Football Hosts Oklahoma For Regular Season Finale
November 14, 1999 | Football
Nov. 14, 1999
TEXAS TECH vs. OKLAHOMANOV. 20 ? 11:30 A.M. (CDT)Jones Stadium (50,050)
COACHES
Spike Dykes (Stephen F. Austin, ?59) is in his 13th season as head coach of the Red Raider football program. The ?Dean of the Big 12 Coaches,? Dykes has a career record of 81-67-1 at Tech. Dykes has served in his current position longer than any coach in school history.
Bob Stoops (Iowa, ?83) is in his first season as a collegiate head coach and has fashioned a 6-3 mark at Oklahoma.
SERIES
Oklahoma leads the series 5-1. The two teams first met during the 1992 campaign as OU took a 34-9 win. Tech?s lone win was a 22-12 triumph in Norman in 1996.
TV
Fox Sports Net will broadcast the Texas Tech-Texas game. Drew Goodman (play-by-play), Dave Lapham (color commentary) and Lim Knox (sideline) will call the action from Jones Stadium.
RADIO
The All Sports Radio Network is in its fourth season of broadcasting Texas Tech football games on a network basis. The 22-station network covers the state of Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Jack Dale (play-by-play) and John Harris (color) provide gameday coverage.
IN ESPANOL
All Texas Tech football games are broadcast in Spanish via KXTQ in Lubbock. Mario Montez and Israel Aguilar provide commentary. The Spanish broadcast can also be heard on the internet at www.texastech.com.
WORLD WIDE WEB
Information concerning each of Texas Tech?s 17 intercollegiate sports can be obtained through the world wide web at: www.texastech.com
Tech-OU Series
Oklahoma leads the series, which dates back to 1992, 5-1. Texas Tech?s lone victory on the series came in 1996, a 22-12 win in Norman.
TEXAS TECH (5-5, 4-3)
| Date | Opponent | Result/Time |
| Sept. 6 | at Arizona State (#25) | L, 13-31 |
| Sept. 11 | at Southwestern Louisiana | W, 38-17 |
| Sept. 18 | NORTH TEXAS | L, 14-21 |
| Oct. 2 | ?TEXAS A&M (#5) | W, 21-19 |
| Oct. 9 | ?at Oklahoma State | L, 21-41 |
| Oct. 16 | ?COLORADO | W, 31-10 |
| Oct. 23 | ?at Baylor | W, 35-7 |
| Oct. 30 | ?at Missouri | L, 7-34 |
| Nov. 6 | ?IOWA STATE | W, 28-16 |
| Nov. 13 | ?at Texas | L, 7-58 |
| Nov. 20 | ?OKLAHOMA | 11:30 a.m. |
OKLAHOMA (6-3, 4-2)
| Date | Opponent | Result/Time |
| Sept. 11 | INDIANA STATE | W, 49-0 |
| Sept. 18 | ?BAYLOR | W, 41-10 |
| Sept. 25 | at Louisville | W, 42-21 |
| Oct. 2 | at Notre Dame | L, 30-34 |
| Oct. 9 | ?vs. Texas (Dallas) | L, 28-38 |
| Oct. 23 | ?TEXAS A&M | W, 51-6 |
| Oct. 30 | ?at Colorado | L, 24-38 |
| Nov. 6 | ?MISSOURI | W, 37-0 |
| Nov. 13 | ?at Iowa State | W, 31-10 |
| Nov. 20 | ?at Texas Tech | 11:30 a.m. |
| Nov. 27 | ?OKLAHOMA STATE | 2 p.m. |
The Series in Lubbock
Oklahoma has come to Jones Stadium twice and won both times, 34-9 in 1992 and 32-21 in 1997.
Spec-TECH-ular Weekend
The final week of the football regular season will be a busy one for Texas Tech sports fans. In addition to the final regular season football game of the season when the Red Raiders meet Oklahoma in a regionally televised game on Fox, the United Spirit Arena will officially open for business Friday night when the Red Raiders host Indiana. On Saturday the Lady Raider basketball team kicks off its season with the Four in the Fall Classic at the Arena that evening. Tech will entertain LSU, while UCLA and North Carolina play the preliminary game. A Big 12 volleyball match against Oklahoma wraps up the weekend Sunday.
