Oklahoma State Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Texas Tech

Oklahoma State football fell from the ranks of the undefeated at home last Saturday. Will it rebound and get back to winning ways against Texas Tech?

Instead of remaining among the early contenders for the College Football Playoff, Oklahoma State fell from No. 6 to No. 15 in the AP Top 25 after dropping their ranked showdown against TCU. Falling 44-31 at home, the Cowboys fell behind early in the Big 12 race as the Horned Frogs dominated the proceedings.

Now Mike Gundy’s team must dust itself off and prepare for a tough test away from Stillwater. Oklahoma State heads to Lubbock on Saturday to face a Texas Tech team that has opened the year 3-0 with wins over FCS Eastern Washington, Arizona State, and Houston. The Red Raiders will try to position themselves as a dark-horse candidate in the Big 12 race by taking down heavily favored Oklahoma State.

Texas Tech has lost eight straight to the Cowboys, and remain nearly a 10-point underdog despite being at home and despite the better record this year. Oklahoma State cannot afford a second loss in a row, while Kliff Kingsbury could quiet any questions about his job security with a big win. Squaring off in prime time on Saturday night, this Big 12 showdown between the Pokes and Red Raiders could be one of the most explosive shootouts of the young season.

Here’s how to watch Saturday’s game between Oklahoma State and Texas Tech:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 30
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Lubbock, Texas
Venue: Jones AT&T Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go

Keys to Victory

TCU managed to pull off the upset of Oklahoma State thanks to hard running by Darius Anderson, who had a career-high 160 yards and three rushing touchdowns on Saturday in Stillwater. The Oklahoma State defense won’t have to worry about that, as Texas Tech lives and dies by the pass. Instead, Cowboys defenders will need to shut down Nic Shimonek, who is averaging 416 passing yards per game in his first three outings.

Meanwhile, Mason Rudolph will need to be his usual prolific self at quarterback for Oklahoma State. He will need to pare back his turnovers, after throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble against TCU. Otherwise, though, Rudolph needs to keep doing what put him in position to rise up Heisman charts prior to the Horned Frogs loss.

For Texas Tech, it wouldn’t hurt to figure out how to get their ground game going against the Cowboys. After three games, Justin Stockton leads the Red Raiders with 196 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Some tough sledding by Stockton would open things up more for Shimonek and raise the possibility of an upset in Lubbock.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Sportsbook Review

Point Spread: Oklahoma State -9.5
Over/Under: 81

Prediction

As much fun as a second upset would be, Texas Tech is nowhere near as good defensively as TCU. The Horned Frogs won because they stifled Rudolph and the Cowboys offense. Kliff Kingsbury’s team will have a much harder time closing things down when they don’t have the football.

Oklahoma State is going to take an early deficit as Texas Tech scores on the opening drive of the game. It is the only time on Saturday that the hosts will hold the lead. Rudolph will throw the first of his four touchdown passes to tie things up, as he goes off for over 400 passing yards in the win. Justice Hill will have another 100-yard rushing day for the Pokes as well, getting at least one score on the ground in the process.

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The Cowboys will move to .500 in the Big 12 standings as they trounce Texas Tech on the road. Look for Mike Gundy’s team to cover the spread handily, as they blow out their conference counterparts. This one will be out of reach by halftime, and will only get uglier as the game goes on.

Final Score: Oklahoma State 52, Texas Tech 19