Baker Mayfield finally plays Texas Tech as an opponent, but are both sides actually better off?

[caption id="attachment_19606" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Diana Porter Photo by Diana Porter[/caption] Texas Tech faces a familiar foe with a familiar face this weekend when the Red Raiders travel to Norman to take on Oklahoma and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield. Mayfield was once a member of the Texas Tech football team before transferring to Oklahoma over the summer. Mayfield has impressed for the one-loss Sooners in Lincoln Riley’s offense, but the Red Raiders are just fine at quarterback. Most head coaches would face criticism for letting go of a quarterback putting up the numbers Mayfield is putting up at Oklahoma, but Kliff Kingsbury gets a pass because of how well Patrick Mahomes is playing for the Red Raiders. The sophomore quarterback from Whitehouse has Texas Tech sitting at 5-2 on the season with the only Tech losses coming at the hands of TCU and Baylor. Mahomes is completing nearly 64 percent of his passes on 307 attempts. He is averaging eight yards an attempt, racked up 2,618 yards and 20 touchdowns to just six interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound quarterback is also showing he can be a dual-threat quarterback. Mahomes has six rushing touchdowns through seven games and is averaging five yards per rush. Mayfield, for his part, is making a case towards national awards. In over 100 fewer attempts, Mayfield has 19 passing touchdowns and is completing 67.4 percent of his passes. His 1,875 yards passing is fewer yards, but he’s averaging 9.87 yards per pass attempt. Oklahoma has also played one fewer game than Texas Tech. The two will battle on Saturday in a game that is important for several reasons. Oklahoma and Mayfield want to show that the loss to Texas was a fluke and that the Sooners are Big 12 title contenders and possibly contenders for a spot in the College Football Playoff. It is hard to imagine there isn’t a small part of Mayfield who wants to prove to his old team and coach that he could’ve been the future in Lubbock. The personal motivation probably isn’t as high for Mahomes because his road to starting quarterback in the Big 12 was less dramatic, but he’s likely aware of the narrative surrounding the game. This is a game likely decided by the quality of quarterback play and once the game starts, no one on either side will be worried about the history between Mayfield and Texas Tech. Texas Tech and Mayfield are better for the split, and that is rarely the case in a separation.