ESPN - Mark Schlabach
No one gave Texas Tech much of a chance of beating Texas, which the Red Raiders did in a stunning 39-33 victory Nov. 1.
A week after the Red Raiders defeated a top-ranked team for the first time in school history, no one gave them much of a chance of beating Oklahoma State, another highly ranked opponent.
But Texas Tech turned in its best performance of the season on Nov. 8, easily dismantling the then-No. 9 Cowboys in a 56-20 rout.
And now, with the Big 12 South title and their improbable BCS championship hopes on the line, no one is giving the No. 2 Red Raiders much of a chance of winning Saturday night at No. 5 Oklahoma, where they never have won under coach Mike Leach.
Leach, who prefers pirates and Geronimo to country clubs and fine wines, wouldn't have it any other way.
Even though Oklahoma has a more storied tradition and usually has better players, the Red Raiders have beaten the Sooners twice in the past three seasons. Last season, Texas Tech beat Oklahoma 34-27 in Lubbock, knocking Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford out of the game in the first quarter with a concussion.
Beating Oklahoma for the third time in four seasons figures to be much more difficult. The Red Raiders are 0-4 in games played at Oklahoma under Leach. The Sooners have a 59-2 record at home in 10 seasons under coach Bob Stoops and are averaging 50.2 points per game at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium this season.
Never before has Texas Tech played a game with so much at stake. If the Red Raiders beat the Sooners, they'll win the Big 12 South and guarantee themselves a chance to play Missouri in the Dec. 6 Big 12 championship game in Kansas City. Beating Oklahoma and then Baylor at home next week also would keep Texas Tech alive in the BCS championship race.
Texas Tech has to beat Oklahoma, which has never been easy, to accomplish any of it.
"It's tough to win there, you know?" Leach said. "They're a good team, and they're well coached. We can't worry about what everybody else thinks. We've got to focus on what we're doing and go out and do the best we can."
Leach said beating Oklahoma, which has won four games in a row since losing to Texas 45-35 on Oct. 11, is Texas Tech's biggest challenge so far.
"It's the same stuff as always," Leach said. "They're well coached. They've got great players and they're very explosive. Your margin for error is just very small. Whatever they're worst at doing, they're above average at doing compared to everyone else."
The game features three players who might be invited to New York next month as Heisman Trophy finalists. Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell has thrown for 4,077 yards with 36 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Red Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree has 78 receptions for 1,010 yards with 18 touchdowns. Crabtree also produced the season's most dramatic moment, catching the winning touchdown against Texas with only one second to play.
Bradford has completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 3,406 yards with 38 touchdowns -- two more than Harrell.
Oklahoma leads the country with 51.4 points per game; Texas Tech is third with 47.9. The Red Raiders are second nationally with 556.3 yards of offense per game; the Sooners are fourth with 549.8.
"I think it's the overall team," Stoops said of Texas Tech's improvement. "Mike's offense has always been highly productive, their defense has played well, and it's obvious, too, that their running game has been a big factor. I have always felt that has been a factor that no one really talked about.
"The overall success of the whole team has moved them into this position. I have never believed that you are winning on one side of the ball. It is the production of all areas."
Texas Tech's high-octane offense has struggled during its recent trips to Oklahoma. Leach, who worked under Stoops as the Sooners' offensive coordinator in 1999, lost his first five games against Oklahoma by a combined score of 202-79. The Red Raiders' offense was held to only one offensive touchdown in each of his first three games at Oklahoma.
The Red Raiders seemed to finally break through in their last trip to Norman in 2006, taking a 24-17 lead at the half. But the Sooners shut them out in the second half, and they missed two field goals in the fourth quarter of a 34-24 loss.
"Last time we were there, we led a bunch and let them off the hook," Leach said. "But they're pretty good at getting off the hook."
The Red Raiders will be aiming for a much bigger prize Saturday night.
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