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Jake Trotter, OU reporter
OU-Texas: It's all about the 'D' in Big D
DALLAS — Intelligent football minds have often said, "Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.”
Today, quarterbacks Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy will be the main attractions in a showdown between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 5 Texas.
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Texas leaders
10/11/2008 PASSING
Comp
Att
Int
Yds
TD
Colt McCoy
103
130
3
1280
16
John Chiles
9
10
0
89
1
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TD
Colt McCoy
45
317
4
Cody...
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Texas depth chart
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12
Colt McCoy
6-3
210
Jr.
7
John Chiles
6-2
215
So.
RB
3
Chris Ogbonnaya
6-1
215
Sr.
31
Cody Johnson
5-10
254
Fr.
WR
8
Jordan Shipley
6-0
190...
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Oklahoma depth chart
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QB
14
Sam Bradford
6-4
218
So.
15
Joey Halzle
6-4
203
Sr.
RB
7
DeMarco Murray
6-1
205
So.
29
Chris Brown
5-11
210
Jr.
WR
84
Quentin Chaney
6-5
208...
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Oklahoma Leaders
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PASSING
Comp
Att
Int
Yds
TD
Sam Bradford
106
146
3
1665
18
Joey Halzle
16
22
1
140
1
RUSHING
No
Yds
TD
DeMarco Murray
85
431
5...
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10/11/2008 1
Philip Payne
WR
6-2
207
So.
1
Keenan Robinson
LB
6-3
225
Fr.
2
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239
Jr.
2
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205...
History, however, shows that even with the Big 12’s quarterback boom, in this conference, defense still decides the championships.
Consider this: The team with the league’s best scoring defense has reached the Big 12 title seven times, winning it five.
The team with the best scoring offense, meanwhile, has made the championship four times and only won it twice.
"You hear, offense, offense, offense,” OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "But when you talk about who has won the Big 12 championship, it’s about playing good defense.”
Reaching the Big 12 title from the South has usually meant winning the Red River Rivalry, too. Either OU or Texas has represented the South in the title game nine years in a row.
But the Red River Shootouts have hardly been, well, shootouts.
The loser has been held to 14 points or less in six out of the last eight games. And both defenses enter this game ranked among the nation’s elite.
Expect the defense that plays best to leave Dallas with a victory.
And the inside lane to the Big 12 and national title games.
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