Tech snaps OUs home streak

NORMAN, Okla. -- Seth Doege threw for 441 yards and connected with Alex Torres on three of his four touchdown passes, and Texas Tech snapped No. 3 Oklahoma's 39-game home winning streak with 41-38 victory Saturday night.

About 2 hours after No. 4 Wisconsin lost, a second top-five team went down on the first day of the college football season that really shook the rankings.

Doege carved up an Oklahoma defense missing three starters, guiding the Red Raiders (5-2, 2-2 Big 12) to their biggest win yet under second-year coach Tommy Tuberville. He pulled off a feat that Mike Leach couldn't accomplish in his 10 years in charge in Lubbock, Texas, and Tech became just the third team to beat OU coach Bob Stoops at home.

The Sooners are now 75-3 on Owen Field in Stoops' 13 years. Oklahoma State and TCU are responsible for the other losses.

Landry Jones ended up with 412 yards passing and five touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to rally Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1) back from a sluggish start and save its unbeaten season.

Doege, the nation's fourth-leading passer, had little trouble leading the Red Raiders up and down the field against the banged-up Sooners. Oklahoma was without cornerback Jamell Fleming, defensive tackle Casey Walker and middle linebacker Tom Wort because of injuries, and the offense didn't pick up the slack until it was too late.

Doege threw touchdown passes of 44, 30 and 11 yards to Torres to build up a 31-7 lead just over 2 minutes into the second half and the Red Raiders hung on from there.

After Jones' 22-yard TD pass to James Hanna cut the deficit to three, Aaron Crawford recovered an onside kick with 69 seconds left to seal the victory. The Red Raiders came bouncing off the sidelines to celebrate.

The win prevented Tech from losing three straight games for the first time since 1998 -- and in stunning fashion. The Red Raiders came in as four-touchdown underdogs playing on a field where, until last month's game against Missouri, no one but the Sooners had had even led for 20 straight games spanning back to 2007.

There hadn't been in many squeakers, either. Oklahoma's average margin of victory had been 30 points.

The Sooners were out of sync in this one, though, failing to get their high-powered offense into the fast-paced tempo that gives so many opponents trouble. They failed to get a first down throughout the second quarter, when Tech capitalized to score 17 straight points, and didn't click until it was too late.

With the lead starting to dwindle, Tuberville got into a gambling mood. Having already cashed in one fourth-and-1 for a touchdown, he went for it again from the 6-yard line and Crawford got stuffed.

Then he took another chance by calling for a fake punt on fourth-and-4 on Tech's side of midfield, and upback Jackson Richards got stuffed close enough to the first down that officials took a second look at the replay.

Oklahoma capitalized on the short field that time, needing seven plays to cover the 44 yards and get within 31-24 on Trey Millard's 3-yard TD catch to start the fourth quarter.

Doege had an answer, though. He led Texas Tech down for a 39-yard Donnie Carona field goal to bump the lead back to 10 and, after yet another Oklahoma three-and-out, Tramain Swindall got his left foot in for a 14-yard touchdown grab to make the lead 41-24 with 7:38 to play.

Oklahoma made it interesting after Jaz Reynolds' 55-yard touchdown grab but couldn't become only the ninth team in Bowl Subdivision history to win 40 straight home games.

This one was different even before it got started. A storm packing heavy winds, strong rain and lightning arrived just before kickoff, and fans were asked to leave the stands and take shelter on the concourses. The game got started after a delay of 1 hour and 35 minutes, and Texas Tech struck almost immediately.

Ben McRoy, who missed most of last week's game against K-State with migraines and a hip injury, returned the opening kickoff near midfield and Doege hooked up with Torres on Tech's fourth offensive play for a 44-yard score on a screen pass.

Oklahoma answered quickly with Roy Finch, starting in place of Dominique Whaley (illness), darting 55 yards on the first play from scrimmage to set up Jones' 15-yard TD pass to Stills. But after that, the Sooners' potent offense went silent.

The attack ranked fourth in the nation in total offense (547 ypg) and sixth in scoring (45.3 ppg) went three-and-out four times and four-and-out once in the first half. The other drives ended on a fumble by All-American Ryan Broyles and Michael Hunnicutt's missed 39-yard field goal.

Hunnicutt also missed a 28-yarder off the right upright with 2:52 left that proved critical.