After being upset by a Big 12 foe from Texas last weekend, the Oklahoma State Cowboys travel south to Lubbock to play another. This time, they’ll square off against Texas Tech, with kick off scheduled for 8:00 EST inside Jones AT&T Stadium. The game can be seen on FOX.
The Cowboys were the new name in town for a few weeks, and that all came crashing down with their loss to TCU. Mason Rudolph still looks like he could be the real deal, but his pair of picks and the four overall turnovers killed the Cowboys chances.
Still, they have an offense experienced and talented in all areas. They have a Heisman-contending QB, a few very productive RBs, and playmakers at wide receiver. If there was one Big 12 team for this offense to get back on track against, its last year’s 128th-ranked defense.
Texas Tech will hope to keep pace in a potential shootout. They surprised many by only allowing 24 points last weekend against Houston. They’re 3-0 right now and flying high with Nic Shimonek at QB.
They’re getting a lot of help from the run game, and even more from the monster year WR Keke Coutee is having. Ever since leading WR Jonathan Giles transferred to LSU, Coutee has taken up responsibilities as the No.1 target brilliantly.
Texas Tech will still come in as 10-point underdogs.
Texas Tech has done well to start 3-0, but consider last week’s defensive effort to be an anomaly. The good offenses will still pour it on them, and there remains a lack of an identity on that side of the ball.
Oklahoma State is a lot better offensively than even Arizona State was, and they put 45 on the Red Raiders. TCU at least had a secondary to combat Rudolph. Texas Tech doesn’t, resembling Pitt’s defense more than the TCU’s.
They were 125th versus the pass in 2016, and they’re still giving up plenty of yards through the air this season. They also don’t have the pass-rush (only 3 sacks) to take advantage of a Cowboys line that’s a bit thin right now.
Tech was able to cause five turnovers last weekend and has nine overall. This is what has kept them out of some trouble on the scoreboard. But Rudolph can pick apart a defense like this in a way Houston and Arizona State can’t, even if those schools have a couple of SEC transfers playing QB.
Tech will be able to keep up for a while, because the Cowboys defense is middling on all three levels. They’ve made strides in the trenches, but their secondary is still a big question mark with a lot of inexperience and shakiness at the corner positions.
But the Red Raiders could easily score 35 points or more and lose the spread handedly. Rudolph threw for just under 400 yards against them last season on only 28 passes, achieving his second-highest QB rate of the season. The only struggles he had were against Oklahoma and the team he played last week, TCU. So, expect his performance last Saturday to be of the one-and-done variety, along with Tech sudden prowess on defense.
The Red Raiders have made a habit of losing to the Cowboys, and don’t let last season’s close contest fool you. Tech still gave up 45 points to them, and this Oklahoma State offense has only improved since then. Don’t expect Texas Tech to come close to keeping up through four quarters.