Texas has to find its defense if it wants to make the Big 12 title game
STILLWATER, Okla. -- Oklahoma State demolished Texas' playoff dreams Saturday.
While demolishing the Longhorns' defense along the way.
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After struggling offensively for much of the season, Oklahoma State exploded for 260 yards in the first quarter alone, the second-most yards Texas had given up in any quarter over the past 15 years, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Cowboys never looked back from there, building a 17-point lead by halftime before holding on for a 38-35 upset victory.
"The first half, defensively," Texas coach Tom Herman said after the game, "I never thought we'd see that."
Few others did, either.
The same Texas defense that eliminated USC's running game, shut out Kansas State for a half and checked Oklahoma quarterback
Kyler Murray, at least for three quarters, had few answers for the Cowboys, who on Barry Sanders night unleashed an unexpected offensive display befitting their 1988 Heisman Trophy winner.
After gaining only 311 yards the entire game at K-State, the Pokes put up 31 points, 378 yards and 19 first downs on a whopping 53 plays in the first half against Texas.
The Longhorns couldn't cover wideout
Tylan Wallace, who on the way to finishing with a career-high 222 receiving yards outmaneuvered Texas' defensive backs for a series of jump-ball grabs.
The Longhorns also couldn't corral running backs
Justice Hill and
Chuba Hubbard, who danced their way to 172 rushing yards combined.
And Texas, most egregiously, couldn't bring down quarterback
Taylor Cornelius, who in addition to passing for three touchdowns lumbered to a pair of rushing scores.
"What didn't happen?" said Herman, when asked what happened to his defense in the first half. "We didn't stop the run, which we've done so well around here. When the ball was in the air, we didn't play it properly -- misread balls, took poor angles. And their guys made plays."
The Texas defense finally settled in after halftime, giving quarterback
Sam Ehlinger the opportunity to ignite a comeback. And after failing to generate any rhythm in the first half, Ehlinger caught fire late in the third quarter, tossing a pair of touchdowns to bring Texas to within a field goal. But once again, when the Longhorns desperately needed a critical defensive stop to give Ehlinger another chance, they were unable to get one.
On third-and-goal from the 10 with six minutes remaining, Cornelius kept the ball on a zone read, broke through a tackle attempt by Texas freshman safety
B.J. Foster, then barreled over the pylon to put the Pokes back up by two scores. Cornelius would later end the game on another third-down keeper for the game-clinching first down.
"The quarterback did a phenomenal job of keeping it," Herman said. "Obviously, we underestimated his ability to run the ball."
Texas best not underestimate anyone else if it plans on playing in the Big 12 championship. Sure, Texas dominated Oklahoma earlier this year, for the most part. The Longhorns also skated by in narrow victories over Tulsa, K-State and Baylor -- a fact overshadowed by Texas' Red River performance. Herman conceded as much Saturday.
"We are not at a point in our program where we cannot play our best," he said. "Especially on the road, especially against a really good football team and expect to win."
That's what Texas faces next in West Virginia, which boasts perhaps even better complementary offensive skill talent than Oklahoma State, to go along with one of the country's top passing quarterbacks in
Will Grier.
"Our long-term goals are still ahead of us," Herman said, omitting that Texas' playoff hopes had effectively been extinguished. "Going into November, we're in contention for the Big 12 title."
That alone has already made this the best Texas season of the post-Mack Brown era.
But to remain in Big 12 title contention in Herman's second year, the Longhorns will need their defense to show up. After no-showing in Stillwater.
http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/25103722/texas-longhorns-defense-oklahoma-state-cowboys
