Tulsa World: Raiders simply outplayed O-State

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Raiders simply outplayed O-State

By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 11/9/2008 2:17 AM
Last Modified: 11/9/2008 3:20 AM

LUBBOCK, Texas — Texas Tech's fabulous offense has a chance to make any defense look bad.

It was Oklahoma State's turn to be picked apart on Saturday night.

The Cowboys showed signs of defensive improvement all season, but they had not seen anything like what Graham Harrell threw at them.

O-State simply could not slow Harrell, who may be rising to the head of the Heisman class, and the second-ranked Red Raiders ran all over the eighth-ranked Cowboys, 56-20, in a battle of top 10 teams at Jones AT&T Stadium.

"That's what it is all about, scoring touchdowns," said Harrell.

It was easily OSU's worst game of the season. The Cowboys were sloppy on offense and seldom slowed down Tech's high-octane offense. O-State found itself out of this game when it got in a three-touchdown hole early in the second half.

Now, OSU, with two Big 12 losses, would appear out of the South Division chase. But by winning one or both final games, the Cowboys would likely land in an attractive bowl perhaps the Cotton or Holiday. O-State will be favored at Colorado before a season-closer against Oklahoma in Stillwater.

Tech is on the verge of something huge. The Red Raiders have an off week before a trip to Oklahoma and back home for Baylor.

"We're 10-0 but we have two games left, and we want to be 12-0," said Harrell.

Texas Tech's offense is a thing of beauty when it operates at peak form, as it did against OSU. The Red Raiders were in full bloom, scoring touchdowns on seven straight possessions after losing a fumble to open the game. The Red Raiders gained 629 yards, averaging 7.9 yards per snap.

How good was Tech? The Red Raiders got 38 first downs and had to go to third down just nine times.

That is an amazing offensive game against the scout team, to say nothing of doing it against a nationally-ranked opponent.

The Cowboys were unable to get a decent rush on Harrell, who patiently found open receivers. He has never been better, especially against what was considered a credible defense. Harrell hit 40-of-50 passes for 456 yards and six touchdowns. Even in an era of crazy passing stats, that is a fabulous night.

Michael Crabtree, the nation's top receiver, put on a show. OSU simply couldn't cover him as he caught eight for 89 yards.

It didn't take much defense for the Red Raiders to get out on top. A couple of defensive stops in the first half was enough to stake Texas Tech to a 28-14 lead.

Then, Brandon Pettigrew threw away OSU's chance to get back in it at the start of the second half when he fumbled. Tech converted and a two-touchdown hole was now a 21-point lead.

"I thought we did a pretty good job (defensively)," said Tech coach Mike Leach.

It was exactly what OSU could not afford to do on the road. The Red Raiders, off to the school's best start in 70 years, were coming off an upset of No. 1 Texas.

The one thing the Cowboys could not do was give Texas Tech the momentum.

But, OSU's sporadic offense coupled with some awful defense was more than enough to deck the Cowboys.

In a game between two high-powered offenses, it was about getting a few stops. And, it was the Red Raiders who got a couple early in this game and put the Cowboys in a hole.

Every stop of OSU's offense was answered by a Texas Tech touchdown. That's how you get hammered by the Red Raiders.

OSU could not expect to come to Lubbock and win by scoring just three touchdowns. It lost three turnovers. Zac Robinson hit just 16-of-28 passes.

You have to keep pace with Tech. On the road, against a team on a roll, the Cowboys got in a hole early and it got deeper through the game.

The Cowboys showed no signs of being able to slow down the Red Raiders in the first half. Texas Tech lost a fumble on its first possession then dominated the rest of the first half for a 28-14 lead.

At the same time, OSU was not keeping up with the Raiders. Ace receiver Dez Bryant didn't get a catch until less than a minute remained in the first half.

The Red Raiders were methodical in picking apart OSU's defense. The scoring drives went for 80, 70, 97, 72, 48, 80, 96 and 74 yards in the 56-point outburst. By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist

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