Ahead of No. 20 Texas’ matchup against No. 11 Oklahoma State, the Daily Texan spoke with Daniel Allen, sports reporter at the school’s paper, The O’Colly.

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The Daily Texan: After Saturday’s 43-40 overtime loss to TCU, where would you say the program is?

Daniel Allen: You can’t get away with being one dimensional (on offense), and I think the bubble finally popped. I think they’re going to try to establish more of a run game, especially this week (after) finally losing a game. Against an experienced defensive line like Texas has, it’s going to be difficult to do. But I think it sets up for an interesting offensive approach for the Cowboys this week.

DT: Do you think quarterback Spencer Sanders is going to be able to play this week and how would his absence affect the offense if he cannot?

DA: I expect him to play … Oklahoma State is in a real pivotal state in its quarterback room. Oklahoma State does not have as much of a cushion in the quarterback room as it has had in (past) years. Quite frankly, if Sanders is in trouble, OSU is in a lot of trouble. But granted, I do expect him to play.

DT: With the departure of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles in the offseason, how different does Oklahoma State’s defense look this season?

DA: I’ll tell you what, (I’m) seeing a lot more 45-41 ball games rather than 24-21 ball games. It’s been good enough. It utilizes the “bend but don’t break” mentality phenomenally. It gives the offense a big enough cushion where it can win ball games.

DT: What are your impressions of the Big 12 race this season, and how do you expect the rest of conference play to shake out?

DA: There’s a lot of parity in the Big 12 this year. There’s no certain win on the schedule for anybody this year. I think that creates an interesting dynamic when it comes to the race, and I think you’ll definitely see a two loss team in the championship this year.