NCAA Football Week 12: Texas Longhorns vs. Kansas Jayhawks

Mack Brown and Mark Mangino lead their offensive football machines into a great Big 12 match up between UT & KU.

Longhorns vs. Jayhawks Overview:

Fans with Texas Longhorns tickets saw their team rebound from their loss to the Texas Tech Red Raiders with a resounding beatdown of the Baylor Bears. Colt McCoy kept his Heisman hopes alive, and the Texas Longhorns are still in the BCS Championship hunt. The Kansas Jayhawks dropped a game to the dangerous Nebraska Cornhuskers last week, but their deadly offense is ready to take down another Big 12 foe. As two of the best teams from the Big 12 South and North, this game has BCS and Big 12 implications.

Texas Longhorns Offense:
Quarterback Colt McCoy leads the offense and is in the Heisman hunt for a reason. Colt McCoy not only has one of the most accurate arms in football, but he is also one of the top running QBs. Able to make plays with his legs or escape any pass rush, Colt McCoy is a one-man offense. WRs Quan Cosby and Jordan Shipley are his favorite targets, but freshman WR Malcolm Williams emerged as a weapon against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Fans with Texas Longhorns tickets know that the spread offense also uses RBs Fozzy Whittaker and Chris Ogbonnaya effectively.

Texas Longhorns Defense:
Defensive end Brian Orakpo may be the best defensive player in football and returns after an injury. Brian Orakpo requires a double team every play and is equally effective against the run and the pass. Brian Orakpo will try and add a few more sacks to his total of nine as he pushes towards the Lott Trophy. Texas Longhorns tickets will also feature DT Ryan Miller, who has come on as a great defender in his own right. DE/OLB Sergio Kindle has become a favorite of fans with Texas Longhorns tickets thanks to his pass-rushing skills. LBs Roddrick Muckelroy and Jerad Norton are two of the fastest in the NCAA.

Kansas Jayhawks Offense:
Kansas Jayhawks QB Todd Reesing is one of the best passers in the NCAA, and he is just as much an important factor in the offense as Colt McCoy is for the Texas Longhorns. With a Pro Style offense, the Kansas Jayhawks run the ball a lot more than the spread of the Texas Longhorns, with RB Jake Sharp getting most of the load. WR Dezmon Briscoe is a top-flight receiver and is developing as one of the most dangerous weapons in college football. The combination of Todd Reesing and Dezmon Briscoe could carry the Kansas Jayhawks for years.

Kansas Jayhawks Defense:
The Kansas Jayhawks do not have a player the caliber of Brian Orakpo in their front seven, but they do have an excellent all-around unit. OLB Mike Rivera is the senior leader of the Kansas Jayhawks defense and was a preseason favorite to win many awards. LB James Holt is another senior and is becoming perhaps the best player on the team. Mike Rivera and James Holt both excel at rushing the passer as well as defending the run. SS Darrell Stuckey is a devastating tackler and rarely loses a target in the open field.

Texas Longhorns Keys to Victory:
Protecting Colt McCoy is the No. 1 priority for the Texas Longhorns offense, and great offensive linemen like LT Adam Ulatoski and G Cedric Dockery are always up to the task. Colt McCoy is mobile enough that he doesn’t need a clean pocket to work with, but the inside pass rush must be negated. Colt McCoy needs to make throws on the perimeter and a few long runs on the option would be ideal. Jordan Shipley has gotten over his case of the drops and fans with Texas Longhorns tickets can expect more clutch catches.

Todd Reesing was nearly annihilated by the Nebraska Cornhuskers who got him for five sacks and hit him countless other times. A trio of pass rushers in Brian Orakpo, Ryan Miller, and Sergio Kindle will all be hungry to tee off on Todd Reesing. The Texas Longhorns must stuff the Kansas Jayhawks running game to allow a full-on attack against the QB. RB Jake Sharp is just as dangerous in the passing game as he is taking handoffs and must be contained. WR Dezmon Briscoe cannot be given time to run his routes and Brian Orakpo must become a close friend of Todd Reesing.

Kansas Jayhawks Keys to Victory:
As they learned against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Todd Reesing must be protected. The Kansas Jayhawks have a superior running game, and Jake Sharp needs to get active early and often. Even if he cannot get the running game going, Jake Sharp has to be a big factor in screens and short dump offs. Dezmon Briscoe needs to follow the example of Michael Crabtree and get one on one with the young corners of the Texas Longhorns. If Todd Reesing can be protected for any length of time, Dezmon Briscoe can run wild.

The Kansas Jayhawks defense has watched countless hours of game film from the Texas Longhorns vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders game and will try to follow the pattern set down. The Kansas Jayhawks do not have the speed or Tampa-2 scheme of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but they can still keep Colt McCoy in check by bringing pressure up the middle and a QB spy. The excellent linebacking duo of James Holt and Mike Rivera will be key to roping in Colt McCoy. The lack of any running game from the Texas Longhorns means that the defense can focus exclusively on Colt McCoy.

Longhorns vs. Jayhawks Outlook:
Fans with Texas Longhorns tickets are still reeling from the loss in Lubbock but take heart in the fact that their team is No. 4 in the nation and only a few steps away from the BCS Championship. The Kansas Jayhawks were preseason favorites but have also experienced ups and downs in the tough Big 12. Even without a number next to their name, the Kansas Jayhawks are a top team in the NCAA and would be atop many other divisions outside the Big 12.

The Kansas Jayhawks will be playing at home, and the thousands of fans in Blue and Crimson will be a big distraction. Fans with Texas Longhorns tickets will also be in attendance to throw their support behind the No. 4 Texas Longhorns. The Kansas Jayhawks are tough and head coach Mike Mangino gives them a great chance. The Texas Longhorns just have too great of a pass rush from Brian Orakpo and company for Todd Reesing and Dezmon Briscoe to pull off the upset.