Preview: Red Raiders return home to host Iowa State

LUBBOCK, Texas – Following its first bye week of the season, Texas Tech is back in action at Jones AT&T Stadium this Saturday to host Iowa State. Kick off is set for 2:30 p.m.

Television coverage will be provided nationally Saturday on ESPN2 with Beth Mowins calling the action alongside analyst Kirk Morrison and field analyst Dawn Davenport. The broadcast can also be found via the ESPN app on any streaming service.

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 134 or via the TuneIn app.

INSIDE THE SERIES

This will be the 20th all-time meeting between Texas Tech and Iowa State as the Red Raiders are 11-8 against the Cyclones despite losing each of the past five meetings, their longest losing streak in the series.
The Red Raiders are 7-3 all-time against the Cyclones at home despite dropping each of Iowa State's last two visits to Lubbock. Texas Tech defended its home field with wins in each of Iowa State's first five trips to Jones AT&T Stadium before the Cyclones responded with wins in three of their last five visits.
Texas Tech is 9-8 against the Cyclones during the Big 12 era. The two schools met twice prior to the formation of the Big 12 Conference in 1996 as Texas Tech routed Iowa State, 52-0, in 1967 and then added a 24-3 victory in 1974.
Over its five-game losing streak to Iowa State, the Red Raiders are averaging only 18.6 points per game, its lowest mark against any Big 12 foe during that span. Prior to starting its losing streak versus the Cyclones, the Red Raiders were averaging 41.5 points per game over the course of a four-game winning streak, the final game of which was a 66-31 rout inside Jones AT&T Stadium midway through the 2015 season.

CAREER NOTABLES VERSUS THE CYCLONES

Tony Bradford Jr. set a career high with eight tackles in the 2020 matchup against the Cyclones. The performance included a tackle for a loss and two quarterback hurries.
Henry Colombi impressed in last year's meeting against Iowa State as he came off the bench to complete 10-of-12 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown during the fourth quarter. Colombi, who also rushed six times for 11 yards, found Erik Ezukanma on an 18-yard touchdown strike with less than five minutes remaining to give the Red Raiders their first offensive points of the afternoon.
Erik Ezukanma caught seven passes for 62 yards in 2020 against Iowa State, which marked a career high for receptions at the time. He snapped that mark just over a week ago in Texas Tech's loss at Oklahoma. Ezukanma has 12 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown over two career games versus the Cyclones as he caught five balls for 61 yards, including one for an 18-yard scoring strike from quarterback Henry Colombi.
DaMarcus Fields picked off his second pass of the season in 2019 and his third of his career against Iowa State, which gave the Red Raiders the ball back in Iowa State territory early in the fourth quarter. Fields wrapped the 2019 season with three interceptions and now has four for his career. Fields, who has five passes defended in his career versus Iowa State, leads all Red Raiders with 20 career tackles in his four previous meetings with the Cyclones.
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 that resulted in a fumble that was recovered by Dakota Allen for a touchdown. Jeffers has 19 tackles against the Cyclones over his four-year career, which ranks second among all active Red Raiders.
Eric Monroe reached double digits for tackles for the first time in his career a year ago versus Iowa State as he totaled 12 in the loss. Monroe also forced a fumble and had a tackle for loss in the performance.
If Tyler Shough is able to return this weekend, it will not be his first career game against Iowa State as the junior previously earned the start for Oregon last season in the Fiesta Bowl. Shough completed 7-of-9 passes for 79 yards in a 34-17 loss to the Cyclones. It marked Shough's final game at Oregon prior to transferring to Texas Tech.
SaRodorick Thompson found the end zone twice in 2019 against Iowa State, marking the fourth time in his career at the time where he has posted two rushing touchdowns in a game. Thompson, who had 63 rushing yards in the game, now has 11 games of two or more rushing touchdowns in his career, including three this season. He was limited to only six carries for 14 yards last season against Iowa State, giving him 16 carries for 71 yards and a pair of touchdowns for his career.

CUMBIE NAMED INTERIM HEAD COACH FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON

Texas Tech Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt announced Oct. 25 a change in leadership for the Red Raider football program after head coach Matt Wells was relieved of his duties, effective immediately. Hocutt tabbed offensive coordinator Sonny Cumbie to serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
Over its now 96 seasons of football, Cumbie is only the third interim head coach in program history, joining both Ruffin McNeil and Chris Thomsen. McNeil and Thomsen both led the Red Raiders to a victory in their only games as head coach, which came at the 2009 Alamo Bowl as well as the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas. Cumbie was an assistant on the Tech staff in both of those seasons and was the Red Raiders' play-caller for its win over Minnesota in 2012.
Cumbie is the first head coach in the history of the program who will take over in the middle of the season. Picking up with four games left on the schedule, he will need at least one victory over the next three games since dropping his Oct. 30 debut at Oklahoma. All four opponents were in the AP Top 25 when Cumbie took over on Oct. 25.

