McBath: No need to talk about national title yet
By Don Williams | AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
With just a l’il ol’ three-game winning streak from here on out, Texas Tech could play for its first national championship in football. The Red Raiders say that’s a thought they can’t afford to entertain anytime soon.
In fact, senior safety Darcel McBath sounds as if he’d put a hurt on any teammate who even brought up the subject in the locker room.
“We have leaders, and we won’t let anybody get ahead of ourselves,” McBath said. “I take an active role. I’m going to be the first person to say something (if anyone mentions the chance at a national championship), just because one game a week means so much to all of us. That’s why we’ve been so successful.”
Indeed, the game this week pitting No. 2 Tech against No. 5 Oklahoma deserves a laserlike focus all its own. The Red Raiders can clinch a spot in the Big 12 Conference championship game by winning Saturday in Norman, Okla. Even if Tech were to go 11-0 but lose its regular-season finale to Baylor, it would have head-to-head tiebreaker edges over Texas and OU if it wins this week.
On Sunday, a columnist for The Oklahoman newspaper billed Tech-OU as Oklahoma’s biggest home game since 2000, when the Sooners beat then-No.1 Nebraska 31-14 on the way to their seventh national championship. ESPN’s College Football GameDay, which set up shop on Tech’s campus two weeks ago, will be on the OU campus this weekend.
The stakes – and the level of competition – seem to grow on an almost weekly basis for the Red Raiders. On Oct. 25, they beat a ranked team (Kansas) on the road for the first time since 2002. On Nov. 1, they beat a team ranked No. 1, in this case Texas, for the first time. Facing Oklahoma State the next week, Tech became only the second team since 1965 to win against No. 1 and another top-10 team in back-to-back weeks.
The Raiders’ next do-the-impossible task? Putting a blemish on Bob Stoops’ 60-2 home record in 10 seasons as Sooners coach.
Oh. And Tech has never beaten Texas and OU in the same season.
“We understand that the Big 12 Conference is a tough conference, and you’re going to play some of the elite teams in the country every year,” Tech quarterback Graham Harrell said. “We don’t think about, We’ve never done this, we’ve never done that in the same season.’ Since any of us (Tech players) has been alive, we’d never been 10-0, but we’ve done that.”
Oklahoma and Tech rank first and third in the nation in scoring offense, the Sooners averaging better than 51 points a game and the Raiders almost 48. Last year, Tech slowed down a high-powered OU offense during a 34-27 win in Lubbock, but Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford was knocked out of that game in the first quarter with a concussion.
This season, Bradford has passed for 38 touchdowns – two more than Harrell – and 3,400 yards.
The two defenses are ranked first and third in the Big 12.
“They’re explosive,” McBath said of OU’s offense. “They can go 80 yards in one play, just like the previous three or four teams we’ve played in the Big 12.”
Tech’s last victory in Norman came in 1996, and Mike Leach is 0-4 there as Tech’s head coach.
Last week, which was an open week for the Sooners, too, Stoops said Tech’s all-around improvement is what’s brought the Raiders to this point.
“Mike’s offense has always been highly productive, their defense has played well, and it’s obvious too that their running game has been a big factor,” Stoops said. “I have always felt that that has been a factor that no one really talked about.
“The overall success of the whole team has moved them into this position. I have never believed that you are winning on one side of the ball. It is the production of all areas.”
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this is the week!!!!!!
the toughest task to date, everything stacked against us!!!
1. home field
2. history
3. media
BUT WE HAVE THE BEST TEAM, BEST COACHES AND THE DRIVE TO WIN IN NORMAN!!!!!!
GO RED RAIDERS!!!!
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Leach has the players sooooo grounded!!! I love all the comments about not looking ahead, we’ve never been 10-0 but we’ve done that (now) etc. This team believes they can win!!!! And so do I!!!!
Good luck Saturday boys!!!
Wreck ‘em!!!!!!!
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This is where the rubber meets the road. This will prove to the nation that we are championship contenders! This week’s game will finally shut the mouths of all the doubters. RAIDER POWER
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Yeah this is the week. I know our team can do it.. If we create turnovers on defense and sack Bradford we have got the best shot.
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Good Luck to the Red Raiders-They might not be looking ahead but I am. tickets are $600 for the BCS game–OUCH!! I sure do hate that my kids won’t have any Christmas this year! LOL
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Yarrrrgggghhhh!!!!!! – -Go Tech!
