High marks for Taylor Cornelius and the defense
OSU jumped on Texas early, held on late and produced a 38-35 upset of the sixth-ranked Longhorns. The grades reflect a hard-fought victory.
Offensive line
ATexas sacked Taylor Cornelius thrice and pressured him at other times, but some of that came when Corndog held the ball too long. And the OSU running game set the tone for the Cowboys’ early explosion. Tailbacks Justice Hill and Chuba Hubbard combined for 113 yards on 12 first-quarter carries. The running game stagnated the longer the game went, but some of that was offensive conservatism. Hill and Hubbard combined for 32 carries and 172 yards.
Cornerbacks
ARodarious Williams and particularly A.J. Green were given tough assignments, trying to stay with tall Texas receivers Collin Johnson and Lil’ Jordan Humphrey. But the OSU corners held up well. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles gave Williams and Green some help with double coverage. Texas had few receivers running free. Johnson had five catches for 65 yards and Humphrey four catches for 69 yards, but neither had much yardage after the catch. UT quarterback Sam Ehlinger completed barely half his passes (22 of 42), and he was 9-of-21 when targeting Johnson or Humphrey.
Aggression
BMike Gundy gave Cornelius the freedom to gamble on fourth down and also dialed up a dazzling fake punt that extended a drive. But the Cowboys turned conservative in the second half, trying to condense the game after a 31-14 halftime lead. The Cowboys eventually prevailed, but Texas made it interesting
Kicks
BPunter Zach Sinor had perhaps the game’s biggest play, a 57-yard boom that ended up pinning the Longhorns on their 2-yard line and set up OSU’s final touchdown drive. But Matt Ammendola made just one of three field goals, missing from 41 and 38 yards and keeping the game closer than necessary.
Cornelius decisions
ACorndog held the ball too long a couple of times and probably should have kept the ball on a couple of option plays earlier in the game. But twice on 4th-and-1, Cornelius threw touchdown passes — 16 yards to Jelani Woods and 36 yards to Tylan Wallace — on plays that were designed to go elsewhere. And Corndog’s running decisions were perfect late in the game, when he first befuddled UT with a 15-yard run to the 1-yard line and a 10-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal.
Tradition
AFrom the Barry Sanders throwback uniforms to the introduction of former Pistol Petes to the presentation of the 2018 NCAA men’s golf champions, OSU well-celebrated the history it holds dear.
Run defense
AOSU held Texas to 61 yards on 14 first-down rushes. Longhorn tailbacks Keaontay Ingram, Tre Watson and Daniel Young combined for 18 carries and 60 yards. And Ehlinger’s runs were largely corralled, though he made some yardage off scrambles. UT isn’t a great running team, but when Knowles committed to stopping the receivers, the run game had to be a concern.