Big 12 Conference foes collide in what
figures to be a competitive contest, as the 17th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys
host the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday night.
Texas Tech has won four of its last five games to move to 6-3 overall and 3-2
in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders have been idle for two weeks, as they were
last in action on Halloween when they knocked off Kansas by a 42-21 final.
While Mike Leach and his Texas Tech squad are already eligible for a bowl
game, they are just 1-2 on the road this season and need a victory over OSU to
improve their postseason prospects.
Oklahoma State enters this contest with a 7-2 overall record, including a 4-1
mark against Big 12 foes. The Cowboys have won six of their last seven
outings, including a 34-8 romp over Iowa State last weekend. In four of the
seven wins thus far, Oklahoma State has allowed 10 or fewer points.
"It will be a different challenge for us defensively, obviously, playing a
team that likes to spread and throw the ball quite a bit," said Oklahoma State
coach Mike Gundy, looking ahead to this week's game.
Texas Tech owns a 21-12-3 edge in the all-time series with Oklahoma State,
including a 56-20 romp over the Cowboys last season.
Under Leach, Texas Tech is always explosive offensively and this season's team
is averaging 40.2 ppg and 474.0 total ypg. The Red Raiders have 19 rushing
touchdowns to their credit, including 10 from Baron Batch, but the fact that
the club is averaging just 73.6 ypg and 3.1 yards per attempt suggests that
the ground attack has been a non-factor in most outings. Most of the damage
has been done through the air, as Taylor Potts and Steven Sheffield have
combined to throw 27 touchdowns while racking up over 3,200 yards. Sheffield
has a foot injury that will likely keep him out of action against Oklahoma
State, and it remains to be seen if Potts or Seth Doege takes most of the
snaps in his absence. Clearly, Sheffield has been the most effective Tech
passer this season. Detron Lewis leads a solid group of receivers with 43
catches for 625 yards and five touchdowns.
Opponents are scoring 23.4 ppg against Texas Tech, which is yielding 355.6
total ypg. The Red Raiders are allowing just 3.4 yards per rushing attempt and
9.7 yards per pass completion, two numbers that the coaches have to admire.
The Tech defense spends a great amount of time on the field because the team's
offense doesn't run the ball much, making the solid defensive stats all the
more impressive. Brandon Sharpe is a player to watch for the Red Raiders, as
he has recorded 10.5 sacks thus far.
Against Kansas last time out, Batch scored four rushing touchdowns for the Red
Raiders and finished with 123 yards on 17 carries. Doege, a freshman,
connected on 14-of-28 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown, but it was Potts
who took control in the second half. Lewis made five grabs for 87 yards and a
touchdown in the tilt.
"He's one of the most conscientious guys I've ever dealt with," said Leach of
Batch after the big game. "You know, he's ambitious, and wants things to go
well. But as he settles down and just stays within the parameters
of his job, he can be remarkably explosive."
The Texas Tech defense certainly deserves credit for limiting Kansas to 258
total yards on October 31st. The Red Raiders yielded only 71 rushing yards on
33 attempts, an average of 2.2 yards per rushing attempt. Also, the pass
defense limited the Jayhawks to 8.9 yards per completion. Sharpe had 2.5 sacks
in the tilt.
"I'm just thankful for all I'm blessed with," said Sharpe. "I just hope I can
keep on playing hard and more to come, you know. Trying to just work hard."
Keith Toston was sensational for Oklahoma State in the romp over Iowa State
last time out, as the tailback carried the ball 25 times for 206 yards and
three touchdowns. That made life much easier for quarterback Zac Robinson, who
connected on 19-of-24 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown with zero
interceptions.
"It's great to see all our backs and the offensive line play so well,"
Robinson said. "We felt good about our running matchup today and did a good
job using that to our advantage."
Defensively, the Cowboys limited ISU to 242 total yards and just one
touchdown. The run defense was outstanding, holding the Cyclones to 2.1 yards
per attempt. As for the pass defense, three interceptions were registered, and
three sacks were posted.
Oklahoma State is scoring 34.1 ppg this season, the fourth-best output in the
conference. The Cowboys are the top rushing squad in the league, as they are
posting 196.0 ypg at a clip of 4.5 yards per carry. Robinson, a senior, has
thrown 14 touchdowns with seven interceptions, and he has completed 65.4
percent of his passes. This offense was expected to be among the nation's
elite groups when the season started, but star wideout Dez Bryant was
suspended early on and hasn't returned, while tailback Kendall Hunter has been
dealing with injuries.
Oklahoma State is allowing 21.0 ppg to its foes, and the Cowboys are
surrendering 331.3 total ypg. While they have struggled a bit against the
pass, the run defense has been quite strong. Opponents are gaining only 94.0
ypg on the ground.
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