Game Preview: West Virginia

Saturday, October 14

Morgantown, W. Va.

11 a.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

West Virginia

October 09, 2017 | Football

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Texas Tech and West Virginia are set for an 11 a.m. CT kickoff Saturday morning in Morgantown

By: Texas Tech Athletics Communications

LUBBOCK, Texas – No. 24 Texas Tech will return to the road for a second-straight week Saturday when the Red Raiders head to Morgantown to face West Virginia in an 11 a.m. CT kickoff from Milan Puskar Stadium. The game will air nationally on ESPNU with Mike Couzens and John Congemi on the call.

The Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico as Brian Jensen will have the call alongside analyst John Harris, sideline reporter Chris Level and engineer Steve Pitts. The radio broadcast can also be heard on Sirius channel 83, XM channel 83 or via the TuneIn app.

SATURDAY STORYLINES

Texas Tech moved into the top-25 rankings for the first time since 2013 this week as the Red Raiders are No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. This is first time Tech has appeared in either poll since Nov. 3, 2013, when the Red Raiders were No. 25 in the AP and No. 23 by the coaches.
The Red Raiders were also ranked prior to their 2013 meeting against West Virginia where Texas Tech secured a 37-27 victory in Morgantown.
Following its 65-19 rout of Kansas, Texas Tech is off to a 4-1 start for the first time since that 2013 season when the Red Raiders won seven-straight games to start the year.
Texas Tech remains among the national leaders in turnover margin this week as the Red Raiders rank fourth nationally and first in the Big 12 in the category at plus-9 on the season.
Through five games, the Red Raiders have already forced 14 turnovers this season (7 interceptions and 7 fumbles), one more than their total from the entire 2016 season.
In addition, the Red Raiders have protected the ball in tremendous fashion, allowing only five turnovers this season. Texas Tech ranks 12th nationally and second in the Big 12 with only five turnovers lost.
Kliff Kingsbury has spoken at length this year about Texas Tech's desire to run the ball effectively. Against Kansas, Kingsbury got exactly what he was looking for as the Red Raiders gashed the Jayhawks for 313 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, their most since totaling 325 against New Mexico in 2012.
Texas Tech rushed for 313 yards against Kansas and threw for 290 yards, marking just the second time since moving to a high-flying passing offense in 2000 that the Red Raiders have totaled more rushing yards than passing yards (other occurrence came in 2010 against Oklahoma).
Texas Tech and West Virginia will be meeting for the seventh time Saturday as the Mountaineers lead the overall series with a 4-2 advantage. This will be the sixth time the two schools have met since West Virginia joined the Big 12 prior to the 2012 season.
Kliff Kingsbury will meet West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen for the fifth time Saturday as the two have deep ties that go back to Kingsbury's time as quarterback of the Red Raiders. Holgorsen spent seven seasons as a charter member of Mike Leach's staff at Texas Tech from 2000-07 before he departed to take the offensive coordinator position at the University of Houston.
Texas Tech linebackers coach Zac Spavital will also see a familiar face on the opposing sideline in his younger brother, West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital. This will be just the second time the two brothers have met on the field as the only other occurrence came in 2008 when Zac Spavital was in his first year as the defensive backs coach while Jake Spavital was a quality control assistant at Tulsa. Zac Spavital's Cougars got the best of the Golden Hurricane that day with a 70-30 victory.
Since the start of the 2004 season, Texas Tech has won 67 percent of its game with a start time before noon CT. The Red Raiders are 18-9 in those games, which includes a 5-1 mark in road games under head coach Kliff Kingsbury.