10 Thoughts On Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma

1. DeAndre Washington continues to run the ball with a purpose.

No matter the score, no matter the stadium, he continues to bring the wood. I really respect that. He's playing like a champ this season.

2. I don't think we're putting Patrick Mahomes in positions to be successful.

It seems like the only passing plays we're calling for him these days contain patterns that go over 10 yards. A huge component of the Air Raid is using slant and short routes successfully. The only short routes I see are dump offs.

3. Our OL has not been playing up to their capabilities.

We simply haven't blocked well up front minus LeRaven Clark. We have to get some protection against 4-man rushes.

4. Our defense will not be fixed overnight.

We all knew this coming in, but it's still funny to see how we (myself included) still think that somehow we're going to fix it in one week. David Gibbs is our 7th defensive coordinator in 7 years. That is an insane amount of turnover. Please, Texas Tech fans, give it time. Don't run off the most experienced DC we've had in a long time. It might not even be fixed next year, or the year after that, but Gibbs has earned our patience with his credentials alone.

5. Jah'Shawn Johnson and Nigel Bethel are playing well.

Bethel looked very good in deep coverage, and Johnson is opportunistic. These are both young guys who are going to improve a whole lot. I'll continue to be really high on these two until they give me a reason not to.

6. Baker didn't beat us, but good lord did Perine and Mixon take us behind the woodshed.

That one-two punch OU has is ridiculous. I think each broke 5 tackles at least. Major props to them.

7. I don't like how our Offense disappeared today.

It wasn't just coaching and playcalling. There just isn't any fire there. Coaches can yell all they want, but ultimately it's on the players to execute, and we simply haven't been executing.

8. Tipped interceptions suck

Mahomes had 3 of his 4 picks come because of OU's front 4. I don't know if it's just a bad luck week, but it's not all on him. He did what he could against a ferocious Sooner pass rush.

9. We've played the consensus top 3 teams in the Big XII already,

and that will either spell our doom or our success. Will we fold, even though our only 3 losses are to top-15 teams? Or are we going to keep fighting and scrapping and make something of this season? All the games left on our schedule are winnable, especially KSU and OSU at home.

10. I'm ready to be back at the Jones.

We simply play different at home. Hopefully the blackout for OSU will fire up our crowd and players enough to get this win. One more win until bowl eligibility, which is what most of us predicted for this year. If we get one more win and make it to a bowl game, this season will be a success.