Oklahoma State and Texas: The Big 12 Championship by the Numbers
Winning a conference championship is a great honor for any team, but the Big 12 title game means more.
Oklahoma State and Texas are both looking to win their first Big 12 title in more than a decade, and a few stats help break down the matchup. OSU could cement its place as the Big 12’s top team as Oklahoma and Texas leave, or Texas could leave a lasting impact in its final Big 12 game.
A look at OSU-Texas by the numbers:
40.2
That’s the number of passes OSU has thrown per game this season. With Alan Bowman as the starting quarterback, OSU is No. 8 in the country in most passes thrown per game and third behind Washington State and TCU among power five teams.
That was the ranking expected from OSU 10 years ago, but it is a signal that a balance between passing and rushing has been found. That was the bane of OSU’s offense for many years.
Now, with Ollie Gordon II and Bowman as the one-two punch in rushing and passing, the Cowboys’ offense has surprisingly become a strong suit of this team.
85
Texas’ defense ranks fifth in the country in rushing yards allowed, giving up only 85 per game. While Gordon and OSU have faced tough rush defenses this season, the Texas front seven is set to be their toughest test yet.
Leading the way for the Longhorns are Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, T’Vondre Sweat, and Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year, Byron Murphy II. Linebacker Jaylan Ford joined those two on First team All-Big 12,
Prior to giving up 110 rushing yards against Texas Tech, the Longhorns had not given up 100 yards for five straight games and allowed only nine yards in a crucial win at Iowa State.
11
The Longhorns have 11 players on the two All-Big 12 teams, the most in the conference. Going up against firepower has been something the Cowboys have dealt with well this season, but this will be another level for them in Arlington.
For the third year in a row, Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy made an All-Big 12 team. Worthy has 67 receptions this season for 883 yards and five touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Texas kicker Bert Auburn beat Alex Hale for the first-team spot, making 28 of his 33 field goal attempts this season, the most makes in the country. Auburn has also not missed an extra point and has not missed a kick since September.
While all of these things should add to an exciting championship game, OSU must overcome many tough challenges to win. But an OSU win would cap off one of the strangest seasons in recent history.
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