BOWL ELIGIBILITY STILL IN REACH FOR RED RAIDERS

The Red Raiders will look to secure bowl eligibility for the first time since 2017 Saturday against Iowa State. Texas Tech, one of the most frequent bowl participants in college football history, is looking to avoid its first four-year bowl absence since staying home from postseason play over eight consecutive seasons from 1978-85. This is currently the longest Tech has gone without a bowl trip since missing the postseason from 1990-92.
The Red Raiders picked up their fifth win of the season at Kansas, moving them one shy of the six needed for a bowl selection. It marked the 14th time during the Big 12 era where Texas Tech has started a season at 5-2 or better overall. Of the previous 13 occasions, Tech reached a bowl game in 11 of those seasons with the two exceptions coming in 2011 and 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 West Virginia 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 IOWA STATE GAME

Texas Tech is coming off its lone open weekend on the 2021 season as the Red Raiders are 17-13 during the Big 12 era in the week following an open date. The Red Raiders have wins in two of their last four games following an open date after topping West Virginia during both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Tech also had losses to No. 8 Texas and No. 23 Oklahoma State last season during that span.
This marks the furthest the Red Raiders had had to wait for an open date since 2015 when the Red Raiders lone weekend off came prior to the regular-season finale at Texas.
Texas Tech is looking to open the month of November with a victory for the second time in the last three seasons as the Red Raiders previously went on the road to top West Virginia, 38-17, in 2019. Prior to that win, Tech had not previously started the final month of the regular season with a win since a 27-17 victory over No. 14 Missouri in 2010.
The month of November hasn't been overly kind to the Red Raiders in recent years as Texas Tech has finished with multiple wins just three times since the start of the 2011 campaign. During that span, the Red Raiders were able to notch a pair of wins during the 2015 and 2017 seasons. Of note, Tech did close the 2020 season with wins in two of its last three games, but the final contest against Kansas did not come until Dec. 5 as part of the altered scheduled.
The Oklahoma game started a challenging final stretch of the season for the Red Raiders, who were slated to face four-consecutive top-25 teams to close the year at the time (Iowa State has since dropped out). With Oklahoma State and Baylor still part of both top-25 polls, it marks the first time since 2011 where the Red Raiders have closed the regular season with three of their final four games against ranked opponents. Texas Tech also had similar difficult final stretches of the regular season with three ranked opponents to close both the 1998 and 2008 campaigns.
Texas Tech's remaining schedule ranks as the third-toughest in the FBS as Iowa State, Oklahoma State and Baylor are a combined 21-6 this season. The final stretch only ranks behind the schedules for both Georgia Tech and Ohio State, whose future opponents are a combined 22-5 this season.
Texas Tech has three wins away from home this season after victories already at a neutral site against Houston and then at West Virginia and Kansas. If the Red Raiders are able to close the regular season with a win at Baylor, it would mark the most victories on the road or a neutral site since 2017 when the Red Raiders headed home with victories over Houston, Kansas, Baylor (AT&T Stadium - Arlington) and Texas.
Both of Texas Tech's conference wins this season have come on the road as the Red Raiders won at West Virginia and Kansas in recent weeks. It marks the first time Tech has secured back-to-back Big 12 road wins since 2018 when the Red Raiders opened their league slate with a 41-17 rout of No. 15 Oklahoma State and then followed with a 17-14 victory at TCU.
Texas Tech was previously 5-0 this season when allowing 29 points or less until falling to Kansas State. The Red Raiders had not previously dropped a game when allowing less than 29 points since falling to Arizona, 28-14, early in the 2019 season.
Texas Tech has regularly faced Oklahoma and Iowa State in back-to-back games in recent years as the two schools have appeared, in various orders, behind each other four times previously since 2011.

Preview: Red Raiders return home to host Iowa State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tony Bradford Jr.

Henry Colombi

Erik Ezukanma

DaMarcus Fields

Riko Jeffers

Eric Monroe

Tyler Shough

SaRodorick Thompson Jr.

Preview: Red Raiders return home to host Iowa State

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tony Bradford Jr.

Henry Colombi

Erik Ezukanma

DaMarcus Fields

Riko Jeffers

Eric Monroe

Tyler Shough

SaRodorick Thompson Jr.

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