2018 vs. No. 15 Oklahoma State
One huge component of the last decade of Texas Tech football was a 9-game losing streak to Oklahoma State. From 2009-2017, the Red Raiders couldn’t manage to solve the Cowboys as the two programs exchanged places in the conference hierarchy.
What was so humiliating about that streak was the fact that most of those games were lopsided. In fact, from 2009-2017, only three of the Oklahoma State wins came by single digits.
That’s why 2018’s upset of the No. 15 Cowboys in Stillwater to open Big 12 play was both unexpected and oh so satisfying.
Don’t forget that the 41-17 Tech triumph was the first-ever conference game for Alan Bowman, who was a true freshman that year. Appearing in just his fourth game as a collegiate, the Tech QB was fantastic.
Completing 35-46 passes for 397 yards and two TDs, Bowman was poised and in control despite playing in one of the more raucous road environments in the Big 12. He became the first Red Raider QB since his head coach Kliff Kingsbury to win in Stillwater.
But the even more unexpected hero that night was running back Demarcus Felton. Running for a career-high 130 yards and a pair of scores, the senior had one of the two career 100-yard games of his time as a Red Raider.
It was in the middle two quarters of this game that Tech took control. Outscoring the home-standing Cowboys 27-7 in the second and third quarters, Tech managed to put the game away early and take the crowd out of the equation.
Tech somehow found a way to finally end this 9-game losing streak despite going on the road with a true freshman QB. To this day, it remains one of the most impressive performances of Bowman’s career. Hopefully, he can have another signature game Saturday in the 2020 Big 12 opener.