3. The Cowboys have held three of their past four opponents to less than 150 total yards.
Since the 24-21 loss at Iowa State, OSU’s defense has turned on the clamps against each opponent it has faced.
TCU is the only exception among these four opponents to gain more than 150 total yards (273). This came in a game where the Cowboys gained a whopping 682 total yards, or more than 400 than the Horned Frogs’ total.
2. Oklahoma State is now the nation’s leader in third-down defense.
The Cowboys had been ranked behind Wisconsin for most of the latter half of the 2021 season, but they assumed the No. 1 spot after the win at Texas Tech. They held the Red Raiders to 3-of-15 on third-down conversions and now hold opponents to a 24.5% conversion rate.
The Cowboys pair a strong linebacking corps with a dominant pass rush on defense to opposing offenses that aren’t normally in very good situations on third down. The result has been a Jim Knowles-inspired masterpiece during the past few Saturday evenings.
1. Texas Tech hadn’t been held scoreless at home since 1987.
The 1987 Red Raiders were in the Southwest Conference and hosted a ranked league opponent, Arkansas, which shut out the home team. This was during the Reagan administration and still a year removed from the Barry Sanders Heisman-winning year in Stillwater in 1988.
OSU matched that history last Saturday with its dominating win, holding Texas Tech to just 108 total yards. After the Red Raiders had gained 529 total yards in a 41-38 victory against Iowa State the week before, freshman quarterback Donovan Smith looked flummoxed and frustrated against the Cowboys.
Texas Tech had also scored more than 40 points in three separate games this season. Under Sonny Cumbie (who’s taken over for fired head coach Matt Wells) on Saturday, the Red Raiders failed to match this production against one of the nation’s best two defenses.