Oklahoma State football: Three keys to a Cowboys victory vs. Texas
By John Scimeca
Oklahoma State football brings a No. 12 ranking in the national polls with it to face No. 25 Texas on the road in Week 7. The Cowboys (5-0, 2-0) have lost two in a row to the Longhorns (4-2, 2-1), though OSU did win seven out of nine games in the series before 2019.
OSU is undefeated through its first five games for the first time since 2015, when the team won 10 games. Texas is fresh off a deflating 55-48 loss to its archrival, Oklahoma, in a Week 6 “Red River Shootout” game during which the Longhorns led by 21 points in the first half.
For Oklahoma State football to pull off the road win in Austin in Week 7, the Cowboys have to limit UT’s big plays and gain consistent yards on the ground.
OSU, on the other hand, is coming off a bye week after opening Big 12 play with wins against Kansas State and Baylor, both ranked opponents at the time.
Though it’s early in the season, OSU is atop the conference standings with OU as the Big 12’s only two undefeated teams. Texas, on the other hand, has two losses already. After the Longhorns lost in September to Arkansas, the team bounced back to win its next two games in dominating fashion, a 58-0 drubbing of Rice and a 70-35 win against Texas Tech.
Though the Cowboys are the higher-ranked team, they are six-point underdogs as they travel to Austin this weekend to face the Horns.
light. Related Story. Have the Cowboys lost a step vs. Texas?
Here are three keys to victory for OSU against Texas:
1. Limit big plays from the Texas offense
The Cowboys have to start with slowing down the explosive Longhorns offense. Led by quarterback Casey Thompson and running back Bijan Robinson, Texas features the Big 12’s best offense (477.7 total yards and 44.5 points per game) and has a load of talented playmakers in the backfield.
Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy highlights a set of dangerous targets for Thompson. Worthy started last week’s game against OU with a 75-yard touchdown catch — within 14 seconds, the Sooners were already down by seven points. The freshman from Fresno, Calif. is a clearly a star in the making and a player who can reach the end zone at any time. He totaled nine catches for 261 yards and a touchdown against OU.