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Collecting all the post-game analysis articles, including those behind paywalls, regarding the Oklahoma State game here:

(Jeff Howe) Instant Reactions: Texas upsets Oklahoma State in OT, 41-34

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Saturday’s 41-34 upset road win over sixth-ranked Oklahoma State proved Texas head coach Tom Herman remains one of the best coaches in the country when in the underdog role. The Cowboys were a 3.5-point favorite heading into the game at Stillwater’s Boone Pickens Stadium, but a gutsy effort from quarterback Sam Ehlinger (18-for-34 passing for 169 yards and three touchdowns) and a defense that forced four turnovers did enough to secure a huge victory for the program and Herman.

Texas (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) is very much alive in the Big 12 championship after knocking Oklahoma State (4-1, 3-1) from the ranks of the unbeaten, which likely cost the conference chance to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. Regardless, the Longhorns can continue their quest to win the program’s first conference championship since 2009 and at a time when the discussion surrounding Herman’s job status turned from message board chatter to national pundits openly predicting his demise, the head coach once again had his charges come through with his back pressed firmly against the wall.

In 21 games as a collegiate head coach when he’s been an underdog, Herman improved his record to 12-9 outright and 16-5 against the spread. Of more importance, however, is Texas getting the program’s first road win over a top 10 opponent since an Oct. 16, 2010 victory over Nebraska by turning in the most noteworthy performance in a season that had been largely forgettable prior to Saturday.

It was over when...

Joseph Ossai sacked Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders on fourth-and-8 from the Texas 12-yard line in overtime to end the game. After the Cowboys tied the game on a 34-yard field goal by Alex Hale to with five seconds remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime, Ehlinger found Joshua Moore for a 15-yard touchdown in the first overtime, two plays after Oklahoma State's Thomas Harper was called for defensive pass interference on Moore on the third-and-8 to keep the drive alive.

An ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a 14-yard touchdown pass from Sanders (27-for-39 passing for 400 yards and four touchdown with one interception; 16 carries for 11 yards) to Jelani Woods. The penalty proved fatal as two futile runs by Sanders for three total yards sandwiched one by Chuba Hubbard (72 yards rushing on 25 carries, good for an average of only 2.9 yards per attempt) for four yards set up the fateful fourth down where Ossai closed out the victory.

Top Offensive Performer

Jake Smith looked healthy and locked in for the first time in 2020 and he turned his best performance of the season. Smith hauled in seven receptions for 70 yards, none bigger than the two fourth-down catches he snagged on a fourth-quarter scoring drive that ended when he got loose in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown to give the Longhorns their first lead of the day. On a day when the running game never really got clicking and Ehlinger was running for his life, Smith became the go-to guy on offense when Texas needed to move the ball in crunch time. Even on the touchdown pass, Ehlinger needed to escape pressure in order to find Smith for the go-ahead score.

Top Defensive Performer

Six tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble. The production Joseph Ossai had in the first half is the kind of box score defensive players fantasize about being able to put together over a full game. Even in a half where the Longhorns lost the yardage battle in a landslide, 312-163, and Oklahoma State averaged 6.6 yards per play, Ossai's effort kept the Longhorns in the game.

Furthermore, his forced fumble, which Ta'Quon Graham scooped up and returned to the Oklahoma State 20-yard line not only led to a Cameron Dicker field goal with three seconds left on the clock in the second quarter, it prevented the Cowboys from burying Texas. Oklahoma State was due to get the ball back to start the second half and had a seven-point lead, 24-17, with the ball at the Texas 40-yard line, but Ossai stepped up and got the ball back for the offense.

Reasons to feel optimistic

If you're going to be good at something defensively, be good at taking the ball away from the opponent. Texas came into the game ranked second in the Big 12 with eight forced turnovers through five games and three in the first half led to 13 points for the Longhorns. Ossai led a performance by the defensive line where the group did what it needed to do in order for Texas to be in the game. Ryan Bujcevski was able to help the Longhorns in the field position battle with punts that forced Oklahoma State to start three first-half drives inside their own 20-yard line.

Reasons to feel pessimistic

D'Shawn Jamison's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter summed up the season through six games from a self-inflicted wounds standpoint. The score got Texas back into the game after it felt like things were slipping away, but the deficit remained at five points, 31-26, because Jamison was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that was enforced on an extra point Dicker missed.

After cutting down on penalties in the win over Baylor, the Longhorns were back to their old ways when it came to shooting themselves in the foot. Texas had three defensive penalties in the first half that allowed Oklahoma State to move the chains on third down and a delay of game penalty prior to the offense's first play from scrimmage were lowlights in a game where at one point in the third quarter the Longhorns had more penalty yards (67) than rushing yards (65).

Modest Proposals

Without question, Tylan Wallace was outstanding on Saturday. Nevertheless, the Longhorns did hardly anything to help their struggling cornerbacks in coverage, which led to Wallace enjoying a monster afternoon. Chris Ash's game plan going forward has to include mixing coverages to help the cornerbacks. That group hasn't played up to expectations since the UTEP game and they're not progressing.

Outside of the cornerbacks, the staff has to do something to help the offensive line. Herman can talk all he wants about sacks aren't on the offensive line, but the coaches either need to change protection schemes up front, look at changing personnel or make tweaks to the passing game that allow Ehlinger to get the ball out of his hands quicker without relying on long-developing routes. The latter should be in play regardless of how the offensive line since Ehlinger continues to take a beating as Texas continues to insist on making him play almost exclusively from the pocket.

Drive of the Game

A 15-play, 59-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended when Sam Ehlinger found Jake Smith in the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown on fourth-and-7 with 4:27 remaining in the game. The offense hadn't had a sustained drive all day and while they needed a roughing the punter call and a 9-yard connection from Ehlinger to Smith on fourth-and-4 from the Oklahoma State 29-yard line to keep the drive going, the Longhorns were finally able to get the ball into the end zone to snag the lead.

Best Offensive Play

For an offense that knew it was going to need to beat man coverage in order to move the ball, Mike Yurcich dialed up a shot in the second quarter that turned into a 41-yard touchdown pass from Ehlinger to Brennan Eagles. Jake Smith motioning inside the hash mark prior to the snap helped Eagles get a clean release on Oklahoma State's Christian Holmes. Eagles blew by the coverage and it made for an easy throw for Ehlinger. The catch was the fifth for Eagles this season of an explosive nature (15 or more yards) with those receptions going for an average of 31 yards with three touchdowns.

Best Defensive Play

Perhaps more so than when Ossai's strip sack ended Oklahoma State's final scoring chance of the first half, the Longhorns needed a stop early in the fourth quarter with the Cowboys up on the scoreboard and moving the chains. On the final play of a 9-play, 56-yard drive, DeMarvion Overshown met Oklahoma State's LD Brown in the hold and forced a fumble. Ossai picked the ball up and had he not tripped up, he might've score the go-ahead touchdown.

Biggest question heading into the next game

Can Texas take this momentum and start running in the right direction? Everyone with a finger on the pulse of the program knew Saturday’s game was one that if Texas lost, the perception that the clock is running out on Herman’s time at the helm would officially be a reality. Herman has not only lived to fight another day, but Kansas State’s 37-10 loss to West Virginia on Saturday means the Longhorns can win out and punch a ticket to the Big 12 championship game knowing they’d own the head-to-head tiebreaker over K-State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. Saturday’s win will be all for naught if the Longhorns drop another game. The fact that they found a way win is a tremendous accomplishment, but the victory needs to turn into sustained momentum and a run right into AT&T Stadium if it’s going to mean anything.

(Joseph Cook) Rapid Fire Thoughts: Texas 41, Oklahoma State 34 (OT)

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Never a dull moment covering Texas Longhorns football.

Pre-halftime thought: Texas has emphasized how they will continue with running back by committee, but it seems that as the season goes along, the committee will be chaired by Bijan Robinson. Robinson took 7 carries for 47 yards in the first half. Keaontay Ingram and Roschon Johnson combined for 6 carries for 23 yards.

Pre-halftime thought: Penalties reared their ugly head again for the Longhorns, with plenty of blame to go around. Coaches and players were each responsible for penalty flags to the tune of five for 57 yards.

Pre-halftime thought: Jacoby Jones had an early mistake with a roughing the passer penalty, but he very quickly made up for it with a fumble recovery from a ball let go by Spencer Sanders. Sanders played decently well in the first half, but he was extremely boom or bust. He either made things happen looking for an open receiver or with his legs, or made a mistake.

Pre-halftime thought: That turnover recovered by Jones gave Texas a short field that they advanced through with tempo. Texas only needed to go 15 yards, and did so in three plays in 39 seconds capped off by tough running from Ingram.

Pre-halftime thought: Chris Ash knew that Tylan Wallace would be an issue, and seemed to be willing to let Josh Thompson give it his best against the All-Conference wide receiver. Thompson did get beat at times, and sometimes even with good defense, receivers can make plays. Wallace is one of those receivers, and he did so to the tune of five receptions for 96 yards in the first half.

