Three Quick Takeaways From Oklahoma’s Overtime Loss to Texas Tech
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LUBBOCK, TX — Oklahoma lost an old fashioned Big 12 shootout to close the 2022 regular season.
Despite taking a commanding lead early, the Sooner offense sputtered late in the second quarter, opening the door for Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders (7-5) responded, outlasting OU (6-6) 51-48 in overtime at Jones AT&T Stadium on Saturday night.
Here are three quick takeaways from the loss:
Oklahoma Again Unable to Handle Early Success
For the second straight week, the Sooners took command in the first quarter.
OU out-gained the Red Raiders by 163 yards over the opening 15 minutes.
Oklahoma led 14-0 after the first quarter, and had Brayden Willis caught a pass on a fake field goal, it would have likely taken a 21-0 advantage into the second quarter.
The Sooners then generated more offense in the second quarter than last week at first.
Marvin Mims was left uncovered behind the entire Texas Tech defense, and Dillon Gabriel connected with him for a 77-yard bomb to extend the lead to 24-6 with 6:25 left until halftime.
Then, everything flipped.
Texas Tech’s offense found some life, driving right down the field to score.
Gabriel then threw a third down interception to set the Red Raiders up with great field position, and linebacker DaShaun White whiffed on an easy tackle, allowing Donovan Smith to walk in and cut the lead to 24-20.
Jeff Lebby’s offense stalled again just before halftime, and Joey McGuire’s team stepped on the gas.
The Red Raiders marched 77 yards in 48 seconds to nail a field goal right before halftime, cutting the deficit to just one single point with two more quarters to play.
Texas Tech completely erased the OU lead less than five minutes into the second half, taking a 30-24 lead to ensure it would be a hotly contested game for all four quarters.
Third Down Woes Continue
The past two weeks, Oklahoma’s offense has combined to convert on just 2-of-25 third down conversions against West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
Saturday night in Lubbock, the Sooners again struggled on the crucial down.
OU was able to get a first down on 7-of-18 third down attempts, and again Lebby’s offense struggled to pick up tough yards on third-and-shorts.
The inability to execute with a short field carried over into overtime, as the offense couldn’t punch it in to help the defense.
Defense Wears Down
After another fast start, the OU defense struggled to get stops as the offense sputtered.
Venables’ unit held Texas Tech to 31 yards on 14 total plays in the first quarter, but the Red Raiders kept the Sooners on the field for 35 plays in the second quarter.
As a result, the hosts were able to put together four straight scoring drives spanning the intermission to erase a 24-6 deficit and take the lead early in the third quarter.
The Sooners finally rallied to force a punt in the third quarter, bu the Red Raiders were able to put another 151 yards and 15 points on the board out of halftime.
From there, the OU defense was in survival mode.
The game rapidly entered shootout territory, as Gabriel and the offense tried to go blow-for-blow with the Red Raiders.
Cornerback C.J. Coldon made a big play late, picking off Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough in the fourth quarter, but OU had to settle for a field goal and a 48-45 lead.
Needing a stop to avoid overtime, the defense was unable to deliver.
Tech tacked on the needed field goal with three seconds left in the game.
Zach Schmit’s field goal miss in overtime meant the Red Raiders needed a field goal of their own to win, and the defense was unable to force a turnover or a miss to extend the game.
