Instant Analysis: Missouri-Texas

Some old-fashioned Texas justice is being administered to the rest of the Big 12 Conference. Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and the other remaining opponents of Mack Brown’s Longhorns will need to produce something special to upend the juggernaut that currently rules the roost in college football.

Running the table in this sport remains an incredibly difficult feat, and Colt McCoy has a long way to go before he and his teammates can reach the palm-tree-filled promised land known as Miami for a certain title bout in the second week of January. At the present moment, however, the Burnt Orange Bevo Boys are flashing some first-rate football against highly-touted teams, serving notice to the rest of the nation that they’re the undisputed No. 1 team in FBS competition. One week after throwing 45 on Oklahoma, the Longhorns didn’t let down their guard, as they murdered Missouri in front of a happy home crowd. Much like Ohio State earlier in the day against Michigan State, the Longhorns simply dominated every which way one can imagine, sealing the outcome in the game’s first 20 minutes and cruising to the finish line.

There wasn’t much to analyze in this lopsided affair. Texas ran around, over, under, and through the terrified Tigers, whose offense has flopped in spotlight showdowns after fattening up on non-conference opponents in September. The Longhorns hammered Gary Pinkel’s team with every instrument in their fully-equipped toolbox. Whether it was McCoy’s typical accuracy at quarterback, Chris Ogbonnaya’s slashing and dashing as a setback, or the fear-inducing frenzy of a defense that smothered Chase Daniel from the outset, Texas had all the answers needed to put the misery in Missouri.

Speed, offensive balance, physicality in the trenches—you name it, Texas had all of it, and the Tigers never managed the slightest of footholds as a result. Pinkel—after his Tigers won the opening coin toss—elected to receive. The rare move seemed justified, given that the Tigers needed to lead with their offense and do their dance steps first in order to establish confidence on the road. But when the Longhorns stormed the palace gate and rolled to a 35-0 lead before halftime, the only dancing being done in Austin occurred near Missouri’s gravesite. A Tiger team that needed a first strike got struck down in very short order.

Oklahoma? Check. Missouri? Check. Texas is barreling through the Big 12. With sustained focus and maximum mental might, the Longhorns will have a legitimate opportunity to travel to South Beach in the first days of 2009.