Correction
A photo caption incorrectly referred to Oklahoma State’s defensive statistics in its last two games. The Cowboys have allowed 756 yards and seven TD passes. The defense has intercepted two passes in those games, against Iowa State and Texas Tech.

STILLWATER — After a four-week stretch of what seemed to be steady progress for the Oklahoma State defense, the Cowboys were shredded by the passing attacks of then-No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Texas Tech.

OSU lost 28-24 at Texas on Oct. 25 and 56-20 at Texas Tech last weekend. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Texas Tech's Graham Harrell passed for a combined total of 847 yards, with eight touchdowns against only one interception.

Combined, the Longhorns and Red Raiders completed 83 percent of their passes.

Have the Cowboys regressed to the level of 2007, when they ranked 101st nationally in total defense and 112th in pass defense?

Was Oklahoma State terrible at Lubbock, or would Harrell and his red-hot team have been comparably productive against any opponent on that given night?

"Seventy-five percent of it is that (the Red Raiders) are pretty good," Cowboy coach Mike Gundy said during Monday's press conference. "Once the ball got rolling and we couldn't stop it — sometimes that happens in college football. I'm going to say that (Tech) is a pretty good football team right now."

On Saturday, the 11th-ranked Cowboys (8-2 overall, 4-2 Big 12) play their final road game of the season. In a 7 p.m. contest televised by ABC, OSU faces the Colorado Buffaloes (5-5, 2-4) at Folsom Field in Boulder.

Since a 3-0 start, the Buffs have lost in five of their last seven games.

Fortunately for OSU, there is no McCoy or Harrell type of quarterback on the Colorado roster. Buffaloes coach Dan Hawkins is expected to start his son, sophomore Cody Hawkins, who ranks last in the Big 12 both in passing yards (147.2 per game) and pass efficiency. The other Colorado QB is freshman Tyler Hansen, who runs the football more effectively than he passes it.

Colorado is last in the Big 12 in scoring (19.4 points per game) and total offense (322.7-yard average).

For the Cowboy defense, Saturday's game is an opportunity to restore confidence. In 19 days, Sam Bradford and the prolific Oklahoma offense visit Stillwater for the Nov. 29 Bedlam showdown.

Before playing at Texas, OSU was No. 47 nationally in total defense. Since that loss, the Cowboys have dropped to No. 84 in total defense and No. 110 in pass defense.

"Graham Harrell was on fire. He found all the holes in the defense and he made plays," OSU safety Ricky Price said. "You just have to give credit to Texas Tech. They were really good.

"In order to win championships, you've got to learn to win on the road. The Big 12 has been unbelievably tough with all of the good quarterbacks."

Against Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech were a combined 18-of-23 on third-down conversions.

"(Texas Tech) is No. 2 in the country and a very good football team," Cowboy defensive coordinator Tim Beckman said. "But we did not play well. Anybody could see that."

Harrell and his backup, Taylor Potts, launched a combined total of 55 passes, but OSU did not record a single sack and was credited with only two pass break-ups. Additionally, Beckman said, OSU's tackling on short pass plays was "really poor."

Texas Tech was No. 1 nationally passing in 2005 and No. 3 in 2006. But when the Red Raiders faced OSU in those seasons, they managed only a combined total of four offensive touchdowns.

In the last two OSU-Texas Tech meetings, the Red Raiders rolled to a combined total of 14 touchdowns.

"Obviously, we'll play (Texas Tech) every year," Gundy said. "After the season, (OSU's defensive coaches) need to sit down for three or four days, see what's happening and try to correct those mistakes before next year."

DEFENSE UPDATE