Stillwater, Okla. ? Oklahoma State safety Andre Sexton remembers the first time he was presented with the opportunity to tackle Texas A&M running back Jorvorskie Lane.

He was named to the South team for the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Game, and the massive running back from Lufkin was on the North team.

“It seems like he got the better of me,” Sexton recalled Monday at Oklahoma State’s weekly media day. “He got me with the stiff arm. … I need to pay him back.”

With Lane and the Aggies (4-1, 1-0 Big 12) next on the schedule, Sexton and the Cowboys (3-2, 1-0) are preparing this week for a change of pace from the past three weeks, when they’ve faced spread offenses that have heavily emphasized the pass. The Aggies average 267.8 yards rushing to rank fifth in the nation in that category, three spots ahead of Oklahoma State.

The teams, who will also be playing for the early lead in the Big 12 South today, rank first and second in the conference in rushing.

“I guess that’s the strong point of their offense,” Sexton said. “We’ve got to find ways to attack them and get after them early and try to keep the ball out of their hands as much as possible.”

Considering the approach the Cowboys’ past three opponents have taken, defensive coordinator Tim Beckman said it’s difficult to assess exactly where his team’s run defense stands. Troy, Texas Tech and Sam Houston State averaged 55 pass attempts and 434.7 yards passing against the Cowboys, skewing the statistics to the point that Oklahoma State ranks 117th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing defense – better than only two other teams.

“I was kind of looking forward to facing somebody that finally runs the ball a little bit,” said Sexton, who had a career-high 15 tackles in last year’s 34-33 overtime loss to the Aggies.

Beckman said the Cowboys’ own potent rushing game can help their defense prepare, although the Aggies use a triple option with Lane, running back Mike Goodson and quarterback Stephen McGee while Oklahoma State’s option usually uses quarterback Zac Robinson and only one tailback.

Regardless, the transition to facing Texas A&M’s run-first offense hasn’t been that dramatic.

“It still goes back to playing physical football. I don’t care if you’re playing the spread or whoever you’re playing,” Beckman said. “We’ve got to have a lot of people around the football.”

Coach Mike Gundy said he’d like to have the luxury of more depth at defensive tackle, where the Cowboys lost both their starters from last season – including Ryan McBean to the NFL. Instead, he’s counting on the relatively inexperienced three-man rotation of Maurice Cummings, Jeray Chatham and Tonga Tea Jr.

“The three guys that rotate will really have to play well this week because they’ll try to pound us inside,” Gundy said. “They’ll have to step up and have good games and be solid down inside to eliminate them from running the ball and eating the clock up.”

In a 34-10 win against Baylor last week, Texas A&M had the ball for more than 43 minutes – the most since the school started keeping track in 1985 – and ran 42 more plays than the Bears while amassing 352 yards on 65 rushes.

At 268 pounds, Lane provides a unique combination of brawn and athletic ability. He had a career-best 139 yards rushing against Oklahoma State in 2005, and was held mostly in check in last year’s game before making a 17-yard catch on fourth-and-13 that would lead to the Aggies’ tying touchdown.

“When you play any good offensive player, you have to do a good job of tackling and wrapping him up,” Gundy said. “He’s different than some of the other guys because he’s so big and physical and if you’re not careful, you can bounce off of him.”