Photo via Michael C. Johnson, USA Today Images

By: Hunter Cooke

October 19th, 2016

The struggles that have ailed the Texas Tech Red Raiders in every single year of the Kliff Kingsbury era haven’t exactly faded overnight. Their defense at least looks a little improved, but poor offensive line play is hampering all-Universe quarterback Patrick Mahomes and an absolute stable of some of the best wide receiver talent in the nation.

They’ll have their hands full to say the least when Baker Mayfield returns to Lubbock amidst a shower of tortillas, boos, and hopefully no heavy objects. Joe Mixon, Dede Westbrook, and Mark Andrews will also play a huge role as the Sooners will likely keep it simple against a Texas Tech defense that’s proven they can at least slow down the mighty offenses of Kansas and Kansas State.

Offensively, the Sooners have the capability to shred a Texas Tech defense that’s seen better days, just not recent days. Defensively, it all hinges on the health of Patrick Mahomes, and if his offensive line can keep him upright, a task that becomes more difficult when stud sophomore offensive lineman Justin Murphy’s one half suspension for a targeting call gets factored in. Demarcus Felton has shown himself to be a very capable running back, but the holes just aren’t there.

The Red Raiders chalked up only ten points against a stout WVU defense in meaningful playing time last week. The 3-3-5 of the Mountaineers stymied one of the most prolific attacks in college football completely, sending Mahomes to the turf far more times than the ideal amount.

Every statistic in the world says that this turns ugly for Texas Tech. The Sooners have a balanced attack and a mobile quarterback, something the Red Raiders have seemingly had trouble with forever. Oklahoma sports a firm defense that might only need to make two or three stops to win the game. Despite all this, there’s still hope for the Red Raiders, and for once, it doesn’t rest on the shoulders of Patrick Mahomes.

The old football cliche is that the game is won in the trenches, which isn’t always completely true. Teams with subpar lines can make up for that weakness with rollout plays, misdirection and trap run plays, and sometimes simple zone plays that catch defensive linemen out of position can be godsends to teams that don’t block well.

If Texas Tech is to win this game, they’ll need a herculean effort from their offensive line. You can’t ask a defense that features a ton of underclassmen, a true freshman middle linebacker, and a defensive coordinator halfway through his second year (the longest tenured DC at Texas Tech in eight years) to hold a machine like Oklahoma’s offense to anywhere under 40 points. They’ll have to score some serious points to remain competitive with the Sooners, much less win the game.

It’s not out of reach for the Red Raiders. There’s still hope, although in the light of last week’s beatdown from West Virginia, that hope appears more dim than ever.