Oklahoma State @ Texas preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 31, 2009 ) Texas 41, Oklahoma State 14

The Texas Longhorns may hold a 22-2 edge in the series against Oklahoma State, but there is no doubt which team enters Saturday’s Big 12 match up as the team on the rise.

The 12th-ranked Cowboys (8-1, 4-1) will try to snap a string of 12 consecutive Longhorn victories when they face a UT squad (4-5, 2-4) in complete free fall. Oklahoma State rolled up a school-record 725 yards in total offense in the 55-28 win over Baylor last week, while the Horns were embarrassed 39-14 by Kansas State last Saturday.

There’s a good chance the Horns’ 14-1 edge in games played at Austin against the Cowboys will take a hit against an Oklahoma State team that is in sole possession of the lead in the Big 12 South with three games left in the regular season and riding a three-game road winning streak.

The Longhorns, who beat OSU 41-14 last season at Stillwater, have lost three consecutive home games and five of their six games overall. A win for OSU, under sixth-year coach Mike Gundy, would be its first at Austin since 1944.

OSU’s success this season is no secret. They have one of the nation’s most potent offensive attacks, ranking third nationally in both total offense (549 yards per game) and scoring (46.3 points per game). Junior quarterback Brandon Weeden is the trigger man on offense and ranks fourth in the country in total offense, while senior running back Kendall Hunter is in the hunt to claim is second Big 12 rushing title in three years. Sophomore receiver Justin Blackmon ranks among the country’s top pass catchers, and even place kicker Dan Bailey is one of the best at his position. The senior has made 18 of 19 field goal attempts this season and has made a school-record 182 consecutive extra point kicks.

The OSU defensive unit is no slouch, either, ranking 23rd in the nation in interceptions with 12 and is fifth in the country in turnovers gained with 25. The defense, led by senior linebacker Orie Lemon and senior cornerback Andrew McGee, has forced at least one turnover in every game this season.
The Longhorns, who last week considered benching quarterback Garrett Gilbert in the loss to Kansas State, is desperate to keep its school record streak of playing in 12 straight bowl games intact, but will have to find answers to an offense that has never hit its stride and a defense that has regressed during the season. Garrett (32-59 for 272 yards and a touchdown) threw five interceptions in the Kansas State loss. The Cowboys are favored by about six points.