The Sports Journal

Going into the Texas game, coach Mike Gundy said he thought his offensive line was only playing average, despite having paved the way for the No. 1 rushing offense in the Big 12.

Gundy said the o-line would face a much tougher test that would show just how good the group was when they went up against the Longhorns.

The line proved up to the challenge for the most part, giving the Oklahoma State playmakers enough protection to rack up nearly 600 yards of total offense this past Saturday.

“I thought they played well,” offensive coordinator Larry Fedora said of the linemen. “With the guys they were matched up against, I thought they did a really good job and put us in a position to win the football game.”

The line allowed only one sack, which Fedora said was the result of sophomore quarterback Zac Robinson’s missed assignment, and it was the first time Robinson was sacked since Troy in his first career start.

Yet the results weren’t entirely positive for the o-line. While the line gave Robinson the protection necessary for him to break the OSU single-game passing mark, running the ball was more of a challenge for the Pokes in the second half.

The Cowboys came into the game averaging 256.6 yards per game on the ground, but Texas held them to nearly 100 fewer yards as OSU finished with 164 rushing yards, the team’s lowest total since the season opener against Georgia.

“In the fourth quarter we weren’t effective running the football, and we needed to be in that situation,” Fedora said. “I think we kind of got wore down in a way, but I also think that Texas is good, and they stepped up, and they made the plays in the fourth quarter when they needed to, and we didn’t.”

Despite most of the line having to play nearly the entire game, senior lineman David Koenig said Texas, not fatigue, was the cause of the Pokes’ second half rushing struggles.

“We came out in the second half recharged and ready to go,” Koenig said. “But they made a couple of adjustments with their down linemen. We still did everything we could, but the unblocked guys were coming in and making the tackle.”

The offensive line will face another stiff challenge this Saturday against No. 4 Kansas, who has the No. 2 rushing defense in the Big 12, allowing just 77.7 yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry.

The Kansas defensive linemen are smaller than those of Texas or Texas A&M, Gundy said, but they make up for it with speed and rarely make mistakes.

“They’re not as big and physical, but those guys are playing hard,” Gundy said. “We try to get guys out of position all the time, and I don’t see them out of position a whole lot on defense.”

Leading the way for KU is senior defensive tackle James McClinton, who was placed on the watch list for the Lombardi Award, given to the nation’s top defensive lineman.

“In my opinion, he’s probably one of the best players in the Big 12,” Koenig said of McClinton. “He’s impressive: his quickness, his strength, his power and his relentless effort. He’s not going to quit. He’s going to come off [the block], and he’s going to make tackles.”

Fedora agreed that McClinton will pose a significant challenge for the offensive line.

“He’s a handful,” Fedora said. “He’s probably the best inside guy we’ve played up to this point. The lights come on for him and he plays extremely hard.”

Nevertheless, Fedora said he expects a strong outing from his line because of the confidence the Cowboy offense takes into every game.

“Our guys expect to move the ball; they expect to score points,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we face, and it doesn’t matter what the stats are. They know that this defense hasn’t faced us yet. Something is going to give, and hopefully it’s them and not us.”