Game Primer: OU vs. Texas Tech

¹⁰ Oklahoma

Texas Tech

October 28 / 7 p.m. CT / Memorial Stadium / Norman

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OPENING KICK

• No. 10/9 Oklahoma (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) goes for its 20th win in its last 21 Big 12 games when it hosts Texas Tech (4-3, 1-3) on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.

• OU has won each of its last five meetings against Texas Tech, averaging 50.0 points, 578.8 yards and 299.2 rushing yards per game during the stretch.

• The Sooners have scored at least 38 points in each of their last seven games against the Red Raiders.

• This marks the first time since the 2011 season that OU enters its game versus Texas Tech ranked higher in total offense or passing offense than the Red Raiders. OU ranks second nationally in total offense (584.6 ypg) and passing offense (382.3), while Tech ranks seventh in both categories (514.0 and 351.9).

• The Sooners registered their 14th straight true road win by erasing a 21-7 deficit and scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter of a 42-35 outcome at Kansas State last Saturday. Baker Mayfield finished with 410 passing yards and 479 yards of total offense, while accounting for four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing). Rodney Anderson totaled 194 all-purpose yards (career-high 147 rushing) and two scores. OU surpassed the 600-yard mark for the fourth time this season (619) and outgained the Wildcats by 207 yards.

• Texas Tech lost a 31-13 home game to Iowa State last Saturday. The Cyclones held the Red Raiders to 336 yards and 207 passing yards (Tech entered the contest averaging 500.0 total yards, 314.3 passing yards and a Big 12-high 44.7 points per contest on the season). Tech quarterback Nic Shimonek completed 31 of his 41 pass attempts (75.6 percent), but those completions averaged just 6.7 yards.

FOR THE FANS

• OU's annual Homecoming Parade is open to the public and starts Saturday at 4 p.m. at the intersection of Asp Ave. and Boyd St. The parade will route move east on Boyd St. and conclude near the Elm Ave. intersection. Former OU head coach Bob Stoops and his wife, Carol, will serve as grand marshals, and will be recognized on the field at halftime of the game against Texas Tech.

• Two hours before each home game, head coach Lincoln Riley and the Sooners will disembark the team buses immediately west of the intersection of Lindsey St. and Jenkins Ave. for the "Walk of Champions." A pep rally, conducted by OU Spirit, will be held 15 minutes prior to the team's arrival. This week's pep rally will be at 4:45 p.m. with the team arriving at 5 p.m. Fans are encouraged to cheer on the team upon arrival and watch as Coach Riley and the squad walk the final yards west along Lindsey St. to their locker room.

• Sooner Fan Fest will be held in the Rhyne Hall parking lot directly east of McCasland Field House. It opens at 3 p.m. off Jenkins Ave. and concludes at 6:30 p.m. Fans will have the opportunity to meet Boomer and Sooner and have their photos taken with the Sooner Schooner, the mascots and members of the OU spirit squads at the OU Marketing trailer. Other activities at Fan Fest include a live band, a jumbotron showing games from around the country and interactive booths. Food will be available from the following food trucks: Midway Deli, The Meating Place, Let's Go Greek, Phill Me Up Cheesesteaks, Kona Ice and Dippin' Dots. And the Sooner Radio Network (flagship 107.7 The Franchise) will be broadcasting live from Fan Fest with Toby Rowland, Merv Johnson, Chris Plank, Ted Lehman and Rufus Alexander.

FIVE KEY STORYLINES

• Oklahoma owns an 18-6 (.750) all-time record against Texas Tech and is 10-2 (.833) against the Red Raiders in Norman. In the Big 12 era, the Sooners hold a 14-6 advantage (9-2 in Norman). Tech's two Big 12 wins in Norman came in 1996 (22-12) and 2011 (41-38). OU's nine Big 12 home wins against Tech have come by an average score of 43-23.

