has experience beating Mizzou

as premature. Tech got manhandled in a merciless fashion by OU, there’s no question, but I don’t think that translates much to a possible Mizzou matchup. OU’s strength up front on both sides of the ball is without question what put the game away, and Mizzou comes nowhere near to matching up with OU, let alone Tech, in that respect. The Tech defense is overrated as it turns out, but their deficiencies would be much less apparent against Mizzou’s spread than OU’s power set. They live and die by the pressure they get out of the base 4-3 on first and second down, and that pressure would be renewed against Mizzou’s offensive line, which has been spotty, and Chase Daniel, who has to get out of the pocket to be truly effective.

I’m of the opinion that you shouldn’t let a bad loss on the road overly color your opinion of the quality on this Tech team. They’re 3-1 in conference road games, which isn’t exactly indicative of a team that can’t play in a hostile environment. Yes, they walked into a meatgrinder at Gaylord Memorial, and between the intensity of the Sooners and some questionable calls in the first quarter, the snowball got rolling quickly, and the team lost its composure. Teams don’t get to 10-1 if that kind of mental letdown is something they allow to happen often, and I think it’s the last time you’ll see it happen to this particular team. These are the last few games this offensive squad will play together, with Harrell, Crabtree, and a good proportion of upperclassmen gone after this year. They will be scrambling like men possessed to salvage their pride and their season, and that bodes ill for the remaining teams on their docket, whether it’s just Baylor and a Cotton Bowl opponent to be determined, or something more.