The Canadian Cowboy hit a snare on Saturday, fighting through an injury he sustained at the start of the second half against Kansas State.
Chuba Hubbard recorded six carries for 31 yards in his team’s 20-18 victory, his lowest offensive output of the season. He limped off the field early in the third quarter, which led to backup running back LD Brown taking the majority of the snaps for the rest of the game.
Brown flourished in the role, rushing for 110 yards on 15 carries with a long of 50 yards. The redshirt senior already had a 100-yard performance this season, rushing for 103 yards in a 27-13 victory over West Virginia at the end of September.
Oklahoma State struggled to establish their offensive attack early on, recording just 83 total yards and four first downs in the first half. Things opened up in the second half as Brown found room to work and receiver Brennan Presley scored a touchdown on a fly sweep.
The turning point at Bill Snyder Family Stadium came when Kansas State quarterback Will Howard fumbled into the arms of Jason Taylor with fewer than seven minutes remaining. The safety returned the ball for an 85-yard touchdown, ending a long drive for the Wildcats.
Saturday marked the first time since September 7, 2019 that Hubbard failed to reach ten carries in a game. The native of Sherwood Park, Alta. was coming off a season-low 72 rushing yards in last week’s 41-34 loss to Texas.
Despite what the score may seem to indicate, Oklahoma State’s defence actually played well last week against the Longhorns.
Chuba Hubbard involved in passing game as No. 6 Oklahoma State falls to Texas
Quarterback Sam Ehlinger passed for just 169 yards, while it took Texas 40 rushing attempts to reach 118 yards on the ground. The Longhorns scored 21 points off five Oklahoma State turnovers, while D’Shawn Jamison returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.
Canadian linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga led the Cowboys with ten total tackles in the game, bringing his season total up to 35. The six-foot-one, 235-pound defender also had a sack, increasing his total to 2.5 on the year.
Oklahoma State’s defence struggled to contain Howard at times, allowing him to pass for 143 yards and rush for 125. His biggest carry of the game came early in the fourth quarterback, going for 69 yards.
The loss to Texas caused the Cowboys to fall eight spots to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll this past week. Saturday’s win should see the team regain some ground, especially considering Kansas State was ranked as recently as a week ago.
Oklahoma State (5-1) is approaching a bye week before a game at No. 19 Oklahoma (5-2) on Saturday, November 21. The Sooners have rattled off four consecutive wins after a disappointing 1-2 start to the season with quarterback Spencer Rattler leading a strong offensive attack.
The extra week of rest will allow Hubbard to nurse his injury. Will he be ready to return for his team’s pivotal game in two weeks? Stay tuned to 3DownNation where we’ll update his status as it becomes available.
