Predicting the Final Score of Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech

The Oklahoma Sooners travel to Lubbock to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders a week after getting blown out by Baylor. To make matters worse for the Sooners, starting quarterback Trevor Knight went down in the fourth quarter of the 48-14 loss with a neck injury and had to be carted off the field. His status for this weekend remains uncertain, prompting the betting circles to avoid setting a line on the game until the injury situation clarifies.

Texas Tech comes off a bye week and into the game with quarterback troubles as well. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been optimistic that the week off will allow quarterback Davis Webb to come back from an ankle injury and fellow signal-caller Patrick Mahomes to return from a concussion. If neither can go, freshman walk-on Vincent Testaverde Jr., yes, he is the son of former Heisman winner Vinny, will get the start. Going up against the Sooners with either a quarterback coming off an injury or a true freshman walk-on doesn’t bode well for the Red Raiders, especially considering that the team has lost six of its last seven games.

While Tech’s season may be all but over, Oklahoma still has a chance at a respectable bowl game, and the Sooners will need to overcome the disappointment that comes with a loss as cataclysmic as last week’s. The key to doing that is getting back to the basics that make Oklahoma dangerous enough to beat just about anybody.

Oklahoma has been able to run the ball consistently this year, utilizing a power running game that leads the conference with an average of 5.6 yards per carry, while Texas Tech hasn’t been able to stop anybody on the ground. The Red Raiders are dead last in the Big 12 against the run and have shown no signs of being able to reverse that trend. With that in mind, it doesn’t matter who is taking the snaps for Oklahoma if the Sooners can continue to dominate on the ground.

Expect Bob Stoops to rest Knight against Tech, as there is little reason to rush him back against an opponent that should be beaten easily. Considering the instability of Tech’s own quarterback situation and the Red Raiders’ propensity to make catastrophic mistakes on offense against attacking defenses, the game should get out of hand early.

Prediction: Oklahoma 40, Texas Tech 13