Will Muschamp is the head coach of the Florida Gators

Will Muschamp will bring that fiery attitude to Gainesville

What we know:

• No head coach experience. Has served as a successful defensive coordinator for Auburn, LSU and Texas. At Texas, he was the coach-in-waiting behind Head Coach Mack Brown, but who knows when Brown will step down.
• Is known for being a good recruiter and that will help him in his new position. He has met with the recruits coming in this year and has introduced himself. He already has a commitment from the No.1 quarterback for 2011 class (Rivals.com), Jeff Driskel. So it’s very evident that he is not wasting anytime hitting the recruiting trail.
• Is a fiery, energetic person that will motivate his players; it’s easy to fall in love with his infectious personality.
• Muschamp can be successful at Florida with the right staff assembled. It is public knowledge that Major Applewhite, the former assistant coach and running backs coach of Texas, has been targeted as the next offensive coordinator. Nothing has been finalized yet, but sources say he will be the guy. Also Kirby Smart has been targeted as the defensive coordinator. Muschamp and Smart are good friends and this could lead to Smart leaving Alabama and signing for more money in Gainesville.

What we don’t know:

• Who were the other candidates for this job? Dan Mullen (of Mississippi State)?   Charlie Strong (of Louisville)? Chip Kelly (of Oregon)? Bobby Petrino (of Arkansas)?  Jim Harbaugh (of Stanford)?
• How will Muschamp handle being the head coach? With all the meetings, banquets, and other necessary things head coaches have to do, will he handle it well? What about the pressure from the media to perform?
• What will his recruiting classes look like?
• How will he fair coaching against Bobby Petrino, Les Miles, Houston Nutt, Steve Spurrier, and Nick Saban?
• Will the offense change to more of a pro-style offense? Less option-spread attack? Where does QB John Brantley fit into all of this?
• How will he game plan against Cam Newton considering how they tried to steal his spotlight on the day of the Heisman inauguration? There is definitely bad blood between these two programs, especially when reports came out of Florida about academic cheating by Newton. You can be sure he will be fired up to make a mockery of the Gator defense.
• Did Mack Brown’s push Muschamp out of the door?  After a dismal season (5-7), Brown was asked if Muschamp was going to have a say in personnel decisions and Brown soundly said “no.”

Oklahoma holds on to beat Texas in the Red River Rivalry game, 28-20

DeMarco Murray reigns supreme in Oklahoma's win over Texas

My Thoughts:

• Oklahoma’s defense is not that bad; I love the linebacker play. You cannot run laterally on this defense, too fast.

• The Sooners hurry-up offense tires defenses and keeps them on their heels.

• Texas is struggling to find consistency on offense. The running game is non-existent; they could use South Carolina’s Marcus Lattimore.

• Texas wideouts are not spectacular like year’s past.

• Garrett Gilbert will be good but this year -without a good supporting cast- he will struggle. Let’s see what next year’s recruiting class brings.

• Oklahoma’s defensive coordinator Brent Venables deserves credit; he is sorely underrated as a coordinator.

• I like Landry Jones a lot and Todd McShay thinks he will never be a great quarterback. The same McShay that is in love with Jake Locker (4-20, 71 yards against Nebraska), go figure.

• Oklahoma’s offensive line is a good unit and allows running backs Mossis Madu and DeMarco Murray holes to sprint through.

• DeMarco Murray is stronger than ever, after dealing with nagging injuries throughout his career in Norman. He is clearly special and integral part of this offense.

• Oklahoma wide receiver Kenny Stills is going to be special; he has great hands. And he is only a freshman.

• Junior wide receiver Ryan Broyles is dynamic and is one fast player and catches everything thrown his way.

• The Sooners are on track to meet Nebraska in the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 4th and a lot of questions will be answered. But you never know, some questions could be answered before that matchup.

• This was not the most exciting Red River Rivalry game like the ’08 version.

• Texas defense is good but they are not the ’05 version.

• The Sooners are going to need to slow down the offense (after they jump out to an enormous lead) and focus on running the ball to hold on to leads if they expect to get to the national title game.