• Texas Tech is the alma mater of OU head coach Lincoln Riley. A walk-on QB for the Red Raiders during the spring and summer of 2003, Riley spent seven years (2003-09) on former head coach Mike Leach's TTU staff in the roles of student assistant/offense (2003-05), offensive assistant (2006), wide receivers coach (2007) and inside receivers coach (2008-09). He also served as Tech's interim offensive coordinator and play-caller for the 2010 Alamo Bowl, a 41-31 victory over Michigan State. OU assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach Ruffin McNeill (2000-09), co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Bill Bedenbaugh (2000-06) and Sooners outside receivers coach Dennis Simmons (2000-09) also worked at Texas Tech under Leach.

• Quarterback Baker Mayfield played in eight games (seven starts) as a freshman walk-on at Texas Tech before transferring to OU. Mayfield was named the 2013 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year after throwing for 2,315 yards and 12 TDs with the Red Raiders (he completed 64.1 percent of his passes). In two games against Tech as a Sooner, Mayfield is 42-for-58 passing (72.4 percent) for 757 yards and nine TDs with one interception (efficiency rating of 229.8). Last year he threw for 545 yards and seven TDs (no interceptions) in a 66-59 win in Lubbock.

• After finishing fourth in Heisman Trophy voting in 2015 and third in 2016, Mayfield is off to his best career start in 2017. In six-and-a-half games (he did not play after halftime against UTEP), Mayfield is 149-for-202 (73.8 percent) through the air with 19 touchdowns and two interceptions. He is averaging 335.3 passing yards per game. Mayfield leads the nation with his 200.42 pass efficiency rating (next best among Power 5 QBs is 181.1) after last year setting the FBS single-season record with a 196.4 mark.

• Oklahoma has won the same number of Big 12 championships over the last 18 years (10) as it has lost home games. OU is 103-10 (.912) at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since the start of the 1999 season, with all 113 of those games sellouts. It is the best home winning percentage among Power Five schools over the last 18-plus seasons (Ohio State is next at .878). OU has outscored its opponents by an average of 42-16 in those games.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH

• Led by fifth-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury (28-29 record), Texas Tech enters Saturday's contest with a 4-3 overall mark this year and is 1-3 in Big 12 play. After a 3-0 start to the season, the Red Raiders have lost three of ther last four and two straight.

• The Red Raiders rank seventh nationally out of 129 teams in total offense (514.0 ypg), seventh in passing offense (351.9 ypg), 15th in scoring offense (40.3 ppg) and 64th in rushing offense (162.1 ypg). In Saturday's loss to the Cyclones, Texas Tech was limited to its lowest output of the season in points (13), passing yards (207) and total yards (336).

• Tech is led by senior quarterback Nic Shimonek, who averages 334.4 passing yards per game and has thrown 18 touchdowns against five interceptions. Junior receiver Keke Coutee serves as Shimonek's top target and averages 106.3 yards per game to rank second in the Big 12. He has caught a team-high six TD passes. Senior running back Justin Stockton powers the Red Raiders on the ground with an average of 70.7 yards per game, and has run for four scores.

• The Red Raiders rank 37th in rushing defense (134.9 ypg), 94th in scoring defense (30.9 ppg), 98th in total defense (426.1 ypg) and 126th in passing defense (291.3 ypg). Junior defensive back Jah'Shawn Johnson paces the team and ranks seventh in the Big 12 with his 57 tackles (8.1 per game), and has broken up four passes and forced a fumble.

LAST YEAR IN LUBBOCK

• In one of the wildest games in Oklahoma history, the Sooners and Texas Tech combined for an NCAA-record 1,708 yards (854 each), but it was OU that emerged with a 66-59 road win last October.

• Playing for the first time at his former school, Baker Mayfield turned in his best career game, finishing with a career-high 545 passing yards (nine shy of the school record) and an OU-record seven passing TDs (without an interception). He completed 75 percent of his throws for an average of 15.1 yards per attempt and 20.2 yards per completion. His 564 yards of total offense were eight shy of his own program record.

• Joe Mixon finished with 377 all-purpose yards, the most by a Power 5 player last year, the second most in OU history and the fourth most in the 21 years of the Big 12. Mixon, who scored five TDs, registered a career-high 263 rushing yards and 114 receiving yards.

• Dede Westbrook turned in a nine-catch, 202-yard, two-TD performance. It was the sixth most receiving yards in OU history.

