OU's speed a problem for McCoy; LSU looks to run over Florida

Originally Published: October 3, 2008

Scouts Inc.'s Steve Muench examines Week 7 story lines, including Colt McCoy against the Oklahoma defense and Florida LB Brandon Spikes against LSU's running game.

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By Steve Muench
Scouts Inc.
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Here's a quick look at some of the biggest story lines Scouts Inc. will focus on in Week 7:

• No. 5 Texas meets No. 1 Oklahoma in Dallas in the annual Red River Rivalry, and Longhorns QB Colt McCoy has been impressive running the football so far this season. The bigger and stronger McCoy, who gained 15 pounds during the offseason, is making sound reads when running the option, showing good quickness though seams and picking up yards after contact. He has his work cut out for him, though, against a Sooners run defense that's giving up just 2.8 yards per carry. Speedy Oklahoma LBs Ryan Reynolds, Keenan Clayton and Travis Lewis have the range to stalk McCoy from sideline to sideline, and though Texas RBs Vondrell McGee, Cody Johnson and Chris Ogbonnaya combine to give Texas a quality backfield, none of them has established himself as a game-changer at this point. The lack of a premium back like the departed Jamaal Charles will make it easier for Oklahoma to focus on slowing McCoy when Texas runs the option.

• No. 3 Missouri hosts No. 17 Oklahoma State in a game that pits the nation's second-ranked (Missouri) and third-ranked (Oklahoma State) scoring offenses against each other. Don't be surprised to see the Cowboys blink first. Oklahoma State has run the ball 257 times and thrown it just 92 times. The relatively one-dimensional ground attack is reason for concern because it should allow Missouri SS Justin Garrett and FS William Moore to play big roles in run support. Garrett is far better defending the run than he is matching up in coverage, and the 230-pound Moore is a reliable open-field tackler. Both Garrett and Moore are capable of lining up at the linebacker level as well, something that does not bode well for the OSU running game.

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