Texas Tech University Athletics
Game Preview: Tech continues Big 12 play on the road at Kansas
October 11, 2021 | Football
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech returns to the road for its third game away from Jones AT&T Stadium in a four-game stretch as they travel to Kansas. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. with television coverage provided by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
RED RAIDERS HEAD TO SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON
RANDOM TIDBITS HEADING INTO KANSAS GAME
Roy Philpott will provide the play-by-play alongside analyst Ryan Leaf for the stream on ESPN+. The broadcast can be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer, any personal cellular device and television streaming services using the ESPN app. Registration for the subscription service can be found at ESPNPlus.com.
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 199, Sirius channel 133 or via the TuneIn app.
- Texas Tech and Kansas will meet for the 23rd time in school history Saturday in a series that has historically been dominated by the Red Raiders. Tech is 20-2 all-time against the Jayhawks with wins in 13 of the past 14 meetings.
- Kansas snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Red Raiders in Texas Tech's last visit to Lawrence as the Jayhawks rallied from 13-points down to kick a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. The win was Kansas' first all-time at home over the Red Raiders as Texas Tech was previously 10-0 in Lawrence.
- Kansas' only other win in the series spoiled Homecoming for the Red Raiders in 2001 as the Jayhawks used overtime to shock the Jones AT&T Stadium crowd behind a 34-31 victory. It is one of two overtime games all-time in the series as the Red Raiders used double overtime en route to a 41-34 victory in 2012.
- Over the course of its 12-game winning streak over the Jayhawks, Texas Tech won 10 of those games by a double-digit margin. In fact, the Red Raiders averaged 22.5 points per victory during the winning streak over the Jayhawks, which ran from 2004-18.
- The Red Raiders have scored at least 30 points in all but two of the 18 previous meetings during the Big 12 era. The lone exceptions came in a 17-7 victory at home in 1997 and then last season's 16-13 victory.
- The two schools have met four times outside the Big 12, which came in home-and-home series in 1965-66 and 1969-70. The 1965 game served as the first contest in college football history to utilize instant replay technology.
- There will be one person on the Texas Tech sideline this weekend with a connection to Kansas head coach Lance Leipold as he and Red Raider linebackers coach Kevin Cosgrove were on the Wisconsin staff together from 1991-93. Leipold was a graduate assistant those three seasons for the Badgers, while Cosgrove was the linebackers coach under Barry Alvarez. Cosgrove served as the linebackers coach from 1990-94 before eventually earning the promotion to defensive coordinator under Alvarez from 1995-03.
- Kansas wide receivers coach Emmett Jones was previously on the Texas Tech staff the past three years where he oversaw the Red Raiders' outside receivers from 2016-18. He served as Tech's Director of Player Development for one season in 2015 before being promoted to a full-time coaching profession.
- Kansas defensive line coach Kwahn Drake spent a year going head-to-head with Texas Tech defensive line coach Paul Randolph in 2016 at Memphis. Drake was an offensive line for the Tigers that season, while Randolph was beginning a three-year stint as Memphis' defensive line coach.
- Texas Tech does not have any Kansas natives on its roster but does have four players who played in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in sophomore offensive lineman Ethan Carde (Coffeyville C.C.), redshirt freshman offensive lineman Matt Keeler (Coffeyville C.C.), junior linebacker Krishon Merriweather (Garden City C.C.), sophomore running back Xavier White (Dodge City C.C.).
RED RAIDERS HEAD TO SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON
- The Red Raiders will look for at least two wins during the back half of the season to book their first bowl trip since the 2017 season. The Red Raiders, one of the most frequent bowl participants in college football history, are looking to avoid their first four-year bowl absence since staying home from postseason play over eight-consecutive seasons from 1978-85. This is currently the longest Texas Tech has gone without a bowl season since missing the postseason from 1990-92.
- A victory over Kansas would improve the Red Raiders to 5-2, marking their best start to a season since 2018. It would mark the 14th time in the Big 12 era where Texas Tech has started a season at 5-2 overall, with only two of those times ending without a bowl appearance (2011, 2018).
- Texas Tech entered this season ranked tied for 21st all-time with 38 career bowl appearances, matching the totals of fellow Big 12 member TCU as well as Ole Miss, BYU and Notre Dame. The Red Raiders are tied for third among current Big 12 members for bowl appearances, trailing only Texas (57) and Oklahoma (54).
