McCoy has made name for himself among Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. — Call it swagger or confidence or indifference, but defensive players for the top-ranked Oklahoma Sooners acted Monday as if they didn't even know the names of their opponents this weekend.

That would be fifth-ranked Texas in the Cotton Bowl.

But when they spoke about Texas' running game, the Sooners spoke in the most general of terms.

"Those guys are good," Oklahoma safety Lendy Holmes said. "They've got a lot of talent and you know they're going to bring it."

"You know that if you're not paying attention to them they can beat you at any time," said linebacker Keenan Clayton, who was wearing a Sooner T-shirt about power, strength and getting to the Orange Bowl, the site of this year's national championship game.

The only time Oklahoma players got specific was when one name was mentioned: Colt McCoy.

"They're a different team than last year, but you can't really say one specific thing (about their offense) is better," Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy said. "The one thing you can say is Colt has gotten a lot better. He's moving a lot better. ... He's more accurate. That guy is a real good player. We're going to have a task ahead of us stopping him."

Indeed, McCoy was the only Longhorn name mentioned by Oklahoma defenders Monday.

"You better be disciplined," defensive tackle Adrian Taylor said. "We know we're going to have to keep our assignments, because if we don't, he'll beat us."

According to linebacker Ryan Reynolds, the Sooners don't have any specific plans for stopping McCoy's running. The quarterback leads UT with 317 rushing yards.

They don't plan on using a shadow or blitzing any more than usual, he insisted. "We just need to play our game," Reynolds said.

It's what all the Sooners said Monday, exuding confidence in the process, just as the Longhorns did during their weekly media day down in Austin.

"We've already been tested by guys like (Baylor quarterback) Robert Griffin and (Washington quarterback Jake) Locker," Taylor said. "So yeah, we've been tested and we've responded every time. Colt can do damage with his legs, but we don't plan on allowing him to do that."

Oklahoma comes into Saturday's game allowing just 256 yards per game, 11th best in the nation.

When asked why Oklahoma always seemed confident going into the Red River Rivalry against Texas, Taylor had a simple answer.

"I would say it's how much we dominated in the past," said Taylor, a Mansfield product.

"I mean, I remember watching those 63-0 games," he said, slightly mangling the final scores of Oklahoma's victories in 2000 (63-14) and 2003 (65-13). "When you win like that, that gives you confidence."

Alan Trubow writes for the Austin American-Statesman.