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I think Harrell and Crabtree will have an explosive day in Norman
Wreck”em Tech
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This is the only game I have been a little aprehensive about this year. How this year’s team has been able to focus on each game and deliver has been a wonder to see. It will not be a sure thing, but if any Tech team ever had the desire and the attitude that was better than this one, i can’t recall, not as far beck as the late 1950’s. My hats off to a great year for this team. I am behind you regardless, but will be really hoping for a great finish to this game and to the year, one to remember. Good luck and may God protect all players and may they all give their best.
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Texas Tech just doesn’t get any respect. They were not supposed to win at KU and they did…They were not supposed to beat Texas and they did…they still had not faced tough competition so OSU was going to come into Lubbock and give the Red Raiders an ol’ fashioned spanking because Texas was just flat after playing an extremely tough schedule and Tech had peaked at the mercy of Texas’ downfall…you know by now all the rest of the lame excuses and etc. However, Texas Tech will be OU in Norman. Just get ready for it and get ready for Texas Tech to play in the National Championship. No-one wants Texas Tech to be a contender. Tech is the true underdog of the season and Tech will prevail. GO REDRAIDERS BEAT OU!!!!!!!
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The stakes – and the level of competition – seem to grow on an almost weekly basis for the Red Raiders.
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Actually, this, like a number of other comments about how the past impacts the present are not true or accurate.
From the time TTU won the game that ranked them number two in the nation, the level of competition has been down…the teams have been ranked lower. The stakes have not changed from the beginning of the season, either win the next game, or win Big12 South, or win Big12, or MNC have been the stakes from the git go. The likelyhood has increased as games have been won.
At worse the game in Norman is 50-50 IMHO.
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I look forward to an excellent game. I have to commend Coach Leach for all he has done in Red Raider Land. The Game will be close, but OU will come out on top and FINISH with an 8th National Championship. Good Luck next year. The Big 12 South has truly become an elite division.
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Lookin forward to a rumble. Boomer Sooner!
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The Raiders continue to silence the critics with each victory. The Tech defense will win this game. Raiders- 49 OU-28.
Wreck ‘em Tech!
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Here’s hoping for a good, clean, injury-free game!
GO RAIDERS!
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I have the belief that if Tech simply plays their game
that they’ll come out on top. With all due respect to
a very good OU team and to Sam Bradford, I think
that our line(s’) play will be the difference in the game.
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Hey, Weyleyousooner:
Good luck to your sooners next year. THIS year belongs to TECH.
May the besTT team win!
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This is our year!!! The best thing about this team is they dont get too high or too low. Keep it going and beat the hell out of OU!!
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Tech will win. I love the Sooner Fans, They have so much more respect and admiration for good play of other teams as opposed to UT fans. When they see what Tech has done, the OU fans, while still supporting their own team, admits and gives credit ti Tech. Most UT fans just get jealous and won’t admit that that they got BEAT. Whether its 1 point or 30, it is a LOSS.
It will be a great game no matter who wins, and I hope for Tech’s sake and our history we can still be undefeated.
Good luck OU,
Wreck ‘Em TECH
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Any Okies know what the weather forecast is suppose to be on Saturday night?
How cold and and precipitation?
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Sonny- The forcast for saturday is clear sky and low of 33. It says winds 18-22 mph, but maybe they will die down late in the evening.
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That forecast is not good news for Tech. They are not suited for that kind of weather. The crowd will be nuts!!! Almost 90K people screaming their collective heads off. I can’t wait to not have a voice on Sunday.
OU – 55
TTU – 38
BOOMER SOONER!!
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no ttu 55-38
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Well Well Well!!!
So Leach finally realized a defense was needed. Glory Be Thank You Mike (6 years to figure). If you cut my wrists I bleed double T’s. Our overachievers are doing it again. I’ll take a bunch of blue collar workers any day over the highly toughted think they deserve the world cattered to athletes at Texas or OU any day. The media has said we can’t win since KU. No predictions, just hope!! That finally Tech will play and win the BIG GAME and represent the Big 12 in a way that would even make a Longhorn Proud.
GO RAIDERS!!!
Raider Rucker
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Norman, Oklahoma Weather Forecast for Saturday: (source weather.com)
Partly Cloudy, High: 59, Low 42.
That’s pretty much the weather Tech experienced against Oklahoma State. Tech’ll be fine.
Go Tech!
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Good Luck in Norman, you are going to need it. Between UT, TT, OU and OSU, the team that plays at home wins. Sorry, I don’t see that changing in Norman. OU will win the game.
However, chin up Raiders, OU will go to Stillwater and get beat. So TT will still win the Big XII, and maybe have a shot at playing for the national title. This of course depends on how bad OU beats you in Norman, and how far you fall in the polls.
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