 "Photo: Daily Texan File")
The primary objective for Texas on Saturday will be functioning as a cohesive unit to stop Oklahoma's multitalented offense.
But talk of team play aside, this one may be personal.
Texas has heard it all from critics in recent weeks, but the players insist that playing as a team is key if the Longhorns (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) hope to pull off an upset in the Red River Shootout.
"We know they're a great defense with great players, but we've got some players on our side too," linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "It's two great defenses going against one another."
The Longhorns will have their work cut out for them against a Sooner offense that was thought to be medi-ocre heading into this season. But the resurgence of quarterback Jason White coming off two reconstructive knee surgeries has served as a catalyst for Oklahoma (5-0, 1-0).
White, once thought to be done with football following two anterior cruciate ligament tears, has emerged as a Heisman Trophy contender through five games, completing 68 percent of his passes for 1,472 yards and 16 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions.
Texas head coach Mack Brown acknowledged that while he was once uncertain of White's future in football, he is fully aware of the danger the senior poses to rival defenses.
"You're never sure after two knee operations," Brown said. "But [White] is one of the best quarterbacks in the country right now, and I will tell him that after the game."
If Texas hopes to force White into making mistakes, the Longhorns will have to put pressure on the senior with a healthy dose of pass rushing.
And while Marcus Tubbs and Rod Wright along with Kalen Thornton are constants on the defensive line, the X-factor for the Longhorns could be the play of freshman defensive end Tim Crowder, who recorded three tackles in last week's 24-20 win over Kansas State.
"Tim doesn't look like a freshman when he's out there," Brown said of Crowder, who substituted for the injured Bryan Pickryl Saturday. "The way he caught [Kansas State quarterback Ell] Roberson on some of those plays, that was special. Not many people can get to Roberson, so that showed that he's going to be a very special player here."
Since losing running back Quentin Griffin to the NFL following the 2002 campaign, Kejuan Jones and Renaldo Works have split time at the tailback spot. Through five games, the two have combined to gain 590 yards on 141 carries with four touchdowns.
Griffin, one of the top rushers in school history, torched Texas for 250 yards on 32 carries with a touchdown in last year's 35-24 win at the Cotton Bowl.
The Longhorns have faced numerous running teams in 2003, including Rice, Arkansas and Kansas State and expect to be prepared for the Sooners' versatile rushing tandem.
"We're going to work on the shotgun draw a lot, because we had trouble with that last year," Wright said. "We know Jason White can beat you with his arm, and their running backs have been great since they lost Griffin.
"It's like they haven't missed a beat."
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