Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Set For Final Non-Conference Tuneup
September 22, 2005 | Football
Sept. 22, 2005
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. Indiana State SycamoresSaturday, September 24, 2005 - 6 p.m. (CT)
Jones SBC Stadium - Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech vs. Indiana State - Gameday Central
Complete Texas Tech Release In PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
RED RAIDERS, SYCAMORES MEET FOR FIRST TIME SATURDAY
For the third time in as many games, the Red Raiders face an opponent for the first time. Texas Tech (2-0) and Indiana State (0-3) face off Saturday at Jones SBC Stadium in a 6 p.m. CT kickoff. Tech's previous two opponents, Florida International and Sam Houston State, were first-timers on the Red Raiders' schedule as well. Additionally, Tech's bowl game against California last year runs the string to four straight new opponents to the Texas Tech archives.
TEXAS TECH RECEIVES HIGHEST RANKING IN 28 YEARS
When the polls came out Sunday afternoon, the Red Raiders saw something that hasn't graced the program in 28 years - a No. 16 national ranking. Tech climbed three spots in the coaches poll following its 80-21 win over Sam Houston State. The ranking is the highest since the Nov. 14, 1977, Associated Press poll listed the Red Raiders at No. 16. Tech also is ranked 19th in this week's AP poll.
RED RAIDER FOOTBALL IN 81st SEASON
The 2005 season marks the 81st year of Texas Tech Football on the South Plains. Over that span, the program has 467 wins, 375 losses and 32 ties.
LAST TIME OUT
Texas Tech threw several records out the window in an 80-21 win over Sam Houston State. The Red Raiders set records in first-quarter points (28) and first-half total offense (419) en route to posting the second-most points in school history and the most in the modern era (since 1950). QB Cody Hodges turned in his second-straight 400-yard passing game with 436 yards on 26-of-37 passing, including 356 yards in the first half. He also completed five touchdown passes. Backup QB Graham Harrell played much of the second half and finished with 208 yards and a touchdown on 14-of-17 passing. RB Taurean Henderson rushed for three scores, tying Tech career records in total touchdowns (52) and points (312). Tech also received a multiple-touchdown day from WR Jarrett Hicks and WR Joel Filani. Both receivers caught two touchdown passes each. FS Dwayne Slay plowed his way to six tackles, a forced fumble and a pass breakup to lead the defense.
Indiana State dropped its third game of the season last weekend, a 27-15 setback at Murray State. Sycamore QB Blayne Baggett threw 58 times, completing 33, for 262 yards and a touchdown. WR Sam Logan set a school record with 17 receptions en route to 151 yards and a score. Three other receivers caught four passes each. RB Andre Forte led the ground attacked with 149 yards on 22 carries. Indiana State jumped out to a 13-7 lead at the end of the first quarter, but yielded 13 MSU points in the second and fell behind 20-15 at the half. Murray State's defense held ISU off in the second half, while its offense added another score in the third.
LEACH IN SIXTH SEASON
Aside from Spike Dykes' 13 seasons between 1987-99, the last Texas Tech coach to spend more than six seasons in Lubbock was JT King, who was at the helm of the program from 1961-69. Leach has seen continual improvement in each of his first five years, highlighted by last season's 45-31 win over California in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. Leach has posted a 41-25 record and 21-19 record in Big 12 play, including last season's 5-3 league record and Big 12 third-place finish, the highest finish for Tech in the league standings. He is the first coach in school history to lead each of his first five teams to bowl games and also to win three-straight post-season games. His Tech teams have combined for over 151 team and individual records. Additionally, the Red Raider offense has led the nation in passing the past three years and total offense the last two.
MORE ON LEACH The Sporting News acknowledged Mike Leach in its preseason Big 12 issue as the second-best coach in the Big 12 Conference. In a league littered with outstanding coaches, only OU coach Bob Stoops ranked higher than Leach. Texas' Mack Brown, Kansas State's Bill Snyder and Colorado's Gary Barnett ranked third through fifth.
TECH BACKUP ACCURATE AS WELL
Redshirt freshman backup QB Graham Harrell relieved Hodges early in the fourth and third quarters against Florida International and Sam Houston State, respectively. Harrell missed one pass on a 7-of-8 performance against FIU, while hitting 14-of-17 receivers in the Sam Houston win. On the season, he has completed 84 percent of his passes and has thrown for 272 yards and a touchdown. His 208 yards against Sam Houston marked the first time in school history that two quarterbacks had thrown for 200 yards in the same game.
