The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Cowboys’ Rudolph another top quarterback to face Texas
AUSTIN, Texas — Twice this season Texas faced a top quarterback and held a lead in the fourth quarter.
Both times the Longhorns lost as USC’s Sam Darnold and Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield made big plays to lead their teams to critical late scores.
So now here comes No. 10 Oklahoma State (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) and gunslinger quarterback Mason Rudolph, whose Cowboys are rolling defenses up and down the field. The Longhorns are still smarting from a close loss last week to rival Oklahoma and need a win to keep coach Tom Herman’s first season from turning desperate.
“Not very often do you get to play the No. 1 offense in the country in back-to-back weeks, but we get that distinction this week,” Herman said.
Yet the Texas defense has kept the Longhorns in games until the offense found its rhythm. It will be under pressure to do it again Saturday against an Oklahoma State team averaging nearly 611 yards per game.
The Cowboys began the season as a favorite to win the Big 12. An early home loss to TCU dented those plans and the Cowboys can’t afford another if they want to contend for the league title and possibly bigger things.
Oklahoma State has dominated Texas of late with four straight wins in Austin. Cowboys linebacker Calvin Bundage doesn’t expect an easy game this week.
“It’s going to be crazy. This is the best Texas team I’ve ever played against, and I don’t think their record shows how good they are,” Bundage said.
Texas (3-3, 2-1) is at a crossroads for the season. Another win keeps them in the thick of the Big 12 title chase. Lose and just making a bowl game looks difficult. Herman got hired at Texas because Charlie Strong had three consecutive losing seasons and didn’t make a bowl his last two years.
“I wouldn’t say that it would make or break us just because we’ve become so close as a family and as a team,” Texas senior linebacker Naashon Hughes said.
Some things to watch for when the Longhorns and Cowboys play:
PASS CATCHING COMBO
Rudolph has two of the best targets in the country in wide receivers James Washington and Marcell Ateman. Those two have combined for more than 1,400 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. They’ll challenge a Texas secondary that has been great at creating turnovers but gives up long touchdowns passes. Herman praised Washington’s ability to “thread the needle” to find open space in double coverage.
“Last year a bunch of people only thought of me about just deep routes, but I try to maximize every attempt that I get and I see the same thing in my teammates,” Washington said.
TO KICK OR NOT TO KICK?
Herman says he hates kicking short field goals, but decisions to go for it on fourth down have been costly in every loss. At some point, he’s going to have to try to take the points. Texas field goal kicker Josh Rowland has struggled when he does get to kick and is just 5 of 10 on attempts with a long of 49 yards.