Texas Tech University Athletics
Jeffers, Koontz set to play in Hula Bowl Saturday
January 14, 2022 | Football
Two Red Raiders will be on the Kai squad when the Hula Bowl kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday on CBS Sports Network
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech departed seniors Riko Jeffers and Travis Koontz will take part in the Hula Bowl on Saturday as kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT at UCF Bounce House Stadium in Orlando. Television coverage will be provided nationally on CBS Sports Network.
Both Jeffers and Koontz will be on the Kai squad, which will be led by former NFL head coach Brian Billick. NFL personnel has been in attendance all week leading up to Saturday's game as the Kai staff also features defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, formerly head coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos, and offensive coordinator Mike Tice, formerly the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.
This is the third-consecutive year a Red Raider has played in the Hula Bowl as Douglas Coleman III and Donta Thompson accepted invitations for the 2019 game, while Zech McPhearson took part in the event a year ago. McPhearson had an interception in last year's game, which helped propel him to being selected in the fourth round of the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Jeffers and Koontz will both be looking to similarly boost their NFL stock in the coming weeks after wrapping up their tenures with a victory in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Koontz had two catches for 41 yards in the win over Mississippi State, while Jeffers totaled five tackles for a Red Raider defense that held one of the top offenses in the country to only seven points and 344 yards of total offense.
Koontz had 45 receptions for 647 yards and five touchdowns over his three seasons as a Red Raider, the bulk of which came this past season. He recorded four of his touchdown catches this season alone as part of 21 receptions for 306 yards, all career highs. Prior to the Liberty Bowl win, Koontz put together his best game of his career with five receptions for a career-high 117 yards in the regular-season finale at Baylor, which included a 75-yard touchdown haul in the fourth quarter.
Jeffers, meanwhile, closed his career with 299 tackles from his linebacker position, which ranks 15th all-time in program history. Jeffers ranked third on the team with 72 tackles and also added four quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and a key interception in the season opener against Houston. It was the third time in Jeffers' career where he totaled 70 or more tackles as he also did so as a sophomore in 2018 and junior in 2019.
Activities surrounding the Hula Bowl were moved to the UCF campus in Orlando this year due to ongoing construction on Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, the regular home of the event.