IT'S CONTAGIOUS
Fifteen players have caught a pass in the first two games this season, including 14 who have at least two receptions. IR Robert Johnson leads the team with 17 receptions, while WR Danny Amendola has nine catches. WR Joel Filani and RB Taurean Henderson have seven receptions apiece.
HENDERSON PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Senior RB Taurean Henderson, a candidate for the 2005 Doak Walker Award, is living proof that Texas Tech has a running game. The versatile back scored three times on the ground against Sam Houston State. Add that to his two in the opener against FIU and Henderson's five touchdowns have tied him on the Tech career touchdowns list with 52 (rushing and receiving). He is tied with James Gray (1986-89), and also is tied with Gray atop the career scoring list with 312 points. Additionally, Henderson has 2,492 career rushing yards and, if he reaches 3,000 yards, he will be only the fifth player in school history to do so.
HENDERSON AMONG NATIONAL TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
Henderson ranks first in the NCAA among all active players with 52 career touchdowns. He leads New Mexico's DonTrell Moore by six touchdowns.
Top Five NCAA Active Touchdown Leaders
Taurean Henderson, Texas Tech, RB 52
DonTrell Moore, New Mexico, RB 46
DeAngelo Williams, Memphis, RB 44
MORE ON HENDERSON
- Henderson is one of only four players in school history to record 200 catches during a career. The junior has 243 receptions to date and is 16 shy of tying the Tech record of 259, set by former Tech receiver and current Miami Dolphin team captain Wes Welker (2000-03).
- Henderson's 243 career receptions ranks second in NCAA history among running backs. He trails former Long Beach State back Mark Templeton, who caught 262 passes from 1984-87.
- Henderson's first touchdown run in the first quarter against Sam Houston State marked the ninth-straight game in which the senior has scored a touchdown, dating back to the Nebraska game last season.
LIKE RIDING A BIKE
It took junior redshirt IR Robert Johnson the first series in the first game to get adjusted to his new receiver role. It took him only one more game to perfect it. The former JUCO All-American quarterback made the conversion to receiver during spring workouts to best utilize his athletic ability. Johnson, who last played a receiver position as a sophomore in high school, debuted with nine catches for 129 yards against FIU. By halftime of the Sam Houston State, Johnson had passed his debut performance with seven catches for 185 yards. He added a reception and 24 yards to his total early in the second half and finished the game with eight receptions for 209 yards. The yardage total marked only the seventh time in school history a receiver eclipsed the 200-yard mark and the first time since Jarrett Hicks' 211 yards against TCU last season. Johnson leads the country in receiving with 169.0 yards per game.
TRUE FRESHMEN SEEING PLAYING TIME
Four newcomers saw playing time in the first game of the season - the most in one season in the Mike Leach era. DE McKinner Dixon, WR Todd Walker, WR Catron Houston and OG Louis Vasquez each saw significant time. Dixon and Vasquez missed the Sam Houston game with injuries, but will return for the Indiana State game. Walker has three catches on the season for 26 yards, while Houston is averaging 23.5 yards per catch on two receptions.
BRICK WALL ON THE GOAL LINE
When Tech held Florida International without a touchdown, it marked the first time since shutting out New Mexico, 49-0, in 2002 that a Tech team had kept an opponent from reaching the endzone. The Red Raiders have held their first two opponents four times on eight visits to the Red Raider red zone.
TECH DEFENSIVE ENDS CONTINUE TRADITION
Tech's string of fielding talented defensive ends didn't end last year with the graduation of Adell Duckett (2001-04). First, there was Montae Reagor (95-98), then current Tech sack record holder Aaron Hunt (99-02). The three aforementioned ends all rank one, two and three on the Tech career sacks list. Enter junior ends Keyunta Dawson and Seth Nitschmann. Despite spending last season as a backup to Duckett at rush end, Dawson still led the team in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (9), while Nitschmann posted 44 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss from his end position. Dawson's sack total also tied for fifth in the Big 12. Dawson has 12 career sacks, including his first of the season against Sam Houston, and needs 22 to tie the school record of 34 set by Hunt.
