The Daily Texan talked to Joseph Fazio, sports editor of the O’Colly at Oklahoma State. Here is the conversation ahead of No. 12 Texas’ matchup with the Cowboys from Stillwater.
Daily Texan: (Junior) Tylan Wallace had a huge game last year at Texas. What does Tylan present as a receiver that turns him from a great receiver to one of the elite of college football?
Joseph Fazio: When you look at Tylan Wallace as a player, he has the ability to gain yards in the short-yardage situations, but also go for that deep ball. Last year … he absolutely lit up the Texas secondary, but he also was able to get those wide receiver screens, and with the ball in his hands going downhill is able to get those yards. That’s the difference that I’ve seen that makes him different from most wide receivers in college.
DT: Throwing him the ball is Spencer Sanders, the freshman quarterback. What have you seen from him so far as a redshirt freshman stepping into this role, and do you think he’s going to be the next great OSU quarterback?
JF: I definitely think he’s going to be the next great OSU quarterback. For a while, Mike Gundy’s offense has been the type of pocket passer situation, and this is the first year in a while (Oklahoma State) has had a run-and-gun quarterback, which I think with the type of offense (Oklahoma State) has is a little different than normal stuff at OSU. But seeing Spencer Sanders is being able to run out and get past defenders, it is good for OSU to have that different type of quarterback this year. Looking at the year that he’s had, he had a good start against Oregon State, he had a decent start against McNeese State, and watching him against Tulsa, there were some things to kind of look out for, specifically the deep ball. He is a freshman quarterback, that is probably one of those things he needs to work on.
DT: (Senior defensive back) A.J. Green last year had a great matchup with (senior wide receiver) Collin Johnson, (Green) had one of his best games of the season. How do you think he matches up with this year’s receiving corps, with Johnson returning?
JF: When you look at Texas’ receiving corps, it’s not just Johnson who can get the yards. It’s Devin (Duvernay), it’s Brennan (Eagles), it’s Jake (Smith), those are all guys who will be able to get those receiving yards. When you have a thin defense that OSU has … they have many people injured at the moment. … Specifically talking about A.J. Green, he has had a good season so far, minus the Tulsa game. They did leave a wide receiver wide open for a touchdown, and you can’t let that happen in college football. But going back to last season, it was his best game of his career in my opinion. Collin Johnson is 6-foot-6, A.J. Green is 6-foot-1, he’s going to have that same matchup this year.
DT: Going back to this OSU offense, (redshirt sophomore) Chuba Hubbard is the nation’s leading rusher. What has he done this season so far to get out to such a fast start?
JF: When you look at Chuba Hubbard, his speed and elusiveness is better than 99% of the running backs in college football. … He has that ability to look at the defenders coming, and make that decision. When you look at a running back like Le’Veon Bell, he has that type of intensity and wants to look at what’s ahead before he makes his starting movement. That’s the same thing Chuba Hubbard has in my opinion.
