Oklahoma State heads to West Texas this weekend for a difficult road test against Texas Tech, one of the most balanced and statistically dominant teams in college football.
The Red Raiders suffered their first loss of the season last week at Arizona State, a 26-22 setback that went down to the wire. Despite the loss, Tech remains among the national leaders on both sides of the ball and still firmly in the Big 12 title race.
Quarterback Questions on Both Sides
Texas Tech’s offense has dealt with injuries at quarterback. Behren Morton, the usual starter, has been limited by a lingering issue, while freshman Will Hammond started last week’s game and is expected to start again though Morton could be available.
Hammond adds a dangerous wrinkle with his quarterback run game, forcing defenses to honor both his legs and a deep group of skill players that includes explosive receivers and productive running backs Cameron Dickey and J’Koby Williams.
For Oklahoma State, interim head coach Doug Meacham confirmed that Sam Jackson V is expected to start again after last week’s encouraging effort against Cincinnati. Quarterback Zane Flores (shoulder) remains a question mark.
Cowboys Finding a Ground Game
The Cowboys finally established rhythm in the run game against the Bearcats behind an improving offensive line. Rodney Fields Jr. led the charge with 163 yards on 21 carries and a 20-yard touchdown.
That success will be harder to replicate this week. Texas Tech boasts the No. 1 run defense in the Big 12, allowing just 64 rushing yards per game even stingier than Cincinnati’s highly rated front.
Linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, the emotional leader of Tech’s defense, ranks among national tackle leaders and orchestrates a front four some analysts say is “better than Oregon’s” that OSU faced earlier this season.
The Tortilla Talk in Lubbock
A storyline off the field is the Red Raider fan base and its famous tortilla-throwing tradition. The Big 12 fined Texas Tech for delay-of-game and unsportsmanlike penalties after fans littered the field with tortillas during the last home game.
Athletic director Kirby Hocutt publicly asked fans to stop, though it remains to be seen how much that will deter the long-time Lubbock ritual.
Kickoff and Coverage
Oklahoma State (1-6) visits Texas Tech (6-1) on Saturday at 3 p.m. from Jones AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys will look to extend last week’s offensive progress against one of the nation’s most physical defenses, while Texas Tech aims to rebound and stay in the Big 12 championship hunt.