Oklahoma football 2018 kickoff preview: Games 9 through 12
By Sixto Ortiz
After hosting the Kansas State Wildcats on Oct. 27, the Sooners travel to Lubbock, Texas, to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It is always rowdy in Lubbock, and if the Red Raiders happen to get hot and put up a fight against visiting Oklahoma, anything could happen. Add in the unpredictable West Texas weather, and this game can turn in unexpected ways.
Texas Tech, coming off a 6-7 2017 campaign, is not expected to fare much better in 2018, due in large part to the loss of senior quarterback Nic Shimonek, who was steady if not as spectacular as other Red Raider gunslingers of past seasons. Now that Shimonek is gone, enter junior McLane Carter as the latest quarterback to lead the Red Raiders.
Carter saw limited action in 2017, only playing significant minutes against Texas on Nov. 24. In that game, he went 16 for 37 for 237 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Not a stellar outing by any means, although Tech managed to win that one, on the road in Austin, no less.
Carter’s inexperience may prove an advantage that the Sooner pass defense, if it has found its stride by November, can exploit. In terms of running the football, the Red Raiders ranked 94th nationally in 2017, even as its passing attack ranked ninth overall.
Texas Tech remains a pass-first offense, and that may not change in 2018, in spite of Carter’s relative lack of experience. The Red Raiders are going to sling it all over the place, no matter who is at quarterback.
Even so, the Oklahoma defense gave up 113 rushing yards to running back Tre King a year ago, so Texas Tech enjoyed some success running the football against the Sooner defense.
Texas Tech is not known for fielding great defenses, and 2017 is definitely an example of that, as the Red Raiders finished the season ranked 105th nationally in total defense. So the Sooner offense, assuming it is functioning at its usual high level, should have no issue moving the ball against the Red Raiders.
Last season, the Sooners gained 336 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns against the Red Raiders, with Rodney Anderson and Abdul Adams leading the pace with 181 and 95 yards rushing, respectively. Adams has since transferred, but Anderson is back and Trey Sermon is more than capable of running the ball effectively against the Red Raiders.
If the Sooner defense is able to exploit McLane Carter’s relative inexperience and manages to not give up too many rushing yards, the Red Raiders will have difficulty moving the football in Lubbock. On the other side of the ball, unless the Sooner offense is flat struggling by that point in the season, the Sooner offense should be able to move the football and score plenty against Tech.
Prediction: Oklahoma 45, Texas Tech 17