Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech

[HB Pony Dad]

No. 9 Oklahoma State
vs. No. 2 Texas Tech

When: Sat., Nov. 8, 8:00 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN360.com)
Where: Lubbock, Texas
Preview: Tough stretch continues for Tech



Oklahoma State at Texas Tech Matchups

Oklahoma State offense vs. Texas Tech defense

Oklahoma State's ground game has been one of the most productive in the country (fifth nationally, 273.6 ypg) and is difficult to defend for both personnel and scheme reasons. Let's start with the personnel. RB Kendall Hunter reads his blocks well, accelerates through seams and shows great balance in the open field, making it harder to bring him down than his 190-pound frame suggests. Behind him, Keith Toston and Beau Johnson provide great depth. At quarterback, Zac Robinson is quick and athletic enough to make the first defender miss. That group runs behind an experienced offensive line that does a good job of getting into position and sustaining its blocks. As far as the Cowboys' scheme goes, they will frequently spread the field with multiple-receiver sets to force the defense to replace a linebacker with a defensive back and to stretch the defensive front horizontally. In addition, Robinson runs Oklahoma State's option package well, so defenders must execute their assignments and tackle soundly.

Still, the biggest key to any running game is the ability of the front five to create seams, and this week Oklahoma State runs into a Texas Tech defensive line that is playing at a very high level. NT Colby Whitlock has been particularly impressive. Though he doesn't have great size or strength, Whitlock is quick enough to make plays in the backfield, he rarely gets caught out of position and he works from the snap to the whistle. He should force the Cowboys' backs to bounce more runs outside, which will give the rest of the defense more time to close in pursuit.

Even if Oklahoma State is able to establish the run, Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill should continue to play primarily conservative zone coverage for three reasons. First, such coverages will help limit the production of OSU's deep-threat WR Dez Bryant. Bryant is almost impossible to cover with one man, because he has the leaping ability, body control and strong hands to come down with just about any jump ball. Giving CBs Jamar Wall and Brent Nickerson help over the top with Ss Darcel McBath, Daniel Charbonnet and Anthony Hines will reduce the chances of Bryant making a play downfield. Secondly, dropping players into zone coverage allows them to keep their eyes in the backfield and puts them in better position to defend the Cowboys' option package. Finally, DEs Brandon Williams and McKinner Dixon are productive pass-rushers capable of beating Oklahoma State OTs Russell Okung and Brady Bond in one-on-one situations. The Red Raiders should have success getting to Robinson even when they don't blitz. Of course, McNeill will take more chances when Oklahoma State gets into the red zone and the field shrinks. Keeping all that in mind, Cowboys TE Brandon Pettigrew could play a big role this week. The 6-foot-6 Pettigrew is fast enough to get behind Texas Tech's linebackers and his size will cause matchup problems for the safeties.

Texas Tech offense vs. Oklahoma State defense

Texas Tech's FBS-best (424.6 ypg) passing offense has few, if any, weaknesses and it all starts with the pass protection. The Red Raiders' front five has done an outstanding job of keeping QB Graham Harrell upright, allowing them to consistently release four or five receivers into patterns. Harrell has returned the favor by getting the ball out of his hands quickly. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State has recorded fewer sacks (11) than any other Big 12 team, and its defenders will likely have to hold up in coverage for long periods of time. Texas Tech WRs Michael Crabtree, Detron Lewis, Eric Morris, Tramain Swindall and Edward Britton form one the deepest and most talented receiving corps in the nation, and Oklahoma State doesn't have the depth or talent at corner to match up, so that's bad news for the Cowboys.

Harrell is a third-year starter who understands the nuances of his offense, reads defenses well and stays poised in the pocket. He has done a good job of taking what the defense has given him this year, and if Oklahoma Sate tries to take the explosive Crabtree out of the game by rolling the coverage to his side of the field, Harrell will generally find one of his other playmakers.

The Red Raiders' commitment to throwing the ball and spreading the field has also made it difficult to slow RBs Shannon Woods and Baron Batch. There's little reason to believe that will change this week, and much of the reason is that offensive line. Texas Tech's 354-pound LG Louis Vasquez and 335-pound RG Brandon Carter have the size and lower-body strength to drive Cowboys DTs Tonga Tea and Jeray Chatham off the ball, which will make it easier to get a body on MLB Orie Lemon. With the interior offensive line getting good push and the spread sets stretching Oklahoma State's defensive front across the field, Tech should be able to create some seams between the tackles. While Woods and Batch don't have great size, they do have the burst and vision to exploit these seams. In addition, they are both effective open-field runners, so the Cowboys must take sound pursuit angles and tackle well. Finally, it's worth pointing out that the Red Raiders have already run the ball more times this season than they did all of last year. They can and will lean on the ground game more if they see the Cowboys consistently playing their safeties off the line and/or lining six men up in the box.

Key individual matchup

Oklahoma State QB Zac Robinson vs. Texas Tech SS Daniel Charbonnet

Oklahoma State frequently spreads the field with multiple-receiver sets and Texas Tech defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill has countered such looks by going to his nickel and dime packages. Charbonnet has lined up over the slot receiver at linebacker level in those situations with Anthony Hines at the traditional strong safety slot. As a result, Robinson must locate Charbonnet when throwing underneath out of these sets. While he lacks ideal closing speed, Charbonnet does an excellent job of reading the quarterback's eyes, and he isn't afraid to leave his original assignment to make a play on the ball, much like he did against Texas last week. In addition, playing Charbonnet closer to the line of scrimmage puts him in better position to defend the run, and he's a sound open-field tackler who should help limit Robinson's production on the ground.


