#5 Oklahoma routs #2 Texas Tech

Flying high since an upset of then #1 Texas, the Red Raider of Texas Tech ran into an oncoming Mack Truck otherwise known as the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday.  OU dominated the game in just about every way possible en route to a 65-21 victory in a game that wasn’t even as close as that lopsided score would indicate.

Oklahoma went on top 7-0 midway through the first quarter on a Demarco Murray 1 yard run.  That score would stand through the end of the period and certainly didn’t foretell the Sooner onslaught that was to come.  At that point, the best thing going for the home team was the way their defense was holding the potent Red Raider offense in check.

The scoring floodgates opened in the first minute of the second quarter when OU’s Chris Brown ran it in from three yards out.  Those were the first of 35 second quarter points for the Sooners who scored via the air on two TD passes from Sam Bradford (19 and 28 yards), along with another rushing TD for both Brown and Murray.  Tech’s Graham Harrell found Tremain Swindall from 25 yards out during the period, but it did little to mitigate the damage from the Sooner barrage.  When the smoke had cleared Oklahoma entered the locker room with a 42-7 halftime lead that they’d never relinquish.

The Sooners continued to pour it on in the third quarter, with Bradford connecting with Manual Johnson on a 66 yard pass play late in the frame.  Earlier in the quarter, Oklahoma got another rushing TD from Brown along with a Jimmy Stevens field goal.  Bradford would add another TD pass early in the fourth quarter before calling it day with his team up 65-14.  Harrell would put another TD on the board for Texas Tech in the final minute of play, though it did little to take the sting out of a 65-21 demolition.

The 65 point outburst by the Oklahoma offense isn’t even their biggest scoring day of the month—they put 66 points on the board last week against Texas A&M and kept their ranking as college football’s most potent scoring offense.  On the other side of the ball, the 65 points allowed were the most in Texas Tech football history.

Texas Tech will conclude the regular season next Saturday at home against Baylor, though a win against the 4-7 Bears will do little to improve the Red Raiders’ standing heading into bowl season.  Oklahoma will face a tougher challenge, traveling to play 9-2 in-state rival Oklahoma State.  Pending the outcome of next week’s action, Oklahoma, Texas Tech and Texas are all tied for supremacy in the Big 12 South with identical 6-1 records.