Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury spoke with local members of the media after Tuesday evening's practice leading into the contest in Stillwater with Oklahoma State...

-Kingsbury has liked how his team has approached this week of practice so far:

"It's been good. I think the energy was good today. With daylight savings, it gets a little cooler in the evenings and I know they enjoy that. They know it's a great opportunity (to win) in a place we haven't won in a long time, a team we haven't beat in a long a time, a ranked team on the road, and I think they have the right attitude."

-I asked Kliff about OSU defensive tackles Vincent Taylor and DeQuinton Osborne, who have been the best pair of DTs in the Big 12 so far this fall:

"They're loads inside, and even on special teams, the impact they have blocking kicks. They go hard every play, every snap, and they're hard to move, so it's been a challenge this week trying to figure out how we're going to handle those two guys."

-The head coach noted that he's really liked how sophomore DT Breiden Fehoko has come along in recent weeks and believes there's room left for him to become a dominant player for the Red Raiders next season:

"He's come a long way. When he first got here, he was all about power and the bull type of play. Now, he's really doing a better job of with his hands, understanding his gap integrity, and becoming a more complete player. I think even another year after this one, he'll really be a dominant force for us."

-When asked who had been standing out on the scout team defense, Kliff noted that defensive linemen Eli Howard, Ivory Jackson, Noah Jones, Houston Miller, and Kaleb Hill have all been having great practices and he's excited to get them into the fold in the spring:

"I know Coach Patrick is anxious to get them all out there and get them some real reps this spring."

-Kingsbury also went into more detail on Ivory Jackson, who now weighs roughly 270 to 280 pounds and has been getting after it at defensive tackle:

"He's really developed, put on a lot of weight, strong, fast. We're having a hard time blocking him, so that bodes well for the future."

-Kingsbury on how Pat Mahomes has practiced this week:

"Good. The best he's been throwing-wise. He's still not cutting it loose in practice like you'd like, but by far the best it's been since the injury, and hopefully that translates to playing good on Saturday."

-I asked Kliff if he thought Mahomes had been pressing some on offense, and if they've talked about that. He said that he believes the QB has for sure some, but also noted that other players on the offense needed to help him out some, too:

"We've got to have other guys step up and help him. He can't feel like he's got to do it all on his own. We haven't really had a lot of explosive plays in the run game and really in the pass game either. Teams are trying to keep it in front of them. He's just got to continue to take what they give us, keep with his fundamentals and techniques, and good things will happen."

-Kingsbury noted that teams backing off eight into coverage has been a big reason why explosive passing plays have taken a nose dive in recent weeks. He also said they've got to run the ball better in those situations, period.

"I think so, and I think when they do that you have to take advantage of that in the run game and spring some of those 15, 20 yard runs, and we just haven't. We've had some 2 to 3 yard runs, some 5 to 6, but when they're that loose in there, you have to get more than that."

-So why aren't they getting big runs on the ground in those situations? Kliff's thoughts:

"I think up front we're probably not moving bodies as well as we should, and running back-wise we're still with some young guys growing up, figuring it out, but it's something last year I really think we could've taken advantage of with that line and the running back. We've just got to keep growing, keep gelling, and hopefully this is the week that it clicks."

-The head coach on where he thinks things are at with his special teams:

"Some of those units that haven't improved, got to make some changes at the end of this deal, and hopefully we can bring in some players that can do a better job, whether it's the specialist or the cover units or the return units. It's something we'll look at, we'll continue to work, but until Saturday I don't know if it's going to be any better."

-Justin Stockton has gotten a few more touches in the last few games than he had through the middle stretch of the season. Kingsbury on why he thinks it's been hard for Stockton to make big plays this fall:

"I've really seen some development in the last few games that I've liked. Last year we were able to do some things with him and DeAndre in the backfield, and he took advantage of that. This year, teams have keyed on him in some passing situations, and we haven't run the ball as well as we would've liked, so I think it's just a combination of some of those things."

-Kingsbury on Derrick Willies and how the receiver is getting back into the swing of things:

"He's still getting back into it. He has some unique abilities at times, and he's got to obviously protect the ball a little bit better. But, he' blocking hard, he plays fast. I think he's going to be one of those guys very similar to a Westbrook at OU where that second year transition from junior college you really see that next step, and hopefully we can finish strong with him and go into the spring and have a great spring with him."