NCAA Football Week 6: Texas Longhorns vs. Colorado Buffaloes

Heisman hopeful Colt McCoy faces a mountain-high challenge in Boulder

Longhorns vs. Buffaloes Overview

The Big 12 is on its way to being one of the top conferences in all of college football. The action of the Big 12 kicks off with the Texas Longhorns going into the mountains to meet the Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder, Colorado. The Texas Longhorns have always had a strong rivalry with the Colorado Buffaloes, and things have been taken up a notch with a No. 5 ranking for the Texas Longhorns and Heisman buzz for QB Colt McCoy.

Texas Longhorns Offense:

Out of the shadow of Vince Young, Colt McCoy is standing on his own legacy as the career leader in passing yards for the Texas Longhorns. With great mobility, football IQ, and arm, Colt McCoy is the total package for a college quarterback. An 80 percent completion rate and 14 touchdowns to one interception means that Colt McCoy doesn’t make mistakes. WR Jordan Shipley has become a favored target for Colt McCoy along with Quan Cosby. The Texas Longhorns offensive line is the best unit since the 2006 Rose Bowl group.

Texas Longhorns Defense:

The best player on the Texas Longhorns entire team is DE Brian Orakpo. A future first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, Brian Orakpo destroyed the Arkansas Razorbacks with two sacks and must be doubled at all times. Big DT Roy Miller is a load to move in the running game and also helps out Brian Orakpo on matchups. LB Sergio Kindle has become a defensive playmaker for the Texas Longhorns in the same vein as Derrick Johnson. Senior CB Ryan Palmer brings veteran leadership and experience to the young Texas Longhorns secondary.

Colorado Buffaloes Offense:

Head coach Dan Hawkins is also the father of Colorado Buffaloes QB Cody Hawkins. This relationship means that the Colorado Buffaloes offense is tailor-made for Cody Hawkins. Wideouts Patrick Williams, Josh Smith, and Scotty McKnight form a great arsenal of targets for Cody Hawkins. TE Patrick Devrenny has also become a key red-zone target. RB Rodney Stewart is a true freshman and is already a star in the making. A rash of injuries to the Colorado Buffaloes offensive line is the one weakness of the offense.

Colorado Buffaloes Defense:

The Colorado Buffaloes defense is small but fast in its 4-3 alignment. Against tough competition like the Florida State Seminoles, the Colorado Buffaloes have played well against the pass thanks to this speed. DT George Hypolite is the anchor for the front seven and gets after the passer as well as the run. The experienced Colorado Buffaloes secondary starts three seniors and a super talented junior in CB Cha’pelle Brown. The speed of the Colorado Buffaloes helped in their upset of the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Texas Longhorns Keys to Victory:

Colt McCoy will have to continue being careful with the football if the Texas Longhorns want to leave Boulder with a win. The Colorado Buffaloes secondary is fast, experienced, and aggressive, and Colt McCoy will be the focus of their attack. RB Vondrell McGee needs to have a great game to draw coverage into the box. If the Colorado Buffaloes go to take Jordan Shipley and Quan Cosby out of the game then expert receiving RB/FB Chris Ogbonnaya will have to be a big target in the flats. The Texas Longhorns can use their large offensive line to get a good push.

If DE Brian Orakpo can have a game at the same tempo as he did against the Arkansas Razorbacks, then he could single-handedly disrupt the potent passing game of the Colorado Buffaloes. With double teams sent the way of Brian Orakpo, defensive linemen like Henry Melton and Roy Miller will have to make plays. A blitzing OLB Sergio Kindle from the outside will put even more pressure on the Colorado Buffaloes makeshift offensive line. The Texas Longhorns secondary will have to be extra physical with the Colorado Buffaloes receivers.

Colorado Buffaloes Keys to Victory:

The offense of the Colorado Buffaloes may be based on Cody Hawkins, but all the victories for the Buffs so far have been predicated off of freshman RB Darrell Scott. With an injured offensive line and an aggressive Brian Orakpo across the line, the Colorado Buffaloes must get the ball to Darrell Scott early to soften the pass rush. Even with a monster game from Darrell Scott, Cody Hawkins must also make many careful throws against the Texas Longhorns to move the chains and keep the ball.

The Texas Longhorns have not shown much commitment to the run so the Colorado Buffaloes must focus on stopping the passing attack. The veteran and fast secondary of the Colorado Buffaloes gives them a chance to blitz more often. DT George Hypolite needs to get great penetration on running plays and pressure on passing plays. Colt McCoy can also scramble so the Colorado Buffaloes will also have to run some kind of QB spy or contain scheme on the Texas Longhorns.

Longhorns vs. Buffaloes Outlook

The Colorado Buffaloes got off to a great start by bushwhacking the overrated West Virginia Mountaineers. In doing so they showed that they had top-flight defensive speed and the playmakers in the front seven and secondary to stop any offense. The offense of the Colorado Buffaloes has also been explosive and the addition of Darrell Scott has added a new dimension.

The Texas Longhorns front seven will however be able to dominate the line of scrimmage. The injuries to two key Colorado Buffaloes offensive linemen has left them open to the great play of Brian Orakpo and the massive DTs of the Texas Longhorns. Colt McCoy will not have a cakewalk against the Colorado Buffaloes due to their great speed, and he will not be padding his Heisman stats against the proud team. The young Colorado Buffaloes have the talent but not the experience to beat the Texas Longhorns yet.