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Texas Tech football: 3 players with the most to gain vs. Oklahoma

By Matthew Conner

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 22: The Oklahoma Sooners mascot Boomer faces off with Texas Tech's mascot Masked Rider October 22, 2011 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Texas Tech upset Oklahoma 41-38. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 22: The Oklahoma Sooners mascot Boomer faces off with Texas Tech's mascot Masked Rider October 22, 2011 at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma. Texas Tech upset Oklahoma 41-38. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
(Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) /

Rb Armand Shyne

It feels like the most likely way for Tech to make this game a real contest is to control the ball and dominate on the ground.  That would provide an opportunity for all three running backs to contribute and it might be the time when the Big 12 learns about grad transfer Armand Shyne.

The former Utah Ute has three career 100-yard games including week one’s 125-yard showing against Montana State.  And to this point, he’s been Tech’s best running back while ranking 8th in the Big 12 at 79.3 yards per game.

As for the OU defense, they have been just mediocre against the run.  Giving up 140.3 yards per game on the ground the Sooners rank 6th in the conference.

Teams don’t normally run the ball on OU because they fall behind and feel like they have to throw the ball to try to get back in the game.  That’s one reason why OU’s defense gave up the most passing yards per game in 2018.

But let’s look at how a team that nearly pulled of the most unlikely upset of 2018 utilized the run to keep its game in Norman close.  Last year, Army took the Sooners to overtime before falling 28-21 and the main reason the Golden Knights were able to scare the water out of the home team was the ground game.

Rushing for 339 yards on 78 carries, the Cadets held the ball for 44:41 of the 60-minute game.  Doing so kept OU’s strength, it’s lethal offense, off the field and closed the significant talent gap between the two teams.

Don’t expect Tech to run the ball that many times today but could we see Tech run it 45-50 times?  That wouldn’t be a huge shock if the yards are there and if Duffey is having success with his legs. It would make Tech fans happy to see more possessions today like the team’s first TD drive against Arizona when Shyne and SaRodorick Thompson carried the ball on four of the six plays.

If the ground game is a weapon, Shyne will likely play a huge role because he is this team’s best all-around back.  It will be an opportunity for him to show the form he displayed in 2018 when he went for a career-high 174 yards against Oregon.  If he comes up big against the Sooners, he could become a focal point of the Tech offense and open a ton of eyes around the nation.

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