Red Raiders Battle Texas Saturday In Austin
November 08, 1999 | Football
Nov. 8, 1999
TEXAS
NOV. 13 ? 6 P.M. (CDT)
Darrell K Royal/
Texas Memorial Stadium
(80,082)
Second Oldest Series
The series with cross-state rival Texas is the third-longest active rivalry for Texas Tech in number of games played, but the second oldest active rivalry on the Red Raider books. Texas Tech and Texas have met 47 times since 1928. The Red Raiders have played both Texas A&M and Baylor 58 times, first playing the Aggies in 1927 and Baylor in 1929. Tech and Texas have played on a yearly basis since 1960.
The Series in Austin
Texas has won 22 of the 27 games in the series played in Austin, although the Red Raiders have won two of the four meetings in Austin this decade.
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 81-66-1 at Tech. Dykes has served in his current position longer than any coach in school history.
Mack Brown (Florida State, ?74) is in his second season at Texas with a 17-5 mark, 103-79-1 in his 16th season overall.
SERIES
Texas leads the series 35-13, but have dropped two straight to Texas Tech and four of the last six. Texas leads 22-5 in games played in Austin.
TV
Fox Sports Net will broadcast the Texas Tech-Texas game. Ron Thulin (play-by-play), Artie Gigantino (color commentary) and Eric Clemmons (sideline) will call the action from Darrell K Royal/Texas Memorial 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.
Four of Six, Seven of 13
Texas Tech has won four of the last six games in the series, including two consecutive. The Red Raiders won 24-10 in Austin in 1997 and 42-35 in Lubbock last season. The Red Raiders and the Longhorns have split the last 14 games.
Crown Hunting
Texas Tech and Texas are the only two teams in the Big 12 South Division which control their own destiny. Tech comes to Austin with a 4-2 league record, one game behind the Longhorns at 5-1. A Red Raider victory would give Tech an opportunity to play for the divisional title in the regular-season finale Nov. 20 against Oklahoma at Jones Stadium.
Bowling Anyone?
In addition to conference divisional chases being on the line, at 5-4 overall Texas Tech is also one win shy of being bowl eligible for the seventh consecutive season and for the 10th time in head coach Spike Dykes 13 seasons.
November in the 90s
To say Texas Tech has been a strong finisher in the last decade might be a bit of an understatement. Since the 1990 season, the Red Raiders are 20-9 in games played in November. Under head coach Spike Dykes the Red Raiders are 26-11-1 in games played during what is normally the final month of the regular season.
Last Time vs. Texas
Texas Tech outscored Texas 22-14 in the fourth quarter to pull off a 42-25 victory at Jones Stadium. In the battle of the Ricky Williams?, Tech?s Williams tallied 148 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Texas? Heisman Trophy winner ran for 141 and a score. Texas Tech ran 97 offensive plays in the game, with quarterback Rob Peters completing 19 of 42 passing attempts for 322 yards and two touchdowns. Texas? Major Applewhite was 10 of 24 for 242 yards and four touchdowns.
Curtis Piling Up Numbers
Texas Tech free safety Kevin Curtis started the month of November in the same fashion he ended October. After making 69 total tackles in the five games the Red Raiders played during October, Curtis posted 19 more stops in Tech?s win over Iowa State last week. In the last five games the sophomore from Lubbock-Coronado has registered 88 tackles, 14.7 per game. IN the last four games he has tallied 72 stops, an even more amazing 18 per game. Just for good measure, Curtis had two tackles for loss and broke up what would have been a touchdown pass against the Cyclones.
Texas Tech on TV
Saturday?s game at Texas marks the fourth television appearance for Texas Tech this season. The Red Raiders are 2-1 on the tube this year, defeating Texas A&M and Colorado, while losing at Arizona State.
All Time TV Record
Texas Tech is 46-59-3 all time in televised games.
On National TV
Saturday?s national FOX national cable audience will mark Texas Tech?s 34th all-time national television exposure and the 63rd game in the Spike Dykes era to be televised.
Texas Tech and Texas on TV
According to Texas Tech records, Saturday?s game will mark the 15th time the annual Texas Tech-Texas game has been televised and the 10th consecutive televised Red Raider-Longhorn battle. Tech was won eight of those televised games.
