3 Things OSU Must Watch Out For Against Texas Tech

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are heading to Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday to take on No.14 Texas Tech. This is the second-ranked opponent in a row for the Cowboys, as they fell to Cincinnati last week, 49-17, to bring them to 1-6 on the season.

The Cowboys come into this game as a massive underdog as Texas Tech is a 38.5-point favorite to win. This, of course, is what the Cowboys are used to, as they haven’t been a favorite to win since Tulsa, which they ended up losing.

Texas Tech lost its first game of the season last week to Arizona State 26-22. The Red Raiders will be looking to bounce back this week, and with the weapons they possess, OSU will have to be prepared come Saturday, so this game doesn’t get out of hand early.

Three things OSU must watch out for:

Explosive Offense

On paper, Texas Tech has the best offense that Oklahoma State will play all season. They are currently third in the nation in offensive yards per game, as they average 517.9. They are also ranked fifth in the nation in offensive touchdowns per game with 37.

The Red Raiders do most of their offensive damage in the air as they average 302.7 passing yards a game on the back of quarterback Behren Morton. Morton, however, did not play against Arizona State as he was dealing with a right leg injury, which left freshman Will Hammond leading the team.

Hammond still threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns, though, so the Red Raider offense will be trouble no matter who is at the helm.

Aggressive Defense

The Texas Tech defense knows how to get the ball back for its offense. The Red Raiders are dangerous to throw the ball against as they have eight interceptions this year and 30 pass deflections. Three of those interceptions are courtesy of defensive back Brice Pollock, who leads the team.

The defense also has 11 forced fumbles in its first seven games and has only allowed teams to score over 20 points once this season. With the Cowboy offense struggling this year, this will be a tough defense to move the ball on.

David Bailey

The Texas Tech linebacker will have to be accounted for every play. Bailey leads the nation in sacks this season as he already has 10.5. He has caused teams to lose 100 yards combined this year because of it.

Bailey has also forced two fumbles and has 22 total tackles on the season. Oklahoma State will have to prepare for the senior linebacker, or else he has the ability to stop drives himself.