Golden: Texas' defense takes the lead of its big boys in the middle
The boys guys in the middle of the defensive line don’t always get their due because some things just can’t be measured with statistics. To a man, their teammates and coaches agree the Longhorns wouldn’t be 8-1 without them.
The only thing bigger than those giant bodies in the middle is their importance to Texas' fortunes and the toughness they bring to the trenches.
“When we get inside that red zone, you’re not getting in (to the end zone),” defensive tackle Byron Murphy II said. “That’s our mindset. You’re not getting in no matter what.”
Sweat is the ringleader of the big’uns up front. The resident class clown in the locker room, he's no laughing matter when it comes to opposing offensive linemen who have to deal with him. Sweat has a modest 13 solo tackles, but the fact that 6½ have come from behind the line of scrimmage speak to his dominance.
That said, there is a thanklessness that comes with being a defensive tackle, but when big men like Sweat and Murphy leap off the screen, everyone notices.
Golden: Win or lose, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian is committed to Maalik Murphy (for now)
Texas coch Steve Sarkisian said Sweat and Murphy are the two most dominant interior linemen in the country. Kansas State quarterback Will Howard will probably agree because it’s possible Sweat has had a starring role in his nightmares in the days since Saturday’s loss to the Horns.
He’s easily the nation’s scariest interior disruptor and lived up to the reputation when he tossed aside a double-team block and blew up Howard in the second quarter.
Remember, this man is listed at 6-foot-4 and a svelte 362 pounds. As if he handn’t done enough, Sweat nearly pulled down an interception after end Barryn Sorrell put the heat on Howard in the pocket on that final fourth-and-goal play in overtime.
Sweat, Murphy, Vernon Broughton and Alfred Collins may not always get the credit, but they make the pretty boys on the outside and at linebacker look good.
“Having (Murphy and Sweat) in there, makes it really easy for the perimeter runs,” said safety Michael Taaffe. “I think everybody goes into a game plan probably knowing (they) can’t run up the middle. That takes a lot of stress off me.”
The big men in the middle set the tone for the Horns holding K-State’s rushing game, which averaged more than 200 yards — to 33 yards and 1.1 yards per carry. Sweat and Co. are the true barometer of this defense and when they bring the scary effort we saw against the Wildcats for most of four quarter, the Horns will be a real problem over the last month of the season and beyond.
Rest in peace, Bedlam: gone too soon
Oklahoma-OSU played one for the ages: I’ve never attended a Bedlam game, but I will miss it like I would miss the Red River Rivalry if, heaven forbid, that was ever disbanded.
More: Whew! Texas survives overtime scare from Kansas State with big fourth-down stop
College football would not be the spectacle we love if not for the blood feuds that make up the fabric of the sport. When Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy held up the Bedlam trophy and channeled Stillwater predecessor Jimmy Johnson by asking a locker room full of geeked players, “How 'bout ‘dem Cowboys?!” anyone who has watched one second of college football knew it was about more than a simple football win.
The Cowboys beat the Sooners 27-24 in the last of 118 meetings dating back to a 75-0 Oklahoma win in 1904 and every season since 1910. So it has to sting the gut a bit to see it all end now.
It’s been more of a tradition than a rivalry on the win-loss ledger since the Sooners own a 91-20 advantage in a series that includes seven ties. The goalposts came down at Boone Pickens Stadium and found a new home at Theta Pond, but not before Cowboys fans joined to sing a rousing rendition of Taylor Swift’s “We are never ever ever getting back together.”
In this day of conference realignment and multi-billion-dollar television networks quietly calling the shots behind the scenes, these are the worst type of breakups.
Oklahoma and Oklahoma State should always play, regardless of conference affiliation even if the principals don’t appear to be interested in keeping it going. The same goes for Texas- Oklahoma, Michigan-Ohio State and Alabama-Auburn. And to think, just as the Longhorns and Aggies found their way back to one another, we’re faced with another death of a rivalry.
Bohls: The top five teams win in the best weekend of the year, hold steady on my AP ballot
Stroud is a Houston star in the making
Stroud for the win: Houston’s C.J. Stroud turned in arguably the most memorable performance from a rookie signal caller in league history. The Texans are one of the best feel-good stories of the season after Stroud led a 75-yard last-minute drive, including his fifth touchdown pass of the day, to Tank Dell with six seconds left to shock the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I just want the ball,” Stroud told reporters. “Just give me the ball, call the play and I’m going to go make a play.”
And several after that.
More: Kickoff time for Texas football's matchup with TCU announced by Big 12
Stroud has 14 touchdowns and only one interception in eight games and will lap the field when it’s time to hand out the rookie of the year award. Meanwhile, Carolina’s Bryce Young, the top pick in the 2023 draft just ahead of Stroud, was throwing three interceptions, including a pair of pick-sixes, in a 27-13 loss at Indianapolis.
So for all you Texan fans out there, take a minute and thank the great Lovie Smith for calling a 2-point conversion to beat the Colts and cost Houston the top pick. Lovie was promptly fired a week later.
Who knows if Texans GM Nick Caserio would have taken Stroud over Young? It’s a question he will never have to answer.
Get off Dak's back
In elite company: For all the Dak Prescott critics out there, be advised that he outplayed every quarterback except Stroud and maybe Joe Burrow on Sunday. He completed 29-of-44 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns in the 28-23 loss at Philadelphia, but social media went for his throat after the Cowboys were left at the goal line as time ran out.
They will stay on Prescott's back because he’s a Cowboys fan. He's not elite, but he's plenty good enough to lead this team deep into the playoffs. His five interceptions in 265 attempts are solid when juxtaposed with his 13 touchdowns, but far more fans are more likely to criticize him more than, say, Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, who have thrown nine and eight picks, respectively.
It comes with the star on the helmet. The Cowboys would not have been in position to win had it not been for their much-maligned quarterback. They aren’t the best team in football, but a playoff team for sure. Prescott is the face of America’s Team and with that position comes more attention.
And yes, some hate.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Golden: T'Vondre Sweat spears Texas interior line
