An Introduction: Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech

TTU Pass Offense vs. OSU Pass Defense	TTU Rush Offense vs. OSU Rush Defense	TTU Pass Defense vs. OSU Pass Offense	TTU Rush Defense vs. OSU Rush Offense
424.56 (1,1)	134.78 (70, 8)	250.89 (100, 8)	98.67 (10, 2)
240.56 (92, 6)	116.89 (36, 5)	238.44 (38, 9)	273.56 (5, 1)
			Push

TTU Scoring Offense vs. OSU Scoring Defense	TTU Scoring Defense vs. OSU Scoring Offense
47.00 (3, 2)	22.44 (46, 3)
21.00 (39, 2)	45.33 (5, 4)

General Thoughts: Well, that's the first time that a team has the statistical advantage over Texas Tech. I gave both teams a push in the Texas Tech rush offense vs. the OSU rush defense because they are within 5 teams of each other in terms of national rank. I thought that seemed fair.

Statistical Interestingness:

• OSU is by far and away the most talented rushing team in the Big 12. Oklahoma State is 90 yards better than the second place team in terms of rushing yards per game. The one interesting statistic is that OSU is 1st with 5.70 yards per attempt while Texas Tech is 2nd in the Big 12 with 5.23 yards per attempt.
• Guess who has the highest yard per passing attempt average in the Big 12? YOu were probably going to guess 1 of 2 teams, and if you guessed OSU you're right. Oklahoma State is averaging a whopping 10.9 yards per passing attempt for the season. For comparison purposes, Texas Tech is averaging 8.6, good for 5th in the Big 12, which is pretty good, but it's not even close to OSU's numbers. If there's one thing to key on, it's that Oklahoma State is more than capable of the big play, which is a huge reason why that average is so high. Not to mention, the Cowboys and OSU are the highest rated passing team in the Big 12, again, Texas Tech is 5th.
• I think OSU is more susceptible to the run that we might think. For the year, OSU is giving up 116.89 yards a game, but there was a three game stretch earlier in the year that's making me scratch my head. Southwest Missouri State rushed 48 times for 173 yards (3.60 avg), Troy rushed 23 times for 144 yards (6.26 avg) and Texas A&M rushed for 184 yards on 30 carries (6.13 avg). Something happened after that A&M game because OSU has been pretty good after that. The next 4 opponents were Missouri (64), Baylor (42), Texas (113) and Iowa State (122), but the average on each of those teams was closer to 3.5 than the earlier 3 game span.
• I have this idea that OSU is this team that completely controls the clock, but Oklahoma State is only 3rd in the conference at 31:31:78, while Texas Tech checks in at 5th and a respectable 30:11:33. Surprisingly, Missouri is last in the conference at 25:24:11 in TOP.
• Oklahoma State and Texas Tech are #1 and #2 in the Big 12 in passes defended. Oklahoma State has 11 interceptions and 50 passes broken up good for 6.78 passes defended a game. While Texas Tech is right behind the Cowboys with 15 interceptions and 43 passes broken-up for a 6.44 passes defended a game. As maligned as the secondary is for Texas Tech, those are some pretty decent numbers.
• Oklahoma State is last in the Big 12 in sacks at a measly 1.22 a game and Texas Tech is still best in the Big 12, allowing 0.56 sacks per game. That's not very much pressure and for a team to beat Texas Tech, much like Texas, Oklahoma State has got to get some pressure on Graham Harrell.

   

	Result		Result
Eastern Washington	W, 49-24	@ Washington State	@, 39-13
@ Nevada	W, 35-19	Houston	W, 56-37
SMU	W, 43-7	Missouri State	W 57-13
UMass	W, 56-14	Troy	W, 55-24
@ Kansas State	W, 58-28	Texas A&M	W, 56-28
Nebraska	W, 37-31	@ Missouri	W, 28-23
@ Texas A&M	W, 43-25	Baylor	W, 34-6
@ Kansas	W, 63-21	@ Texas	L, 24-28
Texas	W, 39-33	Iowa State	W, 59-17

Ending Thoughts: If Oklahoma State doesn't scare you now, then I'm not sure what will. OSU is a wonderfully put together team with varied talents on offense to make you sick to your stomach. Defensively, I think this OSU team still struggles a bit, but they are certainly getting the job done, holding opponents to 23, 6, 28 and 17 in their last 4 games. That ain't bad.