Key Matchups

Published: October 5, 2007

OU running back Allen Patrick never shies away from contact. Neither does Texas linebacker Robert Killebrew. So these two players will be at the heart of some big hits Saturday. Although quarterback Sam Bradford has drawn the most attention for the Sooner offense, coordinator Kevin Wilson still prefers to run first.

Patrick is a quick, hard-hitting runner who doesn't like to cut a lot, so the key for Killebrew will be to get in front of him. However, that theory changes when DeMarco Murray steps in for Patrick. Murray, a redshirt freshman, is far more elusive than the senior starter.

In his freshman season, OU tight end Jermaine Gresham caught 11 passes. This year, as a sophomore, he matched that total in his first two games. Gresham is not only a better player, but he's being looked at more in the passing game. Still, it's his improved blocking that has made the most difference this year.

Texas' Marcus Griffin is strong in run support, but he's never had to cover a player like Gresham. And tackling Gresham? That's another story. The 6-foot-6, 265-pound sophomore hasn't met a defensive back that punishes him more than he punishes them.

Though it's early in his sophomore season, Austin English is already beginning to draw comparisons to Dan Cody and other great Sooner defensive ends because of his explosive first step. He leads OU in sacks and will be on the field even more after the loss of fellow starter John Williams to injury two weeks ago.

Hills was a tight end in high school before beefing up to 305 pounds on his 6-foot-6 frame, so his athleticism has never been questioned. Now, he's one of the best left tackles in the country on an otherwise inexperienced offensive line.

Last year's Red River Shootout turned strongly in Texas' favor when Limas Sweed slipped past OU cornerback D.J. Wolfe for a 33-yard touchdown catch early in the third quarter. Sweed hasn't been the Longhorns' top receiver so far this season, but he's still their best.

Reggie Smith, with all the praise he's received along with the tag of preseason conference defensive player of the year, is somewhat unproven and inexperienced at cornerback. As a junior, he has only played seven games at the position and has not faced a test like Sweed presents.

The Texas running game hinges on Jamaal Charles, who has shown he is capable of the big play — like his 80-yard touchdown run against the Sooners when he was just a freshman in 2005? But Charles' performance has been spotty behind an inexperienced offensive line this season.

OU linebacker Curtis Lofton, on the other hand, has been anything but spotty, accounting for double-digit tackle totals in nearly every game this season. His strength is reading run plays and moving up to make the tackle, so Texas will have to keep him and the other OU run stoppers off balance with play-action passes.

The strength of Texas' defensive front is in the middle, with Frank Okam and nose guard Derek Lokey. Of the two, Okam is more likely to end up in the face of the quarterback, like he has done on multiple occasions already this season.

Duke Robinson rarely meets a defensive tackle who measures up with him pound-for-pound, but that's exactly what Okam does. Both are listed at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, making for an interesting collision on the interior Saturday.

By Scott Wright

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