Aaron Carrara
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The Texas Longhorns (1-2) will face the Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0) on Saturday. A win gets the ‘Horns back to .500 while a loss drops them to 1-3, a record they haven’t held since the 1993 season. Non-conference play is over, which means the focus is on winning Big 12 games and competing for a conference championship.
Here are 5 things to keep an eye on at Darrell K. Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Jerrod Heard’s consistency – Heard is coming off a career-high game that inked his name in the Texas record books. The Oklahoma State defensive line is above average and will challenge an underperforming Texas offensive line. Put it all together and it means Heard will be on the run a lot against the Pokes. Don’t expect a repeat performance from last weekend from the redshirt freshman, but Heard’s effectiveness will depend on how much time he has to take care of business. Both Heard and Tyrone Swoopes were pressured incessantly in South Bend. Against another good defense this weekend, it will be interesting to see how he plays.
Daje’s Involvement - Senior wide receiver Daje Johnson is off to the best start of his career as a Longhorn. After missing most of last season, Johnson is making up for lost time. An 89-yard punt return for a touchdown against Rice and 145 yards receiving against Cal show how valuable he is to this young team. Playing against a legit defense that will focus on stopping Heard’s threat to run, expect Jay Norvell to rely on the speedy Daje Johnson to help move the chains.
Does Nick Rose bounce back? - Rose has the leg to make long kicks that count but how long will the missed PAT against Cal last week affect the senior placekicker? Rose’s field goal percentage last year was 66.7%. His field goal percentage this season is 66.7%. Kickers miss sometimes, that’s a fact. Charlie Strong told Rose he would have another opportunity to redeem himself. This week could easily provide that opportunity. Will Rose be ready?
Oklahoma State vs. Joe Wickline - Texas vs. Oklahoma State is a big game in itself but with a trial date recently being set in the lawsuit between Oklahoma State and Joe Wickline, it means a little more - to both sides. Wickline, who previously coached in Stillwater for nine seasons before taking the job in Austin, has been working overtime on his offensive line strategy for this game. He might not be calling the offensive plays on Saturday, but Wickline will be clenching his teeth and pumping his fists with every snap.
Progress - Prior to the season starting most fans wouldn’t bet the house on Texas winning the national championship this year. Instead they hoped for progress. What’s progress? Winning games they shouldn’t win. Notre Dame was one of those games, Cal was likely another and Oklahoma State can be categorized as such. Texas lost to Notre Dame and Cal but has a chance to notch a quality win over a ranked Oklahoma State team (ranked 24th in the Associated Press Poll and 22nd in the Coaches Poll). A win would move things in the right direction for Charlie Strong and the Longhorns as they prepare for games against ranked TCU and Oklahoma teams in the next two weeks.
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