Far better defensive minds than mine have been stymied by Mike Leach's Texas Tech offense, but I'll try to give some insight on what Oklahoma State might try to do on Saturday.

After several years of seeing the Red Raiders' high-flying offense, defensive coordinators around the league may have discovered the secret to stopping the Raider offense, and it's really not much different than any other team - force them into third and longs. How you do that is by keying on the rushing and short pass games

The Tech offense ranks 11th in the Big 12 in 3rd down conversions (33.6%), but is even less effective in third and long situations.

By design, Leach's offense makes pressuring his quarterback a difficult proposition. On first and second downs, quick-read passes don't allow much time to bring pressure. Sell out with the blitz and a draw or shovel pass can turn into a home run in a heartbeat. But, if you force third-and-long, it's much easier to create quarterback pressure.

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