Oklahoma State 70, Texas Tech 53: What We Learned

[caption id="attachment_18685" align="alignright" width="300"]Photo by Ashley Wirz Photo by Ashley Wirz[/caption] Texas Tech lost a Big 12-sized shootout in Lubbock against undefeated Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders jumped out to a 17-0 lead early in the first quarter, but the Cowboys chipped away at that lead, took over in the fourth quarter and continued their overlooked march towards a conference title with a 70-53 win. The defense remains the biggest issue for Texas Tech. It was the highest scoring game in FBS this season. A hot start served Texas Tech well. The Texas Tech defense was solid early, forcing a stop and registering an interception in its first two drives. Oklahoma State only had 48 rushing yards in the first half, as the Red Raiders made the Cowboys one-dimensional for most of the first half and rode Patrick Mahomes to a 38-28 first half lead. Then the defense remembered who it was. Oklahoma State came out with J.W. Walsh at quarterback in the second half and he set the tone with three straight carries. It didn’t get Oklahoma State any points on that drive, but the rest of the half felt a lot different because of it. The Cowboys ended the game with 184 yards rushing. Walsh had 80 yards on eight carries and Raymond Taylor scored two touchdowns. The success on the ground opened up Texas Tech’s secondary. The Cowboys racked up 478 yards and five touchdowns through the air. Mike Gundy used the quarterbacking duo of Walsh and Mason Randolph to keep the Tech defense off balance in the second half. The Cowboys actually had three players throw for a touchdown pass because Austin Hays completed a 19-yard scoring completion on a trick play. The offense was back to its usual tricks. The defense gave up 70 points and nearly 700 yards, but the Texas Tech offense was impressive for most of the game. Outside of two bad decisions in the fourth quarter, Mahomes once again looked the part for the Red Raiders. The sophomore finished the game with 480 yards, four touchdown passes and two interceptions on 38-of-55 passing. Running back DeAndre Washington had 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but the most electric skill position player on the field was Jakeem Grant. The senior made a highlight run after a short completion to set up Texas Tech’s second touchdown and later added a kick return for a touchdown. His 210 all-purpose yards in the first quarter were the most in any quarter by an FBS player this season. The Red Raiders are now 5-4 on the season with all four losses coming in Big 12 play.