Texas Tech University Athletics
Postgame Notes
September 27, 2002 | Football
Texas Tech won the coin toss for just the second time this season and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Tech's only other "coin toss victory" came in the game against Ole Miss on Sept. 14 in Lubbock. The Red Raiders were forced to punt on their first drive ending a string of two consecutive games in which Texas Tech had scored on its opening drive.
Tonight's game marked the first trip for the Red Raiders to Albuquerque since the 1995 season when Tech posted a 34-7 win over the Lobos. Texas Tech has an all-time mark of 11-3-1 against New Mexico in Albuquerque.
TEXAS TECH STARTING LINEUPS
Offense - LT: Daniel Loper; LG: Toby Cecil; C: Dylan Gandy; RG: Rex Richards; RT: E.J. Whitley; QB: Kliff Kingsbury; F: Taurean Henderson; H: Wes Welker; X: Anton Paige; Y: Mickey Peters; Z: Carlos Francis
Defense - LE: Aaron Hunt; LT: Rodney McKinney; RT: Lamont Anderson; RE: Adell Duckett; STUB: Mike Smith; MAC: Lawrence Flugence; BUC: Jason Wesley; LC: Ricky Sailor; FS: Raymond Pierce; SS: Ryan Aycock; RC: Joselio Hanson
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
Friday nights in Texas are typically reserved for the pageantry of high school football, however, the University of New Mexico decided to move the game with Texas Tech from Saturday to Friday in order to accommodate a national television audience on ESPN2. Tonight's game marks the first time that Texas Tech has played on Friday night in school history.
TV STARS
Texas Tech players and coaches are well versed when it comes to television as the Red Raiders have now played in four television games this season. Texas Tech has played on national television three times (ABC - at Ohio State; Fox Sports Net - North Carolina State; ESPN2 - at New Mexico). Tech's other television appearance was an ABC Regional game against Mississippi in Lubbock.
- Texas Tech picked up its first win on the ESPN Network since the Copper Bowl on Dec. 27, 1995. Texas Tech had lost six-straight ESPN televised games before tonight's game.
WELKER MOVES UP ON BIG 12 PUNT RETURN LIST
Junior receiver Wes Welker took over sole possession of fourth place on the Big 12 punt return list when he returned his 79th career punt midway through the first quarter. Welker now has 84 punt returns in his career.
ANOTHER RECORD FOR KINGSBURY
Senior quarterback Kliff Kingsbury tossed four touchdown passes in the first half tying his school record that he set against Stephen F. Austin in the final game of the regular-season in 2001. Kingsbury set a new Texas Tech and Big 12 record when he tossed his sixth touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Texas Tech offense has been red hot lately as the Red Raiders have scored 97 points over the last two games. The Texas Tech offense has scored on 13 of 17 offensive possessions and has scored a touchdown on 12 of 17 possessions.
SHUTOUT!
The Texas Tech defense answered the call tonight as the Red Raiders held New Mexico scoreless. The last time Texas Tech held an opponent scoreless on its home field was in 1975 when the Red Raiders blanked TCU 34-0 on Nov. 8 in Fort Worth. The last time Texas Tech shutout an opponent away from Lubbock (neutral field) was in 1998 when Tech beat North Texas 30-0 at Texas Stadium in Irving (Sept. 12). The Texas Tech defense only allowed the New Mexico offense to cross over into Red Raider territory three times during the game. New Mexico had not been shut out in 111 games.
PAIGE HAS BIG NIGHT
Senior receiver Anton Paige had a career night against New Mexico as he caught three touchdown passes in the game which is a new career high. Paige, who scored Tech's first touchdown of the game in the first quarter, moved into a tie for ninth place on the all-time Texas Tech career touchdown reception list. He is tied with Derrell Mitchell who played at Texas Tech in 1992 and 1993.
- At the end of the first half, Anton Paige had 48 receptions and eight touchdown receptions in his career at Texas Tech giving him an average of one touchdown pass for every six receptions.
OTHER NOTABLES
- Freshman running back Vincent Meeks returned the opening kickoff giving him his first career kickoff return. He also scored his second touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter.
- Junior Wes Welker has caught a pass in 23-straight games dating back to the sixth game (Baylor, Oct. 7, 2000) of his freshman season. The 23-game streak is the longest active streak of any player in the Big 12 Conference.
- Sophomore Adell Duckett picked up his second-career sack in the first quarter. The sack was also the first sack recorded by the Texas Tech defense since the SMU game.
- Freshman receiver Thomas Bachman picked up his first career reception in the second quarter.
- Junior Mickey Peters picked up his sixth-career receiving touchdown with 9:16 in the second quarter giving him a touchdown reception in each of the last four games.
- Junior Carlos Francis picked up his seventh-career touchdown reception at the end of the first half.
- Senior Ricky Sailor's interception in the fourth quarter was his third of his career and his first of the season.
- Senior Kliff Kingsbury's 407 yards passing marked his fifth game of his career of over 400 yards passing.
- Redshirt freshman Randall Cherry recorded his first career sack in the fourth quarter.
