PHOTO/Randy Renner
Mike Gundy's Oklahoma State Cowboys have won five straight football games against Texas in Austin. OSU is the only team to do that.
Ever.
But Gundy has noticed the same things you probably have these last couple of seasons, "they’ve changed in my opinion. They are throwing the ball more than they’ve ever been."
Texas ranks second in Big 12 passing, averaging 349.3 yards per game right behind Oklahoma's 352.3. The Horns have thrown 125 passes in three games, also second in the Big 12 behind Texas Tech's 158 pass attempts.
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger "is considerably better than he has been, in my opinion," Gundy told reporters during his weekly news conference in Stillwater. "They’ve got big and tall receivers and they want to throw the ball down the field. Traditionally, when they came in the league a few years ago with Coach Herman, they were rushing the ball and more of a power team. I don’t see that now, I see more of a team that is throwing the ball down the field.”
Defensively Texas has struggled at times giving up a Big 12 worst 330 yards a game passing. But the Horns rank third in run defense allowing just 87.3 yards a game.
“Their defense is big, fast, strong and can run," Gundy pointed out.
The Cowboys can challenge that group with one of the most high powered offenses in the country featuring the nation's leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard at 173.7 yards per game with seven touchdowns and the nation's leading receiver in Tylan Wallace at 130 yards per game and six TDs.
“The supporting cast is huge for a young quarterback (like Spencer Sanders) we all know that. If you go out with an immature, young offensive line, you get beat around a little bit. If you don't have skills to go to on the perimeter, it makes it even more difficult. It helps that we've got guys who can support Spencer Sanders. He just needs to stay in his world, play his game and distribute the ball based on what our coaches think is best.”
The Cowboys and Longhorns are set for a 6:30 kickoff Saturday night on ABC.
You can see all of Mike Gundy's News Conference below.