Game To Watch: #12 Oklahoma State at #25 Texas: October 16, 2021

Oklahoma State will play Texas in Austin this Saturday at 12:00 EST. The Cowboys have gotten off to a 5 – 0 start and had a bye last week to rest and get ready for the rest of the Big 12. The Longhorns suffered a devastating loss to Oklahoma last week, after leading most of the game but giving up the lead and losing on the last play of the game. Both teams are still in play to make the Big 12 Championship this year and a win Saturday would be a big step toward achieving that goal.

Recent History

Texas is 26 – 9 against Oklahoma State all time, though the Cowboys hold the advantage recently. Oklahoma State has won 7 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams, though their last win came in 2018. Texas has a two game win streak including a dramatic 41 – 34 victory on the road last season.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Can Oklahoma State contain Texas’ Big Play Weapons?

Oklahoma State has played consistently on defense all season. The Cowboys are allowing 18.6 points per game this year and have held all five of their opponents to between 14 and 23 points. They have been strong against the run, allowing just 2.8 yards per carry. The pass defense has been stingy as well limiting opponents to 6.4 yards per attempt through the air. That defense will have to be sound on Saturday because Texas’ offense has several big play weapons that are making big plays this year. It all starts with running back Bijan Robinson who has run for 100 yards in every game except the week two loss to Arkansas and is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and 15.4 yards per catch this year. True freshman receiver Xavier Worthy has also come on and had a huge day against Oklahoma, catching 9 passes for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns. Quarterback Casey Thompson has also had two 300 yard and 5 touchdown games in four starts this year. Texas’ offense has been explosive this year and Oklahoma State will need to keep them contained and limit the big plays on Saturday.

Can Spencer Sanders Get on Track?

Spencer Sanders has struggled to find success in the passing game this year. His completion percentage is a career low 58.3 percent and he has just 5 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. Sanders has struggled with interceptions throughout his career, but has had more touchdowns to balance out the negative plays. Oklahoma State needs to be more efficient in the passing game to get their offense back over 30 points per game like it has been the previous six seasons. Texas’ defense has had it’s struggles and could be a good one for Sanders to get back on track against. The Longhorns have been in the bottom half of the Big 12 in yards per attempt against and are dead last in the conference in opponents completion percentage. They average just two sacks a game and will have to get pressure on Sanders to keep the Cowboys offense from having a big day. Sanders needs a big game to get the passing game on track, Texas will attempt to keep that from happening.

Texas’ Run Defense Needs to Bounce Back

Texas’ run defense had a tough day against Kennedy Brooks and the Oklahoma running game last Saturday. They allowed 339 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, while giving up 8.3 yards per carry on the ground. The Longhorns struggled to get off blocks and did not tackle well when they got to the ball carrier. Oklahoma had not reached 200 yards rushing in any of their four previous games against FBS opponents. For Texas this was the second time they allowed over 300 yards rushing, the first came against Arkansas. Oklahoma State’s running game has been inconsistent this year but came through with 200 yard performances against Boise State and Baylor. The Cowboys will test the Texas defense to see if they have corrected the mistakes that haunted them against Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Prediction

The Longhorns have to get off to a good start after the way last week’s game ended. Texas will be aggressive and challenge the Oklahoma State defense early. The Cowboys’ defense has been good this year and may give up a few plays but will hold up better than most against the Texas offense. Oklahoma State’s offense hasn’t looked pretty this year but the defense has kept opponents in check and they have found a way to score enough points to win. That won’t be the case this week as Texas has enough firepower to put this game just out of reach. Texas 34 Oklahoma State 27.

Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Night image taken by Brint03 is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

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