Spec-TECH-ular Schedule
| Nov. 19 | Red Raider Basketball vs. Indiana | 8:00 p.m. / United Spirit Arena |
| Nov. 20 | Red Raider Football vs. Oklahoma | 11:30 a.m. / Jones Stadium |
| Four in the Fall (Women?s Basketball) | ||
| LSU vs. North Carolina | 6:00 p.m. / United Spirit Arena | |
| Texas Tech vs. LSU | 8:30 p.m. / United Spirit Arena | |
| Nov. 21 | Red Raider Volleyball vs. Oklahoma | 2:00 p.m. / United Spirit Arena |
Three separate ticket packages are available for the weekend. Prices range from $26 to $80 for all four events. Tickets may be purchased by calling (806) 742-4412 locally or toll free at 1-888-GO BIG 12.
Five Regular, One Bowl
Five of the six meetings between Texas Tech and Oklahoma have come during the regular season. The Sooners defeated the Red Raiders 41-10 in the 1993 John Hancock Bowl in El Paso.
Getting Eligible
At 5-5 overall, Texas Tech needs a win over Oklahoma Saturday to become bowl eligible for the 10th time in head coach Spike Dykes 13 seasons as head coach of the Red Raiders. Under Dykes, the Red Raiders have gone bowling six times.
At Home in ?99
Although it closes the regular season, Saturday?s game is just the fifth at Jones Stadium for Texas Tech this season. After being upset by North Texas in the home opener, the Red Raiders have rebounded to win three consecutive games at the friendly confines. Jones Stadium victims this season have been 20th-ranked Texas A&M, Colorado and Iowa State.
Following Texas
Texas Tech is 10-2 in games following the annual in-state rivalry with Texas under head coach Spike Dykes.
Home Running
To say that the Texas Tech running game has flourished between the friendly confines of Jones Stadium this season might be quite an understatement. In four games at home the Red Raiders are averaging 222.8 yards rushing. In six road games Tech has averaged just 106.8 yards on the ground.
November in the 90s
Since the 1990 season, the Red Raiders are 20-10 in games played in November. Under head coach Spike Dykes the Red Raiders are 26-12-1 in games played during what is normally the final month of the regular season.
Last Time Out
Saturday?s game will be the last regular season contest and the last time 21 Texas Tech seniors will suit up for a game in Jones Stadium. The 1999 Red Raider seniors have never had a losing season and have a combined 34-23 record dating back to what was a redshirt year for some in 1995 and 25-20 since 1996. Over that five-year time span, these seniors have also been a part of a 19-6 record in Jones Stadium.
The 1999 Seniors
Following is a listing of the 21 Texas Tech seniors who will be playing their last game at Jones Stadium Saturday:
| Kyle Allamon | TE | Lubbock, Texas |
| Reagan Bownds | R | Eldorado, Texas |
| Brien Burchett | WR | Big Spring Texas |
| Keith Cockrum | R | Goldthwaite, Texas |
| Tim Duffie | ILB | Jefferson, Texas |
| Curtis Lowery | OG | Stephenville, Texas |
| Anthony Malbrough | C | Beaumont, Texas |
| Dan Martin | OG | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Jeff McCutcheon | OL | Southlake, Texas |
| Sammy Morris | FB | San Antonio, Texas |
| David Nichol | WR/H | Dallas, Texas |
| Terry Patton | DT | Wichita Falls, Texas |
| Anthony Patricio | C | Van Nuys, Calif. |
| Rob Peters | QB | Katy, Texas |
| Rudy Renda | FB | Keller, Texas |
| Brian Roberson | P | Richardson, Texas |
| Shane Roberts | DT | Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| Taurus Rucker | DE | Denison, Texas |
| Kyle Shipley | ILB | Arlington, Texas |
| Oscar Solis | CB | Slaton, Texas |
| Tim Winn | TE | Longview, Texas |
The Hits Just Keep Coming
Texas Tech free safety Kevin Curtis continues to roll up impressive defensive statistics, adding 15 tackles, an interception and a broken up pass at Texas to his expanding list of accomplishments. Over the last five games the Lubbock-Coronado product has tallied 87 tackles, or an even more amazing 17.4 per game. With a Texas receiver crack-back blocking him on virtually every play, Tech coaches said Curtis was blocked just one time during the game.
Can?t Get Enough KC?
In addition to 87 tackles in the last five games, Kevin Curtis has also intercepted three passes and recovered two fumbles. He returned one of those fumbles 86 yards for Texas Tech?s only touchdown at Missouri and returned one of the interceptions 47 yards to the Baylor 1-yard line to set up a score there.