On the Tube
| Year | Result | Network |
| 1974 | Texas Tech 26, Texas 3 | ABC |
| 1980 | Texas Tech 24, Texas 20 | ESPN |
| 1985 | Texas 34, Texas Tech 21 | Raycom |
| 1986 | Texas Tech 23, Texas 21 | USA/Raycom |
| 1988 | Texas Tech 33, Texas 32 | Raycom |
| 1990 | Texas 42, Texas Tech 22 | Raycom |
| 1991 | Texas 23, Texas Tech 15 | Raycom |
| 1992 | Texas 44, Texas Tech 33 | Raycom |
| 1993 | Texas Tech 31, Texas 22 | Raycom |
| 1994 | Texas Tech 33, Texas 9 | Raycom/Prime |
| 1995 | Texas 48, Texas Tech 7 | ESPN |
| 1996 | Texas 38, Texas Tech 32 | FOX |
| 1997 | Texas Tech 24, Texas 10 | FOX |
| 1998 | Texas Tech 42, Texas 35 | FOX |
Spreading It Around
When Tech quarterback Rob Peters lets go of a pass it might be heading in one of many directions. A total of 14 Red Raiders have at least one of Texas Tech?s 111 receptions this season, and five have at least 15 catches. Tech?s leading receiver, Tim Baker, has 20 receptions.
Down the Stretch They Come
Under Spike Dykes Texas Tech has been a ?second-half? team, second half of the season, that is. Texas Tech 51-22-1 under Dykes in games played after October 10.
Want a Little More KC?
In addition to 72 tackles in the last four games, Kevin Curtis has also intercepted two 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 |
| Totals | 72 | 52 | 124 |
Peters Climbing Charts
Senior quarterback Rob Peters continues to climb the Texas Tech career passing charts, currently in 7th place with 2,767 career yards. Peters needs 166 yards passing to move past Tom Wilson (1963-65) into sixth.
| 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 | 2,767 | 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. With one TD toss against Iowa State last week, Peters needs four TD passes to move past Jamie Gill (1988-91) into sixth.
Touchdown Jones
Texas Tech receiver Darrell Jones has become quite comfortable in the endzone through the early days of his Red Raider career. With one catch for a 26-yard touchdown last week against Iowa State Jones now has 16 career receptions, six for touchdowns.
Shaud on Turf
If anyone ever suggested replacing the Astroturf at Jones Stadium with natural grass might get a vehement argument from Texas Tech freshman running back Shaud Williams. Just nine games into his Red Raider career, Williams has made both home and road artificial surface his biggest ally, averaging almost five yards more per carry on the synthetic surface.
Williams? Rushing
| Turf | Grass | ||
| Games | 5 | 4 | |
| Carries | 69 | 36 | |
| Yards | 537 | 108 | |
| Yards Per Carry | 7.8 | 3.0 | |
| Yards Per Game | 107.4 | 27.0 |
49 and Counting
After connecting on all four chances against Iowa State, Tech place kicker Chris Birkholz has now made all 49 extra point attempts in his Red Raider career.
Sammy at Home
Tech running back Sammy Morris has found Jones Stadium to his liking this season, rushing for 371 yards in three games he has played in Lubbock.
Linebacker School
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.
All Purpose
Texas Tech running backs Sammy Morris and Shaud Williams are both flirting with the 1,000-yard all-purpose yardage mark. Williams, a true freshman, leads the team with 783 all-purpose yards, 645 of those rushing. Morris, a senior captain, has 753 all-purpose yards, 480 rushing and 273 receiving.
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 Iowa State have a combined 354 games played between them, an average of just over 32 career games under their belts. Five Red Raider defenders have played in at least 40 career games.
Career
| Games | Player | Pos | |
| 42 | Kyle Shipley | ILB | |
| 42 | Taurus Rucker | DE | |
| 41 | Reagan Bownds | OLB | |
| 41 | Tim Duffie | ILB | |
| 40 | Keith Cockrum | OLB | |
| 39 | Oscar Solis | CB | |
| 31 | Devin Lemons | DE | |
| 29 | Kris Kocurek | DT | |
| 20 | Kevin Curtis | FS | |
| 20 | Anthony Malbrough | CB | |
| 9 | Lamont Anderson | DT |
Season High for Shipley
Inside linebacker Kyle Shipley posted a season-high 13 tackles against Iowa State last week, moving him into a tie for second place on the team with 78 total stops. Fellow inside linebacker Tim Duffie also has 78 tackles. Shipley?s previous season bests were 10 tackles against both Texas A&M and Baylor.
Double Digit Days
A trio of Texas Tech defenders posted double-digit tackles against Iowa State last week, marking the eighth time in nine games Tech has had at least one double-figure tackler. Free safety Kevin Curtis rang up 19 tackles and linebacker Kyle Shipley had 13 against the Cyclones. Defensive lineman Kris Kocurek followed with 10 stops. 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 |
| 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 |
| Reagan Bownds | 11 | Missouri |
| Kris Kocurek | 10 | Iowa State |
| John Norman | 10 | Missouri |
| Kyle Shipley | 10 | Baylor |
| Reagan Bownds | 10 | Arizona State |
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) |
Spike?s Austin Connection
Texas Tech head coach Spike Dykes spent five seasons (1972-76) in Austin as an assistant to legendary Texas coach Darrell Royal. Over the span of those five seasons, the Longhorns were 41-15-1 and won three Southwest Conference titles.
