Oklahoma @ Texas Tech preview

Oklahoma at Texas Tech

Last Meeting ( Oct 24, 2015 ) Texas Tech 27, Oklahoma 63

Former Texas Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield will play in Lubbock for the first time since transferring to Oklahoma as he leads the 16th-ranked Sooners into Saturday’s road game against the Red Raiders. Mayfield was the 2013 Big 12 Offensive Freshman of Year after throwing for 2,315 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman walk-on at Texas Tech before transferring to Oklahoma.

After losing two of three nonconference games – double-digit losses to nationally ranked Houston and Ohio State – the Sooners are off to a 3-0 Big 12 start as one of three undefeated teams in the conference. “No, I don’t think that’s a very positive form of motivation,” Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops said at his Monday news conference after being asked if the team will be extra motivated by Mayfield’s return to Lubbock. “Those kind of things to me are sort of negative forms of motivation. The motivation ought to be that we’re still undefeated in conference play and we’re going down to play another good football team at their place at night (so) we need to be at our best.” Texas Tech, meanwhile, has been headed in the opposite direction, dropping two straight after a 3-1 start after last Saturday’s 48-17 home loss to No. 13 West Virginia. “We just have to make it a point of emphasis that we have to play tougher,” Red Raiders coach Kliff Kingsbury said at his weekly Monday news conference. “We will try to ramp up practices to see if we can bring more energy, more enthusiasm and more mental toughness this week.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Oklahoma -13.5

ABOUT OKLAHOMA (4-2, 3-0 Big 12): The Sooners have been dealing with defensive injuries, and now have a notable one on the other side of the ball as starting tailback Samaje Perine suffered an unidentified muscle pull in last week’s 38-17 win over Kansas State and will be primarily replaced by Joe Mixon. Mayfield, meanwhile, has completed 76.1 percent of his passes with nine TDs during the team’s three-game win streak, with eight of those scoring passes going to wide receiver Dede Westbrook, who has accumulated 574 yards during that span. The Oklahoma defense is led by linebackers Jordan Evans (7.8 tackles per game) and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (six sacks) and is coming off one of its better showings of the season in holding Kansas State to 17 points and 335 total yards.

ABOUT TEXAS TECH (3-3, 1-2): Although dinged up a bit of late, quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads the nation in passing (429.8 yards per game) and total offense (455.2 yards) as the Red Raiders rank fifth nationally in scoring (48.8 points), but they were held to a full 38 points below their per-game average last week against the Mountaineers. Like Oklahoma, Texas Tech also possesses a dynamic wide receiver in sophomore Jonathan Giles, who is pacing the conference with 750 yards and nine receiving TDs. Defense, though, remains another matter as the Kris Williams-led unit ranks in the FBS bottom 30 in points allowed (40.2 per game), total defense (479.2), rushing defense (204.8) and passing defense (274.3) while forcing only five turnovers.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oklahoma leads the series 17-6 and has won four straight, including a 63-27 romp in Norman a season ago.

2. The Sooners have won their last eight true road games overall and are looking for their first 4-0 Big 12 start since 2004.

3. Texas Tech’s 17 points last week marked a 22-game low and snapped the team’s NCAA-record streak of nine straight home games with at least 50 points.

PREDICTION: Oklahoma 52, Texas Tech 41