The domination of the Texas schools has been completed for the first time since--well, probably ever. With the win over the Longhorns, OSU has exorcised past demons and did so in convincing fashion. OSU pretty much did everything they were supposed to as they led by thirty late in the game. Solid offense, excellent defense, and besides a couple of odd misses by Bailey, a very respectable special teams performance. I know a lot of people are down on Texas this year and justifiably so. This definitely isn't their best year. But throughout the game, you could definitely see the talent and speed that they have. I don't think it will take them very long to jump back up again. For this year though, OSU has taken their spot as the front runner in the south. But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's break down the game in a recap.
Offense
OSU actually started a little slow by stalling inside the redzone and settling for three. But as the game moved on it was obvious that Texas didn't have much of an answer for OSU's balanced attack. Before anyone gives credit to Weeden, Blackmon, or Hunter, it needs to be said that the offensive MVPs were the offensive linemen. They gave Weeden all day to throw and opened up holes long enough for Hunter and Randle to take advantage. More than anything, their downfield blocking on screens and short passes was excellent. Moving on, Weeden once again was good for his standard two bonehead plays (the INT and the sack that led to a fumble and almost a turnover). Other than that, he was pretty much perfect. The play that stood out to me was his 29 yard pass to Tracy Moore. He was being chased out of the pocket and as he was being tackled he threw a perfect ball right over Moore's shoulder. How in the hell do you make a 30 yard throw as accurate as that while falling to the ground? Hunter was a beast as well as he worked hard for his 100+ yard performance. His first touchdown was classic Kendall. He turned what should have only been a small gain into a 9 yard TD run by sidestepping, somehow keeping his balance, spinning, and maneuvering through would-be tackles. Overall, the offense had a very productive night through most of the game until it was time to burn clock.
Defense
Not much to complain about when you hold a team to three points for the majority of the game. Once again, the defense was able to create timely turnovers that killed any type of momentum that Texas was building. The interception was a great read by McGee who jumped in front of the receiver at just the right time. Orie Lemon was a beast all game long. 13 total tackles, a sack, and one particularly vicious hit to Garrett Gilbert on a scramble. Broderick Brown and Johnny Thomas both gave solid efforts as well. The one thing that stood out the most to me was the overall speed of the defense. Any time a pass was thrown and caught by the Longhorns, at least three OSU defenders were immediately there to make sure he was brought down. Overall, this defense continues to get better and better each week and hopefully will continue to do so as the season comes to a close.
Special Teams
Looking more solid each week after Gundy made the decision to put some more experienced players on the coverage unit. The one thing that stood out was Dan Bailey's missing orange shoes! What the hell? A kicker can't kick without his favorite shoes! And as proof, Bailey had a blocked PAT and missed a very makeable field goal. Not sure if the shiney orange shoes have been retired for good but if that is the case let's hope Bailey won't have another night like that again.