• I believe Oklahoma will play in the title game but games against Missouri, Texas Tech, Baylor and Oklahoma State, are worrisome if the defense has trouble holding teams.

Our Two Cents-Which team will have the quickest turnaround, Texas or Florida?

Matt Deringer Texas. Forget that the Longhorns are 3-0 and don't need a "turnaround" as much as they do an "acceleration", and look at the schedule. Sure, the first half of October is brutal - Oklahoma and at Nebraska - but after that, there's not a game they won't be at least touchdown-favorites in. The Gators, on the other hand, have to go to Alabama, play better-than-expected Kentucky and Mississippi State, host LSU and South Carolina - my pick to win the SEC East - and get rivals Georgia and Florida State. I think Urban Meyer is a better game coach than Mack Brown, but just-as-much talent in a not-as-tough conference makes Texas the pick. Matt Melon I do not think picking Texas is the easy answer to this question. I literally think both teams cannot stop tripping over themselves. Florida finds life in the second half of games, while Texas awakens in the second quarter. Both teams rely on their defenses and that is why they are undefeated. It’s true that defense does win championships, but you need to score as well. Of course, we know that Texas has perennially played cupcake teams in their nonconference games so you would think they would be lock to end up having a better season, and a quicker road to the BCS Championship game. However, Nebraska and Oklahoma are licking their chops to get a piece of this team that has no Colt McCoy or running game. And Texas finishes off with Texas A&M that gives them problems. Florida has some tricky SEC games coming up: @Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Georgia, and South Carolina. They are fortunate that the meat of the schedule is at home, but the brutal Southeastern conference teams won’t be as forgiving as they will bring the toughness and the big hits, every Saturday. The Gators cannot afford to start scoring in the third quarter against their SEC brethren it will be too late, and when you are pressing turnovers happen. Both teams will stumble season-long to find their legs. Pick: Florida and Texas.

Oklahoma outclasses the Seminoles, 44-17

Oklahoma’s performance, Week one, against Utah State was an aberration. There I said it. Landry Jones was a poised, veteran-like quarterback yesterday against the Jimbo Fisher-led Florida State Seminoles, throwing for 380 yards with four touchdowns sprinkled in for emphasis. He is poised for big things but does he need time to make it work, meaning good O-line play is the key. It’s hard to say how he will look going forward in the upcoming weeks. But I really do not see a threat on their schedule, except for the perennial game against Texas in the Red Rivalry game on October 2nd. There will be another game where Bob Stoops’ team will stub their toe and look subpar. There has to be high hopes in Norman for the performance yesterday; the defense looked especially stout against the run, and the pass defense flooded the zones and played good coverage. I doubt this team will be the 2008 Oklahoma team that hung 50 points or more on their opponents but they can be just as good, keeping the offense simple with swing passes and letting their skill players take advantage of mismatches and using their speed. It looked too easy for Jones yesterday, finding wide receiver Ryan Broyles for 124 yards and 1 TD. Running back Demarco Murray did his part gaining 51 yards on the ground (2 TDs) and 52 yards through the air; the key is to keep him healthy, he has struggled throughout his career to remain healthy. Putting Murray in space allows another dimension to the offense since he catches the ball well out of the backfield. We will see down the road how good a win this was, and that is all based on the production of the Seminoles. Obviously if they stumble to the finish line with six or seven wins then this win does not look good. My gut tells me that the Sooners should look out for away games @Baylor and @Oklahoma State to finish the season. I don’t think anyone will be surprised if they go undefeated but the nation is waiting to see if Stoops can win the big one, and if their Week 2 performance continues then punch their ticket for Glendale and the crystal trophy envelop by Stoops and his players.