• OU became the first team in FBS history to feature a 500-yard passer (Mayfield, 545), a 200-yard rusher (Mixon, 263) and a 200-yard receiver (Westbrook, 202) in one game.

• The Sooners' 854 yards of total offense were the second most in school history and just 21 shy of the program record of 875 (1980 vs. Colorado).

FOUR SOONERS NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS

• Quarterback Baker Mayfield, tight end Mark Andrews, offensive lineman Orlando Brown and defensive end/linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo were all named to the 25-member USA Today midseason All-America team last week. No other program had more than two honorees.

OFFENSE ROLLING DESPITE LOSS OF KEY WEAPONS

• Despite losing three highly accomplished skill players to the NFL Draft in the spring, Oklahoma leads the nation in yards per play this year (8.4) and ranks second in yards per game (581.7). The departed trio of Biletnikoff Award winner Dede Westbrook (1,524 receiving yards, 18 total TDs last year), Samaje Perine (OU's all-time rushing leader; 1,060 rushing yards, 12 rushing TDs last year) and Joe Mixon (single-season OU record of 2,331 all-purpose yards, 16 TDs last year) accounted for 5,447 all-purpose yards and 47 touchdowns last season.

• Last year the Sooners averaged 7.5 yards per play, the second-highest figure in school history (the 1971 team averaged 7.6), but this year's squad is averaging 0.9 more yards per play. OU's 581.7 yards per game this year are 26.9 more per contest than last season (554.8).

• OU has registered more than 500 yards in six of its seven games this year (490 at Ohio State in the other), and has racked up more than 600 yards in four contests. OU surpassed the 600-yard mark in four games all of last season.

• The Sooners' 10.6 and 10.2 yards per play four and five games ago versus Baylor and Tulane, respectively, rank as the fourth and fifth-highest averages in program history.

• Fourteen Sooners have already scored at least one offensive touchdown this year, two more players than all of last season. Eleven Sooners have made at least one TD catch this year, two more than in 2016.

IMPACT FRESHMEN

• Three of Oklahoma's top playmakers on either side of the ball are true freshmen. Running back Trey Sermon ranks second on the team by averaging 69.6 rushing yards per contest and by amassing five total touchdowns (three rushing, two receiving). Sermon has rushed for 469 yards (5.8 per carry) and has caught 10 passes for 88 yards (8.8 per reception). Over the last three games, he is averaging 111.3 rushing yards and 6.7 yards per carry.

• Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who last year as a high school senior registered 2,032 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns, leads the Sooners with four receiving scores and with his 18.7 yards per catch (among players averaging at least 1.0 reception per game). He ranks third with 21 catches and 56.1 receiving yards per game despite missing the final three quarters of the Oct. 7 Iowa State contest due to an injury. He ranks third nationally among freshmen with his 18.7 yards per catch and is on pace to break teammate Mark Andrews' freshman receiving TD record of seven in 2015.

• Kenneth Murray has started every game at middle linebacker and ranks third on the team with 39 tackles (5.6 per contest). He became OU's first true freshman in 42 years to start a season opener at inside linebacker (Daryl Hunt was the last to do it in 1975).

GETTING DEFENSIVE

• Oklahoma ranks in the top four in the Big 12 in sacks (third; 2.1 per game), passing touchdowns allowed (fourth; 1.3 per game) and total defense (fourth; 374.3 ypg).

• Senior defensive end/linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo leads the Big 12 and is tied for 11th nationally with 6.0 sacks (0.9 per game), paces the Big 12 and is tied for sixth nationally with three forced fumbles, and ranks second in the league with 12.0 tackles for loss (1.7 per game). He has 19.0 career sacks to rank second at OU among linebackers and tied for 11th among all players.

• Okoronkwo recorded at least half of a sack in each of OU's first six games and at least one full sack in five of those contests. He has at least 1.0 tackle for loss in every outing.

• Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Kenneth Mann ranks seventh in the Big 12 with his 0.5 sacks per game (3.0 on the year), while sophomore cornerback Parnell Motley is tied for fourth with two interceptions (returned one 77 yards for a TD against Tulane) and tied for fifth with seven passes defended.

