The Most Important Player in the Texas-OSU Game Is Not Who You Think

I’ve mentioned this in other posts, but I am incredibly concerned about this OSU-Texas game in Austin. It feels a little bit too … straightforward. OSU is good (we think), Texas is bad (we think) and so it will go.

In a lot of ways, I’m actually glad Texas discovered Jerrod Heard last week and that his first game wasn’t against the Pokes. That would have been a classic “this clown is having the game of his life against us!” affair. You know what I’m talking about.

But still, OSU is about to have a Jerrod Heard problem, and Glenn Spencer knows it. Heard threw for 364 yard and ran for 163 and three TDs last week against Cal. That’s not a joke.

UT OC Norvell on Heard: "The players believe in him. Because of what he's done, they just know we have a chance with his hands on the ball."

— David Ubben (@davidubben) September 20, 2015

“What’s scary about this situation is that you could have it all right, you could have that extra guy, but it’s always tough to have that extra guy,” said Spencer earlier this week.

“If you’re trying to have an extra guy for the quarterback, than you’re giving up something else. There are no guarantees that you can make a play, which is scary. The guy can beat you at any time. He could make you look foolish.”

I’m guessing Spencer actually does trust his secondary enough to have that extra guy. I’m also guessing that Jordan Burton is going to be that extra guy. “Twenty,” as Mike Gundy calls him.

“He’s been active,” said Gundy last week. “He’s learning on the run. He should be much better by the middle of the season.”

He’s literally going to be learning on the run this week in Austin because he’s going to be chasing the freewheeling Heard all over the field. OSU’s dreams have been crushed by running QBs in the past (especially those from Texas). OSU also hasn’t had dudes like Burton playing the STAR position in the past.

We haven’t heard a ton from Burton in the first three games. He has seven tackles and one TFL. But OSU also hasn’t faced a quarterback thus far like it will see in Austin on Saturday. Containing No. 13 will be vital and Burton, I think, will be able to do it.

“My main thing with Jordan is he just don’t stop,” cornerback Ashton Lampkin told ESPN earlier this year. “He only has one speed and that’s full speed.”

I hope we see it on Saturday.