GAME DETAILS
WHERE: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
WATCH IT ON: ABC
SERIES HISTORY: Oklahoma leads 22-6. The Sooners have won nine of the last 10 matchups and have won nine in a row over Texas Tech. The Red Raiders last win in the series came in Norman back in 2011.
CURRENT FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK ODDS: Oklahoma -19.5, (OVER/UNDER): 66.5
TEXAS TECH OFFENSE VS. OKLAHOMA DEFENSE
OKLAHOMA OFFENSE VS. TEXAS TECH DEFENSE
What should we know about the Sooners?
Oklahoma is undefeated this season and has put together the first 8-0 start for the program since 2004. The Sooners got it started by beating Tulane (40-35), Western Carolina (76-0), and Nebraska (23-16) in non-conference play. Oklahoma carried that hot start over to the Big-12 season by stacking up victories over West Virginia (16-13), Kansas State (37-31), Texas (55-48), TCU (52-31), and Kansas (35-23). The Sooners have won 12 straight Big 12 contests, with their last loss dating back over a year ago to Iowa State.
Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley has the third highest winning percentage among active FBS coaches with a 53-8 record. In Riley’s first four years on the job, he’s won four Big 12 titles and made three College Football Playoff appearances. The Sooners are currently ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 poll.
The Oklahoma defense has been stingy against the run, ranking 20th out of 130 FBS Schools, while allowing only 111.9 yards per game on the ground. The Sooner pass defense has been a struggle this season (113th), allowing 273.4 yards per game through the air.
Oklahoma is 68th in total defense giving up 385.3 yards per game, and 60th in scoring defense allowing 24.63 points per game.
The Sooners are tied for 45th in the nation with 20 sacks this season and nine different defenders have recorded at least a half sack. The Oklahoma defense has been able to pressure and sack the quarterback while also generating a consistent presence in the backfield against the opposing team’s running game. The Sooners are 29th in tackles for loss per game with a 6.1 average.
Oklahoma’s 28th ranked passing offense has been inconsistent at times this season and forced Riley to bench Heisman favorite Spencer Rattler in the Texas game, handing the reigns over to true freshman quarterback Caleb Williams. The Sooners average 273.5 yards per game through the air.
The Oklahoma offense has run the football on roughly 52 percent of their snaps and is ranked 37th in the country in rushing offense, averaging 195.5 yards per game on the ground.
Oklahoma is ranked 8th in scoring offense putting up 41.75 points per game and 17th in total offense with 469 yards per game.
Three Sooners to keep an eye on:
1) Quarterback Caleb Williams
The former five-star prospect and consensus number one rated quarterback in last year’s recruiting class, was also named the Elite 11 Finals MVP and a MaxPreps All-American in 2020. Williams took over for the Sooners at quarterback while down 28-7 to the Longhorns and was able to complete the comeback and lead Oklahoma to a 55-48 victory. Williams impressed Riley enough in that contest to take over for Rattler as the new starting quarterback. Williams is a true dual threat QB, rushing for 838 yards and 18 touchdowns during his final season at Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C. Williams has added another dimension to the Sooner running game since being named the starter, with the true freshman signal caller gaining 224 yards on the ground and has 3 touchdown runs of 66, 41, and 40-yards. Williams’ arm talent is as impressive as his feet and has passed for 685 yards and 8 touchdowns while completing 72.4 percent of his throws over the last three weeks.
2) Running back Kennedy Brooks
The junior running back has rushed for 2,834 yards and has 27 touchdowns over the last three seasons. Brooks’ 6.2 yards per carry average this season is the eighth highest in the country for running backs with a minimum of 100 rushing attempts. The yards per carry average this year is the lowest in Brooks career, after putting up a 6.5 average in 2019 and 8.9 as a true freshman in 2018. Brooks opted to sit out in 2020 but has finished top 10 in the nation in yards per carry in his first two seasons and is on pace to do so again this year. The former freshman All-American running back was named to the All-Big 12 teams in during his freshman and sophomore campaigns. While Brooks is a force running the football, he hasn’t been much of a threat in the passing game with just 151 yards receiving over his career and has only 4 catches for 15 yards this season.
3) Linebacker Nik Bonitto
The Sooner linebacker was named to the preseason All-Big 12 Team and was a second team AP All-American and first team All-American by Pro Football Focus for his efforts in 2020. Bonitto was credited by Pro Football Focus with the nation’s top pressure rate (25.7%) and was also ranked first nationally among edge rushers in pass-rush grade (93.5) and pass-rush win rate (28.5%). Bonitto led Oklahoma in sacks a season ago with 8.5 and currently leads the defense with five sacks and two fumble recoveries. Bonitto is a quick-twitch athlete with explosive abilities. He’s able to accelerate and change directions quickly and when he engages with tackles on a pass rush, Bonitto’s athleticism stands out due to his ability to execute finesse moves and spins.
Analyzing the matchup:
The Texas Tech passing game has been somewhat held in check lately, with the offense falling below their season average in passing yards per game against both Kansas and Kansas State. Getting Erik Ezukanma and Kaylon Geiger going in the passing game will be key if the Red Raiders plan to pull off the upset in Norman. Oklahoma boasts a top-20 rush defense; however, the Jayhawks were able to put up 166 yards and two touchdowns on the ground last week. I don’t expect Texas Tech to run the ball another 30 plus times this week if they’re not able to establish success and could also have their hand forced by the scoreboard to be more aggressive in the passing game. The Red Raider offensive line will be crucial in establishing success, with the biggest strength for the Sooner defense coming from their defensive line. With guys up front like Isaiah Thomas and Perrion Winfrey, both having registered 4.5 sacks and a combined 14 tackles for loss this season, the Texas Tech o-line will have to be up to the task for the offense to find success.
KEY OFFENSIVE MATCHUP: Texas Tech's offensive line vs. Oklahoma's defensive line
The Red Raider defense has formed a bad habit this season of following up successful performances in slowing down the opposing team’s running game, with a not so lucrative outing. These Jekyll and Hyde, back-and-forth performances we’ve seen from the Tech run defense can’t continue this week if the Red Raiders are going to have a chance at slowing down the Sooner offense. Williams and Brooks are big plays waiting to happen in the running game, and with Tony Bradford, Jacob Morgenstern, and Reggie Pearson all expected to be out again this weekend, the task of slowing down the run could prove to be a tough one. Marvin Mims is among the top wide receivers in the Big 12 but has been held to just three catches over the past two games. I expect the Sooner coaching staff will view this game as an opportunity to get Mims going over the final few weeks of the regular season. With Oklahoma having Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff aspirations they need Mims rolling in their offense. Oklahoma is allowing 2.2 sacks per game and with Tyree Wilson emerging as a legit pass rush threat, the defense must find success in creating pressure around Williams to disrupt the Sooners passing game.
KEY DEFENSIVE MATCHUP: Texas Tech's defensive front vs. Caleb Williams and Kennedy Brooks