous strides McCoy has made since his up-and-down sophomore campaign. Though we have to remind ourselves of the opponents McCoy has been raking over the coals, there are specific improvements which portend well for the next two years:

• Running with purpose. McCoy did an admirable job rushing the football as a freshman and sophomore, but he was more scrambling to survive than attacking with purpose. So far this year, we're seeing a different kind of rusher, as McCoy runs for yards in a way we hadn't seen before. The free space will likely shrink as the competition increases, but it adds a lot to our offense that McCoy is a legitimate rushing weapon for whom defenses must account.
• Stepping into passes. Not unrelated to McCoy's improved rushing is the way he's stepping into throws this year. In part, it's the same purposefulness from McCoy, but it's also an improvement from the offensive line, which is giving Colt time and space to look downfield and step into the his passes.
• Using the checkdown receiver. McCoy and Greg Davis both said they thought Colt tried to do too much last year. McCoy hasn't stopped trying to make plays, but he's done an outstanding job of checking down to his tight end or tailback when the downfield play isn't available. That was missing from his game a year ago.

All told, these are the kinds of fundamental improvements to McCoy's game that have me revising my outlook for the next two years. I count myself among those who this summer wasn't 100% sure Colt McCoy's ceiling was high enough for Texas to win a national title. That's no longer the case.

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1 -- Number of press conferences this week in which Mack Brown gives his own run down of By The Numbers

259 -- Yards rushing by Texas against Rice last Saturday.

155 -- Yards rushing by Texas' quarterbacks against Rice (60%).

613 -- Yards rushing by Texas in 2008.

274 -- Yards rushing by Texas' quarterbacks in 2008 (45%).

6.7 -- Yards per carry averaged by Texas' quarterbacks in '08.

4.2 -- Yards per carry averaged by Texas tailbacks.

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A weekly report on the weekend of Big 12 football.

Previous weeks: 1, 2

THE RUNDOWN

BIG XII SOUTH

Idle: Texas Longhorns (2-0), Texas A&M Aggies (1-1)

• Oklahoma 55  Washington 14 [Box / Recap / Blog Coverage]
  
  Are there any Sam Bradford doubters left? Certainly for 2008, with this supporting cast, there shouldn't be. The sophomore completed 18 of his 21 passes Saturday for 304 yards and 5 more touchdowns, giving him 12 on the season, against just 2 interceptions. He's leading the nation in completion percentage (79.0), is second in passer rating (214.4), and hasn't been sacked yet this season. Not that the Sooners are one dimensional: Oklahoma's averaging 217 yards per game on the ground, as well. Add it all up and you get 7.0 yards per play on offense so far this year. Gaudy? Oh, yes, but we have to note that the Sooners haven't faced anything resembling a real defense yet. They will this week when TCU comes to Norman. The Horned Frogs are second nationally in total defense through three games--all wins (at New Mexico, versus Stephen F Austin, vs Stanford). Something's gotta give.
  
  
• Baylor 45  Washington St 17 [Box / Recap / Blog Coverage]
  
  PB's favorite non-Longhorn player Robert Griffin exploded Friday night in Waco, leading Baylor to a blowout win and scooping up Big 12 Player of the Week honors in the process. The numbers? Could have come from another #10:
  
  11 rushes, 217 yards, 19.7 per attempt, 2 TDs
  7-15 passing, 129 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT
  
  I could gush again about how much I love Griffin, but in this case I'll let the video do the talking:
  

• Oklahoma State 57  Missouri State 13  [Box / Recap]
  
  Two rushers averaging 9+ yards per carry last week apparently wasn't enough for Oklahoma State, as they upped that to three rushers who averaged over 10 yards per carry this Saturday. Keith Toston (11 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD), Beau Johnson (13-138, 2), and Kendall Hunter (11-132, 2) combined to anchor a Cowpoke rushing attack which amassed 492 yards rushing on just 56 carries for an eye-popping 8.0 yards per carry.
  
