BIG 12 Preview: Texas vs Oklahoma State
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No. 22 Texas (2-1, 0-0 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (2-2, 0-1), Noon (ABC)
Line: Oklahoma State by 2 1/2.
Series Record: Texas leads 24-6.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Texas has a chance to get a leg up in the conference race with a road win over one of the league's more talented teams. Oklahoma State, coming off a loss at Baylor, can't afford to start the conference race with two losses.
KEY MATCHUP
Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph vs. Texas pass rush. Rudolph is putting up monster numbers. The only thing slowing him down is an offensive line that sometimes struggles to protect him. Rudolph is elusive, and at a solid 235 pounds, he's tough to bring down. Texas' defenders will need to finish plays, because if not, Rudolph has an NFL-caliber arm and is surrounded by several dangerous receivers. Texas leads the Big 12 with 3.67 sacks per game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Texas: RB D'Onta Foreman. The 249-pound bruiser with breakaway speed has 288 yards rushing in two games. He has four straight games with at least 100 yards, and he's averaging 6.4 yards per carry. He splits time with Chris Warren III and still ranks second in the Big 12 in yards rushing, despite missing a game.
Oklahoma State: WR James Washington. The speedster leads the Big 12 and is sixth in the nation with 122 yards receiving per game. He had nine catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh. Baylor slowed him down a bit last week, but the Longhorns have given up nine passing touchdowns in three games.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Longhorns have won eight straight in Stillwater and are 8-1 at Oklahoma State in the series. ... Texas coach Charlie Strong has 50 career coaching wins. ... It's the first time since early in the 2012 season that the Longhorns have been ranked in the AP poll for four consecutive weeks. ... The Cowboys are 11th nationally with 340.0 passing yards per game. ... Oklahoma State leads the Big 12 with nine turnovers forced and ranks 15th nationally with 8.8 tackles for loss per game.
*Listen to Texas Longhorn football locally on 1080 KRLD.
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