Texas Tech University Athletics
Football Set For Season Opener At SMU
August 30, 2007 | Football
Aug. 30, 2007
Texas Tech at SMU
Monday, Sept. 3, 2007 - 3 p.m.
Gerald Ford Stadium - ESPN (National)
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TELEVISION COVERAGE
The Texas Tech and SMU game will be televised nationally on ESPN. Dave LaMont (play-by-play), James Hasty (analyst) and Rob Stone (sideline) will call the action. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.
RADIO COVERAGE
The Texas Tech Sports Network is comprised of 36 stations and the game can be heard on Sirius Satellite Radio. Brian Jensen will handle the play-by-play duties, while John Harris and former Red Raider quarterback Sonny Cumbie serve as analysts. Armen Williams will comb the sidelines for the network. Flagship station 1340 KKAM and KFMX 94.5 carry the games in Lubbock.
TEXAS TECH vs. CONFERENCE USA
Texas Tech has faced seven of Conference USA's 12 members at one time or another throughout the history of the program. Series against Houston, Rice and SMU date back to the Southwest Conference days, while games against Tulane, Tulsa and UTEP occurred before Conference USA was established. The Red Raiders have met East Carolina once, a 40-27 setback in the 2000 Galleryfurniture.com Bowl. Texas Tech is 88-75-3 all-time against members of Conference USA.
RED RAIDERS AND MUSTANGS
This will be the 44th meeting between Texas Tech and SMU on the gridiron. The Red Raiders hold a 28-15 advantage in the all-time series and have won the last 11 meetings, dating back to 1989.Texas Tech has a 14-8 record in Lubbock and is 14-7 in Dallas. Head Coach Mike Leach has a 4-0 record against the Mustangs, including a 1-0 mark in Dallas.
RED RAIDERS IN THE POLLS
Texas Tech received votes in both preseason polls, picking up two votes in the Associated Press Poll and 20 votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Red Raider opponents earning top 25 status include Texas (4/4), Oklahoma (8/8) and Texas A&M (25/25), while Missouri and Oklahoma State received votes in both polls.
QUARTET SELECTED AS TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Chris Parker (CB), Danny Amendola (WR), Paul Williams (LB) and junior Graham Harrell (QB) were elected captains for the 2007 season in a vote by their teammates.
Captains Notes
- This is the first time since 2004 that each captain hailed from the state of Texas
- This year also marks the first time since 2004 that an offensive lineman hasn't been among the group
- Harrell joins Cody Hodges (2005) and Kliff Kingsbury (2000-02) as the only quarterbacks selected under Leach
- Harrell is the first junior named since Keyunta Dawson in 2005
RED RAIDERS ON THE AIR
In addition to the SMU game, one other Texas Tech has been selected for broadcast - Oklahoma State. The Red Raiders and the Cowboys will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT from Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater on Sept. 22. Other games are anticipated to be selected, but those dates won't be announced until two weeks, at the earliest, before each game.
PROUD TO BE A TEXAN
Of the 44 names listed on the offensive and defensive depth charts, 37 hail from the state of Texas. Additionally, both punters, both kickers and both deep snappers are from the Lone Star State. Nineteen of the projected 22 starters are Texans.
REACHING OUT
Fifteen players on this year's roster originated from other states, including Hawaii, Georgia, California, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
COMING IN DROVES
Over the course of Mike Leach's seven seasons at Texas Tech, 2,096,893 fans have enjoyed Red Raider football at Jones AT&T Stadium (compared to 1,953,683 during the 90s). Over the last three seasons, the average attendance was 51,453 - or 97.3 percent capacity.
FOOTBALL ON LABOR DAY
The opener at SMU on Labor Day marks the first Monday game for Texas Tech since opening the 1999 season at Arizona State.
LEACH BEGINS EIGHTH SEASON
Mike Leach begins his eighth season as head coach of the Red Raiders. He is the third winningest coach in Texas history, trailing Spike Dykes (82-67-1) and Pete Cawthon (76-32-6). His 56 coaching victories are the most for a Tech coach in a seven-year span.
SEPTEMBER STRONG UNDER LEACH
Texas Tech has a pretty good run going in the month of September in the Mike Leach era. Over the past seven seasons, the Red Raiders are 20-6 during the initial month of the season. Leach's teams have outscored the opposition 978-570 and are averaging 34.9 points per game. Leach is 12-1 at home in September, 7-5 on the road and 1-0 in his lone neutral site game.
LEACH vs. NON-CONFERENCE
Mike Leach enters 2007 with a 25-8 record in non-conference games, including the last 7-of-9, dating back to the start of the 2005 season. Leach has only dropped back-to-back non-conference games once - the Alamo Bowl against Iowa in 2001 and the opener in 2002 at Ohio State.