  "But... but... it was Missouri State!" I can hear you object. Remain skeptical all you like, but consider this before you totally waive off the accomplishment.
  
  
• Texas Tech 43  SMU 7 [Box / Recap / Blog Coverage]
  
  A week after an ugly night in Reno, Graham Harrell delivered the kind of performance we've come to expect (31-48, 418 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INT) in helping lead the Red Raiders to an easy win over the visiting Ponies. Nice as that was for Tech fans to see, the silly passing numbers aren't nearly important as Mike Leach's commitment to the running game, which was exceptionally productive on Saturday to the tune of 194 yards on 27 carries (6.7 per attempt). Texas Tech's offense is always tricky to defend, but it's truly nightmarish to defend when the running game is grooving. Last season the Red Raiders managed an atrocious 3.1 yards per carry rushing; as their offense became one dimensional, they began to struggle. Though the running game was productive in the early going last year as well, it's so far, so good in 2008.
  

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0 -- Second half points allowed by the Texas defense through two games.

14 -- Minutes longer than Texas the Miners had possession of the ball.

2 -- Weeks in a row Texas' opponent has converted just 2 of 4 trips to the red zone into points.

12 -- Scores in 13 trips to the red zone for Texas.

0 -- Fumbles by Texas this season.

14 -- Team high number of tackles by Roddrick Muckelroy Satuday against UTEP.

7 -- Tackles by Texas' second leading tackler, Blake Gideon.

19 -- Official Quarterback Hurries applied by Texas' defense.

2 -- Number of same by UTEP.

4 -- Number of times in the last three years the Longhorns have drawn an opponent's largest-ever home crowd: UTEP 53,415 (2008),  Texas A&M 88,253 (2007),  Nebraska, 85,187 (2006),  Texas Tech 56,158 (2006).

9 -- Consecutive non-conference road wins for Texas, a school record (UTEP '08, UCF '07, Rice '06, Ohio State '05, Arkansas '04, Rice '03, UNC '02, Tulane '02, Houston '01)

2 -- Punts partially blocked by freshman DB Aaron Williams at UTEP Saturday.

50 -- Blocked punts kicks by Texas since 2000, tops in the nation.

8 -- Receptions by Quan Cosby at UTEP.

131 -- Career receptions by Cosby after Saturday, moving him to fifth all time at Texas, ahead of Limas Sweed (124) and Eric Metcalf (125).

17.1 -- Yards per reception by Cosby in '08, up from 11.3 in 2006.

185.2 -- Quarterback Rating of Colt McCoy after two games.

4 -- Big 12 quarterbacks with an even higher QB Rating than McCoy (Freeman, KSU 209.3,  Bradford, OU 189.4,  Arnaud, ISU, 187.6, Griffin, BU 187.1)

82 -- Wins for Texas under Mack Brown, against 2 losses, when accumulating 400 or more yards of total offense.

0 -- Turnovers forced by the Arkansas defense in 2008.

3 -- Turnovers lost by the Razorbacks' offense.

2.5 -- Average Arkansas margin of victory in two games over W. Illinois and LA-Monroe.

7.14 -- Yards per rush for Arkansas' junior tailback Michael Smith.

37.5 -- Pass attempts per game in 2008 for Arkansas quarterback Casey Dick, up from 20.2 per game in 2007.

If you spend some time looking closely at last year's stat sheets for Texas' 2008 opponents, you may well find yourself entertaining the same two thoughts that I did:

1. Holy crap the pressure on our redshirt freshmen safeties with zero game experience is going to be intense.

2. Will Muschamp is arriving not a moment too soon.

On the latter point, BZ's chapter in The Eyes of Texas 2008 will provide some relief: each of Muschamp's first years at LSU and Auburn resulted in significant improvement in the teams' pass defenses. While we thank our lucky stars Muschamp is taking over, click through the jump for a look at the challenge he faces.

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