Special Teams

Oklahoma State K Dan Bailey has connected on nine of 12 field goal attempts, and though he gets above-average distance on his kickoffs, he has missed his only two field goal attempts from beyond 49 yards. In addition, the Cowboys have been adequate at best when covering kickoffs, and Texas Tech return man Jamar Wall will try to take advantage. Wall is averaging 27.9 yards per return and he's got the burst to exploit any breakdowns in the coverage. Red Raiders punt return man Eric Morris is averaging a respectable 11.1 yards per return and returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown earlier this year, but he will have a tough time breaking loose this week. Oklahoma State fields one of the stingiest punt cover units in the nation, and P Matt Fodge, who is averaging 43.6 yards per punt, generally gets good hang time on his kicks. In addition, Fodge has placed 14 of his 21 punts inside the 20-yard line, and he's accurate enough to kick away from Morris if needed.


Donnie Carona, Matt Williams and Cory Fowler have all attempted field goals for Texas Tech this year, but that group has connected on just seven of its 13 attempts. Even more disturbing, Carona and Fowler have missed a combined six point-after attempts, and Williams is a walk-on who drew interest from the coaching staff following his performance during a halftime field-goal contest. Williams connected on the first two field goal attempts of his career last week against Texas, but the Longhorns blocked his third attempt and head coach Mike Leach turned to Carona the next time Texas Tech attempted a field goal. Carona answered the bell with a make from 42 yards.

Carona kicks off for the Red Raiders and is averaging 65.7 yards per attempt, with 18 of his 73 kickoffs ending in touchbacks. His inability to consistently kick the ball into the end zone is a concern this week because Texas Tech has not done a great job of covering kickoffs, and Cowboys kickoff return man Perrish Cox has breakaway speed. Cox is averaging 31.1 yards per kickoff return, and he returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown against Washington State in the season opener. Texas Tech P Jonathan LaCour is averaging just 37 yards per punt, and his cover unit has surrendered two returns for touchdowns, including one last week. Meanwhile, Bryant is averaging 19.2 yards per punt return and he has returned two for touchdowns this year. Don't be surprised to see LaCour, who has placed 9 of his 17 punts inside the 20, kick away from Bryant.

Scouts' Edge
Oklahoma State's potent ground game and superior special-teams play will help keep the score close early, but look for Texas Tech to pull ahead in the second half thanks to its defense. While the Red Raiders will give up their fair share of yards and points, their defensive front is playing well and should be able to slow the Cowboys' ground game enough to put Robinson in some third-and-long situations. Texas Tech's pass rush will fly upfield when this happens, and the Red Raiders are capable of getting to the quarterback without consistently blitzing. In addition, Ss McBath and Charbonnet have each intercepted five passes this year. They make will make throwing to Bryant a risky proposition when they provide safety help over the top. On the other hand, scheming to stop the balanced Red Raiders offense is like playing the game of Whack-a-Mole. As soon as you take away one threat, another one pops up.

Prediction: Red Raiders 35, Cowboys 27

[Stallion]

Category: What is worse than a weekend in Lubbock?

Answer: Two Weekends in Lubbock(ABC)

[HB Pony Dad]

Category: What is worse than a weekend in Lubbock?

Answer: Two Weekends in Lubbock(ABC)

You notice College Game Day set up shop in "Red Stick" Loseyanna this week!

Obviously the threat of "True Blood" sucking vampires was better than another weekend in Lubbock surrounded by Sand Aggies!

[indianmustang]

go TECH go

[Sam I Am]

OSU has such a balanced attack that they are deceptively good. Ask UT about having to play a perfect game to outlast the 'Boys. Tech peaked for the Horns. OSU to win.

[TheBestAvailable]

I'll take OSU in an upset.

Also, this is why I hate it when teams like Tech beat higher ranked Texas teams. They are nothing more than regional spoilers and cant get it done on a national stage.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

home field advantage should be the deciding factor in this game

[George S. Patton]

Get your guns up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBh4y5wKvR8

[kull]

Go OSU

[SoCal_Pony]

A Tech or Alabama lost means an extraordinarily undeserving PState plays in the NC game.

GO TECH….(at least until the Nittany Lions lose a game)

[Stallion]

I wonder how much money Tech has flushed down the toilet by not expanding their Stadium to 70,000 like they should have at a minimum 5 years ago. The Big 12 is 12 years old and Tech's stadium is only minimally larger than it was 12 years ago. As a 6th generation Texan I always root for Texas teams over foreigners.

2 BITS
4 BITS
6 BITS
A DOLLAR
ALL FOR THE RAIDERS-STAND UP AND HOLLAR

[MrMustang1965]

As much as it pains me to say it, GO TECH.

[orguy]

Go Pokes!

Hope OSU wins.

[HB Pony Dad]

To see the Classless Leech (who is also a sicko-phant of Donald Trump) go down will complete a very satisfying evening.

BC needs to eliminate the Fat Bass Tard as well...

and without saying the "Fighting Methodist" need to shut down the nocals!

In to my third Shiner Bock if you can't tell!

Almost totally forgot the Pony exhibition today!

[J.T.supporta]

I know everyone wants to see a Florida-Texas Tech NC game!!!