NO PASSING FANCY

• Oklahoma has held 14 of its last 17 opponents to under a 60 percent pass completion rate. Over the last 12 games, OU opponents have combined to complete just 55.1 percent of their passes (200-for-363). Five of those 12 have been held to a mark below 50 percent. By comparison, OU has completed at least 60 percent of its passes in each of its last 17 games, and at least 70 percent in 10 of those contests.

EXTRA POINTS

• Oklahoma boasts one of the best big-play passing attacks in 2017. The Sooners have already completed 47 passes of 20-plus yards, good for a nation-leading 6.7 per game. The Sooners are also the only team in the country with two completions (and three plays overall) from scrimmage of at least 80 yards. Its three plays of 80-plus have been registered by different players (Abdul Adams 99-yard run at Baylor, Marquise Brown 87-yard catch vs. Tulane and CeeDee Lamb 82-yard reception vs. Tulane). OU logged just one play of 80 or more yards last season.

MORE MAYFIELD

• Baker Mayfield has thrown a touchdown pass in a school-record 33 consecutive games (every contest of his OU career). That's the second-longest streak in Big 12 history (Texas Tech's Graham Harrell had a streak of 36 from 2006-08). He's thrown at least two TD passes in a Big 12-record 20 straight contests (59 TDs to 10 interceptions during the stretch). OU's Sam Bradford held the previous league record for consecutive games with multiple TD passes (17 in the 2007 and 2008 seasons).

• Mayfield threw 21 TD passes between interceptions (from the third-to-last game last year and this year's Texas contest on Oct. 14). His school-record streak of attempts without an interception reached 200 (Jason White held the previous OU standard of 198 straight passes, all in 2004).

• Mayfield's 19 touchdown passes this year are the second most among quarterbacks who have thrown two or fewer interceptions (Ohio State's J.T. Barrett has 21 TD passes against one interception).

• Mayfield completed his first 16 pass attempts against UTEP (school record to start a game) in the season opener and his final 14 pass attempts at Ohio State.

EXTRA POINTS

• With a win against Texas Tech, Lincoln Riley would become the eighth Oklahoma head coach (out of 22) to win at least seven games in his debut season, joining Bennie Owen (7 in 1905), Bud Wilkinson (7 in 1947), Gary Gibbs (7 in 1989), Bob Stoops (7 in 1999), Jim Tatum (8 in 1946), Barry Switzer (10 in 1973) and Chuck Fairbanks (10 in 1967).

• The Sooners have won 19 of their last 20 Big 12 Conference games. Six of those 19 victories have been by a touchdown or less, three by 8-14 points, three by 15-21 points and the other seven by at least 28 points (six by at least 35 points).

• Oklahoma has scored at least 30 points in 16 of its last 17 games (its school-record streak of 15 games was halted two weeks ago in a 29-24 win over Texas).

• OU has lost back-to-back home games just once since the 1998 season. Those losses came on Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, 2014, to Kansas State and Baylor, respectively.

• The Sooners have scored a touchdown on their opening possession in all four Big 12 contests.

• OU has thrown 21 TD passes this season and is one of just 10 teams to throw two or fewer interceptions (it has two). Only three teams have thrown one or zero interceptions.

• Austin Seibert ranks sixth nationally by registering touchbacks on 80.8 percent of his kickoffs (42 of 52). He is 7-for-9 on field goal attempts on the season (5-for-5 the last two games) and has made all 37 point-after attempts.

OPENING KICK

FOR THE FANS

FIVE KEY STORYLINES

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH

LAST YEAR IN LUBBOCK

FOUR SOONERS NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS

OFFENSE ROLLING DESPITE LOSS OF KEY WEAPONS

IMPACT FRESHMEN

GETTING DEFENSIVE

NO PASSING FANCY

EXTRA POINTS

MORE MAYFIELD

EXTRA POINTS

Players Mentioned

Abdul Adams

Rodney Anderson

Mark Andrews

Marquise Brown

Orlando Brown

CeeDee Lamb

Kenneth Mann

Baker Mayfield

Joe Mixon

Parnell Motley

Kenneth Murray

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo

Samaje Perine

Austin Seibert

Trey Sermon

Dede Westbrook

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