By halftime, Texas tight end Jermichael Finley had already doubled the receiving output of his career best game with 135 yards on three catches.
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But after finding space in the middle of Oklahoma's defense for big plays in the first half, he was held to one catch for 14 yards in the second.
"We just changed up our coverage a little more,” OU coach Bob Stoops said.
Those changes primarily consisted of using a defensive back rather than a linebacker to cover Finley. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound sophomore with sprinter's speed had his most success against the coverage of linebackers Ryan Reynolds and Curtis Lofton.
"If you look at what he's done this year, they hadn't run vertical nearly as much,” OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "And they did it out of some different sets.”
Venables credited his defense's ability to stop the run for allowing him to shift the coverage.
By Scott Wright
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I suppose we should not be too harsh on defensive coachs not being able to keep yards and points down as they did years ago. The college game is getting more and more like the pro game every year with its ultra sophisticated offensive schemes. I hope OU learned at Colorado they will have to play 60 full minutes against everyone left on the schedule, which they certainly did Saturday. A great win and congratulations to all of the OU people.
Oklahoma's D.J. Wolfe tries to bring down Texas' Jermichael Finley during the first half. Finley was held to one catch for 14 yards in the second half. BY NATE BILLINGS, THE OKLAHOMAN
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