Kevin Curtis Game-by-Game Tackles
| Opponent | S | A | TT | |
| Arizona State | 13 | 4 | 17 | |
| UL-Lafayette | 6 | 7 | 13 | |
| North Texas | 2 | 4 | 6 | |
| Texas A&M | 6 | 3 | 9 | |
| Oklahoma State | 3 | 4 | 7 | |
| Colorado | 11 | 9 | 20 | |
| Baylor | 10 | 3 | 13 | |
| Missouri | 8 | 12 | 20 | |
| Iowa State | 13 | 6 | 19 | |
| Texas | 11 | 4 | 15 | |
| Totals | 83 | 56 | 139 |
Last Time vs. Oklahoma
Ricky Williams ran for 119 yards and Derek Dorris caught for passes for 59 yards, but it wasn?t enough as Oklahoma closed the regular season for both teams with a 20-17 victory in front of 65,583 fans in Norman.
All-Purpose Race
Texas Tech running backs Sammy Morris and Shaud Williams are neck in neck to see who leads the team in all-purpose yards with one game to play. Williams, true freshman, has 796 total yards. Morris, a senior, has 794.
Sharing the Wealth
When Tech quarterbacks let fly a pass attempt it might be heading in one of many directions. A total of 14 Red Raiders have at least one of Texas Tech?s 121 receptions this season, and five have at least 15 catches. Tech?s leading receiver, Tim Baker, has 21 receptions.
Peters Still Seventh
After having to leave the Texas game with a concussion in the second quarter with just 50 yards passing, Tech senior quarterback Rob Peters remained seventh on the Texas Tech career passing charts with 2,817 career yards. Peters needs 116 yards passing to move past Tom Wilson (1963-65) into sixth. He is just the seventh quarterback in Texas Tech history to pass for more than 2,800 yards.
| Player | Yards | Years |
| Robert Hall | 7,908 | 1990-93 |
| Zebbie Lethridge | 6,789 | 1994-97 |
| Billy Joe Tolliver | 6,756 | 1985-88 |
| Ron Reeves | 4,688 | 1978-81 |
| Jamie Gill | 3,280 | 1988-91 |
| Tom Wilson | 2,932 | 1963-65 |
| Rob Peters | 2,817 | 1996-A |
| Jim Hart | 2,600 | 1979-83 |
| Rodney Allison | 2,411 | 1974-77 |
| Joe Barnes | 2,330 | 1971-73 |
Touchdown Passes
Not only is quarterback Rob Peters moving up the career yardage list, he is also creeping up Tech?s career touchdown pass list with 19, putting him seventh on the list with two games to play. He needs four TD passes to move past Jamie Gill (1988-91) into sixth.
Texas Tech on TV
Saturday?s game against Oklahoma marks the fifth television appearance for Texas Tech this season. The Red Raiders are 2-2 on the tube this year, defeating Texas A&M and Colorado, while losing at Arizona State and Texas.
All Time TV Record
Texas Tech is 46-60-3 all time in televised games.
On National TV
Saturday?s FOX syndicated television audience will mark the 64th game in the Spike Dykes era to be televised.
Texas Tech and Oklahoma on TV
According to Texas Tech records, Saturday?s game will mark the third time a Texas Tech-Oklahoma game has been televised, but the first exposure on FOX. The Sooners have won two of those three meetings on the tube.
On the Tube
| Year | Result | Network |
| 1992 | Oklahoma 34, Texas Tech 9 | ESPN |
| 1994 | Oklahoma 41, Texas Tech 10 | CBS |
| 1996 | Texas Tech 22, Oklahoma 12 | ABC |
A Stable Ship
During Spike Dykes? 13-year tenure at Texas Tech there have been 31 head coaches at the other member institutions in the Big 12 Conference. Dykes? tenure at Tech is the seventh-longest among active coaches, trailing only Penn State?s Joe Paterno (33), BYU?s Lavell Edwards (27), Florida State?s Bobby Bowden (23), West Virginia?s Don Nehlen (19), Virginia?s George Welsh (17) and Fisher DeBerry of Air Force (15). With thanks to the Waco Tribune, following is the list of Big 12 programs and their coaches? since Dykes took over at Tech:
| School | Coaches |
| Baylor | Grant Teaff (1972-92) |
| Chuck Reedy (1993-96) | |
| Dave Roberts (1997-98) | |
| Kevin Steele (1999) | |
| Colorado | Bill McCartney (1982-94) |
| Rick Neuheisel (1995-98) | |
| Gary Barnett (1999) | |
| Iowa State | Jim Walden (1987-94) |
| Dan McCarney (1995-99) | |
| Kansas | Bob Valesente (1986-87) |
| Glen Mason (1988-96) | |
