Defense
While the Cowboys have never been known as a strong defensive team, defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer had them playing solid defense against both the pass and the rush in his first season at OSU. However, the defense was even more gutted than the offense, and Spencer is dealing with the loss of many key players. The top two linebackers Caleb Lavey and Shaun Lewis, as well as lead tackler Daytawion Lowe and last year’s top ten draft pick Justin Gilbert, are all gone this season.
Regardless, the team’s success in stopping the run should continue with six experienced players returning along the defensive line, including James Castleman, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Jimmy Bean. Additionally, Ogbah and Bean led the Cowboys in sacks last season.
Junior Ryan Simmons, who had 58 tackles last season, will be the leader of the linebacker corps. Junior Kris Catlin and sophomore Seth Jacobs, both of whom are expected to have big years, also return to the fold.
The secondary is the defense’s biggest question mark heading into the year – the Cowboys have to replace every starter from last year’s secondary. Fans are hoping that Josh Furman, a safety transfer from the University of Michigan, will provide the group with some experience that it is lacking. While he only started three games last year for the Wolverines, he is expected to immediately compete for a starting job.
Despite their youth, sophomores Miketavius Jones, Ahston Lampkin, Keven Peterson, Jordan Sterns, and Deric Robinson all saw some action on the field last season. Senior Larry Stephens, who suffered a game-ending injury in the first game of the season last year, is also expected back. So while there will likely be a bit of a drop-off due to a lack of experience, the Cowboys do have some young talent waiting to step up.
Key losses: Justin Gilbert (CB), Caleb Lavey, Shaun Lewis (LBs)
Newcomers: Josh Mabin (LB), Josh Furman (S)
Team will have a successful season if…
It doesn’t really matter who starts at quarterback, but for the team to have success, either Walsh or Garman will need to have a solid season for the Cowboys to continue to rack up points. If that happens and if the young group of wide receivers performs as expected, the Cowboys should continue to have one of the top offenses in the conference.
On the other side of the ball, the young secondary needs to step up and perform. Though some drop off is to be expected from such a young group, if the Cowboys’ defense is going to continue to grow under DC Glenn Spencer, they will need to consistently make plays to keep opposing offenses honest. Concerns in the defensive backfield, particularly in a pass-happy Big 12 (and undoubtedly against FSU) must be resolved early. If OSU can somehow pull off what would be an incredibly surprising upset in Arlington (the FSU game is at AT&T Stadium), that could set the Cowboys up for another nine-win season.
The key to the Texas game will be…
With the uncertainly revolving around a Texas program under a completely new regime, it’s hard to say how the Longhorns will fare against anyone this year. David Ash will need to take advantage of a young and somewhat inexperienced Cowboy secondary and Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray will need to run well enough to rack up enough yards to keep the OSU defense honest. Needless to say, this truly hinges on the Longhorn offense line and whether or not they are able to protect Ash and open up some holes for Brown and Gray. If the Texas offense can remain two-dimensional, Texas could have a big day against a young defense.
Defensively, the Longhorns will have to put some pressure on J.W. Walsh (or Garman) while keeping him contained. If they can shut down the running game and force Walsh to pass, they will stand a better chance of slowing down the high-powered Cowboy offense. If Garman lines up under center, Texas’ thin secondary could have some trouble with the Cowboy receivers, so fans need to hope that they remain healthy.
Winning in Stillwater is never easy, and with the game falling late in the season, both teams will have had time gel. It will definitely be an interesting match-up, particularly with the Longhorns bringing a brand new style of offense with them. Will this new Texas offense be able to put enough points up on the board? Will the defense be able to keep one of the highest-scoring teams in the last decade off the field? We will have to wait until mid-November to find out.
