It happens Saturday, in a 2:30 p.m. Big 12 opener televised by Fox Sports Net.

The Red Raiders are No. 2 nationally in pass offense. The Cowboys are 93rd in pass defense.

For OSU to record a desperately needed victory, its defense must be significantly better than it was in road losses to Georgia and Troy. In those games, Cowboy coach Mike Gundy said, OSU had a combined total of 36 missed tackles.

With OSU having allowed 562 yards in the 41-23 defeat at Troy, first-year Cowboy defensive coordinator Tim Beckman now must formulate a game plan for Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell and dynamic wideout Michael Crabtree, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound redshirt freshman.

Harrell leads the nation in total offense. Crabtree has a share of the national lead in catches per game (12.7) and is No. 2 in receiving yards (179.3 average).

"If you were to tell me that before the season, I would have said, 'There's no way that will happen,' " Harrell said. "(Crabtree) is a really good player and he's made me a lot of yards, so I appreciate it."

The Troy spread passing attack is comparable to Texas Tech's spread offense, masterminded by eighth-year coach Mike Leach.

Gundy and Beckman insist their defensive schemes were good in advance of the Troy setback. OSU's demise, both say, was a simple matter of flawed execution.

"Guys have to do their jobs together and we have to coach them better. It's a family thing," Beckman said. "It's not the kids' fault. It's not my fault. It's not (cornerbacks coach) Joe DeForest's fault. We're taking it as a family and we all have to get it corrected."

Said linebacker Donovan Woods: "There is no confusion in knowing what we have to do. We just have to go out and do it."

Because Harrell gets rid of the football so quickly, it's nearly impossible to sack Tech's junior QB. Through three games, the Red Raiders have given up only two sacks on 178 pass attempts.

Still, Gundy says, it is important to at least pressure Harrell and disrupt his timing. And for that to happen, he adds, OSU must get stronger play from defensive tackles Jeray Chatham and Maurice Cummings.

"You have to be solid inside to stop the run game. And if you don't get pressure on the passer, anybody can throw a completion on you," Gundy said. "Our interior tackles, it's not all their fault. But we have to get more push."

Saturday's game sets up similarly to the contest played on Nov. 12, 2005, when the then-13th-ranked Red Raiders entered Boone Pickens Stadium as a 23-point favorite. OSU entered with a five-game losing streak. By season's end, the 2005 Cowboys would rank 95th nationally in total defense. But on that day, as the Cowboys prevailed in a 24-17 upset.

That Red Raiders had averaged 47 points and 541 total yards per game. Against OSU, Tech mustered only one offensive touchdown, had only 338 total yards and was 0-of-10 on third-down conversions.

In 2005, Tech attempted 42 passes. This season, the Red Raiders average nearly 60 per game. Cowboy cornerback Jacob Lacey expects to be directly challenged.

"You love that kind of a ballgame," he said. "You know you're going to get tested 10 to 15 times alone, by yourself. It's a good game to see what you've got personally."

Beckman's bottom line: "I don't like losing. I hate losing. Nothing good comes from losing."

Bill Haisten 581-8397
bill.haisten@tulsaworld.com

New route for The Walk

Because of construction at Boone Pickens Stadium, the Oklahoma State football team will alter its route for The Walk — the team walk that precedes every home game and attracts hundreds of fans.

The change takes effect Saturday, when the Cowboys host Texas Tech for a 2:30 p.m. Big 12 opener.

The Walk will still begin at the Student Union, heading north on Hester. But instead of turning east onto Athletic Avenue, The Walk will continue on Hester before turning east into the stadium’s south parking lot.

On Saturday, The Walk begins at 12:15 p.m.

Texas Tech at OSU

2:30 p.m. Saturday • FSN-27

Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater

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