Heat on Herman as Texas faces talented Oklahoma State
On offense, running back Chuba Hubbard has run for 478 yards and five scores, while quarterback Spencer Sanders is back behind center after an injury against Tulsa knocked him out of the Kansas and West Virginia games.
Sanders, who also poses a running threat, returned against Iowa State and threw for 235 yards and a touchdown, completing 20 of 29 attempts.
“We have to be cautious in our rush lanes, because he’s an incredible athlete and can make plays with his feet,” Texas defensive lineman Ta’Quon Graham said of Sanders.
Senior Tylan Wallace is the top wideout for Oklahoma State, having already hauled in 24 catches for 401 yards and two scores.
The Longhorns (3-2 overall, 2-2 in Big 12 games) hope to build on their 27-16 win over Baylor last week, in whcih the defense had by far its best performance of the year. No one will confuse the Bears’ offense with Clemson’s or Ohio State’s, but Texas shut down the Bears for three quarters and only really allowed Baylor to move the ball significantly when UT held a 27-3 lead.
That’s notable
On offense, Texas needs to be balanced today like it was against the Bears, when it ran for 159 yards and quarterback Sam Ehlinger threw for 270.
Ideally, the Longhorns have some grind-it-out long drives for touchdowns, as getting into a shootout with Oklahoma State’s offensive personnel wouldn’t be smart.
Herman has repeatedly pointed to the fact that Texas didn’t have an offseason while installing new offensive, defensive and special teams systems.
That’s true, but no one else had an offseason, either, and Herman put himself in that position because all of his former coaches at those spots weren’t getting the job done.
Win or lose today, the pressure won’t be off Herman.
But he can make life easier for another week with a win.
