Game Preview: Oklahoma

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will welcome No. 7 Oklahoma to a sea of black Saturday night when the Red Raiders host the Sooners in a 7 p.m. kickoff from Jones AT&T Stadium.

The game will broadcast to a national audience on ABC with Steve Levy on the call alongside analyst Brian Griese and sideline analyst Todd McShay. Fans can also find the game on any streaming device by using the ESPN app.

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 111, XM channel 199 or via the TuneIn app.

All fans are encouraged to wear black to Saturday's game as Tech is calling for a "Blackout" of Jones AT&T Stadium. Tickets are still available for purchase online or by calling the Tech Ticket Office at 806-742-TECH.

INSIDE THE OKLAHOMA SERIES

Texas Tech and Oklahoma will be meeting for the 26th time Saturday as the Sooners lead the overall series with a 19-6 advantage. Oklahoma has won each of the past six meetings after a 49-27 victory last season in Norman.
Texas Tech is 6-16 against the Sooners during the Big 12 era. The Red Raiders faced Oklahoma over three-consecutive seasons (1992-94) prior to the formation of the Big 12 in 1996. The Sooners won all three meetings, which included the 1993 John Hancock Bowl held in El Paso.
This is the ninth-consecutive season the Red Raiders have faced a ranked Sooners team. Texas Tech is 3-16 all-time against ranked Oklahoma teams, including a 2-4 mark at home.

OKLAHOMA CONNECTIONS

This weekend's showdown will feature a pair of Texas Tech graduates on opposing sidelines. Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury earned his degree in management from Texas Tech in 2001 while Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley graduated from the university in 2006. Riley is only the third Texas Tech graduate to face his alma mater as an opposing head coach, joining Tom Wilson (Texas A&M 1978-81) and Art Briles (Baylor 2008-15).
Oklahoma assistant head coach/interim defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill was a fan favorite during his 10 seasons as an assistant at Texas Tech from 2000-09. McNeill coached linebackers (2000-02) and special teams (2003-06) early in his Tech career before being promoted to interim defensive coordinator during the 2007 season. McNeill remained Tech's defensive coordinator for two more years before serving as interim head coach at the 2009 Alamo Bowl where the Red Raiders defeated Michigan State, 41-31.
In addition to McNeill, three other members of Oklahoma's staff - Bill Bedenbaugh (offensive line), Dennis Simmons (outside receivers) and Bennie Wylie (Director of Sports Performance) - previously worked on Texas Tech's staff. Bedenbaugh was a graduate assistant at Tech from 2000-02 before earning a full-time position as the running backs coach from 2003-04 and then the offensive line coach from 2005-06. Simmons was an Assistant Athletic Director in charge of quality control from 2000-04 and then as the football program's Chief of Staff from 2005-07. He moved to a coaching role as the Red Raiders' wide receivers coach from 2008-09. Wylie, meanwhile, was Tech's head football strength and conditioning coach from 2003-09.
On the Texas Tech staff, both defensive coordinator David Gibbs and co-defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Zac Spavital began their coaching careers at the University of Oklahoma. Gibbs was a graduate assistant at Oklahoma from 1991-92 under then head coach Gary Gibbs. Spavital, meanwhile, held the same position at Oklahoma from 2005-07, which led to a full-time position at Houston.
Texas Tech offensive line coach Brandon Jones and co-offensive coordinator/running backs coach Clay McGuire both coached alongside Lincoln Riley while the two were members of Ruffin McNeill's staff at East Carolina. Jones helped Riley implement a wide-open spread offense as East Carolina's offensive line coach from 2010-14, while McGuire spent two seasons on staff (2010-11) as the Pirates' running backs and special teams coach.
Texas Tech safeties coach Brett Dewhurst is quite familiar with McNeill as well as his first two seasons as a Red Raider defensive back coincided with McNeill's two-year tenure as the full-time defensive coordinator (2008-09).

OKLAHOMA-TEXAS START NOVEMBER STRETCH

Texas Tech will close out its home slate with back-to-back games at Jones AT&T Stadium the next two weeks as No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 15 Texas will make trips to the Hub City.
The Red Raiders, who are currently tied for fourth in the Big 12 standings, have not previously closed its home schedule with consecutive games against ranked opponents since 1998 when Texas Tech hosted No. 18 Missouri on Oct. 31 and then No. 18 Texas two weeks later. Tech split that two-game stretch, falling to Missouri, 28-26, before shocking the Longhorns, 42-35, to secure an Independence Bowl bid.
Texas Tech has faced Oklahoma and Texas in back-to-back games six times in its history - 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2014. The Red Raiders have won at least one of those two games in four of those years (1998, 1999, 2002, 2007).

NEWS & NOTES

Dating back to the start of the 2002 season, Texas Tech is 39-12 in night games at Jones AT&T Stadium, a 76.5 winning percentage. Under Kilff Kingsbury, Tech is 8-4 in home night games with wins in four of its last six games under the lights.
The Texas Tech defense has been among the Big 12's best through the first half of league play as the Red Raiders have allowed 129 points, the second-fewest among conference teams during that span. The Red Raiders have surrendered 20 or fewer points in three of their five conference games thus far, all victories.
The Red Raiders currently rank 19th nationally and second in the Big 12 in red zone defense as opponents are scoring in 74.1 percent of their appearances inside the 20 this season. Texas Tech has created three red zone turnovers the past three weeks in addition to a blocked punt for a touchdown and fumble recovery in the end zone versus Iowa State.
Texas Tech has held three Big 12 opponents - Oklahoma State (17), TCU (14) and Kansas (16) - to under 20 points through five games. Tech had not previously limited three or more conference foes to 20 or less points in a season since doing so four times during the 2009 campaign.
Overshadowed by the fact that Texas Tech is among the national leaders with 23 rushing touchdowns is the fact the Red Raiders have only allowed opponents to reach the end zone via the ground nine times this year. That is the fourth-lowest total for the Red Raiders through eight games dating back to 2000 and the fewest since 2012.
The Red Raiders are averaging 42.2 points per game, which ranks 10th nationally and second in the Big 12. Texas Tech is currently on pace to average at least 40 points per game for the third time in a four-year stretch and the sixth time in school history.
Texas Tech has scored in 88.6 percent of its red zone appearances this season (39-of-44), which is a drastic improvement on a year ago where drives resulted in points on only 69.4 percent of red zone entries. Tech currently ranks 32nd nationally and fifth in the Big 12 for red zone offense after finishing 125th in the country and last in the league in 2017.
Texas Tech continues to rank among the nation's offensive leaders as the Red Raiders are third in passing offense (376.8 yards per game), seventh in total offense (528.3 yards per game) and 10th in scoring (42.3 points per game).

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