On TCU's first offensive play here Saturday night, running back Ryan Christian faked like he was receiving a handoff, though to his detriment faked too well.
That's because Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy blasted through blockers and, thinking Christian had the ball, slammed him to the ground.
In the final stats of OU's 35-10 beat down of TCU, McCoy's name couldn't be found.
In fact, punter Mike Knall had more tackles than McCoy, with one.
But by requiring so much attention and inflicting so much havoc, McCoy allowed fellow defensive tackle Adrian Taylor to have a career night with two tackles for loss and two sacks.
By tying up interior blockers, McCoy allowed OU's three linebackers to lead the team in tackles.
And for those reasons, McCoy is playing better than any Sooner defensive tackle since Tommie Harris manned the middle five years ago.
"Gerald, he's on his own planet,"
Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables said. "Cory (Bennett) has done some pretty good things, and Adrian has really done pretty good."
"But Gerald is playing at a different level."
McCoy should vie for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and, provided he stays healthy, All-American honors, despite being only 10th on the team in tackles with nine (three for loss including a sack).
But like Harris, who battled constant double- and triple-teams during his college career but became a star with the NFL's Chicago Bears, McCoy's value can't be measured with statistics.
Instead, his worth should be measured by how much better he makes his teammates.
And so far, McCoy has been awesome.
