Oklahoma Sate defeats Texas 49-31

While Texas struggled through a bit of an early game haze, Oklahoma State got off to an explosive start. The Cowboys opened with a nine play, 75 yard drive capped off with a 30 yard Justice Hill touchdown. The Pokes scored again on a 54 yard touchdown pass to James Washington following a Texas punt, as missed tackles and blown assignments continued to plague the Texas defense. While a blowout looked to be in the offing, the Texas offense responded with a 6 play, 84 yard drive culminating in a Tyrone Swoopes touchdown run.

The Texas defense responded on the following drive to force a punt, and the Longhorns physically punished Oklahoma State en route to a 22 yard D’Onta Foreman touchdown run. Special teams mistakes appeared once again, and Texas was unable to tie after Oklahoma State’s Vincent Taylor blocked the extra point and shoveled a nifty option pitch to Tre Flowers for two points. The Longhorns entered the second quarter down 16-13, but the offense went to work once again with downhill running and timely pass completions. Tyrone Swoopes battered the Oklahoma State defense on a 12 yard rushing touchdown.

Mason Rudolph and the Cowboys responded aided by a Texas penalty. To regain the lead before surrendering it again on a Shane Buechele 39 yard touchdown pass to Andrew Beck. That score gave Texas a 25 to 23 lead, as Texas saw their third extra point blocked on the day. The explosive first half continued with an Oklahoma State 36 yard touchdown pass, and a missed 46 yard field goal for Texas kicker Trent Domingue. After a rare stop on defense, Oklahoma State was able to score on a 52 yard pass to the aforementioned McCleskey. The Pokes went to the half up 37-25 with 390 total yards. Mason Rudolph was sensational in the first half completing 15-21 passes for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns. The difference on the field was clear to see for everyone in attendance. The Longhorns were not capable of executing simple plays and tackling well. Holton Hill was conspicuously absent for Longhorn unit looking for answers in the secondary.

Texas returned to the field following the intermission without the services of running back Chris Warren. The sophomore bruiser totaled 106 yards on 10 carries in the first half, but he suffered a knee injury and was ruled out. The heat from Strong’s hotseat radiated on twitter and in the press box at Boone Pickens Stadium as the Horns took the field for the second half. A rugby style fake punt from Michael Dickson extended the opening Texas drive, but Oklahoma State was able to force a Texas punt just a few plays later. The dagger came on a crucial third down during the most crucial drive of the game. With his back to his own end zone, freshman quarterback Shane Buechele threw an easily telegraphed interception to Jordan Sterns. Barry Sanders Jr would score on a one yard run two plays later, and even though Texas blocked the extra point, the Cowboys held an 18 point lead.

D’Onta Foreman continued his productive day as he exploded for a 62 yard rushing touchdown, but he was injured on the play. And went out of the game following a non-contact play on the next drive. Foreman’s exit from the game stalled a Texas drive that would have cut the game to one score. The Cowboys might have felt the 12 point lead was too close for comfort, and they extended their cushion to 15 following a Ben Grogan 26 yard field goal. The Longhorns attempted to forge a comeback, but without Warren and Foreman the onus was on a banged up Shane Buechele. The Texas offense could never get traction without their star runners, and Oklahoma State slowly choked the clock out. The Cowboys dropped Texas to 2-2 on the season with a 49-31 win, and all of the momentum from the early part of the season seems to have evaporated. Charlie Strong seemed dejected in the postgame availability, and explained some of the things that plagued Texas. “You can’t play the way we played in the first half and expect to win a football game”, said Strong. He was obviously talking abou the 390 total yards surrendered in the first half, and he also mentioned the issues on extra points. “We’ve got some work to do”, Strong told the media. The reality is that these quotes are something Texas fans can’t stomach anymore. This set of results keeps playing out on the field every week. Outside of UTEP, Texas surrendered 47, 50, and 49 points on the year. While there is encouragement around the growth of the offense, the defensive performance is not to the standard of this program.

It’s not just that Texas is losing, it’s how they are losing. Special teams errors, poor fundamentals, and blown assignments usually lead one to question the coaching. Strong was asked about that very thing when Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods.com reported that Texas Athletic Director Mike Perrin was evaluating the state of the program. Strong’s answer was short and to the point, “You’re evaluated each and every day here”.

So where do the Horns go from here? Right to Dallas for the Red River Rivalry in the same type of situation they found themselves in last year. A win over Oklahoma could help gain some goodwill back, but there’s a sense of urgency inside the Texas fanbase to strike while the iron is hot with perspective targets like Tom Herman possibly on the market at the end of this year. One thing’s for certain. With the tension ratcheting up each and every week, this team is running low on games they can afford to lose.