Cowboys and Red Raiders Continue Thrilling Series

Originally Published: Nov 9, 2009 8:12 PM CDT

John Holcomb
Oklahoma Sports Tulsa Sports Director

STILLWATER, Oklahoma – There have been at least two constants in Oklahoma State’s recent series history with Texas Tech - the home team has won the last seven games and the matchups in Stillwater have not been decided until the final minute.

In 2003, the Cowboys needed a Jon Holland interception to preserve a 51-49 victory.

Two years later, Al Pena scored the game-winning touchdown with: 23 remaining in a 24-17 win for the Cowboys. The upset victory was Mike Gundy’s first Big 12 win as OSU’s head coach.

The most memorable game, though, may have been the 2007 contest. Who could forget Brandon Pettigrew’s superman impression and Michael Crabtree’s dropped pass which sealed a contest that featured 1,328 yards of offense. It was Zac Robinson’s first start and head coach Mike Gundy feels like the game was a springboard for Robinson and the team.

“That game, to come back and win that way, that was Zac taking over and establishing himself,” Gundy said. “That was a big win for us. There is no question that at that time it instilled confidence in our team. We were able to take off from there and offensively we got considerably better from that point on.”

This year’s storylines are similar, except the Cowboys feature a better defense and the Red Raiders have less experience at quarterback. Texas Tech still leads the Big 12 in passing, but Bill Young thinks the game will come down to stopping the run.

“You’ve got to stop the run. Everybody looks at you like you are crazy when you say that, but you do,” Young said. “They’re going to move the football, they’re going to get the first downs. You just have to find a way to keep them out of the end zone.”

The Cowboys have done well at stopping the run lately, ranking fourth in the nation in that category. But their challenge will be much like what they faced against Houston, another thriller in which Oklahoma State lost.