OKLAHOMA STATE PASS OFFENSE VS TEXAS PASS DEFENSE
The success of the Oklahoma State offense starts with quarterback Mason Rudolph. Now a junior, Rudolph hasn't been as consistent as expected going into the season, but the last couple games, he seems to have dialed it in and has been more on target. Wide receiver James Washington is the main weapon and he had huge game against Pittsburgh, going for 296 yards and 2 TDs on 9 catches. Baylor bracketed Washington and double covered him some last week, which helped keep him in check. If Texas tries to take Washington out of the game, other guys like Jhajuan Seales, Chris Lacy, Austin Hays and Jalen McCleske are also capable of making plays. Oklahoma State is missing a key playmaker in Marcell Ateman. He had off-season surgery and was scheduled to be re-evaluated late this week, but is not expected to play.
Edge: Oklahoma State ***
OKLAHOMA STATE RUN OFFENSE VS TEXAS RUN DEFENSE
Oklahoma State has had issues with its ground game for several years, but people close to the program feel like they may have found a spark in true freshman Justice Hill. The 5-10, 171-pounder went for 122 yards and a touchdown last week against Baylor, but he did have a couple costly fumbles, one of which happened after he broke tackles and was extending for the goal line. Chris Carson has been out with an injury and his status for this week is still up in the air. As of midweek, it looks like it will be Hill and Rennie Childs getting the work. Hill is a well-rounded back who people have compared to former OSU back Joseph Randle - he has decent speed, good moves in the open field and can break tackles.
Edge: Oklahoma State *
OKLAHOMA STATE OFFENSIVE LINE VS TEXAS DEFENSIVE LINE
Over the last couple games, as a group, Oklahoma State's offensive line has shown signs of improvement. The line features a couple new faces in left guard Marcus Keyes and right guard Larry Williams, a JUCO transfer. The group is starting to show signs that it's playing well as a unit, but the line is still having issues at center with Brad Lundblade, who has had troubles with some assignments and has had issues holding his ground at the point of attack.
Edge: Oklahoma State *
TEXAS PASS OFFENSE VS OKLAHOMA STATE PASS DEFENSE
Oklahoma State's pass defense has been spotty overall (275 yards per game, ninth in the conference). Last week, against Baylor, OSU brought its safeties up for run support and paid the price. That may be something the OSU coaches struggle with again this week. The Cowboys do have experience at the corner spots with Ashton Lampkin and Ramon Richards. The safety play has been led by Jordan Sterns, who has has been pretty solid. Schematically, Oklahoma State hasn't done its DBs a lot of favors and it shows up in the stats.
Edge: Texas ***
TEXAS RUN OFFENSE VS OKLAHOMA STATE RUN DEFENSE
OSU's run defense has been pretty decent overall with the Cowboys ranking third in the conference. Last weekend, Oklahoma State did a decent job against a powerful Baylor ground game but did give up a couple big plays. Strongside linebacker Jordan Burton is the team's leading tackler. This is an area that very well could determine the outcome of the game. If Oklahoma State can keep D'Onta Foreman and Chris Warren in check, it could tip things OSU's way. If not, the outcome favors Texas.
Edge: Texas **
TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE VS OKLAHOMA STATE DEFENSIVE LINE
The OSU defensive line is pretty strong, especially in the interior with Motekiai Maile and Vincent Taylor. At defensive end, several young guys trying to replace Emmanuel Ogbah and Jimmy Bean. Cole Walterscheid has had two big games back to back. Overall, the defensive line has been pretty good at applying pressure and holding up against the run.
Edge: Oklahoma State *
SPECIAL TEAMS
Punter Zach Sinor has been very good. In the Pitt game, he had 6 downed inside the 20 and several of those were inside the 10. The placekicking game has been spotty. Ben Grogan has had some key misses. Freshman Matt Amendola handles the longer kicks. The returns and coverage units have been pretty solid.
Edge: Texas *
INTANGIBLES
I'm not sure either team can boast about the intangibles coming into this one. Texas is licking its wounds after a tough loss to Cal, while Oklahoma State comes in having lost two of its last three. The Longhorns have yet to show that they can get the job done on the road, so the scale tips slightly OSU's way, but Stillwater is a place in which Texas has had success in the past. This one's pretty much a toss-up, but we'll give the slightest of edges to OSU based on home-field advantage.
Edge: Oklahoma State *