Pre-halftime thought: Even though it seemed as if Robinson took control of the RB position, Herman and the Longhorn offensive brain-trust have continued to rotate running backs even though the backs behind Robinson are dealing with various bumps and bruises.

Pre-halftime thought: The experience of the Oklahoma State defense is showing against the Longhorn offensive line. Several times in key situations, the UT O-line surrendered pressures and sacks including in two-minute situations. Sam Cosmi remains a constant, but the other four remain an issue, even the senior center captain who made yet another mistake this week.

Pre-halftime thought: Joseph Ossai came into the game with a shoulder injury, but based on his play it would be difficult to tell. He has played with his hair on fire, accounting for six tackles, two sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Pre-halftime thought: Oklahoma State’s first touchdown was a result of a perfectly executed rub route that resulted in two Longhorn defensive backs bumping into each other. Usually the rub is offensive player bumping defensive player, but the Longhorns did the job for the Cowboys for Landon Wolf’s touchdown reception to make the game 14-7 in the first quarter.

Pre-halftime thought: Texas capped a steady drive in response to the Wolf touchdown with a 41-yard pass from Sam Ehlinger to Brennan Eagles. Texas motioned Jake Smith behind Eagles, forcing a pre-snap switch in defenders, with Oklahoma State’s nickel corner on Texas’ primary option for that play. Eagles beat his defender, who was unable to set his feet due to the motion, and hauled in a proper throw from Ehlinger to tie the game at 14.

Pre-halftime thought: Moments after he allowed Chuba Hubbard to escape his grasp, Jalen Green didn’t let the previous play affect him and intercepted an errant Spencer Sanders pass. He brought it back inside the OSU 10, and gave Texas an opportunity at a field goal that Cameron Dicker converted. Credit to Tanner McCalister for snuffing out Texas’ 3rd-and-goal attempt, but they wouldn’t have been there without Green’s play.

Pre-halftime thought: The Longhorn interior defensive line is having quite the day. Ta’Quon Graham added 2 TFL, and every other Texas defensive tackle added at least one tackle in the first half. The OSU offensive line was decent entering the game, but it was by no means a strength. Texas is trying to attack that matchup, but Sanders’ legs make that a little bit of an issue. Interior defensive line is having a heck of a game

Pre-halftime thought: Tom Herman has taken criticism for his late-half decision making, but he made the right choice in trying to steal an extra possession late in the first half. His offensive line didn’t hold up their end of the deal, allowing a sack after Texas held the Cowboys to a field goal that made the game 24-17. It was the right call, but the execution didn’t stack up.

Pre-halftime thought: The much-maligned Ryan Bujcevski had himself a good half of football.

Pre-halftime thought: Joseph Ossai is a complete difference-maker, and his late-half forced fumble flipped how the half could have ended. Rather than the Cowboys adding points, Ta’Quon Graham picked up Sanders’ fumble and gave Texas a chance to score late in the half. Ossai can be credited for that big play, and one of the three turnovers that have kept the Longhorns in the game.

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Post-halftime thought: Mike Gundy decided to punt early in the third quarter as opposed to trying to convert a 4th-and-1. Texas stole points in the first half and prevented OSU from capitalizing on its first possession. Ultimately, Texas just punted the ball back and wasn’t able to get anything out of it.

Post-halftime thought: Texas really trusts Cade Brewer in one-on-one situations.

Post-halftime thought: Kolby Harvell-Peel missing the second half is something to note.

Post-halftime thought: Texas’ play at middle linebacker is bad.

Post-halftime thought: Texas committed to not getting beat deep by Tylan Wallace. As a result, there were plenty of yards available to the Cowboys when they looked for him underneath. They punished the Longhorns with quick passing to No. 2 in the first half, and they looked to continue the trend early in the second half.

Post-halftime thought: As I typed the above thought, Wallace jumped over Jalen Green for his ninth catch, his 154th yard, and his second touchdown. Elite players make elite plays, and Texas simply does not have the corner play to hold up the 2018 Biletnikoff finalist.

Post-halftime thought: Down 11 midway through the third quarter, Texas required a touchdown in order to stay in the game. They got it with a D’Shawn Jamison kickoff return for a touchdown. 100 yards, and 100 yards the Longhorns needed.

Post-halftime thought: D’Shawn Jamison was given an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for silencing a crowd. I have seen coordinated dances in the end zone not be punished, but a simple shush was assessed a 15 yard penalty? It ended up costing the Longhorns a point, as Cameron Dicker missed the ensuing extra point, making it 31-26.

Post-halftime thought: Texas had an opportunity to record a stop immediately after Jamison’s return, and did so with a Green and Ossai tackle on a Sanders scramble.

Post-halftime thought: That stop didn’t lead to any Longhorn points. Texas committed another penalty that made the third down conversion that much more difficult. Ehlinger isn’t hitting the mark with his passing. The drive following Texas stopping Sanders looked like much of the Longhorns’ season.

Post-halftime thought: Late in the third quarter, Hubbard had 20 carries for 54 yards with a long run of nine yards. Texas has done well to limit the superstar back, but have let the other two members of OSU’s offensive trio have a big day.

Post-halftime thought: This Oklahoma State defense is impressive. This is one of Ehlinger’s worst statistical days, and part of it is due to Ehlinger being off. However, most of the credit should go to Jim Knowles’ defense. There have not been very many throwing windows open to No. 11, and he has not consistently hit them when they were there.

Post-halftime thought: How is Texas remaining in this game? Takeaways. Overshown joined the turnover party with forced fumble, recovered by – you guessed it – Joseph Ossai.

Post-halftime thought: The possession following the turnover almost ended after three plays, but Christian Holmes bailed out the Longhorns with a pass interference penalty. It meant little, as Texas was flagged for offensive pass interference in dubious circumstances. Again, Texas was bailed out by a roughing the kicker penalty.

Post-halftime thought: Facing 4th-and-4 while down 5, Texas went five wide against the OSU defense. Ehlinger found Jake Smith over the middle, and continued a drive where coming up empty would have been catastrophic. An immense amount of credit should be given to Roschon Johnson for even getting to the line of scrimmage on third down, or else Texas likely would have lined up for a pointless field goal.

Post-halftime thought: Facing 3rd-and-7 on the OSU 12, Texas needed to at least get into a manageable distance. Instead, a heavy blitz forced an incompletion. Herman made the decision to go for it on 4th-and-7, and although OSU brought the house on a blitz, Ehlinger escaped and found an open Smith for the go-ahead score.

Post-halftime thought: The two-point conversion went to Cade Brewer, of course. Right decision, right math. 34-31.

Post-halftime thought: Dillon Stoner made a first down grab on a late 3rd down with under four minutes, but the play was reviewed and the call was overturned. It was as close as a catch review could be, but the Big 12 officials decided it was not fully controlled by Stoner.

Post-halftime thought: Texas’ pivotal possession began with a short dump-off pass to Cade Brewer, followed by an Oklahoma State timeout. The second play was a handoff for a loss to Roschon Johnson. The 3rd-and-8 play was a first down scramble from Ehlinger.

Post-halftime thought: On 2nd-and-10, Texas lined up in a formation that suggested they thought Oklahoma State would not cover Jared Wiley, and the Longhorns would be able to find him downfield for the clinching first down. However, the potent Oklahoma State defense covered No. 18 from the start and recorded a sack. 2:05 remained.

Post-halftime thought: 1:13 remained for Sanders and the Cowboy offense to drive down for at least a game-tying field goal. That was plenty of room for Sanders to get into field goal range after finding Wallace and Stoner deep in Texas territory.

Post-halftime thought: Alex Hale made the game tying kick. Overtime.

Overtime thought: Tanner McCalister is a dude.

Overtime thought: A pass interference call against OSU on third down proved pivotal, as it gave Texas extra life and made it so they didn’t have to attempt a lengthy field goal.

Overtime thought: No better time for Joshua Moore to have his first catch than in overtime for a touchdown to put Texas up 41-34.

Overtime thought: Time for Chris Ash’s defense to win the game. A well-timed draw to LD Brown gave OSU their initial first down in overtime, but that play (and even the potential game tying score) was overturned by a penalty.

Overtime thought: With the game on the line, it was Joseph Ossai. Of course it was Joseph Ossai. 12 tackles, 6 TFL, 3 sacks. NFL.

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https://twitter.com/EricNahlin/status/1322691894758002689?s=20

 

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(Bobby Burton) Snap Judgments: Ehlinger, Ossai claw their way to a Texas upset

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Joseph Ossai and Sam Ehlinger led the Horns to an improbably 41-34 OT victory over No. 6 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Ossai forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, and had seven tackles for loss, including the game-winning sack of OSU QB Spencer Sanders. Ehlinger looked poor for much of the day. Whether that was on him, receivers not being open, or the line not holding up against the OSU pass rush is debatable. But it certainly wasn’t his finest performance. Yet he connected on two consecutive fourth-down passes — both to Jake Smith with the final one for a TD — to give Texas the lead. And then in overtime he smartly helped draw a PI penalty against OSU and then delivered a TD to Joshua Moore.

