Gimme a 'T' for Texas and 'T' for Terrible

DALLAS -- Colt McCoy did it all with a sore thumb. Colt McCoy also had lost his voice during the week because of a cold. Colt McCoy saved the game with a tackle. A tackle from a quarterback!

This is why headlines and highlights aren't enough. Texas beat Oklahoma 16-13 Saturday to go 6-0 and keep up its run toward the national championship in its System Stinks Redemption Tour.

But when you watch the recap on ESPN and hear the fairy tale of McCoy, keep this in mind:

He wasn't any good.

And Texas? Worse.

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The Longhorns are a long, long way from being a legit national championship team. Sure, the fun and pageantry of the rivalry were great, as always. You walk through the state fair, past signs that say "Welcome to the fried food capital of Texas," where you decide that the diet can handle fried dough better than fried butter. The stadium neatly packs OU fans on one half, Texas on the other, totaling 96,000.

So for history and for personal meaning, this was a big moment.

But the game? Bad.

Texas? Worse.

"We're in the same spot we were this time last year,'' Texas coach Mack Brown said. "We're not going to let the system dictate to us."

Oh god. Brown is still blubbering about last year. Listen, it's true that Texas beat Oklahoma last year. Then, Texas lost to Texas Tech. So OU got to play in the Big 12 title game and then for the national title.

Texas felt it should have gone. So Brown has made a mission of saying that Texas wouldn't allow that to happen again this year. Yes, it's easy to motivate players with shallow stuff like that.

But I'm not sure how Boise State and Utah feel about Texas whining about the system. Texas is going to get a nice, high BCS ranking when the year's first computer numbers come out Sunday, but the team isn't that good.

The system and the voters always favor the big boys, like Texas. At this point, it appears rigged to put this mediocre team without a running game into the title game against the SEC champ.

"We ran for 142 yards,'' Brown said. "The fact that we ran the ball this well is really exciting to me."

OK, fine. Brown said that his team needs to enjoy the win, that the fun of winning big games is taken away because of the system. So we focus on what's wrong and focus on upsets more than joy.

Honestly, that's exactly what I'm doing. Texas can't run the ball, has an average offensive line and a runner-up Heisman Trophy quarterback in McCoy who saved the game because he threw an awful interception with six minutes left, then made a tackle.

Maybe I should be focusing on the good, the win. But what I can't get out of my mind was the way McCoy kept overthrowing people. He completed 21 of 39 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception and fumbled after a long run.

And this Oklahoma team is a shell of its old self. It has a fast, good defense, but lost a bunch of players from last year's team, and has only one player on offense:

Quarterback Sam Bradford, the Heisman winner from last year. Bradford has missed time this year with a separated shoulder, and was knocked out of Saturday's game in the first quarter with a shoulder injury, too.

Best guess: He's done for the year. And if he wants to have an NFL career, he had better come back to OU next year for his senior season.

His stock has crashed this year.

But the point is, Texas barely won, looked bad doing it, and beat a shaky team without its one good offensive player. So do you take joy in beating Oklahoma, Texas fans, and going to 6-0? Or do you worry about the bigger picture?

Or both?

"The good thing,'' McCoy said, "is we know we haven't played up to our potential. It might be scary if we start playing really well.''

This is a process. Give the Longhorns that. But they struggled for a half last week against lowly Colorado, and this OU team, 3-3, is the best team they've beaten.

Receiver Marquise Goodwin, still in the development stages, made some great catches and has amazing, Olympics-like speed. Brown said he'll be good this year.

McCoy had success with the QB draw, something Brown had held back until the big game. Fozzy Whittaker did have a couple of nice runs.

But the stars on offense are supposed to be receiver Jordan Shipley and McCoy. We heard all week about how great Shipley is, how he might actually deserve Heisman consideration.

He caught four passes for 22 yards. Total. And he dropped a punt return, not recovering it until field position was lost.

And McCoy's interception late, when Texas should have been putting the game away, was ugly. Brown said it was a miscommunication with the receiver. But OU defensive back Dominique Franks said he knew the pass would be intercepted before it was thrown.

Franks said that OU had studied film, and knew right where McCoy was going to throw even before he did. Brian Jackson made the interception.

McCoy saved the day on a tackle we'll surely see on highlights as a sign of his greatness.

"It's a game you try to win,'' Brown said. "You don't try to blow out.''

The system, the thumb, progress and no desire to win by blowout.

And I thought Texas simply looked bad. But the coaches poll already has these guys No. 2 in the country. And when the computer comes out Sunday, look for this lousy system to show the Longhorns even more love.

Email me at gregcouch09@aol.com