Oklahoma at Texas Tech: One Big Thing

Final week’s Bedlam victory was large.

It confirmed Oklahoma can play for delight, that beating their in-state rival was necessary to the Sooners, that attaining bowl eligibility and sending off the seniors the appropriate method means one thing to them.

What about this week?

Texas Tech is not any rival, exterior of the Massive 12 Convention standings. Tech is the one with the house followers and the outgoing seniors. OU has already certified for a bowl recreation.

So what does this recreation imply to the Sooners? How necessary is it? Will they view one other tally within the win column as motivation sufficient to play with the identical form of fanatical effort they achieved on protection — or on offense within the first quarter — final week?

The Oklahoma protection performed possibly its finest recreation of the season, which was lengthy overdue. However the offense was like a firework — an entertaining, explosive begin, however then simply smoke and particles for the ultimate three quarters.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby got here out of his first Bedlam recreation greater than a little bit annoyed that it was a “completely different particular person in each single state of affairs. I feel that is possibly essentially the most irritating half. Whether or not it was some model of mesh or QB draw and we fall down, or we surrender a strain once we’ve received a man vast open, or we do not throw and catch once we’ve received two guys vast open, (or) we squeeze the ball and do not let it go once we’re alleged to. I feel that is essentially the most irritating factor is that it was anyone completely different each single time.

“Me placing us in a foul name on third-and-2 the place I believed it was gonna get manned (protection). It had been a ton of man, and it wasn’t. I used to be improper, they usually received me on that. It’ll begin and finish with me.”

Ted Roof’s first Bedlam recreation left a little bit completely different impression on the Sooner defensive coordinator.

“We performed higher,” he mentioned. “We performed very aggressive and, on account of some early success, I feel we gained some confidence.”

There’s an unknowable aspect in each school soccer recreation. However this week’s OU-Tech affair is on one other stage.

The Sooners’ inconsistency from week to week has been exceptional. However even OU isn’t in Tech’s neighborhood relating to being inconsistent.

The Pink Raiders are 5-1 at house, however as they’ve cycled backwards and forwards between three quarterbacks, first-year coach Joey McGuire has watched his crew take shut wins and shut losses and blowouts each methods.

Oklahoma is available in with the extra proficient roster, but when there’s ever been a case of “who desires it extra,” this recreation could be the last word illustration of that.