**

This was a team win. The offense was largely ineffective against an OSU defense that more than held its own. However, Texas put the ball in the end zone late in regulation and then again in overtime. The defense forced four turnovers (but I stopped the pass interference penalties in the third quarter). And D'Shawn Jamison’s kick return for a TD had been the Horns’ only score in the second half until the Smith TD catch. Even Ryan Bujcevski had his best game as a Horn. He punted well, drew a roughing call and handled a poor snap on a key field goal attempt. Again, there were a couple of players who stood out. But this felt like a team win.

**

DeMarvion Overshown had a big day, too. Overshown got into some passing lanes, was physical against the run and caused a fumble. He is slowly starting to get better and better. Juwan Mitchell, meanwhile, was more than solid himself. But the story on defense was two-fold:

No. 1: The dominance of the DL, pressuring the QB routinely, keeping Sanders in the pocket, and dominating the run game.

No. 2: The miscues of the Texas secondary in the first half leading to three wide open scores for OSU, and the PI calls against the corners.

Add the two together, and the Horns got the better of OSU because of the turnovers.

**

Texas did not line up Moore in the slot until overtime. Moore drew a PI call on the first and a TD on the second one.

**

The all-out blitz call by Chris Ash on the final play worked to perfection. It was the first all-out blitz of the entire day for the Horns.

**

The Texas OL had issues in pass protection against OSU. It didn’t help itself much either. Derek Kerstetter continues to be a conundrum. He was called for a key procedure penalty in the second half and had a poor snap on a third-and-one that resulted in a three-and-out for the Horns.

**

During one segment of the game, covering parts of the second and third quarters, Texas had made just two total first down in six possessions. The Horns’ did not convert well on third down all day. And the Texas run game was spotty at best. While Roschon Johnson got loose for a big gain once and Bijan Robinson popped a few 6- and 9-yard runs, there was simply not much there.

**

Texas is asking a lot of its cornerbacks. And Tylan Wallace is a tough cover for any corner in the country. But the Horns have to be more competitive even against the elite players.

**

Texas really tried to work the TE into the passing game. Cade Brewer’s number was called multiple times in the game.

**

Texas now sits at 4-2. It was a good, team win. West Virginia comes calling next weekend. The Texas D needs to show up yet again. And the Texas O needs to get better, somehow.

 

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Chip Brown: The Good, Bad and Ugly from Texas' 41-34 OT upset of No. 6 OSU

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STILLWATER, Okla. — For better or worse, Texas fans are never going to forget the Longhorns’ 2020 season. Just when you thought you’d seen every way for a team to bury itself in its own mistakes only to dig its way out, you had Saturday night’s 41-34 overtime upset of No. 6 Oklahoma State in a blacked-out Boone Pickens Stadium on Halloween.

Fittingly, Texas linebacker Joseph Ossai, with his left shoulder in a brace, chased down Oklahoma State quarterback Spencer Sanders for a 13-yard sack to end the game after Texas scored first in overtime on a 15-yard pass from Sam Ehlinger to Joshua Moore. Ossai finished the game with 12 tackles, a school-record tying seven for loss, including three sacks with a forced fumble and recovered fumble.

Despite an erratic offense that was just 2-of-15 on third down. Despite 13 penalties for 142 yards. Despite being tormented by Sanders through the air for 400 yards and four touchdowns, including two TD strikes to Wallace, who finished with 11 catches for 187 yards …

Texas won in Stillwater, because Oklahoma State made even bigger, more costly mistakes in the game - namely four turnovers, three of which led to 21 of Texas’ 34 points, and a roughing the punter flag when Texas was facing fourth-and-22 on a go-ahead touchdown drive with 4:27 left. “This was not pretty, not pretty,” said coach Tom Herman, who has been feeling the heat following a 3-2 start riddled with sloppy, undisciplined play. “But when you force four turnovers, you give yourself a chance to win, and that’s what we did.”

Following Ossai’s game-ending sack by Ossai, Texas players ran all over the field at Boone Pickens Stadium as OSU fans showered debris onto the field. Everyone who saw this game is probably still trying to process everything that played out, including Texas’ seventh period of overtime this season. The Longhorns won in double overtime at Texas Tech after erasing a 15-point lead in the final 3:13, then lost in four overtimes against Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl.

On Saturday night, Texas needed just one overtime thanks to a pass interference flag against Oklahoma State in the end zone on third-and-8 from the OSU 23 gave Texas first-and-goal from the 8. After Sam Ehlinger was sacked for a 7-yard loss on first down, Ehlinger found Joshua Moore for a 15-yard TD strike to open the first overtime. It was Moore’s first reception of the game.

The Texas defense, which repeatedly set up Texas’ offense with great field position following its four forced turnovers, was able to finish off the game after OSU had a touchdown pass called back for ineligible man downfield. The Texas win comes as heat had been increasing on coach Tom Herman following a 3-2 start riddled with sloppy, undisciplined play. There was certainly plenty of more things to clean up after the win over OSU. But once again the Longhorns, despite falling behind by 11 points with 8:09 left in the third quarter, battled back.

Texas converted three fourth downs in the fourth quarter - thanks to a roughing the punter personal foul against Oklahoma State on fourth-and-22 as well as two passes from Sam Ehlinger to Jake Smith, including a 9-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-7 with 4:27 left.

Those three, fourth-down conversions came on an improbable, 15-play, 59-yard touchdown drive that took 7:48 off the clock and somehow, some way helped Texas take a 34-31 lead despite all of its mistakes. It appeared that lead might hold up, but Oklahoma State took the ball with 1:13 left and with Texas playing some soft, zone defense, completed passes of 7, 20, 28 and 7 yards en route to a 34-yard field goal with :05 left, forcing overtime.

The Texas defense was flagged for four, third-down penalties in the game, helping to extend two OSU drives to 10 points. But Texas’ D made up for it with the forced turnovers, led by Ossai, who in the first half alone had six tackles, including 4.5 TFLs, two sacks and a forced fumble on a strip sack of Spencer Sanders that was returned 32 yards by Ta’Quon Graham, setting up a 40-yard Cameron Dicker field goal.

D’Shawn Jamison returned a kickoff return 100 yards for a touchdown after the defense gave up a 10-play, 72-yard touchdown drive capped by Tylan Wallace’s second TD of the game. But after the score, Jamison went to OSU fans, put his finger to his lips to quiet the crowd, drew a 15-yard personal foul for unsportsmanlike conduct, causing Cameron Dicker’s extra point to come from 35 yards out, and he missed it wide left. As a result, OSU held a 31-26 lead after Jamison’s TD.

Texas made up for that missed extra point by converting a two-point conversion pass from Ehlinger to Cade Brewer following Ehlinger's TD pass to Smith on fourth down with 4:27 left. The Longhorns face West Virginia at home next Saturday following the Mountaineers' 37-10 victory over Kansas State in Morgantown. Here's the GOOD, BAD and UGLY from Texas' 41-34 overtime win in Stillwater:

THE GOOD:

- The win was Texas' first road win over a Top 10 team in a decade.

- A 14-yard touchdown pass by Oklahoma State in overtime was called back due to an ineligible man downfield.

- A third-down pass from Sanders to Dillon Stoner that would’ve gone for a first down with 3:50 left to play was reversed upon further review and ruled incomplete, forcing an OSU punt.

- Oklahoma State was called for a personal foul roughing the kicker after running into Texas punter Ryan Bucjevski. As a result, Texas converted fourth-and-22 by penalty, extending the drive that started with the fumble caused by DeMarvion Overshown midway through the fourth quarter.

- Texas forced its fourth turnover of the game with 12:15 left in the game, when DeMarvion Overshown knocked the ball loose from OSU running back L.D. Brown. The ball was picked up by Ossai, who might’ve run for a scoop-and-score, but was inadvertently tripped by Texas safety Chris Brown.

- The Texas defense came out on OSU’s first possession of the second half and held the Cowboys to a three-and-out.

- Texas forced its third turnover of the game on a 7-yard strip sack of Sanders by Joseph Ossai, recovered by Ta’Quon Graham, who scooped the ball and rumbled 32 yards to the OSU 20 with 24 seconds left in the half.

- Texas forced its second turnover of the game when Jalen Green intercepted Spencer Sanders and returned it 41 yards to the Oklahoma State 8 with 12:08 left in the second quarter. (Texas could only muster a field goal off of the turnover.)