RANDOM TIDBITS HEADING INTO KANSAS GAME
- Texas Tech is opening Big 12 play with three of its first four games on the road for the first time since its memorable 2008 season. The Red Raiders started league play that season with a road rout of Kansas State and an overtime home win against Nebraska before traveling to top both Texas A&M and No. 19 Kansas. Tech also started its Big 12 slate with three of its first four games away from home in both 2002 and 2006, finishing 2-2 over that stretch in both seasons.
- Kansas represents the seventh-consecutive unranked opponent for the Red Raiders, the longest streak to start a season since 2008 when Texas Tech opened with seven opponents outside the top-25, going a perfect 7-0 in those contests. The Red Raiders could potentially extend that streak to eight-straight games next weekend against a currently unranked Kansas State team, which would mark the longest such streak since 1966 when Tech faced its first ranked opponent in its final game - a 21-16 victory over No. 6 Arkansas. Matt Wells is 52-38 over his career against unranked opponents.
- Texas Tech is looking for its third win away from home already this season after topping Houston to start the season at NRG Stadium and then defeating West Virginia in Morgantown. Texas Tech has not won at least three road or neutral site games in a season since 2017 when the Red Raiders headed home with victories over Houston, Kansas, Baylor (AT&T Stadium - Arlington) and Texas.
- The Red Raiders are hoping for back-to-back Big 12 road wins for the first time since 2018 when Texas Tech opened its league slate with a 41-17 rout of No. 15 Oklahoma State and then followed with a 17-14 victory at TCU.
- The injury bug has plagued the Red Raiders in recent weeks as Texas Tech has been without up to eight of its starters the past two games, a list that includes two of its three All-Big 12 preseason selections in wide receiver Erik Ezukanma and center Dawson Deaton. Both Ezukanma and Deaton returned alongside DaMarcus Fields against TCU, but the Red Raiders were still without quarterback Tyler Shough (broken collarbone), defensive backs Marquis Waters (out for season) and Malik Dunlap, wide receiver J.J. Sparkman and running back Tahj Brooks.
- Texas Tech follows its game against Kansas by hosting Kansas State the following weekend. It marks only the fourth time in the Big 12 era where Tech has faced the two Sunflower State schools in back-to-back weeks as the Red Raiders previously did so in 2000, 2001 and 2016, splitting the two games in each of those three years.
- The win over West Virginia improved Matt Wells to 8-1 over his career in the week immediately after suffering a loss by 30 or more points. That includes a 2-1 mark while at Texas Tech as the Red Raiders previously overcame an early loss at No. 6 Oklahoma to defeat No. 21 Oklahoma State at home just a week later in 2019.
- Texas Tech had struggled in the opening quarter up until its win over West Virginia as the Red Raiders led the Mountaineers, 14-0, after the opening 15 minutes. It marks the only time the Red Raiders have led after the first quarter all season as Tech was previously tied with both Stephen F. Austin and FIU and trailed Houston, Texas and TCU. Prior to the West Virginia game, opponents were outscoring the Red Raiders by a 42-14 margin.
- Texas Tech enters this weekend having not thrown for a touchdown in back-to-back weeks as the Red Raiders have found the end zone via the ground game six times during that stretch. It marks the first time Tech has failed to throw for a passing touchdown in consecutive games since the Red Raiders faced No. 24 Oklahoma State and then Oklahoma to wrap the 1997 season.
- Texas Tech is now 42-17 against unranked conference opponents at home during the Big 12 era (1996-present) after its loss to TCU. The Red Raiders had previously won their last two conference games at home following wins over Baylor and Kansas to close their 2020 home slate.
Headed to the Sunflower State this weekend#WreckEm pic.twitter.com/kJ9TD54ugS
— Texas Tech Football (@TexasTechFB) October 11, 2021
Players Mentioned
RB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
OL
/ Football
DB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
OL
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
RB
/ FootballSpring Game Recap
Saturday, April 18
Spring Game Postgame Press Conference
Friday, April 17
Cameron Dickey Spring Media
Tuesday, April 14
John Curry Spring Media
Tuesday, April 14