College Football Game of the Week: No. 20 Texas vs. No. 11 Oklahoma State
No. 20 Texas Longhorns (5-2, 3-1) travel to face No. 11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (5-1, 2-1) in the Big 12 Matchup of the week.
The two top-ranked, high-flying teams collide in Stillwater, Oklahoma for a battle at the top of the Big 12 Conference. The winner of this matchup will slide up to the number two spot in the conference and sit behind the winner of No. 8 TCU and No. 17 Kansas State.
‘Horns Look To Stay Hot
The Longhorns have found their offensive groove and have been clicking on all cylinders. Texas has outscored its opponents 111-41 in the past three matchups and will look to continue in a potential shootout in Stillwater.
After pitching a shutout in the Red River Showdown against Oklahoma, 49-0, the Longhorns are running red-hot and are not looking back. After beating their bitter rival, the focus now shifts towards a Big 12 Championship.
Freshman five-star quarterback Quinn Ewers has been improving each and every game for Texas. Ewers, only 19-years-old, has the maturity of an NFL Quarterback in the pocket and uses his IQ to his advantage.
In the past three matchups, Ewers had exploded with seven passing touchdowns and 461 passing yards. The dynamic play-making ability of Ewers paired with a plethora of offensive weapons makes Texas a team to be reckoned with in the Big 12.
Although Ewers has an elite arm, he isn't the star of the offense. Rather, it’s the running back: Bijan Robinson.
Robinson is one of the best backs in the nation and plays with grit. The junior from Tucson, Arizona runs with a mission and competes with a team-first mentality.
Robinson holds the hot hand of late with five straight 100+ rushing yard games. In last season’s matchup against the Cowboys, Robinson had a career game of three touchdowns and 135 yards on the ground.
If you're cheering on the ‘Horns, the excitement is building in Austin.
Robinson has improved a tremendous amount this season and should put up even better numbers on Saturday.
The Cowboys run defense is not the strongest of the pack as they allow nearly 140 yards on the ground per game to opposing offenses. If the ‘Horns want to stay on top, they have to play aggressively on offense.
Cowboys Can Take Control
As for Oklahoma State, they come into the Big 12 matchup following a double overtime shootout loss against TCU.
In a thrilling game, the Cowboys had the upper-hand all throughout and ended up leading 24-13 at half. But late in the second half, defensive mistakes put the Cowboys to a disadvantage.
When Oklahoma State collides with Texas on Saturday the defense has to minimize their mistakes and maximize their takeaways, especially against a high-caliber offense.
The Cowboys are 5-1 primarily because of their air-raid offense that is led by quarterback Spencer Sanders. With the ball in his hands, Sanders leads the Cowboys as the number four ranking scoring offense in the nation with 45.3 points per game.
Sanders and the offense have put up 36 points against No. 16 Baylor, 41 points against Texas Tech and most recently, 40 points against No. 13 TCU.
The receiving corps is very unique and scattered for coach Mike Gundy and the Cowboys. With eight different receiving touchdown scorers, the ‘Boys don’t necessarily have a clear-cut number one wide receiver, which makes their offense that more frightful.
Even with a top-leading quarterback, don’t count out the Cowboys run game. The rushing touchdowns, surprisingly, have matched their passing touchdowns with 15 a piece.
Sanders, a senior from Denton, Texas, has produced 13 touchdowns in the air while only throwing three interceptions. If the Longhorns lock up the pass game, that won't be an issue for Sanders and co. As a quarterback, Sanders leads the team in rushing touchdowns with eight, right ahead of starting running back Dominic Richardson with five.
If Oklahoma State wants to sit atop the Big 12 standings, they have to let the captain, Sanders, lead the offense while being patient in the pocket.
With one loss, Sanders has led the Cowboys to victory even against top-ranked opponents. Although the Longhorns defense is very strong to overcome, the ‘Boys should be able to find some leeway.
Prediction: Texas 38, Oklahoma State 35
In a shootout in Stillwater, this game will have everything a college football fan loves.
Sanders and Ewers are anticipated to have an elite quarterback battle, while the ground game should still be strong with Robinson in the backfield for the Longhorns. Saturday will be a game of minimizing mistakes for both offenses. In the end, coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns take down the Cowboys in a thrilling finish.
Jasper Abrahams is a first-year majoring in communications. To contact him, email jpa5778@psu.edu.
