OK State targets first Big 12 win with defensive weakling Texas Tech on deck

Late November games with low-level stakes aren’t a familiar concept to Texas Tech and Oklahoma State.And in a season that began with the Red Raiders and Cowboys plotting a big impact in the new-look Big 12 Conference, they’re both surprised to be here.But that’s the backdrop when they meet after notable missteps by the Red Raiders. The season has been unraveling for most of the last two months for the Cowboys.Neither team is in contention for the conference championship game with two weeks to go.Texas Tech (6-4, 4-3) has dropped three of its last four league games after a promising start. Oklahoma State (3-7, 0-7) is pushing to the finish of its worst season since coach Mike Gundy’s debut in 2005.”I’m as frustrated as anybody else,” said Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire, who has guided his team to a third straight bowl-eligible season in his third season. “It’s frustrating to me the opportunities that we’ve let get away because we haven’t been good enough on game day.”Gundy can certainly relate.The Cowboys finish with a losing record for just the second time in his 20-year tenure and an 18-year bowl game streak won’t make it to 19.Ranked in the preseason Top 25, Oklahoma State began the season 3-0 with a solid victory against Arkansas but a wave of injuries has yielded seven losses in a row – four by 21 points or more.

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