OU notebook: Muschamp had the answers

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Published: October 10, 2008

Texas first-year defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was on the job for LSU in the Sugar Bowl when Oklahoma and the Tigers played for the 2003 national championship.

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LSU pressured Sooners quarterback Jason White regularly in that game and clamped down the OU offense in a 21-14 win.

Can Muschamp, hailed with lighting a fire in this Texas defense, bring similar magic to the Longhorns in the Cotton Bowl Saturday?

"We’re a much different team than ’03,” OU coach Bob Stoops said this week. "They’re not LSU.

"That’s awhile ago. Some of what they do, I’m sure, is similar. Some has evolved, and you’re working with different personnel. I know we’re a lot different than we were then, too.”

Premium seats
OU-Texas tickets don’t come cheap.

Fans seeking to score a pair to Saturday’s matchup of top-five teams should expect to pay upwards of $700, even $800, if prices paid on StubHub are any indicator.

One seller on eBay is aiming higher.

For section 31, row 5, seats 14 and 15, a seller from Norman has posted his tickets on eBay with a starting bid of $100,000.

Up since Wednesday, the tickets had yet to receive an opening bid as of press time.

Up their sleeves
Both teams have been known for pulling some surprises in this game.

Gadget plays. Blitz packages. Something different to feature a certain player.

Playbook twists have become as much a part of the game as the ferris wheel and corn dogs.

"Every year, everybody brings a little something,” said OU secondary coach Bobby Jack Wright. "Just a little tweak. Nobody’s going to go out and make wholesale changes. We tweak some things it seems like every year.

"I know every year, Brent (Venables) and I, after the game, we’re usually sitting there talking about, ‘Gosh, they haven’t done that all year long.’”

By John Helsley


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Related Topics: Sports, Football, College Athletics, College Football, Bowl Championship Series


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If OU had started PT in the 2003 Sugar Bowl, it would've been a blowout.
Ryan - Oct 10, 2008 7:02 PM
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ahhh the gooner magic of old....who cares what happend back then all you should worry about is taking care of business tomorrow and you should have no problems doing that if you protect sammy b. in the pocket but a few hits and we could see on the bench in a daze like he was at tech...but I predict an OU blowout of 55-14 over UT this is coming from an OSU alum and an avid gonner hater
Neel, Sugar Land - Oct 10, 2008 4:22 PM
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Jo, are people still saying Jason White should have been benched for PT in the Sugar Bowl? You are nuts!!! Yeah, PT turned out to be decent, but that would have been a bad idea for several reasons: 1) He wasnt ready, if you need proof look at the '05 TCU game even after 1 more year of experience at home against a lesser team. 2) PT wasnt that good of a runner. Look at any run from '06 and show me one that proves he is a gamebreaking runner. He had some speed but he was not elusive 3) Do you really think that would have completely befuddled that LSU defense? I like Paul Thompson, I am a fan of his, but he was a band-aid QB and he did a good job. Hybl was the same way, but I wont pretend he was better than White. We were one foot away from tying that game. We didnt get it done. Get over it.
matt, Moore - Oct 10, 2008 3:43 PM
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Jo, Edmond, make sense first then we can talk.
Jim, Stillwater - Oct 10, 2008 1:23 PM
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Coach Stoops said his team today is different than the '03 team that played LSU. We still don't
have a QB that can run, thats the same. Paul Thompson could run, and as we found out after
Chuck Long left, he was a pretty darn good QB, why didn't he play against LSU that night?
Do you think sometimes Coach Stoops is not in charge of that team. Sometimes thats the price
you pay for "Cronyism". Mack Brown doesn't seem to have that problem. Good for Mack, right!
jo, edmond - Oct 10, 2008 1:00 PM
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JASON MADE THEIR DEFENSE LOOK BETTER THAN IT WAS. HE WAS ON 2 SURGICALLY REPAIRED KNEES. SO HE COULDN'T ROLL OUT OF THE POCKET ETC. SO ALL LSU HAD TO DO WAS BLITZ BLITZ BLITZ
Barney, poppycock - Oct 10, 2008 11:51 AM
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Jake, Muschamp doesn't have half as good of corners as he had in the LSU title game, he knows if he leaves his corners in man coverage they will get roasted if he can't get to Bradford in time. They may try to bring big blitzes early and see if it gets Bradford rattled or not, but the risk is a quick 1 or 2 touchdowns before Texas knows what hit them. If OU jumps out on them like they have everyone else, this game will be a blowout, you can't beat OU if they know you are passing every down and that is what will happen if Texas gets in trouble early. They can't afford that, so I think they will try to rely on the strength of their defense, which is their D-Line. If they don't pressure Bradford with the line, I don't see a Texas win, unless we have several unforced turnovers.
Shane, OKLAHOMA CITY - Oct 10, 2008 11:16 AM
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MAN ALIVE LET'S GET THIS GAME ON...........CAN"T HARDLY STAND TO WAIT "TIL SATURDAY....THIS IS HUGE. GO OU LAY DOWN THE HAMMER ON THEM HORNS
Richard, Visalia - Oct 10, 2008 11:05 AM
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Yes, Muschump had the answers in the Sugar Bowl. But as Stoop says, this isn't that LSU team. Plus, in case we forget, Jason White had been injured and wasn't near 100% in the game. In the end, coaches can only coach, the players have to execute. OU 38 TU 24
Steve, Longwood - Oct 10, 2008 10:49 AM
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Don't be surprised to see Texas get six or seven guys coming after Sam Bradford on every play. I think Oklahoma will have to leave a tight end or full back in to pass block quite a bit for Bradford to have any time to pass. I really hope Brown & Murray get off to a good start and wear that Texas defense out early.
Joliet Jake, Chicago - Oct 10, 2008 9:46 AM
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Texas sucks.
brett, shawnee - Oct 10, 2008 9:37 AM
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