Colt McCoy and the Texas Longhorns solve their offensive woes for now, beating Missouri 41-7

Boy was it ugly, Colt McCoy and his team spared no one in the beatdown they served the Missouri Tigers on Saturday night. It was so ugly that in the third quarter ABC pulled the plug to switch over to their West Coast coverage of the USC and Oregon State game--where these two teams were trading punches. It was the old McCoy (26/31 for 269 yards with 3 touchdowns and one interception) playing pitch and catch with his receivers against an overmatched Missouri team. The entire nation has been waiting for him to breakout this season, and he did against albeit a Missouri team whose quarterback Blaine Gabbert was playing with an injured ankle. Gabbert was unable to plant his feet and this cause a lot of his balls to have no velocity on them. Do not misunderstand me, Missouri can put up points like Texas Tech, but these two offenses score too fast so their defenses get no time to rest and that is why they give up a lot of points, on defense. And also your team identity in college dictates the recruits you will attract: so an offensive team will get more kids on offensive side than the defensive side and vice versa. Not only that, but the Longhorn’s defense (#2 in total defense--which was held by Alabama who dropped to #4) have stepped up in a big way since the Oklahoma game. It’s safe to say that Mack Brown’s team looked far more impressive last Saturday than Alabama and Florida (who both struggled to secure a definitive win). But on a whole, Alabama, Florida, and Texas do not look like the same teams from the 2008 season. One thing for sure is that Texas should not get too excited by beating a Missouri team that is ranked 52nd in the nation in total offense (giving up an average of 345.86 yards per game) and a pass defense that is 65th in the nation (allowing on average of 218.0 yards per game through the air). Looking at their schedule, the best defense they played was Oklahoma’s and they barely won that game, 16-13. Yes, they are in control of their own destiny, but what lies ahead is a trip to Boone Pickens Stadium to play Oklahoma State this upcoming Saturday. I know you are going to say that no Dez Bryant (lied to the NCAA) and Kendall Hunter (injured) will make it easier for the Longhorns. However, you never know: they still have Zac Robinson at quarterback (12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions) and Keith Toston (6 rushing touchdowns and 606 yards rushing so far). Last season, the Longhorns (at home) looked less than stellar in a tight game that they eked out, 28-24. Texas is 3rd in the AP poll, USA Today poll, and BCS standings. If they win out, the winner of the December 5th SEC Championship game will be their opponent in the national title game. But if for some reason they lose a game along the way, all their national championship aspirations fly out the window. And that leaves the Men of Troy sitting perfectly in all this. USC is sitting comfortably (on the 50th floor of the penthouse suite) at No.5 in the BCS standings, and all they have to do is win out, and for Texas to have one loss for them to be in the national title game. The Trojans have to beat Oregon in Autzen Stadium (one of the toughest places to play in the nation, if not the loudest) this upcoming Saturday and this will allow them to step over Iowa (4th in the BCS) and be seated at the No.4 spot in the BCS. But if they lose, they might be out of the BCS picture all together. There is no doubt that silently and secretively USC is hoping for a Texas loss and for their offense to put up 42 points on Oregon like they did against Oregon State. But it has to be disheartening for Trojan fans (myself included) to witness their defense giving up 63 points in their last two games. Last season, Texas’ hopes of the national title were taken away in a Cinderella moment by Michael Crabtree. And then the stupid Big 12 tiebreaker rule that kept them out of Big 12 Championship game, even though they beat Oklahoma head-to-head, 45-35. No one can deny Texas of their destiny, if they just win out. But for the Longhorns it’s all about consistency, this was the first game where their offense was firing on all cylinders, can they keep it up for the remainder of the season?

