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The Texas Tech Red Raiders did a lot of things right in their Big 12 conference game at Oklahoma State Thursday night, but with a kickoff return called back and mistakes on several other plays, it was penalties that undid the Red Raiders’ chances at an upset as the Cowboys outlasted Texas Tech, 45-35, in Stillwater, Okla.
Texas Tech’s penalty totals looked like they should be the numbers for a running back who had a big night. The Red Raiders were flagged 16 times for a whopping 158 yards. Obviously, the first staggering number is the sheer number of penalties. Committing 16 penalties in a game (and those are just the ones that were accepted, remember) means the Red Raiders committed a penalty about once every 10 plays. This is unacceptable in major college football.
But consider also the yardage. Texas Tech (2-2, 0-1 Big 12) gave up nearly two football fields worth of penalty yards tonight. The penalty yardage added up to about 30 percent of the total offensive yards the Red Raiders gained on the night. Yes, Texas Tech threw for nearly 400 yards and racked up 33 first downs, holding its own with the usually-prolific Oklahoma State offense, but they lost points on a kickoff return touchdown that was called back, which is huge in a 10-point game. The Red Raiders also lost momentum on several occasions as it seemed every time Texas Tech made a big play on either side of the ball, a flag came in to nullify it.
With Oklahoma, Baylor, Oklahoma State (3-1, 1-0) and decent teams like TCU, Kansas State and West Virginia, the Big 12 is tough enough as it is for the Red Raiders when they are playing well. Committing 16 penalties and losing 158 yards worth of yardage (while also committing three turnovers) makes winning on the road nearly impossible regardless of opponent. And it wasn’t like Texas Tech was being flagged for a series of minor fouls like offsides or false starts. The Red Raiders averaged nearly 10 yards per penalty.
Offensively, such mistakes killed drives. Defensively, they gave the Cowboys free first downs. Combined, it means you can throw out the fact that starting quarterback Davis Webb threw for 374 yards before being injured (35-for-54), and that two receivers had 100 or more yards. Texas Tech was too busy committing penalties to win tonight and if that doesn’t change, it’s going to be a long year in the Big 12 for the Red Raiders.
Ed Morgans is an ACC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @writered21 and add him to your network on Google.
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