Game Preview: Red Raiders Travel to No. 24 Iowa State

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will hit the road again this weekend as the Red Raiders will be looking for their first Big 12 win of the season Saturday at No. 24 Iowa State. The Cyclones represent the second ranked opponent of the season for the Red Raiders, who took a then-No. 8 Texas team to overtime two weeks ago.

The game will be broadcast on ABC with Mark Jones on the call alongside analyst Dusty Dvoracek with Paul Carcaterra reporting from the sidelines. Fans can access the game from their mobile or 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 XM channel 384, Sirius channel 119 or via the TuneIn app.

INSIDE THE SERIES

The Red Raiders will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak to the Cyclones as Texas Tech's last win in the series came in 2015 when future NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes threw for 428 yards and five touchdowns, including two to Jakeem Grant, who had 166 receiving yards in the victory.

This will be the 19th all-time meeting between Texas Tech and Iowa State as the Red Raiders are 11-7 against the Cyclones.
The Red Raiders are 4-4 all-time in games played in Ames as Texas Tech will be looking for its first win at Iowa State since a 34-31 victory over the Cyclones in 2014.
Texas Tech is 9-6 against the Cyclones during the Big 12 era.
Iowa State scored nine points in the final five minutes to hold off the Red Raiders in their last trip to Ames as the Cyclones secured a 40-31 victory in 2018.

ANOTHER TOUGH TEST ON TAP

For the second-consecutive week, Texas Tech will be facing an opponent coming off a win over preseason Big 12 favorite Oklahoma as Iowa State downed the Sooners this past Saturday in Ames. Iowa State follows a Kansas State program on Tech's schedule as the Wildcats rallied to top Oklahoma before handing the Red Raiders a 31-21 setback last Saturday.

This is only the second time in the history of the series with Iowa State where the Red Raiders have faced a ranked Cyclones team. Iowa State, led by quarterback Seneca Wallace at the time, was No. 11 in the polls in 2002 when the Cyclones handed Texas Tech a 31-17 loss in Ames.

LEARNING TO WIN THE CLOSE ONE

Soon after the Kansas State game, Matt Wells stressed the importance of the Red Raiders winning a close game after Texas Tech dropped an overtime decision to No. 8 Texas and then squandered a fourth-quarter lead at Kansas State.

The Red Raiders started the season with a 35-33 victory over Houston Baptist that marked Tech's first win in a game determined by a possession or less (8 points) since topping TCU, 17-14, in 2018.

Now in its 96th season of collegiate football, Texas Tech has only started two other seasons previously with three-consecutive games decided by 10 or less points, which came 60-plus years ago in 1959 and 1926.

STAT NOTABLES VS IOWA STATE

Riko Jeffers recorded the first double-digit tackle performance of his career versus Iowa State in 2018 as the then sophomore totaled 11 on the afternoon, including a sack and forced fumble.
Erik Ezukanma caught seven passes for 62 yards a year ago against Iowa State, which marked a career high for receptions. He has since matched that total twice, both times against Texas.
Alan Bowman threw for 323 yards and a touchdown while rushing for one other in his only career appearance against Iowa State in 2018. It marked the fourth and final 300-yard performance of Bowman's 2018 true freshman season. He missed the 2019 meeting between the two schools due to injury.
DaMarcus Fields picked off his second pass of the season a year ago and his third of his career a year ago against Iowa State.
SaRodorick Thompson found the end zone twice a year ago against Iowa State, marking the fourth time in his career where he has posted two rushing touchdowns in a game.

CARTER BUILDS ON STRONG END TO 2019

KeSean Carter picked up where he left off from the 2019 season as the junior has caught 21 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns through only three games.
He currently leads the Big 12 in receptions per game (7.0) and receiving touchdowns (4), the final category of which he also ranks fourth nationally.
Carter enters this weekend fourth in the Big 12 for receiving yards.
Dating back to the 2019 season finale, Carter has now caught 32 passes for 365 yards and five touchdowns over the past four games alone.
He has caught a receiving touchdown in all four of those games as he now has seven for his career.

STREAK OF 100-YARD RUSHERS

Xavier White emerged as an another strong option in the Red Raider backfield versus Kansas State as the sophomore totaled for 113 yards and a touchdown on the ground off only 12 carries.

With his performance, Texas Tech has now boasted a 100-yard rusher in each of its three games this season.
During the Big 12 era, the Red Raiders had not previously boasted both a 100-rusher in each of its first three games and had two different players combine on that streak.
SaRodorick Thompson eclipsed the 100-yard mark in each of Tech's first two games this season with 118 yards and two touchdowns versus Houston Baptist and 104 yards and an additional score against Texas.
Thompson is the first Red Raider running back to rush for at least 100 yards in each of the first two games of a season since 1998

KEY NOTES

Texas Tech opened its season with a win for the 17th time in the past 18 years after topping Houston Baptist. It also marked the 21-consecutive season where the Red Raiders have won their home opener.
The Red Raiders followed with a 63-56 setback against No. 8 Texas this past weekend where Texas Tech scored its most points all-time in the series with the Longhorns. The two teams combined for 119 points, the most since Tech and Oklahoma scored a combined 125 in 2015, which remains a program record.
Texas Tech has allowed only one sack through its first three games this season despite 153 pass attempts, the third-highest total currently in the country. The Red Raiders, who boast two new starters at the tackle spots, are tied for second nationally for the fewest sacks allowed.
Texas Tech is averaging 37.3 points per game so far this season, which ranks 21st nationally and third in the Big 12. This season would mark the 20th-consecutive year the Red Raiders have averaged at least 30 points per game, which is the longest active streak in the Big 12.
The Red Raiders have converted 27 of their 49 third-down conversions thus far (55 percent), which leads the Big 12 and ranks eighth nationally. Defensively, Texas Tech has stopped 18 of 43 third down attempts, namely five of the 16 the Red Raiders faced against Texas alone.
The Red Raiders have had at least 10 different receivers catch a pass in all three games this season. Texas Tech has spread the ball around in a similar fashion in 10 of its 15 games thus far under Matt Wells.

Another 2:30 kick for our road trip to Ames.

?? | ABC #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/gGLVb5bD8I
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) September 28, 2020

Game Preview: Red Raiders Travel to No. 24 Iowa State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alan Bowman

KeSean Carter

Erik Ezukanma

DaMarcus Fields

Riko Jeffers

SaRodorick Thompson Jr.

Xavier White

Game Preview: Red Raiders Travel to No. 24 Iowa State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alan Bowman

KeSean Carter

Erik Ezukanma

DaMarcus Fields

Riko Jeffers

SaRodorick Thompson Jr.

Xavier White

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