Texas Football: 3 takeaways from overtime loss against Oklahoma State

3. The Big 12 has turned into a league filled with salty defenses

Over the past few years, the Big 12 has gained a reputation as a league driven by offense. Since the shift from the BCS era to the College Football Playoff, we have seen teams like Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech, and the Oklahoma schools find success on the strength of prolific passing games and formidable rushing attacks.

This trend is beginning to change this season, and that was evident in Austin on Saturday afternoon. Coming into the Week 8 contest against the Longhorns, Oklahoma State ranked first nationally in yards per game and second in scoring offense. Texas held the Cowboys 182 yards and 36 points under their season averages.

On the other side of the ball, Texas was stymied by Oklahoma State’s stout defense. The Longhorns found no running room as the Cowboys held them to just 42 rushing yards on 33 carries. Punters Michael Dickson and Zach Sinor combined to boot 20 punts, as both teams struggled to keep the ball moving on offense.

Next: Latest 2018 NFL Mock Draft entering Week 8

Both Texas and Oklahoma State are positioned to contend this season, thanks to their shutdown units. As a result, the Longhorns and Cowboys fell well below the 64.5 combined points projected by oddsmakers. Whoever emerges as the Big 12 champion this season, they will do so as much because of fearsome defensive play as because of overwhelming offense.