Oklahoma Sooners fans might not want to hear this but the [autotag]Oklahoma State Cowboys[/autotag] are arguably the hottest team in the [autotag]Big 12[/autotag]. The Cowboys are winners of four straight after dropping two in a row and looking dead in the water.
But since their bye week, they’ve settled on [autotag]Alan Bowman[/autotag] as their quarterback and have made a concerted effort to give [autotag]Ollie Gordon[/autotag] the football. Gordon had 19 carries for 109 yards in their first three games combined. Since he’s averaging 24.4 carries for 195.6 yards per game. He’s leading the country in rushing yards.
Brent Venables spoke about the challenges of defending Gordon earlier this week.
“Ollie is just so powerful,” Venables said. “He’s got a nice spin move. He does a good job in pass protection. He mows down a lot of people in pass pro. His patience for a big guy is something that’s a little different. He’s not just power, he’s got speed. In the hole, he can make you miss. He makes a lot of people miss.”
Oklahoma faced an elite running back once this season. Texas Longhorns‘ [autotag]Jonathan Brooks[/autotag] is sixth in the nation in rushing yards. The Sooners did a pretty good job containing him for 129 yards and a touchdown with a long of 31 yards.
The key to this game will be similar to what it was for the Red River Rivalry. If they can hold Gordon under 150 yards like they did Brooks, the Sooners have a good chance of winning. But if the Sooners tackle or get pushed around like they did vs. the [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag], it could be a long day in Stillwater.
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