Point 1: Key Player
| Player | Vital Information |
|---|---|
| Name: | Pete Robertson |
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Height/Weight: | 6-3/239 |
| Classification: | Senior |
| Key Stats: | 43 tackles; 10.5 TFL; 3.0 Sacks; 1 PBU; 3 QB Hurries; 1 Forced Fumble; 1 Blocked Kick |
It sure would be nice if Robertson had a big day, and truthfully, he’s had a pretty good season considering how his role has changed. I’d love to see a bit more from Robertson that we saw last year, and even if we don’t see the pass rushing part, I’d love to see Robertson make a bigger impact in the running game. Robertson has been a bit limited, but I think as the season goes on, the longer he gets comfortable, the better he’ll be. This is speculation really, the idea that Robertson can start to see an increase of his impact, but it would seem that the light would click at some point. Here’s hoping for Saturday.
Point 2: Uniform Tracker
| Uniform Tracker | ||||||
| Opponent | Helmet | Jersey | Pants | Result | ||
| Sam Houston State | W, 59-45 | |||||
| UTEP | W, 69-20 | |||||
| ArOklahoma | W, 35-24 | |||||
| TCU | L, 55-52 | |||||
| Baylor | L, 63-35 | |||||
| Iowa State | W, 66-31 | |||||
| Kansas | W, 30-20 | |||||
| Oklahoma | L, 63-27 | |||||
Point 3: Keys to the Game
Thanks to Football Study Hall (where there are more stats than just these, so make sure and check them out): Texas Tech’s profile and Oklahoma State’s profile.
The biggest takeaway is the same thing that the traditional stats tell us, which is that the Oklahoma State defense is very good, essentially a top 25 defense. Also note that the Texas Tech offense has slipped a bit in the “finishing drives” portion of the stats. That’s from teh Kansas and Oklahoma games. Need to get that corrected.
 TTU O Rank |
 OSU D Rank |
|
|---|---|---|
| S&P+ | 2 | 28 |
| Points/Gm | 3 | 24 |
| Explosiveness | 6 | 33 |
| Efficiency | 6 | 23 |
| Field Position | 85 | 34 |
| Finishing Drives | 13 | 28 |
Same thing with the offense for Oklahoma State. They essentially have a top 25 offense (hey! balance!), while Texas Tech is very much lagging in most categories.
TTU D Rank |
OSU O Rank |
|
|---|---|---|
| S&P+ | 119 | 32 |
| Points/Gm | 114 | 13 |
| Explosiveness | 73 | 26 |
| Efficiency | 125 | 31 |
| Field Position | 27 | 65 |
| Finishing Drives | 114 | 19 |
Point 4: Texas Tech Offense vs. Oklahoma State Defense
Despite two lackluster performances, Texas Tech is still averaging about 600 yards a game on offense and 400 yards of that are passing yards and 200 rushing yards. I think these are the numbers that Kingsbury envisioned. Just got to get out of that rut. Meanwhile, you can see that the Oklahoma State offense is really good, allowing about 300 yards a game.
Point 5: Texas Tech Defense vs. Oklahoma State Offense
Well, the numbers are not good, not good at all. They don’t seem to be improving and seem to be getting worse, which is a problem. Oklahoma State has a sufficiently potent offense here, and how about those points for each team. Oh, and Oklahoma State’s redzone numbers are off the charts terrific.
Point 6: A Look at the Oklahoma State Offense
We’re going to take a look at one of the redzone plays, namely J.W. Walsh, doing what he does. We’re actually going to take a look at a couple of them. Up first is Oklahoma State on the goal line and there’s a receiver somewhere out of the screen. Six offensive linemen on the line, although it is strange to see the left guard so far back in the backfield. That’s weird. This is 31 personnel, 3 running backs and 1 tight end.
I get the feeling that Oklahoma State does a ton of misdirection and play action near the redzone and that’s what they do here. Walsh ends up handing the ball off and the running back has a pretty clear lane to the endzone. Notice how there are some WVU players looking at Walsh. WVU ends up making it a pretty close play, but teh running back has room.
This is Rudolph and notice that they are running 12 personnel, 1 running back and 2 tight ends. Essentially Rudolph has as max protection as he can have.
The weird thing here is that the right guard has a terrible play (maybe Fehoko can take advantage here) and actually engages with the defensive lineman, but the guard just sort of gets tossed aside. Also notice how the running back is carrying out his assignment. He’s looking for someone on the edge. Meanwhile the WVU lineman is bearing down. Even after the play, the running back doesn’t make an effort. It’s strange. Rudolph ends up fumbling and it’s darn near a safety or on the one yard line.
Another package for Walsh and also notice the left and right guards back further than the rest of the line. This is 22 personnel.
This ends up being a classic Bill Snyder Collin Klein sort of run. Walsh hesitates and does a terrific job of figuring out where the hole is going to be rather than just taking off and running. Walsh ends up allowing the line to create the space. Patience is tough for a college quarterback, but Walsh does it well.
Point 7: A Look at the Oklahoma State Defense
Pretty standard down for Oklahoam State. WVU could do a number of things here, but they have a pretty standard 2 linebackers and 5 defensive backs to defend.
Initially, this is a really nice play. You can see how OSU is pretty much blocked all the way and the running back would have had a decent gain, but one of the OSU defenders ends up making a nice play and forcing a fumble.
Another pretty standard set for Texas Tech. A lone running back, although WVU also has in a tight end.
This ends up being a touchdown for West Virginia. You can see how the line has turned and created a really nice hole for the running back. You’ll note the two safeties near the first down marker and they hardly get a hand on the running back.
I wanted to get a shot of one of the defenses where the Cowboys are all standing up. This is actually the end of the game for WVU, they have to get this touchdown or game over (they don’t get the touchdown). The idea here is that you don’t know where OSU is going to blitz and they have six options.
As you can see, it’s not so much a problem on the right side of the offensive line, but the left side gets a bit overwhelmed. You can see a safety coming in on the blitz to pressure the WVU quarterback who throws the fade into the endzone. The pressure can come from any angle and any spot.
