College Football Preview – Texas Longhorns vs. Oklahoma State Cowboys

The Texas Longhorns are coming off a brutal loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry last week. Texas could have become the frontrunner to win the Big 12 with a win over Oklahoma, and it looked like the Longhorns were well on their way after scoring 28 points in the first quarter. However, they blew the lead to fall to 4-2 on the season and suffered their first loss in conference play. Now, the Longhorns will need to beat the undefeated Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday to keep their conference title hopes alive.

Texas is a slight favorite at home against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday, October 16, 2021. This game will take place at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas at 12 p.m. ET on FOX.

College Football Betting Odds

Oklahoma State +3.5

Texas -3.5

Total 60

Oklahoma State is unbeaten and has had a week to prepare for this game. The Cowboys are currently 5-0, but they haven’t won a game by more than 11 points all year. They did beat Kansas State and Baylor by double digits though, and they secured a nice road win over Boise State in September.

The Longhorns surrendered 662 total yards of offense to the Sooners. Texas has not been great on defense, allowing at lest 27 points against each Power Five opponent they have faced, and Arkansas was able to carve this defense up on the ground.

When Texas Has the Ball

Casey Thompson has made this offense fantastic since taking over for Hudson Card. He is completing 67.3% of his passes for 10.0 YPA with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions. Thompson torched Oklahoma for 388 yards and five scores last week, so he is expected to carve up the Cowboys’ secondary in this game.

Dark horse Heisman Trophy candidate Bijan Robinson has shined as the primary running back for the Longhorns. The sophomore from Arizona has run for at least 130 yards in each of the last four weeks, totaling 789 yards and eight touchdowns with a 6.3 YPC average this year.

Oklahoma State has been good stopping the run in 2021. The Cowboys are surrendering just 2.8 YPC and 88.2 YPG, ranking in the top ten nationally in both categories. However, they have yet to see any running back as talented as Robinson.

When Oklahoma State Has the Ball

The Cowboys typically have one of the nation’s best offenses with Mike Gundy calling the shots, but Oklahoma State has been merely mediocre on this side of the ball. They rank in the middle of the pack with 26.0 PPG and 380.8 YPG, and the ground game is averaging just 3.7 YPC.

Spencer Sanders has been turnover prone with four interceptions in 96 passes. He is averaging 8.1 YPA, but he is completing less than 60% of his passes. This offense has really missed the game breaking ability of Chuba Hubbard, limiting its explosiveness.

Texas is struggling on defense. The Longhorns are allowing 5.4 YPC and opponents are completing 70.8% of their passes against this team. They are committing a lot of penalties too, so the Cowboys might be gifted a few first downs.

Prediction

Over is a nice bet in this game considering what we have seen out of Texas’ defense. The Longhorns have more firepower on offense though, and they will be able to cover the number.

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