SCOUTING REPORT
No. 12 Oklahoma State at Texas
❚ When: 11 a.m. Saturday
❚ Where: Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas
❚ TV: Fox (KOKH-25, Cox 12/HD 712, Dish 25, DirecTV 25, U-verse 25/HD 1025)
❚ Radio: KXXY-FM 96.1
❚ Line: Texas by 6
❚ Over/under: 65½
Scouting Texas
❚ Record: 4-2, 2-1 Big 12
❚ Best player: Texas running back Bijan Robinson is arguably the top running back in the nation. In Saturday’s loss to OU, he rushed for 137 yards on 20 carries, just a week after rushing for more than 200 in a win over TCU. The 6-foot, 214-pound sophomore is big, fast and powerful, a tough combination for opposing defenses to contain. He has amassed 789 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He’s rushed for 100 or more yards in all but one game this season. But he’s not unstoppable. The Sooners held Robinson to just 35 yards on nine carries in the second half of their wild comeback. Arkansas also limited him to just 69 yards on 19 carries.
❚ The case for Texas: The Longhorns’ offense was humming in the opening half of the Red River Showdown. Robinson was a force. Quarterback Casey Thompson, a former Newcastle and Southmoore star, was flawless. Freshman wide receiver Xavier Worthy was a problem. If all three weapons are going strong, even the Cowboys’ vaunted defense could have issues. New Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian is one of the elite offensive minds in the country and he has the pieces to make life difficult.
❚ The case for OSU: The Cowboys might benefit from a Red River hangover for the Longhorns or even some doldrums from a crushing collapse. But OSU’s defense is arguably the best to face Texas up to this point. OSU has held opponents to 91 rushing yards and 214.2 passing yards per game. Opponents are also 22 for 74 on third down, an impressive 29.7% success rate. OSU also has 16 sacks. The Cowboys have the talent and confidence on defense to slow down the Longhorns’ offense, which has issues on the offensive line. Plus, OSU’s run game has really shined lately itself behind transfer Jaylen Warren.