For a myriad of reasons, Saturday’s matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys can go a long way towards determining the story of the Texas Longhorns season.
The Longhorns’ journey to competing for conference championships begins at home against a team that they haven’t beaten at DKR since 2008. This time around, the Pokes bring with them two of the biggest playmakers in the country in running back Chuba Hubbard and wide receiver Tylan Wallace who both lead the nation in yards and touchdowns at their respective positions.
To gain some insight into the Cowboys’ success this season, we reached out to Micah Allen (@MicahAllen18) of Cowboys Ride for Free (@CowboysRFF).
Burnt Orange Nation: One of the biggest stories heading into the season was expectations for running back Chuba Hubbard. There was talk of him being somehow more impressive than Justice Hill and he’s living up to some of that hype. What makes him such a dangerous runner?
Cowboys Ride for Free: His speed is insane. He’s earned the nickname the Canadian Speedster. He can break free from defenders and if you take your eyes off of him for a second he’s halfway gone. He’s got agility, as well. The ability to know what he can get away with based on what the opposing defense is doing also makes him a threat.
BON: The other name making headlines nationally is the top receiver in the country, Tylan Wallace. He’s accounted for six touchdowns and an incredible 26 yards per reception. What do you expect from him going up against a Texas secondary that still has some questions at this stage in the season?
CRFF: I expect what happened at Tulsa. He was getting coverage and I think Texas will do the same thing. I suspect they’ll have two guys on him a lot. However, Tylan makes impressive catches. Tulsa was getting pass interference calls trying to cover him all day and he still came away with the ball sometimes. I still think he’ll have a good game.
BON: Perhaps a big question for Oklahoma State is what to expect from quarterback Spencer Sanders in his first conference game. He came out of the gate hot in his first two starts, but struggled a bit against Tulsa. Is that in actuality him struggling, Tulsa finding the right scheme or a mix of both?
CRFF: I think it’s a mixture of both. Tulsa was the best defense they’d played so far so that played a role. He had his first interception of the year in that game. He was visibly frustrated. It wasn’t always the defense putting pressure on, though. He had a couple of high throws and then there were times where he’d throw it to someone who was covered because he didn’t see the wide open guy over here. In my opinion, it was a mixture of growing pains and a defense that was better than the ones previous.
BON: Defensively, the Cowboys lost almost half of their tackles for loss from a year ago, but have still managed to put pressure on the quarterback. On that same token, the Texas offensive line is playing better than it has in several years so this looks to be a strength-on-strength matchup for Saturday. Who for Oklahoma State needs to have a big game and what do you hope to see upfront?
CRFF: Malcom Rodriguez needs to continue to step up. We’re super thin at linebacker right now so he’s kinda manning the fort. Amen Obongbiminga has had a couple of nasty sacks this year so far as well. And I’ve like what I’ve seen for freshman Trace Ford. I want to continue to see growth from him and then just continue to see Rodriguez and Obongbiminga step up for the LBs. Of course, I’d like to see some of the guys that are out right now come back. As of right now, the only guy I’ve seen that might return is Devin Harper which would be a big help but we don’t know if he’ll be playing yet.
BON: What’s a key matchup you’re watching on Saturday?
I think it’s Sanders vs the Texas secondary. They’re gonna make a redshirt freshman QB beat them and take away Tylan as much as they can. Now as you said earlier they’ve got some questions still but I still think Sanders is gonna have to look for other options and I’m curious to see how that plays out.
BON: If you had to identify one key to success for Oklahoma State what would it be?
CRFF: Defense. They have not been super impressive so far and the Horns are gonna put up points. The defense has got to get stops for the Pokes to win.
BON: What’s your prediction for Saturday?
CRFF: 45-35 Texas. I just have this gut feeling that Texas is due for a win over OSU. I just don’t think our defense will have quite enough.