Three Thoughts on Texas Tech’s 51-48 Win Over Oklahoma
On a chilly Saturday night in Lubbock, the Oklahoma Sooners jumped out to a 24-6 lead in the first half but it didn’t matter as this turned out to be the Red Raiders’ night, as they won 51-48 in overtime.
The Sooners seemingly went cold for a second consecutive week after a blazing hot start, and this time around it cost them the game.
After the win, Texas Tech moved to 7-5 on the year and finishes in sole possession of fourth place in the Big 12 after going 5-4 in conference play, while Oklahoma finishes 6-6 on the year and finished 3-6 in conference play.
Here are three thoughts on the game and what it means for both teams going forward.
Oklahoma Squanders Solid Start on the Road
After getting out to an 18-point lead in the first half, it looked like Oklahoma might roll to a big win in Lubbock. However, if you’ve watched the Sooners play at all this season, you knew that this game was far from over when it was 24-6. The Red Raiders took it from there, as they went on to outscore the Sooners 42-24 the rest of the way and secure their seventh win of the year. Closing games in the second half has been an issue for the Sooners this season as they have found new ways every week to lose close games in the end. Texas Tech is the latest team to take advantage of the Sooners’ defensive struggles, and they are now fourth in Big 12 bowl priority, which means they will likely end up in the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
Another Texas Tech-Oklahoma Game Produces Gaudy Numbers
A few years ago, we saw Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes lead two offensive to historic numbers, setting an FBS record for the most combined offensive yards (1,708) in a single game. While this game didn’t quite reach that level of absurdity, it was a crazy back and forth game that saw two quarterbacks set career records of their own. Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough set a career-high with 436 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air, adding nine rushes for 44 yards. Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel meanwhile, had a career-high six touchdown passes with 449 yards through the air in his best game of the 2022 season.
Texas Tech Makes History
The Texas Tech Red Raiders did something tonight that they haven’t done since 2011 and that is beat Oklahoma. However, that wasn’t the only record that was broken with a win in Lubbock on Saturday night. In Joey McGuire’s first season at the helm for the Red Raiders, he defeated both the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners in the same year. That is something that no coach in Texas Tech history, not even Mike Leach, has ever done. Texas Tech is now 7-5 in his first season and has some real momentum heading into 2023. Now that TTU has secured the win over Oklahoma that Joey McGuire prophesized months ago, the folks in Lubbock can start the second half of that prophecy: get the stadium renovations underway.
