Three Things to Know ahead of OSU’s Matchup against Texas Tech

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The No. 25 Cowboys are set to host the No. 12 Red Raiders in a late-night tilt in Stillwater.

Oklahoma State will look to break a two-game skid to Texas Tech while showcasing its shiny new offense for what could quite possibly be one of the last times in Stillwater. At least as the offense sits now.

The Cowboys only have one more home game after this weekend, a season finale against Kansas on Thanksgiving weekend. And with Drew Mestemaker continuing to pad his top-tier draft stock, this may be one of the last two times OSU fans get to see him at home.

But the more pressing matter is another possible last chance for OSU.

1. A Must-Win for Last Trip to Arlington

The Cowboys are not in the driver’s seat to what will be the final Big 12 Championship game. They got relegated to navigator duties when they dropped that heartbreaker to Iowa State a couple of weeks ago. But they can do themselves — and a handful of other third-place teams — a big favor by handing Tech its second loss of the season.

With the College Football Playoff expanding to 24 teams starting next season, there will no longer be formal conference title games for the Power Four conferences.

If the Cowboys want a chance to play out some tiebreaker scenarios, they have to win out and that includes taking down Tech. If the Raiders get the W in Stilly, they’ll put another arm’s length between themselves and the rest of the Big 12 pack.

2. More about Red Zone TDs

The Cowboys have actually improved over the last month at getting 6 instead of the 3 while in the red zone.

OSU scored six touchdowns on seven red-zone trips last weekend and went 4-for-4 the week before at Iowa State. It’s actually the Red Raiders who are having trouble getting across the goal line when deep in enemy territory.

Texas Tech ranks last in the Big 12 currently scoring TDs on 52.8% of red-zone trips (19 -of-36). In overall scoring percentage, the Raiders are 12th, scoring points just 83.3% of the time (30-of-36).

To help things even more for the Cowboys in this category, Tech ranks 15th in red-zone defense, allowing teams to score 86.7 % of the time (26-of-30), and 11th in opponent TD percentage at 60% (18-of-30).

The Cowboys are actually leading the Big 12 with 32 red zone touchdowns. It helps that they lead the nation with 53 red-zone attempts. Digging a bit deeper, the Pokes are scoring an abnormal amount of those red-zone TDs on pass plays as compared to running plays.

I guess that shouldn’t be a huge shocker with arguably the nation’s best QB and the No. 3 passing offense. OSU is tied for most passing TDs in the FBS with Miami.

Here’s a look at how Big 12 teams’ red-zone TDs are broken down.

3. Special Team Woes

One place the Red Raiders have struggled is on special teams, at least according to one metric.

Texas Tech ranks 134th out 138 FBS teams in special teams grade. For reference, the Cowboys are 49th. One reason for their low rating is that the Red Raiders have one of the more porous return defenses in the country.

The Raiders rank 16th among Big 12 teams in opponent punt return average (24.8 yards per return), and 134th of 138 teams nationally. In opponent kickoff return average (22.2), they rank 15th in the conference which is 135th in the FBS.

Those are both adversely weighted due to a 74-yard punt return last week against West Virginia and a 98-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown against Abilene Christian in the season opener.

Conversely, Oklahoma State is third in the conference in yards per punt return (13.5), but 16th in kickoff return per try (10.6 yards). The Cowboys have yet to make a return house call this season, but if there’s a team to do it against, that might be Tech.