- On Brennan Eagles’ 41-yard touchdown reception with 13:20 left in the second quarter, Eagles was lined up in the slot with Jake Smith at the Z receiver. Smith motioned back inside of Eagles, putting OSU’s No. 3 cornerback - Christian Holmes - on Eagles, who ran a go route while Smith broke his route inside. Eagles got on top of Holmes and was wide open for a perfectly thrown deep ball from Ehlinger, tying the game 14-14 with 13:20 left in the second quarter.

- After an offensive pass interference flag on Jared Willey gave Texas first-and-22 from its own 13, UT was able to overcome it with completions of 11 yards to Brennan Eagles and 19 yards to Jake Smith late in the first quarter.

- Texas converted a Jacoby Jones fumble recovery at OSU’s 15 into a three-play TD drive as Sam Ehlinger hit Jake Smith on a 10-yard crossing route, followed by a 4-yard run by Keaontay Ingram and 1-yard TD plunge by Ingram, who limped off the field after the score.

- Jacoby Jones recovered a fumbled handoff between Spencer Sanders and Chuba Hubbard at OSU’s 15-yard-line with 9:10 left in the first quarter, leading to a UT touchdown two plays later.

- Bijan Robinson got the start at running back and opened the game with runs of 4 and 24 yards. His first four carries went for 33 yards (8.3 yards per carry).

THE BAD:

- Texas suffered injuries to running back Keaontay Ingram (right ankle) and cornerback Josh Thompson (neck) that knocked them out of the game.

- It appeared Josh Moore finally caught his first pass of the game with two minutes left in the third quarter, but officials ruled Moore went out of bounds and failed to establish himself back in bounds before catching the ball, making it an incomplete pass.

- Tylan Wallace put on a show on OSU’s first touchdown drive of the second half, catching four passes for 58 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown with Jalen Green draped all over him. At that point, with 8:09 left in the third quarter, Wallace had nine catches for 154 yards and two TDs.

- Josh Thompson left the game with a neck injury in the third quarter, and Texas announced he was questionable to return. He didn't return.

- Justin Mader’s snap on Cameron Dicker’s 40-yard field goal at the end of the first half was high. Ryan Bucjevski barely gathered the ball and got it down in time for Dicker to kick it through.

- After Ta’Quon Graham returned Joseph Ossai’s strip sack 32 yards to the OSU 20 with 24 seconds left in the first half, Sam Ehlinger was sacked. Texas had no timeouts, so UT had to clock the ball, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker.

- Josh Thompson was flagged for Texas’ third, third-down penalty of the first half with 4:07 left in the second quarter after holding Tylan Wallace on a double move.

- Sanders got loose for a 35-yard run in which he juked Texas middle linebacker Juwan Mitchell in the open field about 6 yards past the line of scrimmage before getting loose down the left sideline to the UT 5. On the next play, OSU ran the same play Texas ran for the tying touchdown on a pass to Keaontay Ingram at the end of regulation against Oklahoma, overloading the left side and slipping Chuba Hubbard into the flat on the right side for an easy, 5-yard TD pass, putting OSU up 21-17 with 8:15 left in the second quarter.

- Texas could only muster a field goal after Jalen Green returned an interception to the OSU 8 early in the second quarter. After a 4-yard run by Roschon Johnson to the OSU 4, Ehlinger and Tarik Black couldn’t connect on a slant route in the end zone. On third-and-4, Ehlinger’s pass to Cade Brewer went for only 1 yard, setting up a 20-yard field goal by Cameron Dicker, putting Texas up 17-14 with 10:56 left in the first half.

- Jared Wiley was flagged for a questionable offensive pass interference, negating a 7-yard completion to Cade Brewer on first down, late in the first quarter.

- Caden Sterns got picked on a rub route, leaving Landon Wolf wide open for a 5-yard touchdown reception, putting Oklahoma State up 14-7 with 1:36 left in the first quarter.

- Sanders got Chris Adimora, the curl-flat defender playing zone coverage, to bite on a pump fake, allowing OSU running back L.D. Brown to get behind him on a wheel route for a 32-yard completion on third-and-10 from the OSU 38.

- On third-and-1 from the Texas 27, Derek Kerstetter snapped the ball as if Sam Ehlinger was under center, but Ehlinger was in shotgun, and the ball simply fell to the ground, where Ehlinger recovered it for a 2-yard loss, forcing a punt.

- Keaontay Ingram limped off the field and into UT’s medical tent with a right ankle injury following his 1-yard TD run with 8:31 left in the first quarter.

- Jake Smith had the ball knocked out of his hands on a third-and-4 pass on UT’s second possession, leading to a punt.

- Sanders threw a key block on a 19-yard reverse by OSU’s Braydon Johnson to UT’s 11, setting up a TD pass by Sanders to Tylan Wallace on the next play, putting the Cowboys up 7-0 in the first quarter.

- Jacoby Jones was flagged for a personal foul (roughing the passer) after his left hand smacked Spencer Sanders in the face after Sanders released the ball on a 5-yard completed pass to LD Brown on third-and-4 on OSU’s opening drive.

- Sanders found Tylan Wallace wide open against UT’s zone coverage for a 28-yard catch-and-run on the second play of a seven-play, 86-yard touchdown drive on OSU’s first possession of the game.

THE UGLY:

Oklahoma State fans throwing debris on the field after the game.

 

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I know that’s why they play the game blah blah... but you know this was bound to happen. No reason to win this game, so sure they get 4 turnovers and still have to go to OT to win, with the offense looking largely anemic, which is funny to say considering 41 points. 
 

the reality is, they still have to beat ISU and KSU which is not going to be easy for this team.  Herman keeps finding crucial wins to cool his seat. But they have to run the table and win the championship for me to even give a glimmer of a thought that I’d want to keep Herman. 

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1 minute ago, taybo20 said:

I know that’s why they play the game blah blah... but you know this was bound to happen. No reason to win this game, so sure they get 4 turnovers and still have to go to OT to win, with the offense looking largely anemic, which is funny to say considering 41 points.

the reality is, they still have to beat ISU and KSU which is not going to be easy for this team.  Herman keeps finding crucial wins to cool his seat. But they have to run the table and win the championship for me to even give a glimmer of a thought that I’d want to keep Herman. 

The key is seeing improvement. Sure the scoreboard says W, but did you really see a team out there that has looked significantly improved in the main facets of the game?

- Our OL gave up five sacks and committed more stupid mistakes (false start by Christian Jones on 3rd and short, Kerstetter botching the snap) Par for the course.

- We had a mind-boggling 13 penalties for 142 yards. Worse than usual.

- Our outside WRs still couldn't get much separation downfield. We had to rely on scheming the slot open (Jake Smith) while Moore and Eagles struggled with press coverage.

- Cade Brewer is still useless, as usual. Wiley barely saw the field, as usual.

- Mitchell had another bad game, couldn't touch Sanders on his long run and couldn't cover Hubbard on the TD right after.

- DBs committed many penalties and missed lots of open tackles in space.

This game was won on the herculean efforts of a few individuals. Sam Ehlinger on offense. Ossai on defense. Bijan and Rojo finding yards that weren't there on a few big runs. And our front six mostly sold out on stopping Chuba Hubbard, which was the result of a very good gameplan by Chris Ash.

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10 minutes ago, taybo20 said:

I know that’s why they play the game blah blah... but you know this was bound to happen. No reason to win this game, so sure they get 4 turnovers and still have to go to OT to win, with the offense looking largely anemic, which is funny to say considering 41 points. 
 

the reality is, they still have to beat ISU and KSU which is not going to be easy for this team.  Herman keeps finding crucial wins to cool his seat. But they have to run the table and win the championship for me to even give a glimmer of a thought that I’d want to keep Herman. 

7 in OT and 7 on the kick return plus the short field FG's. they created about 21 on their own.  The offense is not good.

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8 minutes ago, satyanash said:

The key is seeing improvement. Sure the scoreboard says W, but did you really see a team out there that has looked significantly improved in the main facets of the game?

- Our OL gave up five sacks and committed more stupid mistakes (false start by Christian Jones on 3rd and short, Kerstetter botching the snap) Par for the course.

- We had a mind-boggling 13 penalties for 142 yards. Worse than usual.

- Our outside WRs still couldn't get much separation downfield. We had to rely on scheming the slot open (Jake Smith) while Moore and Eagles struggled with press coverage.

- Cade Brewer is still useless, as usual. Wiley barely saw the field, as usual.

- Mitchell had another bad game, couldn't touch Sanders on his long run and couldn't cover Hubbard on the TD right after.

- DBs committed many penalties and missed lots of open tackles in space.

This game was won on the herculean efforts of a few individuals. Sam Ehlinger on offense. Ossai on defense. Bijan and Rojo finding yards that weren't there on a few big runs. And our front six mostly sold out on stopping Chuba Hubbard, which was the result of a very good gameplan by Chris Ash.

Yeah I mean I wasn’t impressed I thought he slightest and that may be strange to say. I sat watching a very uninspired offense, and a front 6 or 7 on defense that were really busting their asses. Good choice to take away Hubbard in the pick your poison battle. The OL is still horrible and the route concepts or lack thereof just suck. But so do our WRs generally. OSU really fucked up in OT. I saw the skinny post for Moore pre-snap and was happy Sam saw it too. 

4 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

7 in OT and 7 on the kick return plus the short field FG's. they created about 21 on their own.  The offense is not good.

Yeah exactly. I think getting 4 Turnovers and needing OT really says it all. 

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11 minutes ago, taybo20 said:

Yeah I mean I wasn’t impressed I thought he slightest and that may be strange to say. I sat watching a very uninspired offense, and a front 6 or 7 on defense that were really busting their asses. Good choice to take away Hubbard in the pick your poison battle. The OL is still horrible and the route concepts or lack thereof just suck. But so do our WRs generally. OSU really fucked up in OT. I saw the skinny post for Moore pre-snap and was happy Sam saw it too. 

Yeah exactly. I think getting 4 Turnovers * and needing OT really says it all. 

*and a special teams TD

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The offensive line isn't very good and there's no change week to week.  We have good backs but they're always getting dinged up, as is Sam and over the course of the season, they're going to slow. If the line can't hold, why do we insist in making Sam a pocket passer?  Hand should be put on notice.  I can't imagine how this line can suck this bad week to week.  Hand is gone--just a matter of when.

Sometimes, qbs throw to their guys  regardless of coverage to rely on playmakers to make plays or get flags.  Most teams in the Big 12 don't have a dearth of playmakers so they gotta roll with what they got. Give Eagles some shots downfield.  Get Washington in the game if Eagles can't separate.  And Sam ate the ball rather than get rid of it several times today.  If every wr can't shake defenders, then they gotta ask Coleman what he does here. 

Texas beat OSU last year too so it's not just Texas being lucky.  Gundy has difficulty with Texas and OU.  OSU is going to roll TCU and probably the rest of the conference.  Their corners played pretty well today and have been the best we've seen.     

 

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2 hours ago, dcar00 said:

7 in OT and 7 on the kick return plus the short field FG's. they created about 21 on their own.  The offense is not good.

The last two games will have convinced Herman to continue sticking in 12 personnel and grinding the game down 🙄 Keeping Brewer on the field and refusing to go four-wide is still ridiculous.

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Uhhh yeah y’all still gotta get rid of Herman.  Not often going to be +4 in TOs, get a special teams TD, have a roughing call on 4th and 22, etc...and still need OT to win.  That win was definitely on a few individuals and not  impressive coaching schemes or preparation by Tom and his staff.  The penalties y’all were wracking up certainly showed that.  
 

Going forward I’m hoping we (osu) got that out of our system because I never want to see another game like that again.  I had a bad feeling going in and once we fumbled on the second drive I had a feeling it was going to be a stupid night...y’all capitalized for sure, and hats off to you winning, the life of a poke fan is dreaming of what coulda been.  
 

Except winning the golf natty on our own course, I won’t ever forget that.  

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11 minutes ago, Homercles said:

Uhhh yeah y’all still gotta get rid of Herman.  Not often going to be +4 in TOs, get a special teams TD, have a roughing call on 4th and 22, etc...and still need OT to win.  That win was definitely on a few individuals and not  impressive coaching schemes or preparation by Tom and his staff.  The penalties y’all were wracking up certainly showed that.  
 

Going forward I’m hoping we (osu) got that out of our system because I never want to see another game like that again.  

Don't worry you still play OU this year

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10 minutes ago, Homercles said:

Uhhh yeah y’all still gotta get rid of Herman.  Not often going to be +4 in TOs, get a special teams TD, have a roughing call on 4th and 22, etc...and still need OT to win.  That win was definitely on a few individuals and not  impressive coaching schemes or preparation by Tom and his staff.  The penalties y’all were wracking up certainly showed that.  
 

Going forward I’m hoping we (osu) got that out of our system because I never want to see another game like that again.  

Just don't watch whenever yall play Texas.  Almost every game this year has been like that.  I imagine i already have an ulcer or two since the season started.

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10 minutes ago, Zeus said:

Don't worry you still play OU this year

That game last night was what I was expecting against OU not Texas.  Sanders is a turnover machine but I didn’t expect Chuba to join in or that the defense wouldn’t get a takeaway to offset it,  we aren’t always as disciplined as I’d like but roughing on 4th-22 is as stupid as you can get, etc.  That’s the kind of game reserved for OU heartbreak like 2013.  

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1 hour ago, Homercles said:

Uhhh yeah y’all still gotta get rid of Herman.  Not often going to be +4 in TOs, get a special teams TD, have a roughing call on 4th and 22, etc...and still need OT to win.  That win was definitely on a few individuals and not  impressive coaching schemes or preparation by Tom and his staff.  The penalties y’all were wracking up certainly showed that.  

Agreed - most Texas fans believe Oklahoma St lost this game rather than Texas winning.

And Sanders wasn't just a turnover machine. He made terrible decisions all game long. I don't know how many times he had a man open 5-10 yards downfield for easy yards (or more considering how we tackle) and he'd chuck it deep into double coverage to a dude who wasn't open. 

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(Scipio Tex) 2020 Oklahoma State Postmortem: Offense

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13 Texas points (one TD, two field goals) were scored on drives of 15 yards, 5 yards, and -3 yards, respectively. Drives that began on the OSU 15, 8, and 20 yard lines. Without those short fields afforded by the defense plus a special teams touchdown from D'Shawn Jamison, there's no chance Texas wins this game, much less keeps the loss under double digits. This offense has got to get better. First, let's talk about some good things:

1. Texas did put in some stuff to deal with OSU's man coverage and pressure. More crossing routes, some man beaters, some attempts at misdirection. It didn't always work, it wasn't always properly executed, but a few of the right concepts were there. The 41 yard touchdown to Brennan Eagles using short motion to force a switch to their #3 CB is a good example of a nice wrinkle that worked.

2. The early "normal" running game was good. At halftime, Robinson had 9 carries for 47 yards and RoJo had 4 carries for 18 yards. Ingram had a strong red zone touchdown run. Christian Jones had his best game as a run blocker at Texas.

3. Sam Ehlinger is as tough as old leather. Mentally and physically. He was getting absolutely pounded by unblocked OSU DL. We're talking 280-pound dudes taking clean sternum shots and he jumps right back up. Football isn't a video game and that does take a toll. Despite struggling badly, in the final minutes of the game, he hit several big throws and showed remarkable poise.

4. Roschon Johnson is a battler. Physical and tough-minded. His incredible effort on a 3rd and 5 outside zone run in OSU territory late prevented what should have been a 4 yard loss. A daunting 4th and 9 and a probable kick became a doable 4th and 4 that the Horns converted.

5. Jake Smith. After an early 3rd down drop, he totaled 7 catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. He did a nice job settling in and converted a huge 4th and 4 and a 4th and 7 touchdown late in the game when OSU zero blitzed. We need his production badly.

Bad things:

1. Good concepts dwindled over the course of the game as we ran out of ideas and we saw Texas running more routes in isolation, with OSU DB's just totally locking down their men. Ehlinger didn't have anywhere to throw, the OL didn't protect very well, so a sack, scramble, or incompletion ensued. Repeatedly. Poor OL protection also blew up some concepts before they even got rolling. Texas also didn't build anything off of the early success of the running game. They just let OSU solve it, with no countermeasures.

2. Texas totaled 287 yards on 75 plays at a miserable 3.8 yards per play clip. That's getting dominated.

3. Very poor protection up front. The same bull**** slide protection where no Horn OL takes accountability for a 280 DL on several play action calls nearly killed Ehlinger and turned OSU DE Tyler Lacy into a 3 tackle for loss star having defeated zero blocks. You never allowed an unbocked big inside of the tackles or a DL across your face in pass protection. Ever. Texas did it repeatedly by scheme. Herb Hand is a failure as an OL coach at the unit and individual teaching level. 5 sacks allowed, 8 tackles for loss surrendered. Multiple hits on Ehlinger.

4. No separation at WR. It's easy to curse Sam and yell "do something" but his view is a bunch of covered receivers and a quickly collapsing pocket. Texas decided to address this in part by targeting Cade Brewer. On sideline fades and play action. On eight targets with four catches, Brewer managed...16 yards.

5. Texas was 2 of 15 on 3rd down conversions. 13.3% conversion. But 2 of 2 on 4th down. The offense was somehow terrible yet...clutch? The last three Texas possessions of the game are worth recounting for their improbability:

15-59, TD
6-4, punt
4-25, TD

Texas took over on their 41 yard line down 31-26 in the 4th quarter and converted an excruciating 15 play 59 yard drive that took 7:48 off of the clock and gave Texas the lead. That required a 3rd and 13 conversion via Pass Interference, a 4th and 22 punt converted to a first down personal foul when OSU ran into Buj's plant leg, a 4th and 4 conversion, a 4th and 7 conversion for a TD to Jake Smith, and then a Cade Brewer 2 point conversion on an Ehlinger improvisation.

