Postgame Notes
September 12, 2015 | Football
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• Weather conditions at kickoff: Temperature: 78 degrees; Winds: S at 9 mph; Humidity: 45 percent; Conditions: Mostly cloudy skies
• Today's game was televised regionally on FOX Sports Net.
• Today's game marked the 23rd all-time meeting between Texas Tech. Texas Tech is now 16-6-1 all-time against UTEP which includes an 8-3 mark at home.
• Today's game marked the 1001th all-time game in Texas Tech history.
• UTEP won the coin toss and deferred its option to the second half. Texas Tech is now 2-0 when receiving the opening kickoff.
• Texas Tech wore white helmets, white jerseys and white pants as part of today's Celebrate Cotton Game promotion. This is the second-straight year where the Red Raiders have worn all white uniforms at home (West Virginia). Texas Tech is now 6-5 in the uniform combination dating back to the 2009 season.
• Today's game captains were Branden Jackson (DL), Le'Raven Clark (OL), Jared Kaster (OL), DeAndre Washington (RB), and Micah Awe (LB).
• Texas Tech had two Red Raiders make their first career start today: Justin Murphy (OL) and Malik Jenkins (LB).
• Senior offensive lineman Le'Raven Clark made his team-leading 40th consecutive start while senior defensive lineman Branden Jackson made his 26th-consecutive start.
• Today's attendance was 54,090.
Starters - (Offense) - (LT) Le'Raven Clark, (LG) Alfredo Morales, (C) Jared Kaster, (RG) Justin Murphy (RT) Baylen Brown, (QB) Patrick Mahomes II, (RB) DeAndre Washington, (FB) Quinton White (WR) Devin Lauderdale, (IR) Ian Sadler, (WR) Reginald Davis; (Defense) - (DE) Branden Jackson, (T) Breiden Fehoko (N) Rika Levi, (RUSH) Pete Robertson, (SAM) Malik Jenkins, (MIKE) Micah Awe, (WILL) Kris Williams, (FC) Justis Nelson, (BC) Tevin Madison, (FS) Keenon Ward, (SS) Jah'Shawn Johnson.
TEXAS TECH'S WIN...
• Gives Texas Tech a 2-0 overall record.
• Improves Texas Tech to 2-0 for the 11th-consecutive season.
• Gives Texas Tech a 16-6-1 all-time record against UTEP which includes an 8-3 mark in home games.
• Improves Texas Tech to 28-1 against non-conference opponents at Jones AT&T Stadium dating back to the 2003 season.
• Gives Kliff Kingsbury a career record of 14-13.
• Gives Kliff Kingsbury a career record of 8-1 against non-Big 12 opponents.
• Gives Kliff Kingsbury a career record of 2-0 all-time against UTEP.
MAHOMES RECORDS ANOTHER MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE MINERS
• Patrick Mahomes II put together another memorable performance against UTEP. The sophomore, making his sixth career start, finished 18-of-33 for 361 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 23 yards and two touchdowns on six carries. This is fifth-straight game where Mahomes has passed for at least four touchdowns.
• Over the first six starts of his career, Mahomes now has 2,214 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has thrown for over 300 yards more than Texas Tech's two top all-time leading passers - Kliff Kingsbury and Graham Harrell - did so in their first six starts of their respective careers.
• Mahomes recorded his first career rushing touchdown with 9:28 remaining in the second quarter and later added his second rushing TD of the game with 2:39 remaining in the half. Mahomes is the first Texas Tech quarterback to rush for multiple rushing touchdowns in a game since Steven Steffield at Nebraska on Oct. 17, 2009. Davis Webb joined Malhomes with two ruhshing touchdowns from 5-yards and 1-yard out during the fourth quarter.
• Mahomes is the first Texas Tech quarterback to rush and pass for multiple touchdowns in a game since Taylor Potts (2 rushing, 2 passing) against North Dakota on Sept. 5, 2009.
