The #6 Texas Longhorns head to Stillwater this week to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys after both teams enjoyed much-needed bye weeks. While the health of Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger’s shoulder remains the hot topic relative to Saturday’s contest, Texas head coach Tom Herman is confident backup Shane Buechele can get the job done should his starting quarterback not be able to play.
“I think through the first six weeks I think that there’s certainly a lot of confidence that Sam had earned in his teammates, but based off what Shane Buechele has done in his career here, there’s nobody that doubts that we can win games with him and win big games with him.”
Texas holds its highest ranking in the Associated Press Poll (#6) since the 2010 season and has been ranked for five consecutive weeks, the longest stretch for the Longhorns since 2012. Despite Oklahoma State’s 4-3 overall record and 1-3 record in conference play, the Cowboys have fared well against the Longhorns in recent years. The Pokes have won the last three against Texas, and six of the last eight. Last season the Cowboys defeated the Longhorns 13-10 in Austin.
The Longhorns are already bowl eligible and currently sit alone atop the Big 12 standings. A win in Stillwater keeps Texas on a path toward playing for a conference championship and possibly more. A loss would spoil the Texas run and give Mike Gundy his 4th straight win against the ‘Horns and snap a two-game losing streak for the Cowboys.
Saturday’s game at Boone Pickens Stadium will honor former Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1988. Cowboy players will wear throwback uniforms like those Sanders wore, as well as a commemorative patch celebrating the 30th anniversary of his Heisman season.
The game will be televised on ABC and will feature Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst) and Maria Taylor (reporter).
When: Saturday, October 27, 2018
Time: 7:00 PM CST
Venue: Boone Pickens Stadium
Location: Stillwater, Oklahoma
Television: ABC
THE COACHES
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Head Coach: Mike Gundy
Head Coaching Experience: 14th year as a head coach
Years as Head Coach at Oklahoma State: 14
Career Record: 118-56
Career Record at Baylor: 118-56
Texas Longhorns
Head Coach: Tom Herman
Head Coaching Experience: 4th year as a head coach
Years as Head Coach at Texas: 2
Career Record: 35-11
Career Record at Texas: 13-7
Ehlinger, Buechele or does it matter?
Sam Ehlinger’s shoulder sprain sustained in the Baylor game is improving, according to head coach Tom Herman. At his weekly press conference on Monday, Herman indicated Ehlinger has thrown both nerf and real footballs and was slated to throw in full pads with increasing repetitions earlier this week. Herman reiterated that Ehlinger will start against the Cowboys if he’s healthy, but if he isn’t Shane Buechele will take the reins of the offense. Ehlinger threw for 241 yards in last year’s contest against Oklahoma State but made a critical mistake that cost the Longhorns a potential win by throwing a drive-ending interception in OT. OSU’s Matt Amendola went on to kick the game winning field goal for the then-tenth ranked Pokes on the next possession.
Following practice on Thursday evening, Herman said Ehlinger “should be ready to go, barring any setbacks.”
Ehlinger gives Texas its best chance at winning, but only if he is at or near 100%. The Longhorns won’t hesitate to start an experienced Buechle in order to give Ehlinger additional rest in preparation for upcoming games against West Virginia, Texas Tech, Iowa State, and Kansas. With similar capabilities, Tom Herman says the offensive game plan will remain the same regardless of who starts under center.
“But I think our offense, it’s very easy to plug and play. It’s not like we call or we carry in a game plan only these plays when Sam’s our quarterback and only these plays when Shane’s our quarterback. No now would you major in some more than other when one guy is in versus the other? Yeah. I think the only time it becomes an issue is when the discrepancy in skill set is so vast that it is impossible to run certain plays with one guy and impossible to run certain plays with the other.”
The Cowboy Running Game
Mike Gundy’s offenses are typically high-powered on the passing front, but this season it is the running game that makes the offense click. Junior running back Justice Hill has rushed for 684 yards on 112 carries, good enough for an average of 6.1 yards per carry . He surpassed the century mark on the ground in the last two games against Texas, tallying 135 yards and a touchdown in 2016 and 117 yards last season. The Texas defense ranks 31st nationally against the run, allowing an average of 126.4 yards per game and an average of 3.75 yards per carry. Todd Orlando’s unit will focus on stopping Hill in hopes of putting pressure on quarterback Taylor Cornelius and force him to make errant throws.
“When you look at Hill and you think about the top backs in the league and you think about the top backs in the country, he’s there. He’s very hard to bring down – it starts with him. They get him rolling and then it sets up the pass game.”
Cornelius, a senior, has thrown for 2014 yards but has 8 interceptions on the season. The Longhorns are averaging an interception each game and will look to better that statistic on Saturday.
Keaontay Ingram is Key
It took seven games into the season for Texas to have its first 100-yard rusher but true freshman Keaontay Ingram went for 110 yards against Baylor two weeks ago. The Carthage, Texas native leads the team in rushing with 403 yards on 66 carries, good for an average of 6.1 yards per carry. Ingram is second in carries among Texas running backs, but has slowly earned more touches since the Maryland game in which he had just 6 carries for 37 yards. Tom Herman continues to start senior grad transfer Tre Watson due to his experience, but Ingram’s dynamic presence can’t be overlooked. With Ehlinger nursing an injured shoulder Ingram’s production could be the difference between a win and a loss in a hostile environment.
Summary
The Longhorns have won 8 of their last nine at Boone Pickens Stadium and hold an all-time record of 8-2 in Stillwater against the Cowboys. Texas didn’t need a Top-10 ranking to have a target on its back, but a win over the Longhorns could be the catalyst for a strong finish to what has been a dismal season for Mike Gundy. Vegas has Texas as a just a 3.5 point favorite in this matchup, so don’t be surprised if the score is tight in the 4th quarter.
Statistical Comparison
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