No. 12 Texas ready to ‘empty the chamber’ against Oklahoma State

By Steve Habel, Senior Contributing Writer

AUSTIN, Texas — It’s “batten down the hatches” time in Austin Saturday, and that has little to do with the stormy weather that is supposed to visit over the weekend when 12th-ranked Texas hosts powerful and balanced Oklahoma State at Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

It’s the undefeated Cowboys who will be bringing their own version of thunder and lightning to town in an attempt to beat Texas in Austin for the sixth straight time, an unprecedented streak against the Longhorns.

Oklahoma State’s hit-you-in-the-mouth offensive attack is[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)] locked and loaded, with the nation’s leading rusher in Chuba Hubbard (521 yards in three games), a preseason All-America wide receiver in Tylan Wallace (the only wideout in the nation with three catches for 60 yards or more this season) and dual-threat quarterback Spencer Sanders.

Hubbard, the “thunder” in the OSU equation, has the size and strength to run between the tackles, a talent that the Cowboys use well and that has caught the attention of Texas defensive coordinator Todd Orlando.

“There’s a commitment (by the Oklahoma State offense) to pounding the ball and making people tap out,” Orlando said Wednesday at his weekly media availability. “They don’t get enough credit for how well they run the ball and how good they are up front.

“(Hubbard’s) unique because he’s got, you know, big, big-time speed. So if you miss a tackle with him, he really makes you pay.”

But because the Cowboys have Wallace at receiver, defenses — and Texas is included in that group — can not afford to load the box to try to stop the run.

“If you do that, they just go outside and one-on-one with Wallace,” Orlando said. “I mean, it’s not even a 50-50 ball, it’s like 90-10 with him, so … if you put it in the ballpark, he comes down with it.”

The Oklahoma State wideout caught 10 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 win over Texas last year and already has drawn nine pass interference penalties against defenders this season.

“Wallace is probably the most complete receiver in the country,” Orlando said. “He runs every route as hard as he can even when he doesn’t get the ball. The ball goes up in the air, he’s going to catch it, and then he likes to block, so I mean it’s a unique challenge for us.”

Texas coach Tom Herman said he understands that his team has to play better to end the stranglehold the Cowboys have had on the recent series between the two teams.

“Our guys have had another good week, and they are certainly excited and motivated to start conference play,” Herman said. “If there ever is a week to empty the chamber, then this is it. We know we have to be better than we have been against Oklahoma State and we know we have a bye week next week to rest a little. So we should have no excuses.”
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