What to Watch For Against Texas Tech

Oklahoma State will face what could be their toughest matchup of the season on Saturday in Lubbock as they look to defend their perfect record. In order to do so, here are four things that will have to favor the Cowboys in the game to steal a win in Lubbock.

4. Wide Receiver Play

Jhajuan Seales is likely in the dog house for this one, which means there’s a good chance we see a heavier dose of Chris Lacy and maybe Jalen McCleskey. McCleskey has been increasingly more involved in the past two weeks offensively, specifically in jet sweep and misdirection, and it will be interesting if they continue that theme again this week in Lubbock.

3. Hot start

Texas Tech followed up a lax performance in Lawrence two weeks ago with another loss in which they got their doors blown off in Norman last weekend. Both games provided less than stellar starts, and Kingsbury acknowledges as much. “Just need to start faster,” he told Fox Sports. “You know, there’s no recipe for that, just got to do it as a team and work on it at practice and try to get better at it.”

For Oklahoma State, a fast start would do wonders to stymie what will likely be a big Texas Tech crowd. Keeping the fans out of the game and putting this one away early would not only be a boost of confidence, but also a big resume builder for those still in doubt of what this team can accomplish.

2. Line play

Both sides of the line will be big aspects to watch in this matchup. Texas Tech is absolutely horrid at defending the run (124th in the nation), and Oklahoma State hasn’t necessarily been able to get things going; although they appeared functional last week against Kansas, for what it’s worth.

On the other side, Texas Tech’s usually stout offensive line has had some run ins with the injury bug, but running back DeAndre Washington is your typical Tech scatback who can give the defense fits if you aren’t careful. For the Cowboys defensively, they’ll have a tall task of trying to contain both Washington and Pat Mahomes, who has proven to be a very elusive QB with an ability to throw and run well.

1. Quarterbacks

J.W. Walsh was BIG last week in homecoming, accounting for five total touchdowns in a blowout over Kansas. As the season has progressed, Walsh has really caught his groove and more importantly, his niche in the redzone. With the Texas Tech defensive line being somewhat suspect, Walsh may be called on frequently to put his legs to use and keep the defense honest.

On the other hand, Tech’s defense through the air hasn’t been much better, which means Rudolph will still be a big factor in this one. Tech ranks 114th in the nation in passing defense – which is slightly unfair given that they’ve already faced TCU and Baylor. There’s an opportunity in both facets offensively for Oklahoma State to take a big step forward on Saturday, and obviously the quarterback play will be a big determining factor in the outcome.