The next drive was a potential Turtle Tom situation. He didn't completely blow it, in large part because #11 converted a 3rd and 8 with his legs, forcing OSU to eat up all of their time outs while Texas managed to burn 2:31. Ehlinger also wisely took a sack on 3rd down to keep the clock running rather than stop it with a meaningless throwaway. No one will confuse our effort with Bill Walsh there, but without that clock burn off, OSU has enough time to score a touchdown in their final possession.

On the the first overtime possession, Texas converted a 3rd and 8 with a pass interference call on Moore. Then Ehlinger was sacked. On 2nd and 15, Ehlinger coolly throws a strike to Josh Moore from the slot like they've been connecting all game. It was Moore's first catch. Texas takes the lead and the defense comes through on the other end. Somehow Texas burned over 10 minutes of clock while managing to get 14 15 points out of 88 yards on 25 plays on their final three possessions. Ha ha. Oh, man.

QB

Ehlinger's stat line was a gross 18 of 34 for 169 yards, but let me suggest that the reasons for that effort were multifactorial. Several misfires on short routes outside. He also had three touchdown throws, a 2 point conversion, no turnovers despite some brutal hits and a lot of covered receivers, and some clutch plays made down the stretch when the offense seemed utterly lifeless. Battler.

RB

Loved seeing Bijan run behind his pads and move piles early. If you watch his September film, he was a 220 pound scatback. Now, he's starting to discover his physicality. Needs to work on blitz pick up. 13 carries, 59 yards and two short catches. Roschon Johnson was a tackle breaking physical machine in limited action. He broke a 29 yard run running through tackles and showed good effort on several other efforts (including a key one described above). 9 carries, 49 yards. If he's healing up and feeling better, let's get him more work. Keaontay went out early with a sprained ankle after scoring a touchdown.

WR/TE

Jake Smith's return is documented above. He looked solid and I still think there's some upside untapped as he gets more into game flow. Got to get past his propensity for drops.

Josh Moore's first catch of the day was a 15 yard TD in overtime. Maybe give him more work in the slot? His effort in run blocking is unacceptable. Didn't even attempt to block his guy on a couple of runs, which resulted in free shots on the RB. Eagles showed up with a nice TD, but that was a perfect call and situation, allowing him to just be big and run in a straight line after the motion step. 3-55-1. Tarik Black appears to run somewhere around a 5.1 40 now. Woodard made an appearance. Brewer had 4 catches for 16 yards and was, for some reason, a major game plan focal point. Wiley added a catch for 8 and had a bogus OPI call.

OL

I have good things to say about the run blocking of Christian Jones and, to a lesser extent Okafor, in the first half. Jones collapsed his side of the line multiple times. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about pass protection. Both were betrayed by a stupid play action slide protection neither one knew how to execute and Hand obviously can't teach. From a technique standpoint, Jones is giving up too much depth in his drops. He's effectively conceding the bull rush. Okafor was flat out beaten for a sack on another play.

Kerstetter had a puzzling fumbled snap where the ball got away from him, but was otherwise fine. Angilau really struggles with movement and line games, but that's descriptive of the whole unit. Cosmi was fine, but gave up a pressure. OSU Wide 9 rushers - Bundage, Ford - on clear passing downs really gave us trouble. Overall, I find it hard to rate individuals when the overall coordination of the unit is lacking and I question technical development. We do little to help them and a lot to make their jobs harder.

Final

The offense took more punches than they gave out, but didn't exhibit any quit. They were left standing at the end thanks to the relentless body work of an opportunistic defense and special teams.

(Scipio Tex) 2020 Oklahoma State Postmortem: Defense/Special Teams

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Well, that was a wild ride.

Of course, that's Joseph Ossai with the walk off sack, sealing the first Texas Top 10 road win since 2010. After his 12 tackle, 6 tackle for loss, 3 sack performance, Ossai delivered a baby in the stands, learned conversational Hindi, convinced North Korea to become a constitutional republic, and medaled in the luge.

How the hell do you adequately capture the performance of a defense that gave up 530 yards and 400 yards passing, but the unit also forced four turnovers, created multiple short fields, and singlehandedly kept Texas in the game as the Texas offense stuttered and fell apart? The same defense that left multiple Oklahoma State wide receivers wide open on key downs in the red zone, and on the Oklahoma State field goal drive that forced overtime, but also held the Cowboys to 3 of 13 conversions on third and fourth down?

A defense that repeatedly saw its cornerbacks fail to play the ball in the air in coverage, earning multiple pass interferences on 3rd down, while also fielding a defensive line that utterly dominated the Oklahoma State offensive line for four quarters? I guess you'd call it a winning defense. Chris Ash and the Texas Longhorns D got it done. In ways that the scoreboard or a simple scan of the box score doesn't adequately reflect.

About that box score. The Cowboys ran 91 plays at 5.8 yards per pop and they had well over 300 yards at half time. The arterial bleed was against the Oklahoma State passing game and Texas never really fully cut off the flow unless it was with a sack. Sanders averaged 10 yards per attempt and consistently found open receivers on intermediate routes all over the field. On the other hand, The Cowboy running game got choked out. Some of that is certainly attributable to game plan, but credit an extraordinary effort by the Texas DL. OSU's primary ball carriers - Hubbard and Brown - combined for only 105 yards rushing on 33 carries. That's 3.2 per pop. Their longest run of the game went for 12 yards.

Throughout the game, the Cowboys had way too many open receivers in the red zone and against the Longhorn attempt at a 3 man rush prevent defense near the end of regulation.

On Tylan Wallace's 1st catch of the day he was effectively uncovered. On the same drive, a RPO fake had our second level defenders sitting and watching in no man's land while a skinny post went right over them to Wallace in the end zone. Either commit yourself to the rush or get a drop. Don't mess with Mr In Between. In the same half, Sanders hit Wolf for 25 yards (wide open between zone defenders covering grass) and then went back to him again for an easy 6 as the Longhorn defenders picked each other when Caden Sterns tried to work inside and across his teammate. Later, Chuba Hubbard was uncovered in the end zone on a gimme TD throw on a little HB play action pass to the flat. I could go on. Bottom line: too many open men on busts or quarters concepts that had defenders guarding grass.

The Drop 8 Longhorn prevent defense that Oklahoma State sliced like a hot knife through butter with 1:13, no timeouts, the ball on their 20 yard line, to kick the tying field goal could have been even worse had Spencer Sanders not lost his mind. His ill-advised scramble prevented OSU from taking some end zone shots in regulation. Those things can be cleaned up with communication, coaching, and better awareness.

But the Texas defense carried the team in the second half while the offense sputtered. Despite facing 8 Oklahoma State second half possessions, the Horns only surrendered 10 points. They forced four Oklahoma State punts on 4 plays or less, forced a fumble that set up the Texas offense with a short field score, and then turned over OSU in 1OT on downs. If Texas allows 1.25 points per possession in the 2nd half going forward, this team is probably playing in the Big 12 title game.

DL

The domination Texas fans have been waiting to see. The injuries on the Oklahoma State offensive line abetted that, but this group dominated at the unit and individual level for four quarters. Texas doesn't win this game without their effort.

They largely did an excellent job containment rushing Spencer Sanders. Lane discipline was pretty good and they got honest push. Further, they didn't give up the edge to OSU's sprint champion running backs, who can turn one small error into a 70 yard mistake. Texas consistently held the edge for four quarters. There are boys, there are men, and there are Ossais.

My love for his heart and effort is total. Playing injured with a shoulder harness, Ossai racked up 12 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, forced a fumble, and snagged a fumble recovery. If you have the opportunity to name your child or dog Ossai, I encourage you to do so. In a highlight reel performance, picking my favorite play isn't easy, but the pure hustle of #46 beating a backside block from a TE and then running down Chuba Hubbard on outside zone going the other way for a negative play is right up there with his sack strip detonation of Sanders. He was just too quick and relentless for the Cowboy OL and was at his best coming on inside loops and stunts from the perimeter. The final play of the game where an exhausted Ossai ran down an elusive 4.6 40 QB with the Texas secondary exposed in a zero blitz is legend.

Ta'quon Graham wasn't that far behind Ossai in game impact. At least between the tackles. 3.5 tackles for loss, a 33 yard fumble recovery rumble, a sack, and terrific play at the point of attack for four quarters. Some great hustle efforts running down outside zone runs. Speaking of hustle, Sweat earned his surname. The big man was feeling the frisky Fall weather and repeatedly collapsed the pocket and walked back OL in pass rush along with the other half of his 700 pound tag team Keondre Coburn.

