Although Texas Tech coach Mike Leach helped establish a productive system for years to come as offensive coordinator for Oklahoma in 1999, that does not mean fans take it any easier on him when he makes the trip to Norman, Okla.
"I wouldn't think," said Leach, whose No. 2 Red Raiders take part in another pivotal game against No. 5 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. Saturday in Norman. "I haven't really found that to be the case; going to Owen Field is not a take-it-easy-on-somebody environment really."
He has not fared well at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium since his arrival in 2000, nor has he prospered against ranked Big 12 Conference opponents on the road. In eight years under Leach, Tech is 1-14 in that department and 0-4 in Oklahoma.
Yes, Tech's defense is improved. Yes, its running game is too. But if there is one thing left on Leach's Christmas list, it's to beat OU in Norman, especially this year. One more win and Tech would lock up a spot in the Big 12 Championship game, setting up games against Baylor and Missouri - much easier competition considering what Tech has dealt with in the past three weeks.
If Oklahoma wins, Tech will root for Oklahoma State next week when the Cowboys play the Sooners in the Bedlam Series. If the Sooners take care of business in Stillwater, Okla., then most likely the Sooners will be highest in the BCS standings, giving them the tiebreaker and sending them to the Big 12 Championship. But that issue will be dissected more and more down the road.
With program-altering wins week after week, Tech (10-0, 6-0) has proved so much to the college football world and to the sports world in general for that matter. However, the Red Raiders have not proved they can win against a Big 12 power on the road. Beating an overrated No. 19 Kansas team in Lawrence, Kan., does not count, seeing as how the Jayhawks are 6-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
Then there is the well-known fact that Oklahoma (9-1, 5-1)rarely loses at home. Bob Stoops' last and only Big 12 loss in Norman was to Oklahoma State, 16-13, in 2001. Overall, the Sooners are 59-2 under Stoops' guidance at Owen Field. However, since 2001, the closest Stoops has come to losing a Big 12 game in Norman was against Tech two years ago.
The Red Raiders went up 24-10 late in the second quarter, but OU dominated the rest of the game, putting up 24 straight points to secure a 34-24 win. Of course, that game is sandwiched between two losses to Tech, both played in Lubbock: A 23-21 win in 2005 and 2007's 34-27 upset.
"I don't know that there is one answer why we have been so successful at home in the last 10 years," Stoops said. "I think, maybe, just our overall focus and our play are probably the biggest reasons."
Tech tackle Rylan Reed said he thrives in hostile environments like Norman, adding that this particular Tech team is different. The more experienced Red Raiders truly enjoy traveling with what has become a very close knit group, said Reed, who would rather have rabid away fans than a more supportive group such as Nebraska's contingent in Lincoln, Neb.
"I love it. I'm the kind of guy that strives off of it," he said. "There's a lot of guys (on the team) that strive off of it as well, it just reminds me of the old Thirsty Thursday days in minor league baseball where you get beer thrown at you."
This time, however, the two teams are eerily similar on paper, which should result in a tightly contested game. For example, in passing offense, Tech is first and OU is third in the nation. In rushing, OU averages 194.3 rushing yards per game while Tech gets 132.6.
Defensively, both teams give up a little more than 107 rushing yards per game; both teams have 24 takeaways.
The list goes on. But putting pressure on OU quarterback Sam Bradford and Tech quarterback Graham Harrell will be key.
Despite injuries to linebacker Ryan Reynolds, defensive end Auston English and senior defensive end Alan Davis, the Sooners still have gotten the job done. Then again, OU has not played an offense as potent as Tech's.
The Heisman Trophy, the conference championship and the national championship all hang in the balance in Tech's third-consecutive biggest game of the year.
"It is as big as it gets," said senior wide receiver Juaquin Iglesias, who will be one of OU's seniors playing their last home game on senior night. "Just for the fact that all of our goals are still in reach, and if we win you never know what's going to happen in the BCS. We are just going to try to treat it like another game, and we are just going to try to keep going and keep focused out there."
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