Oklahoma State Football: Grading the Cowboys' Game vs. Texas Tech

After the Oklahoma State Cowboys trounced the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Saturday, little could be said by either side. A 60-point difference in a game is a rarity in any sport, but especially in the Big 12. The offenses in the Big 12 are built to score, and the defenses are built to merely contain the bleeding.

However, on Saturday, the Cowboys did more than that. Their offense scored at will, accumulating 49 points by halftime, while their defense shut down the Red Raiders, not allowing a single offensive point to a team that has averaged 33.7 points per game.

No team has scored that many points on Texas Tech ever. But was it a perfect game?

Here is how the Cowboys measured up in each facet of the game.

Passing Offense

Senior quarterback Brandon Weeden had one of the best games of his career against Texas Tech. The Heisman contender went 31-of-37 for 423 and five touchdowns. He and backup Clint Chelf averaged 11 yards every time they threw the football and hit nine different receivers.

Weeden not only put his team on a dominant path to victory, but he also put himself into college football’s conscience as a clear Heisman contender.

The receiving corps also did its job, led by Justin Blackmon who had six catches for 103 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wideout Josh Stewart had a career day, accumulating 93 yards and two touchdowns on just two catches. Slot receiver Josh Cooper also played very well with six catches for 106 yards.

Much like the game itself, grading this area is too easy.

Grade: A+

Running Game

Sophomore running back Joseph Randle did what he’s done all season: score touchdowns. He gained just 78 yards on 18 carries but made the most of his time in the red zone, scoring three times on the ground.

Jeremy Smith also came back after missing last week with an injured hand. He didn’t get too many carries, as it seemed the coaches wanted to protect him from further injury. He ran for just 13 yards on five carries.

The biggest encouragement was true freshman running back Herschel Sims, who played for just a little over a quarter and made the most of his playing time. He ran the ball 13 times for 109 yards. Sims’ ability to rack up yards in a short time is comforting for the Cowboys’ future.

Grade: B+

Passing Defense

After a pathetic performance against Kansas State last week, the Cowboys had room to improve. They did much more than that.

The Cowboy defense allowed Seth Doege just 169 yards through the air and allowed just 3.9 yards per attempt. They also picked off Doege once and batted down numerous other throws.

I have to give it up to the Cowboys, especially since they held the Red Raiders to just half of their passing average for the season.

Grade: A+

Run Defense

Despite their reputation as a high-flying passing attack, Texas Tech did run the ball 30 times against the Cowboys, who held them to just 3.4 yards per rush.

Tech’s best performer was freshman running back DeAndre Washington, who ran 11 times for 47 yards.

After last week’s debacle against Kansas State’s rushing attack, it was clear the Cowboys came out determined to do a better job against the run. They succeeded.

Grade: A

Special Teams

On their second offensive drive of the game, the Cowboys were stopped on third down by the Red Raiders and forced to punt. That punt was muffed and recovered by the Cowboys, leading to the domination that followed for the rest of the game.

After scoring their fourth touchdown, the Cowboys kicked off to the Red Raiders, only to have two Texas Tech players muff the kick. Josh Stewart recovered the ball in the end zone, for his second of what would be three touchdowns.

Quinn Sharp didn’t punt much, but he’s used to it. He did hit a fourth-quarter field goal that could not have mattered less and went nine for nine in his extra point attempts.

Grade: A+

Overall

This was probably the most dominant win in the history of the Cowboys' program.

They played like the No. 2 team in the nation in every facet of the game, and they did it on the road in a place that has been tough for them historically.

Not to mention they went 10-0 for the first time. Ever.

Grade: A+