The difference in the OU-Texas game
For all the hype and the hoopla, the pomp and the pageantry surrounding the Red River Rivalry, Saturday’s game is going to come down to an extremely un-sexy factor.
Offensive line.
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Is there anything less jazzy, less exciting in football?
Probably not.
But is there anything more important in the latest renewal of the Oklahoma-Texas rival?
I don’t think so.
The Sooners have arguably the best offensive line in the country. One former OU player I recently interviewed called it an NFL line. Truth is, Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt probably could’ve been drawing NFL paychecks this season had they decided to leave school early. Brandon Walker, Trent Williams and Jon Cooper are no slouches either. All three of them could be pros some day, too.
Listen, I understand the weapons that the Sooners have. Sam Bradford. DeMarco Murray. Juaquin Iglesias. Manny Johnson. Jermaine Gresham. The list goes on and on.
But it all starts with the offensive line.
If the Sooners don’t have this offensive line, I doubt they’re running the no-huddle. For as good as Bradford and Co. are, you don’t run a difficult scheme without a seriously talented offensive line.
That’s what OU has.
Give Texas this — it has its best defensive players on the line. Defensive end Brian Orakpo and nose tackle Roy Miller anchor the Longhorn line. But these guys aren’t world beaters. And it takes something pretty special to bust through the Sooner line.
Texas is going to have to bring pressure from its linebackers and its secondary if it wants to get to Bradford. Then, of course, he can make them pay with quick passes. When you don’t have a defensive line that consistently bring pressure against these Sooners, you’re going to struggle. The Longhorns don’t have that, and they’re going to struggle.
I understand that there are more intriguing things to talk about in Saturday’s game. The national rankings. The Heisman candidates. The stadium changes. Even the coaches.
The offensive line definitely isn’t the sexy part of Saturday’s game, just the most important.
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