Red Raiders Prepare For New Mexico
August 21, 2000 | Football
Aug. 21, 2000
NEW MEXICO
AUG. 26
7:00 P.M. (CDT)
Jones SBC Stadium (50,050)
Tech-New Mexico Series
This will be the 36th meeting between Texas Tech and New Mexico. The Red Raiders have won 28 and tied the Lobos twice. Tech leads the all-time series in Lubbock 18-1.
COACHES
Mike Leach (BYU, . 83) is in his first season as head coach of the Red Raider football program. Leach came to Texas Tech after serving as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. Rocky Long (New Mexico, . 84) is beginning his third season as a collegiate head coach, all at his alma mater. He has fashioned a 7-16 mark at UNM.
SERIES
Texas Tech leads the series 28-5-2. The two teams first met in 1931 and last played in 1995. The Red Raiders have won the last six meetings and 16 of the last 19.
TV
Fox Sports Net will broadcast the Texas Tech-New Mexico game on a regional basis. Bill Land (play-by-play) and Gary Reasons (color commentary) will call the action from Jones SBC Stadium.
RADIO
The All Sports Radio Network is in its fifth season of broadcasting Texas Tech football games on a network basis. The 34-station network covers the state of Texas and Eastern New Mexico. Brian Jensen (play-by-play), John Harris (color) and Mark Finkner (sideline) provide gameday coverage. The broadcast may also be heard via the Internet at www.texastech.com.
IN ESPANOL
All Texas Tech football games are broadcast in Spanish via KXTQ in Lubbock. Mario Montez and Israel Aguilar provide commentary.
Series Streaks
Texas Tech has won the last six games in the series, but the longest Red Raider winning streak in the series is 10 games from 1972-81. The longest New Mexico win streak in the series is three games from 1982-84.
Never Met
In his first year at Texas Tech, head coach Mike Leach has never faced the Lobos. Lobo head coach Rocky Long begins his third year also never having faced the Red Raiders as a head coach. Long was the quarterback in a 1971 New Mexico team that beat Texas Tech 13-10 in Lubbock.
Transamerica HCF Football Classic
The matchup between Texas Tech and New Mexico is makes up the pairing for the inaugural Transamerica Hispanic College Fund Football Classic. The NCAA exempt game benefits the Hispanic College Fund, which provides scholarships for deserving Hispanic students to attend college. Twenty-five percent of the game proceeds go to the HCF.
Captains
The Red Raider football team has elected captains for the 2000 season. Those chosen to lead the squad are quarterback Kliff Kingsbury, running back Ricky Williams, defensive end Devin Lemons and defensive tackle Kris Kocurek. All are seniors with the exception of Kingsbury, who is a redshirt sophomore.
Preseason Honors
Safety Kevin Curtis and running back Ricky Williams have garnered the bulk of preseason honors for Texas Tech. Football News named Curtis a first-team preseason All-America. Williams was a second-team choice by Fans Only. Both were named as preseason first-team All-Big 12 Choices.
It. s Jones SBC Stadium
Not only is the football stadium at Tech getting a $75 million dollar face lift, but the name has changed as well. Jones Stadium is now Jones SBC Stadium thanks to a generous $20 million gift by SBC, the parent company of Southwestern Bell.
New Mexico Ties
Texas Tech will have a pair of New Mexicans dressing out to face the Lobos. Offensive tackle Matt Heider and kicker Clinton Greathouse are both natives of Roswell, N.M.
HCF Hits Close to Home
Five Texas Tech students are able to pursue their college dreams due to assistance from the Hispanic College Fund. One of those, Stephanie Rosiles, is the sister of Red Raider punter Eric Rosiles.
First of Eight
The game against New Mexico is the first of eight home games for Texas Tech in the 2000 season, including four consecutive to start the season. The Red Raiders do not hit the road until a Sept. 30 trip to Texas A&M.
Tough At Home
Texas Tech was 4-1 at home last season and is 9-2 at the friendly confines of Jones SBC Stadium over the last two seasons. Wins have come over UTEP, Fresno State, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Colorado, Iowa State and Oklahoma. Losses were at the hands of Missouri and North Texas.
Hoop Pedigrees
The athletic directors at both Texas Tech and New Mexico were both long-time college basketball coaches before moving into the athletic administration ranks. Tech AD Gerald Myers is the all-time winningest basketball coach in Texas Tech history and UNM athletic director Rudy Davalos worked the collegiate ranks from 1961-73. He moved to a position with the San Antonio Spurs in `73 and stayed there until accepting a position with UT-San Antonio.
Streak Breaker
The longest win streak in Texas Tech football history is 10 games, which has happened three times. The latest, from Oct. 6, 1973 to Sept. 14, 1974, was broken by New Mexico on Sept. 21, 1974. The Red Raiders and the Lobos battled to a 21-21 tie that day.
Red Raiders in August
Texas Tech records indicate that the Aug. 26 starting date is the earliest in Red Raider history, but not the only time Tech has played in August. The month hasn. t been kind to TTU in two previous tries, with the Red Raiders losing the 1996 season opener at Kansas State (21-14) on Aug. 31 and the 1997 season-opener at Tennessee (52-17) on Aug. 30.
Up Next
Texas Tech continues a four-game home stand by hosting Utah State. New Mexico returns home to entertain Boise State.
Last Time vs. New Mexico
Marcus Coleman returned a fumble 92 yards for a touchdown and Dane Johnson returned an interception 23 yards for a score as Texas Tech defeated New Mexico, 34-7, in Albuquerque.
Texas Tech on TV
Saturday. s appearance on FOX Sports Net. s regional broadcast will be Texas Tech. s 111th all-time television appearance. The Red Raiders are 47-60-3 all time in TV games. Tech was 3-2 in televised games last year.
Seeing Double
Four returning Tech defenders posted double-figure tackle games in 1999. Following is a list of returning double-digit tacklers from last season. Safety Kevin Curtis leads that list with seven double-digit games in 1999.
| Player | No. | Opponent |
| Kevin Curtis | 20 | Missouri |
| Kevin Curtis | 20 | Colorado |
| Kevin Curtis | 19 | Iowa State |
| Kevin Curtis | 17 | Arizona State |
| Kevin Curtis | 15 | Texas |
| Kevin Curtis | 13 | Baylor |
| Kevin Curtis | 13 | UL-Lafayette |
| Kris Kocurek | 12 | North Texas |
| Jonathan Hawkins | 11 | Texas |
| Kris Kocurek | 10 | Iowa State |
| John Norman | 10 | Missouri |
10 On Turf
Saturday. s game against New Mexico will be the first of 10 games played on artificial turf by Texas Tech this season. The Red Raiders will only feel the grass between their cleats at Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Touchdown Jones
Texas Tech receiver Darrell Jones has just 17 career receptions coming into the 2000 season, but he has made the most of his chances. Of those 17 catches, six have been for touchdowns. In other words, Jones has found the endzone 35-percent of the time he has gotten his hands on the football.
53 And Counting
Texas Tech place kicker Chris Birkholz has now made all 53 extra point attempts in his Red Raider career.
Protection Degrees
Offensive tackles Paul Erickson and John DePasquale will both spend a lot of time protecting quarterback Kliff Kingsbury this season. Prior to that, both had spent a lot of time in the books. Both Erickson and DePasquale earned their undergraduate degrees following summer term and will play the 2000 season as graduate students.