OSU football: The Six Shooter pregame thoughts on the Cowboys vs. Texas
STILLWATER — The Halloween edition of OSU-Texas is nearly here, set for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater.
And The Six Shooter is loaded, so let’s give it a twirl:
Cowboy in the Crosshairs
Safety Tre Sterling
Sterling is coming off one of his best games of the season with nine tackles and a crucial pass breakup late in the game. He will be key in both run support and pass coverage against Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger. Sterling has emerged as a valuable playmaker in the Cowboy secondary.
Matchup that Matters
OSU linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez vs. Ehlinger
These two are going to be meeting up on several occasions. Maybe it’s in the passing pocket, maybe it’s in a running lane, maybe it’s in the open field. The more Rodriguez wins that battle, the better.
Number to Know
6.5
Tackles for loss by Texas edge rusher Joseph Ossai, the Longhorns’ most dangerous defensive player. He’s quick off the ball and can be difficult to block because of his overall speed. He will find his way into the backfield if the Cowboys don’t know where he is at all times.
Against the Spread
OSU minus 3.5
The line moved up half a point this week, which isn’t much, but enough to signal that the smart people in Vegas are leaning toward the Cowboys. Seems like the right play, but expect this to be a tight game. On the other hand, the over/under has risen from 58 to 59, but the under seems like a safer position.
Uni-Guess
Orange-Black-Orange
This would be a situation where OSU might go back to the last uniform it wore when it beat Texas at home, but that was in 2018 when the Cowboys wore the Barry Sanders 1988 throwbacks. Unfortunately, they won’t be wearing those again. But Orange-Black-Orange is a sharp look, particularly with the chrome orange helmet and OSU logo.
1 Wild Prediction
Ehlinger’s rushing total will be less than 30 yards
The Texas quarterback has rushed for 293 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 58.6 yards per game, but with good QB pressure, look for the Cowboys to limit his total rushing yardage, even if he gets away for a few big gains here and there.
(Wild Prediction record: Season, 2-2; All-time, 5-38)
![Oklahoma State's Tre Sterling (3) celebrates a play during the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Iowa State Cyclones at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater last Saturday. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]](http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/large960_blur-715beedba2d371aae97b8940a4914d77.jpg)
![Oklahoma State's Tre Sterling (3) celebrates a play during the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Iowa State Cyclones at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater last Saturday. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]
Photo - Oklahoma State's Tre Sterling (3) celebrates a play during the college football game between the Oklahoma State University Cowboys and Iowa State Cyclones at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater last Saturday. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]](http://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/r960-715beedba2d371aae97b8940a4914d77.jpg)

A lifelong resident of the Oklahoma City metro area, Scott Wright has been on The Oklahoman staff since 2005, covering a little bit of everything on the state's sports scene. He has been a beat writer for football and basketball at Oklahoma and... Read more ›