Texas Tech football: Why Red Raiders were able to down the Cowboys

Tech dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball

Prior to Saturday, both Tech and OSU had series concerns on each side of the line of scrimmage.  Thankfully, the Red Raiders were the team that found the ability to take their game to a new level in that regard.

The Red Raider offensive line had been underwhelming all season despite featuring three seniors and four returning starters.  What’s more, Tech’s most highly-regarded lineman, guard Jack Anderson, was lost for the season prior to the game with an upper-body injury.

Still, Tech managed to churn out yards on the ground while giving up just one sack, one QB pressure, and five tackles for loss.  It must be noted that the OSU defensive line has been far from impactful this year but you could say the same about the Arizona d-line, which gave Tech’s offensive line more than its share of problems.

Furthermore, it’s not like the Red Raider defensive line had been striking fear in opposing QBs.  But when taking on an OSU line that had been shuffled because of injury, Tech’s front-seven had its way.

Tech registered a season-high seven sacks.  That was the most in program history since 2009 and just one shy of equalling the school record.

Leading the way was middle linebacker Jordyn Brooks, who had three huge sacks.  Meanwhile, Nelson Mbanasor, Tony Bradford Jr., Broderick Washington, and Eli Howard were all credited with at least a half of a sack.

In addition, Tech had 14 tackles per loss.  That was equal to the most in a game for the Red Raiders in the last two decades.

This is the type of effort we need to see from the defensive front on a more consistent basis.  While it would be unreasonable to expect seven sacks and 14 TFLs each week, seeing this defense finally harass the QB on a regular basis is what will make all the difference in the world moving forward.