Longhorn Dean
Texas Tech secondary coach Dean Campbell not only coached at Texas (1982-86), but also played on two national championship and three Southwest Conference championship teams as a Longhorn player. In 1971, the Austin native led the SWC and was fourth in the nation in punt returns. As an assistant coach on Fred Akers? staff, Campbell helped lead Texas to a 40-18-1 mark and one SWC title.
Even More Longhorn Connections
Texas Tech offensive line coach Clovis Hale also put in his time as a member of the Texas football coaching staff, working as a member of David McWilliams? staff from 1987-91. During his five-year stint in Austin, the Longhorns put together a 31-26 mark.
Quarterback Sackin?
Defensive end Taurus Rucker is among the Big 12 Conference sack leaders and needs to record just a ? sack this week against Texas to move into the all-time Texas Tech top 10 sack list after posting his sixth of the season at Missouri. 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 |
The Last Time Out
Texas Tech stayed in contention for a spot in the Big 12 Championship Game with a 28-16 victory over Iowa State at Jones Stadium last week.
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.
(Honor) Roll Call
Texas Tech boasts seven players who have posted at least a 3.0 grade point average for six consecutive semesters and all seven contribute on the field as well. Topping that list is Raider Keith Cockrum, who has earned a perfect 4.0 for eight consecutive semesters and center Kyle Sanders who has a perfect 4.0 for six straight semesters.
| Name | Pos | GPA | Semesters 3.0 or Better |
| Keith Cockrum | R | 4.00 | 8 |
| Kyle Sanders | C | 4.00 | 6 |
| Robert Monroe | SN | 3.90 | 6 |
| Rob Peters | QB | 3.88 (3.67 Grad) | 8 |
| Reagan Bownds | R | 3.61 | 8 |
| Chris Birkholz | K | 3.54 | 6 |
| Kyle Shipley | MLB | 3.17 (3.50 Grad) | 6 |
Spec-TECH-ular Weekend
The final week of the football regular season will be a busy one for Texas Tech sports fans. The United Spirit Arena will officially open for business on Friday night, Nov. 19 when the Red Raiders host Indiana. On Saturday, the Tech football team plays host to Oklahoma prior to the Lady Raiders kicking off their season with the Four in the Fall Classic at the Arena that evening. A Big 12 volleyball match against Oklahoma wraps up the weekend Sunday 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 1-888-GO BIG 12.
Big Game, How About the Half?
How big is the Texas game on the Texas Tech campus? While the Red Raider football team took the NCAA-mandated off day on Sunday after defeating Iowa State, the Goin? Band From Raiderland took over Jones Stadium for a Sunday practice in preparation for the trip to Austin.
Next Week
Oklahoma comes to Jones Stadium for the 1999 regular-season finale.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Texas Tech vs. TEXAS
| TTU | UT | |
| Total Offense | 339.3 | 438.2 |
| Points Scored | 23.1 | 36.4 |
| First Downs | 17.7 | 22.5 |
| Rushing Yards | 169.0 | 144.4 |
| Passing Yards | 170.3 | 293.8 |
| Time of Possession | 28:45 | 32:04 |
| 3rd Down Conversion % | 34% | 41% |
| Points Allowed | 21.8 | 21.9 |
| Yards Allowed | 315.0 | 300.0 |
| Rushing Yards Allowed | 148.0 | 99.5 |
| Passing Yards Allowed | 167.0 | 200.5 |
STATISTICAL LEADERS
RUSHING YARDS
| Texas Tech | TEXAS | ||
| Williams, S. | 645 | Mitchell | 1,061 |
| Morris, S. | 480 | Ike | 244 |
| Easterling | 213 | Brown | 102 |
PASSING YARDS
| Texas Tech | TEXAS | ||
| Peters | 1,387 | Applewhite | 2,891 |
| Kingsbury | 146 | Simms | 47 |
RECEPTIONS
| Texas Tech | TEXAS | ||
| Baker | 20 | Cavil | 76 |
| Morris, S. | 19 | Nunez | 50 |
| Dorris | 16 | Mitchell | 29 |
POINTS SCORED
| Texas Tech | TEXAS | ||
| Williams, S. | 42 | Stockton | 96 |
| Birkholz | 38 | Robertson | 54 |
| Jones | 30 | Mitchell | 48 |
TACKLES
| Texas Tech | TEXAS | ||
| Curtis | 124 | Hampton | 68 |
| Duffie | 78 | Brown, G. | 66 |
| Shipley | 78 | Jackson | 60 |