By Frank Haynes, College Football Senior Editor

GAME NOTES: The second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners kick off their Big 12 schedule this Saturday when they welcome the high-octane Texas Tech Red Raiders to Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman. Mike Leach's Red Raiders come in with a 1-0 league mark after knocking off Kansas on the road last weekend, 31-30. It was the second straight win for Tech and its third in four games this season. The Red Raiders have played just one home game thus far. This is the first of four straight tilts against traditional Big 12 powers, as home games against Nebraska and Texas followed by a road tussle at Kansas State remain on the docket for the rest of October. As for Oklahoma, it has won its first three games by a combined 134-44 margin. The Sooners were idle last weekend and topped visiting Oregon the last time out, 31-7. This is the finale of the team's four-game homestand to open the season, and OU will play arguably its biggest game of the year next week in Dallas against No. 5 Texas. The Sooners have won their last four Big 12 openers, and are 36-7 in Big 12 games under current head coach Bob Stoops. Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 9-2, and has won the last four meetings, including last year's 56-25 verdict in Lubbock.

With the nation's top gunslinger at the helm, the Red Raiders are once again a serious offensive threat. Quarterback Sonny Cumbie is averaging 426.8 ypg in total offense and Tech leads all of Division I-A in passing offense (463.3 ypg) while ranking fourth in total offense (539.3 ypg) and 13th in scoring offense (40.3 ppg). Cumbie is hitting 61.3 percent of his pass attempts and has nine TDs against only four INTs. Jarrett Hicks, who set a school record with his fourth consecutive 100-yard receiving game last week against Kansas, has been Cumbie's favorite target and has more than 640 receiving yards already. The Tech ground game isn't asked to do much more than pick up some occasional yardage and push the ball over the goal line when it gets close. As a result, Taurean Henderson heads the club with just 328 yards rushing. He does however, have four TDs and is coming off a career-game versus the Jayhawks as he gained 169 yards and scored the game-winning TD on his way to Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. Cumbie threw for 356 yards and two TDs versus the Jayhawks, but was intercepted four times. Trey Haverty and Hicks each went over the 100-yard mark receiving, tallying 143 and 131 yards, respectively.

Not exactly known for its defensive prowess, Texas Tech has been solid this year against the pass, yielding just 187.5 ypg. The effort versus the run has been lax at times, however, with foes picking up 134.8 ypg. The Red Raiders also have just four sacks in four games, a fact that doesn't bode well for the team as it looks to make some headway in the always tough Big 12. Still, the squad has allowed only 23-of-67 third-down tries to be converted successfully and has been particularly impressive coming out of the locker room following intermission, permitting a total of just three points in the third quarter. Vincent Meeks currently sits atop the team's total tackles list, Mike Smith is hot on his heels and Adell Duckett has been a disruptive force in the opposing backfield. Mike Smith had a club-high 7.5 tackles last week against Kansas, including 1.5 TFLs and he added a PBU. Chad Johnson returned an INT 56 yards, while Dwayne Smith and Jabari Smith both had picks as well.

Led by 2003 Heisman Trophy winner Jason White, Oklahoma is racking up 502.0 ypg of total offense. The team is scoring a Big 12-best 44.7 ppg, with White and company controlling the ball for more than 34 minutes per contest. The fact that the Sooners are converting a league-best 66.7 percent on third down helps immensely in the time of possession battle. In the team's 24-point win over Oregon two weeks ago, Adrian Peterson had a career game in rushing for 183 yards and a pair of TDs. Peterson now has 400 yards rushing and four TDs this season. White, who is completing 72.2 percent of his throws for 236.0 ypg with six TDs and just one INT, was his normal efficient self against the Ducks as he hit 17-of-23 pass attempts for 213 yards with one TD. Mark Clayton, who is the team's top pass catcher with 18 receptions for 287 yards and two scores this year, became the school's all-time leader in receptions (173) after finishing with six grabs for 91 yards.

On defense, the Sooners have stood their ground for much of the season, yielding just 14.7 ppg to tie for second in the Big 12. Their effort against the run has been truly impressive, as foes are generating just 84.0 ypg on the ground. Only twice has the opposition scored by running the ball. OU has been downright dominant in both the second and third quarters this year, allowing a total of only 10 points in those two periods combined. Donte Nicholson led the Oklahoma stand in the recent win over Oregon, posting 11 tackles, including a sack, while Butkus Award candidate Lance Mitchell, Clint Ingram and Antonio Perkins each tallied nine stops. Brodney Poole continues to lead the team in tackles for the season with 23, with Mitchell and Nicholson just one off the pace with 22. Mitchell is extremely active around the line of scrimmage, and in fact has made a team-high four TFLs. Remi Ayodele leads the squad with three sacks, helping the Sooners amass nine sacks in three games. Oklahoma has yet to come up with an interception and as a result, its -0.33 turnover margin ranks 10th in the conference.

The Red Raiders aren't about to be intimidated coming into Norman to take on the No. 2 team in the land. That said, this should be a relatively high- scoring affair with both teams trading blows throughout. Give the obvious edge to the Sooners, who are certainly the better team. But Stoops' troops, who have to guard against looking ahead to next week's bout with Texas, are bound to show signs of stress following this one.

Predicted Outcome

Oklahoma 49, Texas Tech 27