Oklahoma football: Sooners haven’t forgotten Texas Tech’s 2011 trip to Norman

It is highly likely the Oklahoma football team is going to get a heavy download this week about what happened around this time in October 2011 as it prepare to host Texas Tech on Saturday.

The all-time OU football series with Texas Tech covers 28 games. Only three of those games were played before the Red Raiders became members of the Big 12 in 1996.

The Sooners are 22-6 all-time in games against the Red Raiders and 19-6 in the Big 12. The two teams did not meet for the first time until 1992. They faced each other three consecutive years beginning in 1992.

The inaugural game in the series was played in Norman. They played in Lubbock two years later, and in between the Sooners faced the Red Raiders in the 1993 Sun Bowl. Oklahoma won all three games by an average score of 30.7 to 10.0.

The Sooners have dominated the series in games played at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, winning 12 of 14 games, including each of the past four. OU hasn’t fared as well in the games played at Texas Tech, but still has a winning record (9-4) in Lubbock.

Oklahoma has won its last nine games against Texas Tech, but it was the game between the Sooners and Red Raiders prior to the current winning streak that will be most remembered by fans of both schools.

On Oct. 22, 2011, Texas Tech (4-2) traveled north up across the Red River to face unbeaten and No. 3-ranked Oklahoma (6-0) in Norman. The game was scheduled for an early evening kickoff but was delayed for almost two hours by heavy rain and lightning.

When the game finally got underway, Texas Tech came out of the locker room much more ready to play than the heavily favored Sooners. Behind quarterback Seth Doege, the Red Raiders charged out to a 24-7 halftime lead, fueled by a 17-point second quarter, and stretched their advantage to 31-7 with another TD drive early in the third quarter.S

The Sooners entered the fourth quarter trailing 31-17. Despite a gallant 21-point fourth-quarter comeback attempt (sound familiar?), Oklahoma’s bid to avoid the upset fell just short, with the Red Raiders holding on for a 41-38 win.

Interestingly, OU kicker Michael Hunnicutt missed a 28-yard field goal with just under three minutes remaining that could have changed everything. Oklahoma was still trailing at that point, 41-31, but would score less than two minutes later on a 55-yard TD pass from Landry Jones to Jaz Reynolds, making it 41-38 with 1:10 left in the game.

That loss not only knocked the Sooners from the unbeaten ranks but snapped a nation-best 39-game home winning streak. It was only the third loss suffered by head coach Bob Stoops in 78 home games at Oklahoma.

The Sooners would go on to loss two more Big 12 games (to Baylor and Oklahoma State) that season and finish with a 9-3 overall record, including a win over Iowa in the Insight Bowl.