Texas Tech’s latest test comes in the same unforgiving window as the last one: another 8:30 p.m. kickoff, another road challenge, and another chance to keep the Big 12 title path in its own hands.
After escaping West Virginia on Saturday night, the No. 15/10 Red Raiders are headed to Boone-Pickens Stadium to face Oklahoma State, a 6-3 team that has already punched its ticket to bowl eligibility under first-year head coach Eric Morris, the former Red Raider receiver.
Texas Tech is 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play, and the stakes remain simple: win out and Arlington is there. Drop another game, and the postseason picture gets tangled in tiebreakers.
Joey McGuire has been impressed by what Oklahoma State has done coming off losses.
“I mean, if you look at the way they’ve responded off losses, they’ve played some of their best games, they’ve beaten Oregon while off a loss. This last week, they just totally dominated K-State while coming off a loss,” said Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire.
“That says a lot about his culture. I don’t know if there are very few teams in the country that have more new players that he had to bring together in one year and what they’re doing”
That turnaround has come after a brutal stretch over the previous two seasons, when Oklahoma State went 1-21. This year’s Cowboys have surged with help from the No. 15 transfer class in the nation, according to 247sports.
The biggest problem for Texas Tech is obvious: Drew Mestemaker. The Oklahoma State quarterback has been one of the most productive passers in the country through nine games, completing 206 of 309 throws for 2,962 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions, with a passer rating of 171.1. McGuire didn’t hesitate when asked about him.
“I think we’re facing the best quarterback in the nation...I would definitely be taking him in the first round, it will surprise me if he doesn’t go No. 1overall. He’s got a big arm, great football IQ, he’s a big guy,” McGuire said.
Texas Tech defensive coordinator Shiel Wood knows the challenge is real, especially after his unit gave up 582 yards in the 53-48 win over West Virginia. The Red Raiders did settle in late, blanking the Mountaineers in the fourth quarter and coming up with three sacks in the final 2:10.
Stopping Mestemaker is the first job, but not the only one. Oklahoma State also brings Caleb Hawkins, who has piled up 187 carries for 1,081 yards and seven touchdowns while adding three more scores as a receiver out of the backfield.
“He’s really good, he’s got a great arm, he’s got great pocket awareness, he sees down the field the rust does not bother him at all,” Wood said. “He’s able to go through his whole progression and just move from one to the next to the next, he’s got great agility in the pocket and then he can extend plays with his legs.”
On Hawkins, Wood was just as direct.
“He’s really good, he is big, he is physical, he runs downhill on you. He can make you miss,” Wood said.
“I’ve seen him try to hurdle a guy, juke people... He’s a really, really good player.”
Texas Tech’s offense is coming off a huge night of its own, with Thomas Castellanos throwing for a career-best 362 yards and five touchdowns. But the Cowboys present a different kind of problem.
Oklahoma State’s defense is allowing 384 yards per game, which ranks 12th in the Big 12, and it has a knack for taking the ball away. LaDanian Fields leads the nation with seven interceptions.
“They’re very opportunistic on defense, so protecting the ball will be critical and they do a good job getting after the passer. I think their D-line creates some pressure on quarterbacks, and they generate some negative plays that way,” said Tech’s offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich.
Texas Tech’s margin for error is shrinking, but the math is still clean. Three straight wins to end the regular season would send the Red Raiders back to Arlington to defend their Big 12 title. One more loss, and they’ll need help.
In Other News...
Texas Tech Recruiting Surge Is Starting To Feel Very Real
Texas Techs recruiting momentum has taken another notable step with the verbal commitment of 4-star linebacker Jeremiah Proctor, a prospect who had previously pledged to Pittsburgh. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound defender from Gainesville, Georgia, gives the Red Raiders another high-upside piece for the 2027 class, and his profile fits the kind of national reach the staff has been trying to build. According to 247Sports, Proctor is ranked No. 372 overall and No. 29 among linebackers nationally.
For a program trying to turn recent recruiting buzz into something more durable, this is the kind of addition that matters beyond the headline. Texas Techs 2027 class is already sitting at No. 8 nationally, and landing a player with Proctors size and ranking only adds to the sense that the Red Raiders are making real progress on the trail. The bigger question now is whether they can keep stacking wins like this and hold that momentum as the cycle keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Gets Early Test That Should Reveal Plenty Fast
Illinois has opened the season with two lopsided wins and an offense humming at an eye-catching pace, which makes the next stop on the schedule feel like an early measuring stick rather than a routine nonconference date. Texas Tech is unbeaten too, and the matchup in Lubbock brings together a Red Raiders team with familiar faces and a chance to see how it stacks up against one of the countrys hottest starts.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, the former Illini guard, is part of the Texas Tech picture now, while All-Big 12 selection Darrion Williams gives the Red Raiders a proven centerpiece. They will have to navigate this one without JT Toppin, who is sidelined with an ACL injury, but the setting at United Supermarkets Arena should still tell plenty about where both teams stand this early. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Techs Late Defensive Surge Meant More Than Just A Win
A late defensive surge did more than close out a tight win over West Virginia for Texas Tech. Three critical sacks in the final stretch helped the Red Raiders finish off the Mountaineers, and they also gave the defense a little extra meaning beyond the box score.
Those sacks count toward a fundraising effort for Ronald McDonald House Southwest, with fans able to pledge donations based on how many times Texas Tech gets to the quarterback. The cause supports families with children receiving medical care in local hospitals, so every big stop now carries a reminder that the impact of a strong defensive night can reach well beyond the field. [Read more 🡒]