The Longhorns Hold off Texas Tech in Austin

Austin, not Lubbock. No Graham Harrell. No Michael Crabtree. No problem, but wait. The Longhorns beat Texas Tech 34-24 on Saturday night; it wasn’t an emphatic win, it reminded me of their last season battle with Oklahoma State where they won 28-24. Revenge was on the mind of the Longhorns and the 100,000 plus screaming fans. And it was only fitting since last season’s matchup saw Crabtree erase their dreams of getting to the National Championship with a one second touchdown grab. With Texas Tech losing their playmakers, in Crabtree and Harrell, it was a no-brainer that the Longhorns were going to walk through their opponents. However, junior quarterback Taylor Potts was not going to be known as the stand-in for the graduated Harrell. He finished the night 42/62 for 420 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. On the opening drive, Potts marched the Red Raiders down the field with precision passing that made everyone notice, but the offense stalled and they got a field goal. He showed good zip and velocity on his passes all night. Usually when a team loses their playmaker, at whatever position, there is a drop-off but Potts clearly has command of the quarterback position and the offense. From the onset and throughout the night Colt McCoy was not himself. He threw a lot of errant passes that were either wide or high. Word came out of Texas that he was battling with flu-like symptoms (it seems like some Florida players got the flu bug as well and this contributed to their lackluster performance against Tennessee; I'm not buying the whole Florida thing) throughout the week so this attributed to his okay performance. But there is a difference with McCoy; he does not look like he is having fun out there like in ’08. Last year we saw pitch and catch from McCoy to his receivers. However, this season, he is getting off to a slow start and in the second half is when he comes alive. This really has to be a mental thing and, yes, the flu has something to do with his performance tonight but he is trying to live up to everyone’s expectations. McCoy needs to just play football and realize that this is your last year: have fun and let loose. McCoy was 24/34 for 205 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. One must believe that being sick and also the pressure of being a Heisman front-runner has not allowed McCoy to be himself with his playmaking ability. The Texas Tech offensive line played stellar in the first half. But it was only a matter of time until Texas defensive coordinator Will Muschamp figured them out and mixed up his blitzes and that allowed more hurries on Potts, to good results. The only touchdown in the first half was a 46 yard punt return by sixth year senior Jordan Shipley that gave Texas the lead 7-3 going into the second half. The second half saw a more relaxed McCoy and mixture of run and pass plays. The first drive of the third quarter was capped off by a 19 yard run by freshman running back Tre’ Newton to give the Longhorns the lead 17-3. Newton had 88 yards on the night, carrying the ball 20 times for a 4.4 yard per carry average and one touchdown. He showed toughness and will to win on his runs. He might not have the game-breaking speed of a Jahvid Best, but he was more than serviceable that night. Potts found junior wide receiver Lyle Leong on two touchdown passes on the night: One of his touchdown grabs was for fourteen yards that put the Red Raiders back in the game, pushing the score to 17-10. However, McCoy found sophomore Dan Buckner, who has good size at 6’4 and weighs 215 pounds, for a 25 yard reception to the Red Raiders one yard line and the drive was capped off by a one yard run by sophomore running back Cody Johnson for the touchdown. At this point it seemed that Texas was pulling away as the score would indicate, 24-10. Potts, not to be undone, comes right back with the second touchdown pass to Leong pushing Tx. Tech closer 24-17. The fourth quarter saw Potts getting picked off by Earl Thomas at Tx. Tech’s 20 yard line. At this point, I thought the game was over and so did the rest of the fans. But a high pass by McCoy that was intended for Malcolm Williams was intercepted by D.J. Johnson. On the ensuing drive, Sergio Kindle jacked up Potts with a tackle that jarred him and his helmet, and the ball loose for a Longhorn recovery. A three yard touchdown pass to Buckner ended a 6 play, 14 yard drive to give the Longhorns the lead, 31-17. Once again Potts, not to be denied, came back with a 22 yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Tramain Swindall on a broken coverage play by Texas to move them closer 31-24. On the next drive, McCoy and his team settled for 3 points to push them further ahead 34-24. On the final play of the game, Potts tries to convert a fourth-and-seven play, but the pass was broken up and the Longhorns escaped the comeback from the Red Raiders. Tx.Tech outgained the Longhorns with 414 total yards compared to 340. The Red Raiders wish they could take back the fourteen penalties that cost them a whopping 108 yards, and they were a dismal -6 rushing yards on the ground. Texas did not look like the second best team in the country when the dust settled in Austin, Texas. They have the Red River Rivalry coming up on October 17th, and Sam Bradford should be back, and the following two weeks they have away games at Missouri and Oklahoma State. They need to show the nation that they are deserving to be behind Florida in the rankings. However do not count out McCoy, he can get it done when needed and maybe the Red River Rivalry will be the game that he realizes how fun it is to play football, especially at a big school like the University of Texas.