• In the first half only this year, Mahomes is 39-of-58 passing (67 percent) for 619 yards and seven touchdowns.
GRANT LEADS RED RAIDER RECEIVING CORPS
• Jakeem Grant recorded the fourth 100-yard receiving game of his career today as the senior caught seven passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. He has now totaled 100 or more yards in two of his last three games dating back to the 2014 season finale against Baylor.
• Grant got the scoring started early for the Red Raiders as he caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes II. It was the longest reception of Grant's career.
• Grant also moved into second place all-time in Texas Tech history for kick return yards after totaling 39 against the Miners. He passed Donny Anderson (1,309 yards from 1963-65) as he now has 1,325 kick return yards during his career.
NOTING THE RED RAIDERS
• Pete Robertson recorded his first sack of the season on UTEP's opening drive. The sack was Robertson's 17th of his career, moving the senior into a tie for seventh all-time in program history with James Mosley (1985-88) and Shawn Jackson (1991-93).
• Justin Stockton recorded Texas Tech's second touchdown of the first quarter as he took a screen pass 46 yards to the endzone. It was Stockton's second career touchdown reception and the longest reception of his career.
• Jah'Shawn Johnson recovered his first career fumble to spark the Texas Tech defense on UTEP's first drive of the second half. Micah Awe forced the fumble, the first of his career as well.
• DeAndre Washington recorded his first rushing touchdown of the season with 11:15 remaining in the third quarter as he went 51 yards to find the endzone. It was the longest run for a Red Raider since Washington went 72 yards to the endzone against Iowa State last year. Washington finished with 138 yards on 12 carries, marking the fifth 100-yard rushing performance of his career.
• Clayton Hatfield recorded his first career field goal as he found the middle of the up-rights from 33 yards out with 3:59 remaining in the third quarter.
TEAM NOTES
• Texas Tech has combined to score 128 points so far this season. The 128 points are the second-highest total in program history through two games only behind the 2005 season when the Red Raiders combined to score 136 points.
• Texas Tech had not previously scored 50-plus points in consecutive games since facing Texas State (50) and New Mexico (59) during the first two games of the 2011 season. It is the ninth time in program history where the Red Raiders have scored 50 or more points in back-to-back games, seven of which that have come since 2002.
• Texas Tech's 69 points are the eighth-most for a single game in program history and the most since the Red Raiders amassed 75 points versus Northwestern State during the 2007 season. The 69 points are the most Tech has scored against UTEP in the series history, the previous high was 61 that was set in 1950 at home.
• Texas Tech scored 38 points in the first half alone just one week after totaling 42 at the same point last week against Sam Houston State. It marked the first time Texas Tech had scored at least 38 points in the first half of back-to-back games since 2012 against Texas State (38) and New Mexico (42).
• Texas Tech put UTEP in an early hole, scoring just 63 seconds into the opening quarter. It marked the quickest touchdown to start a game for Texas Tech since the Red Raiders took just 51 seconds to score the opening touchdown at TCU last season.
• Texas Tech found the endzone on its opening drive for the second-consecutive week off Jakeem Grant's 60-yard touchdown reception from Patrick Mahomes II. It marked the first time Texas Tech had scored on its opening drive in back-to-back games since facing Oklahoma and Iowa State last year. The Red Raiders had not previously opened a season with a touchdown on the opening drive of the first two games since the 2007 season when Texas Tech faced SMU and UTEP.
• The Texas Tech defense once again kept the opposition off the scoreboard in the third quarter as the Red Raiders are out-scoring opponents, 34-0, in the period this season.
• Texas Tech threw for 445 yards today, marking the the first time it has totaled 400 or more yards in the air over three-consecutive games since Oct. 5-19, 2013, against Kansas, Iowa State and West Virginia.
• Of Texas Tech's 16 touchdown drives this season, 11 have gone for under two minutes while five have gone for under a minute. • Texas Tech rushed for five rushing touchdowns in the win, its most since facing Eastern Washington in 2008.
