Texas Tech football should not apologize for narrow win over bad OK State team

In the world of college football, not all wins are viewed equally. Though they may count the same, each win takes on a life of its own. And after Saturday's narrow 56-48 win over Oklahoma State, the perspective of many Texas Tech football fans is that the Red Raiders should be ashamed that they didn't beat the last-place team in the Big 12 more decisively.

However, the reality is that Texas Tech isn't in any position to turn its nose up at a conference win, regardless of the record of the opponent. After all, the Red Raiders are far from being a powerhouse in the sport this year.

What's more, on Saturday, Tech absorbed Oklahoma State's best shot. So the fact that the Red Raiders still came out on top should not be taken for granted, even if the win was of the nail-biting variety.

Yes, Oklahoma State is a bad team this year. They are just 3-8 overall and winless in Big 12 action. But don't forget that when the season started, the Cowboys were a trendy pick to win the conference after returning the vast majority of the team that played in the 2023 Big 12 Championship Game.

It isn't as if the Pokes are devoid of talent. They still feature the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, the all-time leading receiver in program history, and an offensive line that returned most of its starters from a season ago. And on Saturday, a big change at QB sparked more life into their attack.

Making his first start as a collegiate, true freshman quarterback Maealiuaki Smith gave the Cowboys better play at the position than they had received for most of the season when former Red Raider Alan Bowman was running the show in Stillwater.

He impressed in his debut throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns with only one pick. To put that in perspective, know that in his last two games as OSU's starting QB, Bowman had thrown for a total of just 319 yards with two TDs and two picks.

But Smith wasn't the only Cowboy to perform as well as possible against Tech. Gordon set a season-high with 156 yards on just 15 carries. His 10.4 yards per carry were also a season-best.

Meanwhile, two Cowboy receivers, De'Zhaun Stribling and Rashod Owens each had over 124 yards receiving and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State's all-time leading receiver, Brennan Presley, came up with ten receptions himself.

Now, those stats show that the Texas Tech defense didn't play well. Part of that, though, was the fact that an already thin defensive line began the day without its best pass rusher in edge Harvey Dyson II and then lost both of its starting defensive tackles, Quincy Ledet and De' Braylon Carroll, during the course of the game.

Those numbers also show that the Cowboys were determined to put up the best fight they could. After all, they attempted a surprise onside kick and a halfback pass on fourth down.

Playing for nothing but pride, they bowed up and tried to send their seniors out with a win while also trying to avoid the dubious distinction of going winless in conference play. Credit must be given to head coach Mike Gundy and his staff for convincing the players to give full effort, something it appears they did not do in their three previous games, all of which were double-digit losses to teams that were unranked at the time.

But despite OSU playing its "A" game, especially on offense, and despite the lack of depth on the Red Raider defense, head coach Joey McGuire and his team found a way to win. That's all that can be asked of Texas Tech in the current era of the program.

This isn't a team built to overwhelm competent opponents from power conferences. After all, every one of the Red Raiders' five Big 12 wins have come by one score. Rather, this is a team that has to scratch and claw its way to victories on a weekly basis.

What's more, Saturday taught us that even teams perceived to be good can struggle against lesser opponents. No. 15 Texas A&M lost to an Auburn team that entered the day just 4-6 on the year. No. 16 Colorado lost to Kansas which was just 4-6 as well when the day started. No. 7 Alabama lost to Oklahoma which was 5-5 when that game kicked off. No. 9 Ole Miss, playing for a spot in the playoffs, fell at 6-4 Florida.

Meanwhile, No. 4 Penn State beat a mediocre Minnesota team by just one point. Similarly, No. 23 Iowa State escaped Salt Lake City with a 3-point win over now 4-7 Utah thanks only to a missed field goal by the Utes as time expired. Also, No. 12 Boise State had to sweat out a 17-13 win at Wyoming, which is just 2-9 this season.

This has been the most unpredictable year of college football that we've seen in ages and that pertains specifically to the Big 12 as much as just about any conference in the nation. Thus, on any given Saturday, favorites are knocked off with regularity.

That almost happened to Texas Tech yesterday but the Red Raiders found a way to get a road win. Even if that win was over the last-place team in the league, it is one that every Texas Tech fan should be pleased with.

After all, there was a time not long ago when the Red Raiders were the team that had nothing to look forward to but trying to spoil someone else's season. That table has turned though and that's because, under McGuire, the program has figured out how to win close games, each of which should be celebrated, even if they are against teams as bad as Oklahoma State.