Texas Tech Athletics
1-0
New Mexico
0-1
Mike Leach Era Begins Impressively
August 26, 2000 | Football
Aug. 26, 2000
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
AP Sports Writer
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) - Kliff Kingsbury threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns as Texas Tech beat New Mexico 24-3 on Saturday night in pass-happy coach Mike Leach's first game as head coach.
While the new offense is still in the developing stage, the change in the Red Raiders was obvious. This isn't the same team that ran two-thirds of the time under former coach Spike Dykes.
Kingsbury completed 21-of-47 passes - to seven receivers. The single-game highs for Tech last season were 15 completions and 32 attempts, in different games.
And while the Red Raiders have changed their offensive philosophy, tailback Ricky Williams certainly hasn't been forgotten.
After finishing fourth in the nation in rushing as a sophomore in 1998, Williams injured his knee in last year's opener and was lost for the season. He returned Saturday with the first TD catch of his career - a 6-yarder in the first quarter - and rushed for 78 yards on 15 carries.
The Texas Tech defense actually had the biggest plays of the night. Antwan Alexander, who also had an interception, returned a fumble 70 yards to set up a field goal, and Aaron Hunt had a 63-yard fumble return for a TD in the fourth quarter.
The inaugural Transamerica Hispanic College Fund Football Classic provided the first meeting between the two teams since 1995 and the earliest season opener ever for both. Tech has dominated the series with seven straight wins and a 29-5-2 overall record.
In just one season as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, Leach turned another run-oriented team into one of the nation's top passing teams.
Tech fans came to see the freewheeling passing game, so much so that some jeered Leach after Williams had three straight rushing carries on the first possession. They eventually got a good preview of what they hope to see.
On Tech's second offensive series, Kingsbury hit Derek Dorris for a 22-yard gain before Williams ran for 8 yards and then caught a quick pass for the first touchdown.
In the third quarter, Kingsbury took a three-step drop and threw an 8-yard TD pass to Dorris that put Tech up 14-3. Kingsbury had six completions for 56 yards during that 11-play drive.
Alexander's big defensive plays came in a span of about two minutes in the third quarter, but Tech only managed a 33-yard field goal by Chris Birkholz.
Three plays after Alexander's interception, Kingsbury's pass deflected off the hands of his tight end and was intercepted by Terrell Golden. The Lobos then ran only three plays before Alexander picked up a fumble at the Tech 6.
Alexander returned the ball all the way to the end zone, but a clipping penalty brought the ball back to the 39. Even after Kingsbury converted a fourth-and-4 with a 17-yard pass to Dorris, Tech had to settle for the field goal.
New Mexico was at the Tech 30 after David Mauer blocked a punt. The result a few plays later was Hunt's fumble return for a touchdown, the first against the Lobos since 1995.
The Lobos' only score was a 49-yard field goal by Vladimir Borombozin on the final play of the first half.
Team Stats
NM 0, TT 7
TT - Williams, R. 6 yd pass from Kingsbury (Birkholz kick) 4 plays, 40 yards, TOP 0:46
NM 3, TT 7
NM - Borombozin 49 yd field goal 4 plays, 12 yards, TOP 0:37
NM 3, TT 14
TT - Dorris 8 yd pass from Kingsbury (Birkholz kick) 11 plays, 72 yards, TOP 4:09
NM 3, TT 17
TT - Birkholz 33 yd field goal 8 plays, 23 yards, TOP 1:50
NM 3, TT 24
TT - Hunt 63 yd fumble recovery (Birkholz kick)