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Oklahoma vs. Mizzou: The Difference This Year? The Big Boys

Oklahoma will face Mizzou once again and as we usually see with these two sides Oklahoma is better matched on offense, defense and particularly the offensive line. You can't teach size and the really big ones usually go to the top schools in the country, like Oklahoma.

Apparently that's changing. David Ubben of ESPN.com has an excellent look at the Sooners and Tigers game on Sunday and writes that it's the offensive and defensive lines that will make the game competitive this year.

The offensive line looks like one of Missouri's best under Pinkel, prepared to handle the front seven of Oklahoma. The Sooners held Missouri to 60 yards on 28 carries in the 2008 Big 12 title game, 57 yards on 30 carries in the first meeting and 98 yards on 32 carries in the 2007 Big 12 Championship.

And...

This year, only one team has more sacks than Oklahoma: Missouri. They've done it without their best pass rusher, Aldon Smith, who may be available for the first time in a month on Saturday night. Missouri averages almost 4.5 yards a carry this season, and the Tigers' top two running backs held that average against the nation's No. 2 rush defense last week, Texas A&M.

The defensive line is the big one. They've done a tremendous job along that line especially the last month without Aldon Smith. The Sooners offense is pretty awesome. There's no way around that. So Mizzou's best shot is to pressure the quarterback.