| Terry Allen (1997-99) | |
| Kansas State | Stan Parrish (1986-88) |
| Bill Snyder (1989-99) | |
| Missouri | Woody Widenhofer (1985-88) |
| Bob Stull (1989-93) | |
| Larry Smith (1994-99) | |
| Nebraska | Tom Osborne (1973-97) |
| Frank Solich (1998-99) | |
| Oklahoma | Barry Switzer (1973-88) |
| Gary Gibbs (1989-94) | |
| Howard Schnellenberger (1995) | |
| John Blake (1996-98) | |
| Bob Stoops (1999) | |
| Oklahoma State | Pat Jones (1984-94) |
| Bob Simmons (1995-99) | |
| Texas | David McWilliams (1987-91) |
| John Mackovic (1992-97) | |
| Mack Brown (1998-99) | |
| Texas A&M | Jackie Sherrill (1982-88) |
| R.C. Slocum (1989-99) |
GTE All-District
A quartet of Texas Tech football players has been named to the GTE Academic All-District VI team by a vote of the College Sports Information Directors Association. To be eligible for the team a player must be a starter of front line reserve and have at least a 3.20 grade point average on a 4.00 scale. The following four players will now be eligible for the GTE Academic All-America squad which will be released later this month:
| Player | Pos | GPA | Major |
| Keith Cockrum | R | 4.00 | MSI/Finance/Economics |
| Kyle Sanders | C | 4.00 | History |
| Reagan Bownds | R | 3.62 | Agribusiness |
| Kyle Shipley | LB | 3.60 | MBA/General Business |
Big Day for Cockrum
Senior Raider Keith Cockrum recorded perhaps the best day statistically in his Texas Tech football career at Texas. Cockrum totaled 10 tackles against the Longhorns, including three for losses (-8) and a quarterback sack (-6).
Career Day for Hawkins
Subbing for a hobbled Tim Duffie, Jonathan Hawkins recorded a career-high 11 tackles at Texas last week, including two for loss (-3). The junior linebacker turned fullback turned linebacker from Wichita Falls made nine of his stops against the running game.
Seeing Double
A trio of Texas Tech defenders posted double-digit tackles against Texas last week, marking the ninth time in 10 games Tech has had at least one double-figure tackler. Free safety Kevin Curtis rang up 15 tackles and linebacker Jonathan Hawkins had a career-high11 against the Longhorns. Raider Keith Cockrum followed with 10 stops, including four behind the line of scrimmage. Following is a list of 1999 Swarm double-digit tacklers:
| Player | No. | Opponent |
| Kevin Curtis | 20 | Missouri |
| Kevin Curtis | 20 | Colorado |
| Kevin Curtis | 19 | Iowa State |
| Tim Duffie | 18 | Missouri |
| Kevin Curtis | 17 | Arizona State |
| Kevin Curtis | 15 | Texas |
| Kyle Shipley | 13 | Iowa State |
| Kevin Curtis | 13 | Baylor |
| Kevin Curtis | 13 | UL-Lafayette |
| Tim Duffie | 12 | North Texas |
| Kris Kocurek | 12 | North Texas |
| Taurus Rucker | 12 | Colorado |
| Kyle Shipley | 12 | Texas A&M |
| Jonathan Hawkins | 11 | Texas |
| Reagan Bownds | 11 | Missouri |
| Keith Cockrum | 10 | Texas |
| Kris Kocurek | 10 | Iowa State |
| John Norman | 10 | Missouri |
| Kyle Shipley | 10 | Baylor |
| Reagan Bownds | 10 | Arizona State |
Half a Bag
Senior defensive end Taurus Rucker goes into the final regular season game of his career needing just a ? sack this week against Oklahoma to move into the all-time Texas Tech top 10 sack list. Following are Red Raider sack leaders:
| Player | No. | Years |
| Montae Reagor | 25? | 1995-98 |
| Calvin Riggs | 18? | 1983-86 |
| Shawn Jackson | 17 | 1991-93 |
| James Mosley | 17 | 1985-88 |
| Gabriel Rivera | 14 | 1979-82 |
| Desmond Royal | 13? | 1985-88 |
| Tim Crawford | 13? | 1982-85 |
| Ronald Byers | 13? | 1981-84 |
| Mike Liscio | 13 | 1989-92 |
| Fred Petty | 13 | 1990-91 |
| Taurus Rucker | 12? | 1996-99 |
Experience Required?
Few exceptions in the experience department have been made in 1999 for admission to the SWARM. The 11 players who started on defense for Texas Tech against Texas have a combined 364 games played between them, an average of just over 33 career games under their belts. Six senior Red Raider defenders have played in at least 40 career games.
