I want this one. Badly. Cannot stress that enough.
A winning conference record, something the last 3 coaching staffs couldn't pull off. The first 7-win regular season since Pat Mahomes was QB. And that's with the toughest schedule that we've played in a long, long time.
A win would almost certainly result in the best Big 12 finish for Tech since the conference last expanded. Would also keep you on track for the first post-season top 25 finish since 2009.
A win would result in a 6-1 record at home (the best in over a decade plus) and the first ever 2-0 season over OU and Texas.
I really don't know how anyone can argue with a straight face that the best season since 2009 is on the line tomorrow night. And that's in Joey McGuire's first year on campus with a revolving door at QB. We didn't exactly catch a million breaks this year.
If someone would've rattled off the things I listed above over the summer and asked if I would've signed up for it going into the OU game, I'm signing on the dotted line without hesitation.
It would give McGuire a lot of ammunition to sell in the off-season to targets in the transfer portal or future HS classes.
Like I said, this game is yuge. I want it so bad.
It's going to be really tough, though. OU isn't as bad as people might think. They still have a plethora of dudes that would start for us running around, including at the skill positions, their QB, and maybe their entire OL. That's not a great combo.
OU's run success rate is top 15 in the country. Their pass success rate is top 40 in the country. Winning will require one more A-grade effort from Tech's defense. I've been asking for one every single week and they've delivered more often than not, but we need one more.
This has been a tough year for us offensively. We are still sort of searching for an identity. Tomorrow would be a hell of a day to prove a lot of people -- myself included -- wrong. And the pieces are in place for that to happen. OU's defense can be had. Their defense under Venables has been very aggressive in trying to force sacks and negative plays. In fact, their front 7 leads the conference in terms of havoc plays forced per snap.
That aggressiveness has made them vulnerable on pass plays over the top or via explosive plays on the ground. It almost seems like the best strategy against our offense is to sit back and force us to go on 10+ play drives without screwing something up. But I don't think it's in OU's DNA to try that.
I really hate talking about the esoteric stuff that can't be measured or observed in any way. But I'm curious about how motivated OU will be to play in this one. Do their players want a 7-win season as badly as our players do? As badly as I do? I can't imagine that's the case. Joey's going to have our guys fired up. I'm positive of that. It's not even particularly difficult to get Texas Tech fired up to play a brand-name opponent like OU, even when they are in a down year. But McGuire knows what's at stake tomorrow. He's going to have our guys foaming at the mouth.
I'm flipping a coin on this one. I have no idea what to expect.
Texas Tech 31
Oklahoma 30
Ryan left it all out on the field in everything he did. In his honor, we bring you Fields of Gold, so that others facing bone cancer can keep on playing. A portion of proceeds from every case sold is donated to The Little Warrior Foundation.
The Little Warrior Foundation's mission is to fund & find a lasting cure for childhood cancer, with a specific focus on Ewing's Sarcoma.
https://shop.summerlandwinebrands.com/Shop/Fields-of-Gold
@Saynotobarefoot
A winning conference record, something the last 3 coaching staffs couldn't pull off. The first 7-win regular season since Pat Mahomes was QB. And that's with the toughest schedule that we've played in a long, long time.
A win would almost certainly result in the best Big 12 finish for Tech since the conference last expanded. Would also keep you on track for the first post-season top 25 finish since 2009.
A win would result in a 6-1 record at home (the best in over a decade plus) and the first ever 2-0 season over OU and Texas.
I really don't know how anyone can argue with a straight face that the best season since 2009 is on the line tomorrow night. And that's in Joey McGuire's first year on campus with a revolving door at QB. We didn't exactly catch a million breaks this year.
If someone would've rattled off the things I listed above over the summer and asked if I would've signed up for it going into the OU game, I'm signing on the dotted line without hesitation.
It would give McGuire a lot of ammunition to sell in the off-season to targets in the transfer portal or future HS classes.
Like I said, this game is yuge. I want it so bad.
It's going to be really tough, though. OU isn't as bad as people might think. They still have a plethora of dudes that would start for us running around, including at the skill positions, their QB, and maybe their entire OL. That's not a great combo.
OU's run success rate is top 15 in the country. Their pass success rate is top 40 in the country. Winning will require one more A-grade effort from Tech's defense. I've been asking for one every single week and they've delivered more often than not, but we need one more.
This has been a tough year for us offensively. We are still sort of searching for an identity. Tomorrow would be a hell of a day to prove a lot of people -- myself included -- wrong. And the pieces are in place for that to happen. OU's defense can be had. Their defense under Venables has been very aggressive in trying to force sacks and negative plays. In fact, their front 7 leads the conference in terms of havoc plays forced per snap.
That aggressiveness has made them vulnerable on pass plays over the top or via explosive plays on the ground. It almost seems like the best strategy against our offense is to sit back and force us to go on 10+ play drives without screwing something up. But I don't think it's in OU's DNA to try that.
I really hate talking about the esoteric stuff that can't be measured or observed in any way. But I'm curious about how motivated OU will be to play in this one. Do their players want a 7-win season as badly as our players do? As badly as I do? I can't imagine that's the case. Joey's going to have our guys fired up. I'm positive of that. It's not even particularly difficult to get Texas Tech fired up to play a brand-name opponent like OU, even when they are in a down year. But McGuire knows what's at stake tomorrow. He's going to have our guys foaming at the mouth.
I'm flipping a coin on this one. I have no idea what to expect.
Texas Tech 31
Oklahoma 30
Ryan left it all out on the field in everything he did. In his honor, we bring you Fields of Gold, so that others facing bone cancer can keep on playing. A portion of proceeds from every case sold is donated to The Little Warrior Foundation.
The Little Warrior Foundation's mission is to fund & find a lasting cure for childhood cancer, with a specific focus on Ewing's Sarcoma.
https://shop.summerlandwinebrands.com/Shop/Fields-of-Gold
@Saynotobarefoot
Last edited:
