Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Head West To Battle New Mexico
September 06, 2004 | Football
Sept. 6, 2004
Texas Tech at New Mexico
Saturday, Sept. 11, 2004; 6:05 p.m. (MT)
University Stadium; Albuquerque, N.M. Are You A Member Of The College Sports Pass?
If you are the ultimate Texas Tech football fan then you need to be a member of the College Sports Pass. The College Sports Pass is a video and audio service at www.texastech.com that takes you right to the action of Red Raider football. The CSP is just $6.95 per month while quarterly and yearly subcriptions are available. Check out the latest on the College Sports Pass. 2004 Texas Tech Football Radio Affiliates New Mexico Athletics
Complete Texas Tech Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Complete New Mexico Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THE SEASON
The 2004 season marks the 80th year of Texas Tech Football on the South Plains. Over that span, the program has 458 wins, 371 losses and 32 ties. THE GAME
Texas Tech plays its second-straight road game with a 7 p.m. matchup with New Mexico at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sat., Sept. 11. The last time the Red Raiders opened the season with two-consecutive road games was in 2002 when Tech faced eventual National Champion Ohio State and SMU in back-to-back road contests. RADIO
The All Sports Radio Network, with its flagship station KKAM 1340-AM, carries the live broadcast of every football game throughout the state of Texas on its 30-station network. Play-by-play man Brian Jensen calls the action with longtime Lubbock broadcasting fixture John Harris as the color analyst. Mark Finkner provides the sideline coverage, while Tim Chambers serves as statistician. Engineer Steve Pitts is in his 15th season.
 Senior quarterback Sonny Cumbie | |
The game will not be televised. Texas Tech next scheduled appearance will be on FSN against TCU on Sat., Sept. 18, at 11:30 a.m. from Jones SBC Stadium. THE COACHES - Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach
Red Raiders head coach Mike Leach is 32-21 at Texas Tech and is in his fifth season at the helm of the Red Raider program and is 4-0 against New Mexico. Leach's Red Raiders have averaged 39.3 points per game over the last four games, while holding UNM to 15.3 per contest, including a 49-0 shutout of the Lobos in 2002. In his first four seasons at Tech, Leach won 31 games, became the only coach in Tech history to lead his first four teams to bowl appearances, and helped Red Raider players set 149 school records. THE COACHES - New Mexico Head Coach Rocky Long
UNM head coach Rocky Long is in his seventh season in Albuquerque and has led his alma mater to a 33-40 record over that span. The Lobos finished 8-5 a year ago and capped off the season with a berth in the Las Vegas Bowl against Oregon State. Long's only head coaching job has been at UNM, where he is 0-4 against the Red Raiders. THE TEXAS TECH-NEW MEXICO SERIES
Texas Tech leads 32-5-2 in a series that dates back to 1931. Tech won the first five games, before UNM picked up its first of five wins in 1940. UNM's last two wins came in back-to-back seasons in 1983-84. The Red Raiders have won the last 10 meetings, including three straight in Albuquerque.
SERIES INFORMATION
Overall: Tech leads 32-5-2
In Lubbock: Tech leads 21-2
In Albuquerque: Tech leads 11-3-2
Last Meeting: Tech 42, UNM 28 (2003) WIN OVER SMU ENDS STREAK
Texas Tech entered last week's game with an 11-game losing streak in season openers on the road. The last road win to open the season came in the form of a 17-7 win over Baylor in Waco to open the 1977 season. During that stretch, the Red Raiders opened seasons against three teams ranked among the nation's top five, including No. 1 Southern California in 1978. NEW CROP OF RECEIVERS EMERGE IN SEASON OPENER
It didn't take long for Tech to answer questions concerning its receiving corps. The Red Raiders' top two receivers in the season opener at SMU were the team's sixth-leading receiver from a year ago and another who hadn't played in a game since 1999. Sophomore WR Jarrett Hicks led the Red Raiders with eight receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown. His eight receptions mark one-eighth of his total 32 receptions last season. Junior TE Bristol Olomua saw his first action against SMU after serving a two-year Mormon mission before transferring to Tech from BYU. Olomua, who hadn't played in a game since his 1999 season at BYU, finished the game with seven receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns. The game marked the first in two years without the longtime trio of Carlos Francis, Wes Welker and Mickey Peters.
 Nehemiah Glover and Jarrett Hicks look to lead the Red Raider offense on Saturday in New Mexico. | |
Sophomore WR Joel Filani saw his first significant playing time and caught three passes for 34 yards, including a 15-yard reception for his first collegiate touchdown. Filani caught one pass all of last season. Senior IR Nehemiah Glover, working in his first game at the H Back position, finished the game with five receptions for 86 yards. He also returned two punts 20 yards. Junior IR Cody Fuller grabbed four receptions for 42 yards, while sophomore WR Brandon Douglas and senior RB Johnnie Mack each had three receptions against SMU. REYES TURNS IN BEST GAME TO DATE
Sophomore P Alex Reyes averaged 51.0 yards per punt on two punts against SMU, solidifying his role in the position he won as a true freshman last season. Reyes, recently nominated for the Ray Guy Award, had punts of 52 and 50 yards in the game. Reyes' average ranks first in the Big 12, but doesn't rank nationally due to the required minimum of 3.6 punts per game. If included, his average would rank first. MACK PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
The senior running back also carries the load as Tech's top kick return guy. Mack, who finished third in the Big 12 and 27th nationally with 24.8 yards per kick return last season, averaged 28.5 yards per return in the opener against SMU. The average ranks second in the Big 12 following week one and is tied in eighth place nationally. DEFENSE MAKING THE BIG PLAY
The Texas Tech defense kept its turnover recovery streak alive Saturday night as the unit forced the SMU offense to fumble twice while picking off one pass from Mustang quarterback Chris Phillips. The Tech defense has now come up with at least one turnover in each of the last six games dating back to a 26-21 win over Colorado last season. The three turnovers recovered by the Tech defense was the most since the Red Raiders forced three against Texas last season. HUFFMAN MAKES NOISE IN FIRST START
Sophomore cornerback Antonio Huffman had an impressive debut in the season opener against SMU on Saturday in Dallas. Huffman, who made his first career start, logged six total tackles on the evening while picking up an interception while forcing and recovering a fumble. He picked up his first career interception on the final play of the first half when he robbed SMU quarterback Chris Phillips and then tacked on a 12 yard return. With 4:42 remaining in the third, he forced and recovered a fumble (also the first of his career) by former Texas Tech running back Foy Munlin at the SMU 28 yard line. Last season the Lovejoy, Ga., native logged 20 total tackles on the year and played in all 13 games. NAZIRUDDIN TAKES OVER RIGHT CORNER
Redshirt transfer Khalid Naziruddin wasted little time during fall drills looking for a position. Naziruddin transferred to Tech from Howard Payne University in 2003 and spent much of last season on the scout team. Following an impressive showing in spring drills, Naziruddin entered preseason camp third on the depth at corner. He quickly moved up the chart and was moved to the starting position on the right side after a strong performance in Tech's lone preseason scrimmage. He made the start against SMU and finished the game with six tackles. YOUTH IS SERVED
Statistically speaking, Texas Tech has the nation's 12th-youngest team in 2004. The Red Raiders have 81 underclassmen - 81 freshmen and sophomores - among the 131 players on the roster. That's 61.8 percent of the team. SMU is first with 76.1 percent of its roster comprised of underclassmen, while Baylor, Tulane, Virginia and North Carolina round out the top five, respectively. Army, Idaho, Buffalo, Colorado and Florida wrap up the top 10, while Washington State is 11th, just ahead of Tech. TECH DEFENSE SHOWS IMPROVEMENT
The Texas Tech defensive unit showed dramatic improvement in the season opener as the Red Raiders allowed 322 yards of total offense from SMU which was down 131 yards from the 453.2 per-game average allowed by the unit in 2003. The Red Raiders' total defense ranks seventh in the Big 12 and 44th nationally. Tech held SMU to 162 yards through the air, which ranks the unit fourth in the Big 12 and 32nd nationally, while the Red Raiders' scoring defense is tied fourth in the league and 24th nationally. BRIEFLY
- Senior IR Nehemiah Glover is the most seasoned veteran on the squad as he made his 40th-career appearance against SMU while senior DE Adell Duckett and senior LB Mike Smith each played in their 39th-career games.
- Texas Tech held SMU 11 out of 17 times on third down and was 1-for-2 in fourth down situations.
- Juniors Dek Bake (defensive tackle) and Khalid Naziruddin (right corner) made their first-ever appearances and first career starts in an NCAA Division I contest. Bake transferred to Tech from Reedley Junior College while Naziruddin came from Division III Howard Payne.
- Free safety Vincent Meeks and SAM linebacker John Saldi were the defensive stalwarts on the night as Meeks registered a team-high 12 tackles (eight solo and four assist) while Saldi picked up 10 (five solo and five assist).
- The Tech defense held SMU to just one touchdown on the evening and two field goals. The last time a Tech defensive unit held an opponent to just one TD was in last year's game against SMU when Tech won 58-10.
- Tech's special teams fared well in the opener as the kickoff return team ranks second in the Big 12, while Tech's punting unit is fifth.
- The Red Raiders did not turn the ball over against SMU, which marks the first time since the Texas game last season that the team had not committed a turnover.
Players Mentioned
Wide Receiver
/ Football
Wide Receiver
/ Football
Wide Receiver
/ Football
Wide Receiver
/ Football
Cornerback
/ Football
Free Safety
/ Football
Defensive Back
/ Football
Tight End
/ Football
Punter
/ Football
Linebacker
/ FootballCameron Dickey Spring Media
Tuesday, April 14
John Curry Spring Media
Tuesday, April 14
Kenny Perry Spring Media
Tuesday, April 14
Joey McGuire Spring Football Press Conference
Monday, April 13