Career
| Games | Player | Pos |
| 43 | Kyle Shipley | ILB |
| 43 | Taurus Rucker | DE |
| 42 | Reagan Bownds | OLB |
| 42 | Tim Duffie | ILB |
| 41 | Keith Cockrum | OLB |
| 40 | Oscar Solis | CB |
| 32 | Devin Lemons | DE |
| 30 | Kris Kocurek | DT |
| 21 | Kevin Curtis | FS |
| 21 | Anthony Malbrough | CB |
| 9 | Robert Wyatt | DT |
Return to Turf
Probably nobody wants to get back on the artificial surface at Jones Stadium more than Tech tailback Shaud Williams. Ten games into his Red Raider career, Williams has made both home and road artificial surface his biggest ally, averaging exactly five yards more per carry on the synthetic surface. His last turf appearance produced 148 yard on 21 carries. His last appearance on grass resulted in 13 yards on seven carries.
| Williams? Rushing | Turf | Grass | |
| Games | 5 | 5 | |
| Carries | 69 | 43 | |
| Yards | 537 | 121 | |
| Yards Per Carry | 7.8 | 2.8 | |
| Yards Per Game | 107.4 | 24.2 |
Sammy at Home
Tech running back Sammy Morris has found Jones Stadium to his liking this season, rushing for 296 yards (98.7 pg) in three games he has played in Lubbock during 1999.
| Morris at Home | Att | Yds | Avg |
| Texas A&M | 33 | 170 | 5.2 |
| Colorado | 14 | 46 | 3.3 |
| Iowa State | 14 | 80 | 5.7 |
| Home Totals | 61 | 296 | 4.9 |
| Road Totals | 59 | 215 | 3.6 |
Touchdown Jones
Texas Tech receiver Darrell Jones has become quite comfortable in the endzone through the early days of his Red Raider career. Jones has 16 career receptions, six for touchdowns. In other words, Jones finds the endzone on 3.75 of every 10 receptions.
The Big 5-0
Texas Tech place kicker Chris Birkholz has now made all 50 extra point attempts in his Red Raider career.
Linebacking Degrees
Texas Tech could boast the most learned linebacking starting corp in college football. Graduates and inside linebackers Tim Duffie and Kyle Shipley have already earned their degrees, while outside linebackers Keith Cockrum and Reagan Bownds have 4.0 and 3.61 grade point averages, respectively, and will graduate this year.
HOF Scholar Award
Outside linebacker Keith Cockrum has added another academic award to his growing list, but the latest is the most prestigious to date. The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame named Cockrum one of just 15 Scholar-Athletes last week. Cockrum will receive $18,000 toward postgraduate work and will be honored at the College Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies in New York in early December.
The Last Time Out
Texas Tech was removed from contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game after being beaten 58-7 at Texas.
Next Week
The Oklahoma game ends the 1999 regular season for Texas Tech. Only a victory over the Sooners would guarantee a ?next week? for the Red Raiders, who at 5-5 need one more victory to become bowl eligible.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Texas Tech vs. OKLAHOMA
| TTU | OU | |
| Total Offense | 321.4 | 441.4 |
| Points Scored | 21.5 | 37.0 |
| First Downs | 17.2 | 25.1 |
| Rushing Yards | 154.4 | 119.2 |
| Passing Yards | 167.0 | 322.2 |
| Time of Possession | 28:16 | 29:07 |
| 3rd Down Conversion % | 33% | 37% |
| Points Allowed | 25.4 | 17.4 |
| Yards Allowed | 333.9 | 354.8 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed | 154.9 | 132.7 |
| Passing Yards Allowed | 179.0 | 222.1 |
STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING YARDS
| Texas Tech | OKLAHOMA | ||
| Williams, S. | 658 | Thornton | 383 |
| Morris, S. | 511 | Skinner | 250 |
| Easterling | 213 | Littrell | 226 |
PASSING YARDS
| Texas Tech | OKLAHOMA | ||
| Peters | 1,437 | Heupel | 2,821 |
| Kingsbury | 233 | Fletcher | 70 |
RECEPTIONS
| Texas Tech | OKLAHOMA | ||
| Baker | 21 | Jackson | 36 |
| Morris, S. | 20 | Daniels | 35 |
| Dorris | 18 | Savage | 28 |
POINTS SCORED
| Texas Tech | OKLAHOMA | ||
| Williams, S. | 42 | Duncan | 76 |
| Birkholz | 39 | Jackson | 42 |
| Jones | 30 | Littrell | 42 |
TACKLES
| Texas Tech | OKLAHOMA | ||
| Curtis | 139 | Calmus | 96 |
| Shipley | 87 | Rideau | 89 |
| Duffie | 82 | Marshall | 77 |