TECH SAFETIES OFF TO GOOD START
Hard-hitting senior FS Dwayne Slay has adjusted well to his starting role in the secondary. Slay took over the position this year and now leads the team in tackles. He posted six stops against Sam Houston and his bone-jarring shot on RB Andrew Audelin forced a fumble. Slay has 12 tackles on the season, including 11 solo, a pass breakup and two forced fumbles. Sophomore SS Joe Garcia has performed admirably in Vincent Meeks' absence. Garcia is fourth on the team with nine tackles and also has a tackle for loss and a pass breakup. He totaled seven tackles in the opener against Florida International.
BIG 12 LEADERS
Texas Tech leads the Big 12 in six statistical categories and is tied for the lead in three others. Tech tops the charts in scoring offense (68.0), pass offense (584.0), total offense (711.5), pass efficiency (208.1), third-down conversions (56.2%) and opponent penalty yards (91.0). The Red Raiders are tied for the lead in PAT kicking (100%), fourth-down conversions (100%) and redzone offense (100%).
NCAA LEADERS
Texas Tech also leads the country in passing, scoring offense and total offense. IR Robert Johnson leads the nation's receivers with 169.0 yards per game and QB Cody Hodges is the leader in passing with 445.0 yards per game.
TECH ATTENDANCE ON STEADY TRACK
Texas Tech's game against Sam Houston State drew 50,171 fans, marking the ninth-straight game that 50K+ had ventured into Jones SBC Stadium to see the Red Raiders play. The streak started during the 2003 season when the Red Raiders hosted Colorado. The 50,156 attendance total for the FIU game was the first time since hosting USC in 1979 that Tech had opened the season at home to a crowd of more than 50,000.
SCORING RECORDS FALL AGAINST SAM HOUSTON STATE
Texas Tech's 28 first-quarter points against Sam Houston State set a new standard, breaking the old mark of 21 set against Baylor in 2001 and 2003. The Red Raiders' 49 first-half points tied the record set against Baylor in 2001. Tech's two touchdowns in the first five minutes also was a record for scoring frequency to open a game.
SCORING STREAK
Texas Tech is in the middle of a 94-game scoring streak, the second-longest in school history, and fourth among Big 12 schools. The run began with a 16-13 win over Texas A&M on Oct. 25, 1997, a week after dropping a 29-0 decision to second-ranked Nebraska. During its current run, the Red Raiders have scored 10+ in all but four games.
Longest Scoring Streaks in School History
- 106 games - Began 10/17/87 with 59-7 win over Rice in Lubbock; ended 12/29/96 with a 27-0 loss to Iowa in the Alamo Bowl
- 94 games - Began 10/25/97 with 16-13 win over Texas A&M in Lubbock (current streak)
SUCCESS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES
In six seasons under head coach Mike Leach, the Red Raiders are 20-6 in non-conference games, including postseason bowl games. Tech finished last season's non-conference slate with a 3-1 mark and is 2-0 this season. Texas Tech also is 14-1 when scoring 30 or more points against non-conference opponents in the Mike Leach era. Tech's lone loss was a 51-48 overtime loss against N.C. State in Lubbock during the 2002 season.
CAPTAINS
In a vote by their teammates, five Red Raiders were named captains for the 2005 season. QB Cody Hodges, OT E.J. Whitley, DE Keyunta Dawson, CB Khalid Naziruddin and FS Dwayne Slay were chosen by their teammates.
GRAD RATES AMONG NATION'S BEST
Texas Tech's football program boasted a 79 percent graduation rate for the 1999-00 freshman class, which was recognized by the American Football Coaches Association in the spring. For the fifth-straight year, Texas Tech's graduation rate was higher than 70 percent. Tech was one of 30 schools recognized by the AFCA.
TECH HAS TIES IN NEW HARRIS POLL
Former Texas Tech All-American E.J. Holub and former Red Raider head coach Spike Dykes are among 114 panelists that will have a vote in the new Harris Interactive College Football Poll this season. The poll is one of three components in the Bowl Championship Series Standings Formula used to determine the two teams that play in the BCS National Championship game and those that qualify for at-large selections.
ALONE AT THE TOP
Texas Tech is the only program of the 12 member institutions to boast an overall winning record each season since 1996. Others have finished at .500, but none have posted winning marks each of the last nine seasons. Additionally, Tech is the only program to be bowl eligible each season of the league's existence.
