A look ahead at the No. 12-ranked Oklahoma State team that’s coming to Austin, Texas, to take on No. 24 Texas this weekend. The Longhorns and Cowboys face off Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Record: 8-1 (5-1 Big 12)
All-time record vs. Texas: 4-23
Last game: Like Texas, Oklahoma State earned a relatively easy win over Kansas, 42-6, this past Saturday and didn’t need a great performance on offense to do so. Justin Gilbert took the opening kickoff to the house, Clint Chelf threw for 235 yards and three scores and OSU pretty much had this one wrapped up by halftime with a 28-0 lead. One issue worth noting: Leading receiver Josh Stewart did suffer a leg injury and missed the rest of the game.
Last meeting with Texas: A last-second victory for the Longhorns on par with Texas’ nailbiter against West Virginia this past weekend. David Ash led a game-winning drive capped by a controversial Joe Bergeron touchdown with 29 seconds left to escape Stillwater with a 41-36 victory. Jaxon Shipley caught three touchdowns and Ash came through big with a 29-yard pass to D.J. Grant on fourth down with the game on the line, then a 32-yard pass to Mike Davis, who made an acrobatic catch to set up the winning score. This was also one of the first fall-apart games for Texas’ defense in 2012. The Pokes went for 576 total yards and Joseph Randle burned Texas for 199 yards and two scores on the ground.
Key player: Chelf has been playing some nice ball the past two weeks since regaining the starting quarterback job for the Cowboys. He lit Texas Tech up for 299 total yards and four touchdowns, including two on the ground, and was solid against KU. West Virginia’s Paul Millard exploited Texas’ pass coverage on several occasions Saturday, and Chelf is capable of doing the same -- though that won’t be as easy if he doesn’t have top playmaker Stewart at his disposal.
Why Oklahoma State might win: Do not underestimate these Pokes. They’ve reeled off five straight wins since the 30-21 upset loss to West Virginia, found their run game with the bruising Desmond Roland and have one of the best defenses in the Big 12 under new coordinator Glenn Spencer. They know what’s on the line this weekend: If they want to win the Big 12, they must beat Texas.
Why Oklahoma State might lose: Case McCoy magic, obviously. No, truthfully this will be a brawl of a ballgame and Texas is at a big disadvantage if Johnathan Gray is unavailable. If McCoy can limit his turnovers (six interceptions in his last four games) and Texas’ defense can get past the WVU shootout and back to playing at an elite level, the Longhorns have a chance. And they’ll be underdogs again this week, a role this team has embraced during its six-game winning streak.