Game Preview: No. 18 Oklahoma State vs No. 7 Texas
After beating BYU last week, Oklahoma State is on its way to Arlington to compete for the Big 12 title for the second time in two years after an incredible turnaround. The Cowboys will be playing No. 7 Texas Longhorns. The Pokes are 9-4 against Texas since 2010. This will be the first time these two teams faced off against each other while playing for a conference championship.
Game Information:
Time: 11:00 a.m. Central Time
TV Channel: ABC
Spread: Texas -15.5
Over/Under: 54.5
Key Players: Ollie Gordon, Kendal Daniels | Quinn Ewers, T'Vondre Sweat
Question Marks for Oklahoma State
Can Oklahoma State Run The Ball Effectively?
Ollie Gordon has had an incredible season and has all the talent in the world, no question about it. Still, Texas not only has the top run defense in the conference, they are fourth in the country in terms of rushing yards allowed. There will be no easy yardage. It'll be tough for Oklahoma State to block the interior duo of T'Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy. Add to that the speed of the linebacking corps for Texas, and the vision of how to attack this defense gets a whole lot tougher. Without the threat of the quarterback run game, I'm not sure Oklahoma State will be able to get consistent yardage on the ground. Their best bet is to attack the secondary.
Can Oklahoma State Limit Explosive Plays?
Texas has an elite wide receiver corps that is able to stretch the field and beat you deep. Oklahoma State will have to limit the Longhorns and keep them from making explosive plays. If they can do that, they'll have a good chance to come out on top.
Texas has been one of the worst teams in college football in scoring from the red zone. They have had 50 drives extend inside the opposing 20-yard line, but they have only come away with points on 39 of those drives, with only 22 of those resulting in touchdowns. If Oklahoma State does not allow anything to get behind them, I'll feel a lot more confident about their chances of coming out with a win.
My Prediction:
Texas is a bad matchup for Oklahoma State. They excel at stopping the run at the point of attack, and they usually don’t have to bring extra guys into the box to do it. The best way to beat them is with tempo and a mobile QB, and that’s not how the Pokes' offense operates. I think the defense can force Texas to kick some field goals, as they struggle in the red zone. Still, that’s a dynamic offense that can create big plays. I think Texas scores an insurance touchdown late in the game to make the game look a bit more favorable on the scoreboard.
My prediction: Oklahoma State 21 - 30 Texas
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