Oklahoma State beats Texas Tech to remain undefeated

It was evident early on in Saturday’s Oklahoma State-Texas Tech game that it would be a shootout. Oklahoma State was perfectly fine with that.

After the Red Raiders jumped out to a 17-0 lead, the 12th-ranked Cowboys stormed back to knock off the Red Raiders 70-53 in Lubbock and remain undefeated on the season.

The Cowboys put up a whopping 662 yards of total offense against an inept TTU defense, including nearly 500 yards through the air combined from Mason Rudolph (21/35, 285 yards, 2 TDs) and J.W. Walsh. Walsh, who played most of the tightly contested fourth quarter, attempted only five passes, but totaled 167 yards and two scores, including the game-sealing 73-yard deep ball to James Washington with under four minutes to play. He also added 80 yards and a score on the ground.

And though Walsh was in the ballgame when it mattered most, it was Rudolph who brought the Cowboys back from a deficit that was as large as 31-14 early in the second quarter. After shaking off an early interception, Rudolph led the Cowboys to touchdowns on four straight drives to end the first half, cutting Tech’s lead to 38-28 at halftime.

Both offenses were sluggish to start the second half, but OSU was jumpstarted by the speedy Jalen McCleskey, who returned a punt 67 yards for a score midway through the third. And after Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes (38/55, 480 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs) fumbled later in the quarter, the Cowboys took their first lead, 42-38, on a 28-yard touchdown run by Raymond Taylor.

The teams traded touchdowns on the next three drives, but the big turning point came when Mahomes, with Oklahoma State leading 49-45, threw a critical interception deep in OSU territory. Three plays later, Washington scored from 75 yards out on an end-around, extending the Cowboys lead to 56-45.

TTU cut the lead to three on its next possession, but Walsh’s long ball to Washington sealed the deal, which was later capped off by a pick six in the final minute to give the Cowboys the 70-53 victory.

The win sets up a huge battle with TCU in Stillwater next Saturday. TCU, also unbeaten at 8-0, dominated West Virginia 40-10 on Thursday night.

The stretch run for the Big 12 title is still completely wide open. Baylor is also undefeated at 7-0 heading into a Thursday night game at Kansas State. Meanwhile, Oklahoma, at 7-1, is also still hanging around in the race for the Big 12 crown with games against the Bears, Horned Frogs and Cowboys all still on the schedule.

November should be a wild month in the Big 12.