When the Sooners have the ball

By now, everyone has learned that the Sooners are doing just fine in the rushing department without first-round NFL draft choice Adrian Peterson. Running backs Allen Patrick, DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown deserve a lot of credit for that, but most of the praise belongs to the Sooner offensive linemen.

They're showing why they were being talked about as one of the best lines in the nation before the season started.

It's a bad sign for Texas when your top three tacklers for the season are defensive backs. If that trend continues Saturday, it likely means Patrick and Murray have found their way in to the Longhorn secondary — and Oklahoma is winning.

Again, the key comes back to the OU offensive front. When Miami came to Norman last month, it brought with it one of the top defensive lines around and OU quarterback Sam Bradford was hardly touched.

And Bradford has shown that when he has time to throw, he'll find the right guy. Of course, he has plenty of help, with Malcolm Kelly, Juaquin Iglesias and Jermaine Gresham, among others. And don't be surprised to see Murray or Gresham lining up as wide receivers Saturday.

One of Texas' defensive strengths is its secondary, headed up by safety Marcus Griffin, who leads the team in tackles.

By Scott Wright