 "Photo: Sam Grenadier")
STILLWATER, Okla. — Defensive coordinators around the country probably spend hours trying to find ways to hinder Texas Tech’s offense.
But Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy saw a far more dangerous weapon for the Red Raiders on the other side of the ball.
“No. 93 I think it is, the 3-technique, young man from Noble, (Okla.), he’s a killer now,” Gundy said referring to Colby Whitlock. “Those guys that rush the passer for them on the edge, they’re pretty good.”
It may not be often a game plan is built around the Tech defensive line, but Gundy traded in long touchdown passes for tough yards on the ground for one night. It led to a 24-17 win against the Red Raiders on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla.
His game plan against the Red Raiders was to keep the ball on the ground and not create a scoring contest — something that steers away from the recent trend in this series.
In 2008, Tech put up 56 points. The season prior, OSU put up 49 points, while the Red Raiders had 45. In 2006, Tech won 30-24.
But while it was a slow first half, running back Keith Toston finished the game with 76 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Kendall Hunter, who is coming off an ankle injury, had 17 carries for 77 yards. Robinson had a season-high 99 yards rushing on 19 carries.
What Gundy took note of this season were players such as Brandon Sharpe, who entered the game second in the nation in sacks with 10.5 a game. Daniel Howard, Richard Jones, Ra’Jon Henley and Whitlock also have helped the Tech defensive line turn heads.
To prevent Robinson from getting sacked and throwing into coverage all night, Gundy used Toston and Hunter to control the game.
In the first half, Gundy’s approach of protecting Robinson with the ground attack seemed like it wasn’t working. By halftime, the Cowboys had 36 yards rushing, and that was with the leading rusher in the Big 12 Conference in Toston.
Toston said the Tech defensive linemen kept creating problems in the first half for the running backs, especially when they tried to run between the tackles.
Gundy said he hoped his ground attack would set up Robinson to throw the ball downfield more, and the senior did that on a 25-yard touchdown pass to Hubert Anyiam in the first quarter. But two penalties — a personal foul on Howard and a pass interference called on Cody Davis — put OSU in position for that score.
But in the second half, Toston credited Robinson for the turnaround. OSU had 243 total rushing yards, 207 of which came in the second half.
“Zac helped us out a lot, on those 3rd and 5s and 6s,” Toston said. “He was able to take the ball down and make a play and that helped us out a lot in the second half.”
It seemed like anytime there was a hole, Robinson decided to take matters into his own hands and run for the first down.
“It makes it real difficult,” Tech defensive lineman Richard Jones said of Robinson‘s decision to leave the pocket. “If we’re getting the pass rush up the field and a seam opens and it’s there and the linebackers are in zone coverage, there’s nothing but space out there and that’s what he did. He just took advantage of it.”
But taking advantage of the opportunity to run may land Oklahoma State in a tough spot for the rest of the season.
At the 1:38 mark in the fourth quarter, Robinson once again tucked the ball to run for a score and wrap the game up for OSU. But a collision with Tech cornerback Jamar Wall caused a fumble and left both players motionless for a few minutes.
Both players eventually got up and walked off the field under their own power. Saturday, Gundy said team doctors told him Robinson looks like he should be fine, but he believes his quarterback might not be able to practice right away. Tech coach Mike Leach usually is mum on talking about injuries.
But according to OSU cornerback Patrick Lavine, it’s Robinson at his best and it’s a reason the Cowboys are in good position for a solid finish.
“It’s crazy because I always tell him, you need to slide, you need to slide,” Lavine said. “Ever since he’s been playing, he always takes hard hits and he bounces right back up. He’s going to continue to run like that. When he comes back, he‘s going to continue to run the same. I don’t think that’s going to change him at all.”
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