Jacoby Jones has had his second straight productive game. If he's coming on, that's good news for this defense. His sack and some solid pressures while holding containment allow me to forgive him of a careless hands to the face penalty in the early 1st quarter. As well as a heads up fumble recovery when Hubbard and Sanders messed up their exchange. Worth noting that his best pass rushes came lined up inside, running stunts. Ash is starting to get more creative up front and allowing good athletes to do athletic things. Alfred Collins had 3 tackles and some decent snaps pass rushing. Moro Ojomo had 3 tackles and one good flush of Sanders in the second half.

LB

Juwan Mitchell had some not-so-great moments in coverage and he lost his jock on an open field head fake from a scrambling Sanders, but he was able to notch 8 tackles while largely unblocked in the middle. He missed two other tackles and still struggles to recognize and attack screens properly. That's been an issue since TCU and it hasn't cleaned up. Still, some good clean up tackles and he didn't drift out of his gaps between the tackles.

DeMarvion Overshown started the game as a non-factor but turned it on around mid-game when he notched a PBU that should have been an interception on a really nice coverage progression and then had two terrific hits, one of which forced a fumble. He owes Sweat a shout out for creating the penetration that bounced the back into his strike zone. Overshown was not consistent, but he had some very important flash plays and I love the violence of contact he exhibited. From a critical perspective, he's far too quick and sudden not to be a better blitzer. He's running into the back of DL or trying to take the long way around a pile. He's been struggling with the timing and feel here for a while. He should be more of an asset here.

DB

Woof. How long we got? Oklahoma State attacked the Texas corners repeatedly and it's not entirely clear to me what our strategy against Tylan Wallace was. Wallace had 11 catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns and he earned three PI calls. Texas didn't always consistently double him, though there was usually help in some form, but when they did, they still had the CB in off or bail coverage, allowing Wallace and Sanders to hook up multiple times on easy 12-20 yard out routes. Once Ash learned that Sanders can indeed make that throw to the wide hash, it's time to walk up the corner and park some help over top. Wallace never truly beat Texas over the top (his longest catch went for 28 yards) but his ability to consistently hit the Horns for big intermediate chunks was a big reason why OSU put 34 on the board.

OSU's secondary and tertiary options were too productive as the rest of OSU's pass catchers totaled 213 yards on 16 catches with two touchdowns. Take Wallace away or play him honest and hold down the rest, but you can't give up both. From a unit cohesion perspective, an unacceptable performance. Just way too many guys running open. But several individual players battled and a few even had good games.

The Texas corners just could not get their heads around to play the ball in the air. Apparently that's how they're trained? Unfortunate, because the coverage otherwise wasn't bad. They were there. Josh Thompson struggled with Wallace until his collision injury and he didn't return to the game. Best wishes to Josh. D'Shawn Jamison had a similar struggle, though one time he did turn his head, located the ball, and was rewarded with a PBU. Jalen Green had a terrific interception exploiting a bad Sanders throw on the inside shoulder of a lazy out route. Instead of being satisfied with a tackle or getting in a hand, he attacked the route and ball and turned it into a huge 41 yard interception return. That was the highlight of his day. Later had a clear PI and almost earned a second flag for arguing with the officials.

Chris "Flex" Brown did a nice job of keeping the deep middle clean, including a nice break up, but Oklahoma State was largely content to attack the sidelines. Chris Adimora had 7 tackles and did a solid job in run support. OSU really didn't attack him all that much. Anthony Cook was solid spelling him as well. Caden Sterns had some moments where he didn't give himself a great angle to help on Wallace and getting caught in a pick play with another Longhorn defender on goal line can't happen if you're following the rules and communicating. Nice hit in run support on Sanders when the Longhorn DL strung him out parallel to the LOS. Sterns finished with 8 tackles.

BJ Foster played the deepest safety I've ever seen in his time at Texas and notched two tackles. OSU didn't really attack the middle of the field, but I have to wonder if some of our corner tactics were based on fear of our inability to cover if we stretched our safeties out laterally.

Special Teams

As we've all come to expect, Texas dominated specials teams.

D'shawn Jamison had a terrific 100 yard kickoff return TD off of a crossover dribble in the third quarter to erase a double digit Cowboy lead. His third TD on a kick return in his Longhorn career. His unsportsmanlike "Shhhh!" penalty was overly officious bull****. Maybe that referee had his heart broken by a librarian? That unspeakable act by an excited athlete prompted a 15 yard flag, which helped contribute to a missed Dicker extra point. Dicker converted two other field goals.

Big props to Postmortem whipping boy Ryan Bujcevski. He averaged a sizzling 47 yards per kick on 9 punts and five of those punts were dropped inside the OSU 20. He also saved the deep snapper's bacon when he fired a rocket high and away that Buj calmly corralled and allowed the Dicker conversion. Maybe the punt team is finally settling in. Texas won special teams. If they hadn't, the scoreboard is an L.

Final

Special teams and defense! Old time hard-nosed winning football. That's how you win a game...(checks notes)....41-34! Seriously, a great win. Texas dug deep and showed some athletic character. Let's see what they do with it.

 

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Mensa's Press Conference moved to Tuesday this week...

Jeff Howe...

"Tom Herman's weekly press conference won't be held tomorrow due to the NCAA giving student-athletes Election Day off so that they can go vote. The Longhorns normally have Monday off, but they'll instead practice tomorrow before taking Tuesday off, which is when Herman will conduct his press conference ahead of the West Virginia game.

Tomorrow's media availability will be with Texas players."

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47 minutes ago, Dr. Beeper said:

If you’ve got an ulcer, I just can’t relate. Maybe you’re a better fan than I am. Whatever happens with the CFB/NC, or the Big 12 CCG, those winners will have a giant asterisk because of COVID. This is the mother of all throw away seasons. Yet, our idiot head coach continues to embarrass himself and is poised to galvanize this often fractured fan base into pulling off a ridiculously bold move for us. 

I don’t enjoy losing or winning playing poorly. But I’m so apathetic to Strong and Herman coached teams that I just don’t care any more, especially when I have faith CDC will do something. 

How do you not care about the players? I want Herman gone but I want this team in the B12CG for the players and the future of the program.

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Chip Brown: A history lesson from 10 years ago that applies to Texas, Herman

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Normally, I wouldn’t waste your time with a history lesson from 10 years ago and how it might relate to football being played right here, right now. But I sense a cautionary tale here. See if you agree.

The last time Texas went on the road and beat a top 10 team was 2010 at No. 7 Nebraska. The undefeated Cornhuskers were preparing to leave the Big 12 and couldn’t wait to exorcise all kinds of Longhorns’ demons against a 2-2 Texas team ripe for some kicking while down. But Texas made it 9-1 against the Huskers during their time together in the Big 12 thanks to Garrett “Crazy Legs” Gilbert running 11 times for 71 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-14 upset that left Big Red Nation dialing therapists on the way out of Memorial Stadium.

The next week, Texas came home and lost to unranked Iowa State. Mack Brown unraveled in front of our very eyes in the post-game of that loss to the Cyclones, questioning why his players and assistant coaches couldn’t get up for games. Texas went on to a 5-7 season in what was effectively the beginning of the end of Brown’s tenure at Texas. That Nebraska win would prove to be Brown’s last win over a top 10 team at Texas even though he would coach three more seasons at UT.

By the way, that Iowa State team had a young offensive coordinator named Tom Herman. In fact, it was that 28-21 Iowa State victory over the Longhorns that caused Will Muschamp to recommend Herman to Urban Meyer during a casual conversation in 2011 when Meyer was thinking of getting back into coaching at Ohio State after resigning at Florida due to health concerns and being replaced by Muschamp.

OK, so why am I telling you all this? If Texas (4-2, 3-2 Big 12) wants to turn the program’s first road win over a top 10 opponent in a decade into a new script for the 2020 season, history can’t repeat itself 10 years later against West Virginia (4-2, 3-2) Saturday (11 a.m., ABC) at DKR. I say it all the time: The sign of a well-coached team is week-to-week improvement.

While it’s been hard to see that kind of improvement in a Texas team that seems to find new ways to dig itself out of deeper holes each week, West Virginia (4-2, 3-2) is rapidly improving under second-year coach Neal Brown. While the Longhorns escaped Stillwater with a 41-34 overtime win with the help of four Oklahoma State turnovers, the Mountaineers dominated Kansas State — the Big 12’s only other unbeaten team in conference play heading into Saturday.

Thanks to the addition of Arizona graduate transfer linebacker Tony Fields II, who picked the Mountaineers over UT, West Virginia’s defense has become one of the Big 12’s best. Fields leads the Mountaineers in tackles (53) and is second in the Big 12 in tackles per game (8.8) Fields was ejected for targeting from the first half of WVU’s game at Texas Tech two weeks ago, and it was a huge factor in the Mountaineers’ loss to the Red Raiders. (Much like Juwan Mitchell’s first-half ejection for targeting was a huge factor in UT’s loss to TCU.)

