Game Preview: Eastern Washington

Saturday, September 2

Lubbock, Texas

3 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

Eastern Washington

August 28, 2017 | Football

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Red Raiders kick off the 2017 season at 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon against Eastern Washington

By: Texas Tech Athletics Communications

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech opens its 93rd season of football Saturday afternoon when the Red Raiders host Eastern Washington in a 3 p.m. kickoff at Jones AT&T Stadium. The game will air live regionally on FOX Sports Southwest and will be available nationally as well through the FOX Sports Go app. Brendan Burke (play-by-play) and David Anderson (analyst) will call Saturday's game while Christian Steckel will report from the sidelines.

SATURDAY STORYLINES

Texas Tech boasts one of the nation's longest active winning streaks in season openers as the Red Raiders have opened each of the last 14 seasons with a victory. That streak ranks fourth nationally, trailing only Florida (27), Ohio State (16) and Alabama (15), all of which either open the season on the road or against a top-10 opponent.
Texas Tech has been outright dominant in season openers against non-ranked foes, winning 20 of their last 21 contests dating back to the start of the 1990 season. In fact, Tech has won those games typically in controlling fashion at an average of 28.4 points per game.
Nic Shimonek is expected to take the reins of Texas Tech's high-octane offense as the fifth-year senior will likely make his first career start Saturday afternoon against Eastern Washington. Shimonek is the first fifth-year senior to make his first career start in a season opener since Cody Hodges in 2005.
Shimonek is the first Red Raider senior quarterback to start a season opener since Seth Doege led Tech to a 44-6 rout over Northwestern State to kick off the 2012 season. Shimonek is the first senior quarterback to start a game under Kliff Kingsbury.
Of the newcomers, Texas Tech fans will recognize one in particular - junior linebacker Dakota Allen. Allen was the Red Raiders' second-leading tackler as a freshman in 2015 before he spent the 2016 season at East Mississippi Community College.