Fields had a team-leading 15 tackles in WVU’s 37-10 win over Kansas State as the Mountaineers held the Wildcats to only 41 yards rushing on 23 attempts. West Virginia pressured Wildcats’ quarterback Will Howard into three interceptions, including a pick-six. An inconsistent Texas offense that still leads the Big 12 in scoring (44.3 points per game) converted just 2-of-15 third downs against Oklahoma State, had eight of its 15 drives go four plays or less and punted nine times.

West Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 in run defense (97.8 yards per game), pass defense (157.8 YPG), interceptions (nine), sacks (20, tied with Oklahoma State), kickoff coverage and has the league’s second-best scoring defense, allowing just 19.8 points per game. This week is likely to be every bit the challenge Texas had against Oklahoma State’s defense, but the Longhorns probably won’t be able to rely on great field position following four forced turnovers by the UT defense.

Meanwhile, West Virginia’s offense has quietly become more balanced and ranks No. 3 in the Big 12 in scoring (33.0 points per game). Junior running back Leddie Brown is the Big 12’s second-leading rusher, averaging 115.7 yards rushing per game and 5.5 yards per carry with eight touchdowns while also catching 23 passes this season for 166 yards and two touchdowns.

Brown has created play-action opportunities for quarterback Jarret Doege, who is completing 64.2 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. Winston Wright Jr. and Sam James are Doege’s favorite targets in the passing game while Bryce Ford-Wheaton is the deep threat (averaging 18.8 yards per catch) with a team-leading three receiving touchdowns.

Doege is not a threat to run, but WVU has a better offensive line than Oklahoma State. West Virginia, like Texas and Oklahoma State, had to battle through some off-the-field adversity leading into the season. Brown’s defensive coordinator at Troy and WVU,  Vic Koenning, was forced to resign in July after allegations of player mistreatment surfaced from WVU sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr.

Brown promoted veteran defensive coach Jeff Casteel from an analyst position to outside linebackers coach and said the coordinator duties would be divided among the rest of his staff. West Virginia has home wins over Eastern Kentucky, Baylor, Kansas and Kansas State and is 0-2 on the road after losing at Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. According to William Hill Sportsbook, Texas is a seven-point favorite against the Mountaineers.

With Saturday’s win in Stillwater, Texas moved back into the AP Top 25 at No. 22 and quieted some of the noise surrounding the program about Herman’s job security. But that noise will pick right back up if Herman suffers another loss to an unranked team while the Longhorns are a member of the AP Top 25. Herman has seven of those losses in four years at Texas - most in FBS in that span.

Herman should remember that Iowa State victory over Texas in 2010 that helped unravel things for Brown and helped elevate Herman. If Herman wants to keep his tenure at Texas from unraveling, he needs to make sure history from a decade ago doesn’t repeat itself this Saturday.

 

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Bobby Burton: Texas-Oklahoma State Grades

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Quarterback

Sam Ehlinger is far from perfect. But the four-year starter made the plays when it counted most, including two fourth-down conversions in the fourth quarter, and a throw that drew a pass interference flag in overtime as well as the game winner to Joshua Moore moments later. Ehlinger struggled against the Cowboys going just 18-34 for 169 yards and 3 TDs. He couldn’t find open receivers, got happy feet in the pocket too often and even seemed confused at times. However, he didn’t make a big turnover, and that perhaps was the real difference in the game compared to his counterpart on the other side of the ball. In the end, it was vintage Ehlinger. Gutty and inspiring.

Grade: C-

Running backs

Bijan Robinson got the start and showed some acceleration other backs on the team just don’t have. But there weren’t a lot of running lanes for any of the backs. Robinson still has issues in pass protection compared to Roschon Johnson and Keaontay Ingram. Robinson missed a block in overtime that caused a sack. Johnson ran hard, including a nice 29-yarder, but again the holes just weren’t there. Ingram only saw one series where he was injured. His final carry went for a TD.

Grade: B

Wide receivers

Jake Smith finally had a breakout game of sorts, leading the team with 7 catches for 70 yards. Smith was on the receiving end of two crucial fourth-down throws from Ehlinger. Yes, he dropped a third down conversion in the first half but otherwise played solidly. Joshua Moore was manhandled by a physical OSU secondary playing on the outside and didn’t make a single catch until the game winner when he was lined up in the slot. Brennan Eagles had a big TD score but was MIA most of the game. Tarik Black had a decent game. Texas receivers rarely appeared open. The lack of quickness, outside of Smith and Moore, really shined.

Grade: D

Tight ends

Cade Brewer became an offensive focal point in the second half with five or six plays designed specially for the tight end. Brewer made a nice first down, the first of the second half for the Horns, on a quick bootleg pass from Ehlinger. But Ehlinger also attempted a 50-50 ball to Brewer down the sideline, which was ill-conceived. Jared Wiley snared one nice pass for limited yardage. Neither Brewer nor Wiley were plus blockers against the aggressive Cowboy defense.

Grade: C

Offensive line

No holes for running backs. Couldn’t hold up against the pass rush. A butt snap from Derek Kerstetter and three procedure penalties. Sure, Oklahoma State has a staunch defense. But the Texas OL looked overwhelmed at times, especially in pass protection. Texas was lucky to get out of Stillwater with a win in large part because the Texas OL was so underwhelming. It was truly ugly.

Grade: F

Offense

Much of the day was marked my offensive ineptitude. The Horns couldn’t establish a run game nor could they get anything sustained throwing it. Texas was outgained 2-1 by the Cowboys. Texas simply doesn’t have a go-to weapon that seems to work on offense. Rather it’s an accumulation of players and not really an identity. It was ugly. Except for two fourth-down plays, a two-point conversion and a sweet pass to Moore in OT.

Grade: D-

Defensive line

Joseph Ossai was clearly the player of the game, with three sacks, seven tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and leading the team with 12 total tackles. That’s an incredible stat line. Simply unreal and perhaps one of the best I’ve ever seen from a Texas player. While relatively less impressive, Ta'Quon Graham also had a whale of a game. The senior had a sack, 3.5 tackles for loss and a big fumble recovery. T'Vondre Sweat and Moro Ojomo helped anchor the line and limit the Cowboys’ strong rushing attack. Keondre Coburn did not register a tackle but anchored the middle well. Alfred Collins was used more sparingly, while Texas used Jacoby Jones more liberally as an outside rusher. Jones recovered a fumble early and recorded a sack, too. If any position group determined the outcome of this game, it’s the Texas DL.

Grade: A+

Linebackers

Juwan Mitchell and DeMarvion Overshown have officially arrived as the team’s two starting linebackers. Gone is the frequent substitution of others. Mitchell continues to play the game like his hair is on fire. While he’s far from perfect, his combo of quickness, physicality and determination make him a big piece of the team’s defense. Overshown continues to grow into the position. He almost picked off one pass and is getting better against the run. Overshown’s forced fumble put Texas in business on its final possession of the fourth quarter in a critical situation.

Grade: B

Secondary

Jalen Green, Josh Thompson and D'Shawn Jamison were all flagged for big penalties. The corners had real problems matching up against Oklahoma State’s Tylan Wallace. Even so, the corners all seemed to be in good position most of the day. However, the secondary had some issues in the red zone. Chris Adimora vacated his responsibility on one TD and Caden Sterns ran into his own man on another. Green’s INT was a bright spot as was the tackling overall. Texas did not allow a ton of yards after the catch and never really got beat for a huge play, limiting the explosive Oklahoma State offense.

Grade: C-

Defense

Four turnovers. Five sacks. 12 tackles for loss. Despite allowing more than 500 yards, the Texas defense did what it took to emerge victorious. Hats off to Ossai and Graham up front. They both played their best games as Longhorns. Others, like Overshown and Mitchell, chipped in and the secondary held up better as the game progressed.

Grade: B+

Special teams

Ryan Bujcevski punted nine times with an average of 47.1 yards. That’s the most consistent production of his career. Furthermore, he handled a poor snap on a field goal attempt near the end of the first half. But most will remember Jamison’s kick return as a game changer. And rightly so. Jamison erased a two-score lead with a 100-yard kick return and put Texas right back into the contest when things looked most bleak. The long missed extra point by Dicker was covered by a successful two-point conversion later.

Grade: A-

 

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55 minutes ago, satyanash said:

 

tldr;

Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend (Now what?)

1 ) I wonder if I have any twinkies left

2 ) Oh well, I still have my bags of halloween candy I bought and then didn't hand out.

3 ) Plus the candy I was able to take from people who just left out unwatched bowls.

4 ) Oh wait, I ate all that for dinner last night.

5 ) I hope I have enough chicken fried bacon for breakfast

6 ) I need to post a defense of Herman with one of my sock accounts to start a debate.

7 ) damn, what was the password for sock account #6?

8 ) Must remember to buy a keyboard with bigger keys, as this one is becoming tkoo sdm,asl;l;

9 ) Note to self, log into sock account #12 and complement my clever acronym for Coach Urban Meyer.

10 ) Is the McRibb back yet?

Edited by Viper
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