UCF awaits for Red Raiders' home finale, Senior Day

Saturday, November 18

Lubbock, Texas

4 p.m.

Texas Tech Athletics

UCF

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UCF awaits for Red Raiders' home finale, Senior Day

November 13, 2023 | Football

Texas Tech Game Notes (PDF)UCF Game Notes (PDF)Radio Affiliates Gameday Guide Texas Tech Media Center

By: Matt Burkholder

UCF at TEXAS TECH
Lubbock, Texas | Jones AT&T Stadium
Nov. 18, 2023
FS2 | 4 p.m. CT

GAME LINKS

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will look to secure bowl eligibility for a third consecutive season on Saturday at 4 p.m. when the Red Raiders welcome UCF for Senior Day at Jones AT&T Stadium. Texas Tech enters with a 5-5 record after defeating No. 16 Kansas on the road while UCF also enters with a similar 5-5 record after a ranked win of its own against No. 12 Oklahoma State this past weekend. It will be the first all-time meeting between the Red Raiders and Knights.

Television coverage will be provided by FS2. Guy Haberman will be behind the mic for play-by-play duties and will be joined by analyst Charles Arbuckle. Fans can access the game from their mobile or streaming device by using the FOX Sports app.

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 and sideline reporter Chris Level. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 108 or 205, as well as on the Varsity app.

ARRIVE EARLY

With the ongoing $230 million south end zone and Womble Football Center construction project, Texas Tech highly encourages fans to arrive at Jones AT&T Stadium early each gameday as capacity crowds are expected for each home game. Additionally, fans are asked to please enter the stadium as early as possible to avoid longer entry lines closer to kickoff.
One of the most notable changes around Jones AT&T Stadium will be the closing of Sixth Street each gameday, namely the area between the ongoing south end zone construction site and the Sports Performance Center. This area will be closed to pedestrian traffic on gameday due to the construction project and to ensure both teams can safely reach their locker room in a timely manner.
Fans with seats on the east side of Jones AT&T Stadium are encouraged to enter through Gate 3 this season and use the north inner concourse to reach their section.
Students should continue to utilize Gate 6.
Once inside, fans are reminded that the only way to move from the east or west side of Jones AT&T Stadium to the other is via the north inner concourse behind the north end zone building. There will not be a concourse area in the south portion of the stadium this season due to construction.

CITIBUS TO OPERATE SHUTTLE SERVICE FOR FANS

Citibus will provide roundtrip shuttle service beginning three hours prior to kickoff until one hour after the conclusion of the game at only $5 per person. Pick-up is located north of the John Walker Soccer Complex and northwest of the Health Sciences Center. Fan shuttle service is also provided for fans from the gameday parking lots to Raider Alley this season. The drop-off location on the north end of the Engineering Key is in addition to the normal gameday route.
***Beginning this year, Citibus will only accept payment through the "Go Pass" app. Signage and QR codes will be available near each pickup location on gameday.***
Hop on a Citibus from satellite parking and get dropped off directly to Raider Alley.

DEFENSE STEPS UP AGAIN AT KANSAS

When Joey McGuire accepted the position at Texas Tech, he stated "we're going to play defense in West Texas." The Red Raiders are proving that and more under McGuire and second-year defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter as Texas Tech is allowing only 24.4 points per game, which is on pace to be the lowest single-season average since 2009.
The Red Raiders are giving up only 24.0 points per game during Big 12 play, which ranks fourth in the conference entering this weekend against a UCF program allowing 33.1 points versus league foes.

BROOKS EASILY AMONG NATION'S TOP BACKS

Texas Tech has long been considered one of the nation's most-prolific offenses but is doing so a different way this season behind Tahj Brooks, who has rushed for at least 100 yards in seven of the past eight games.
Brooks currently leads all power-five players with 72 missed tackles forced this season, according to Pro Football Focus, as he ranks fifth nationally in both total rushing yards (1,166) and rushing yards per game (116.6).
His seven 100-yard outings this season are the most by a Red Raider in a season since Ricky Williams had seven as well in 1998.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

5: Texas Tech has now won five-consecutive games in the month of November dating back to the 2022 season. That is the longest streak for the Red Raiders since Tech won six in a row during the 1992-94 campaigns.
10: Dadrion Taylor-Demerson picked off his third pass in the last two games at Kansas and the 10th of his career, which moved him into the top 10 all-time at Texas Tech alongside Kevin Curtis.
80: Austin McNamara recorded the 80th punt of his career of at least 50 yards at Kansas as the Ray Guy semifinalist ranks second among active FBS punters with at least 150 attempts with a 46.1 career average.

WHAT A WIN SATURDAY WOULD MEAN...

It would guarantee Texas Tech a bowl appearance for the third-consecutive season and the 41st time in program history. The Red Raiders currently rank tied for 21st nationally and third in the Big 12 for all-time bowl appearances. Once the conference moves to its 16-team format next season, a win would guarantee Texas Tech would be tied with West Virginia (already bowl eligible) for the most among Big 12 schools.
Joey McGuire would become only the second head coach in program history to lead the Red Raiders to bowl games in each of his first two seasons, joining the late Mike Leach, who pushed Texas Tech to a bowl game in each of his 10 seasons.
A victory would improve the Red Raiders to 5-3 in Big 12 play, marking the second-consecutive season Texas Tech has produced a winning conference record. The Red Raiders have not finished above .500 over consecutive seasons previously since the 2008-09 campaigns.
Additionally, a win over UCF would make Joey McGuire only the second head coach in program history to notch an above-.500 conference record in each of his first two seasons. McGuire led the Red Raiders to a 5-4 mark in league play a year ago and would join Steve Sloan with a victory either over UCF or in the regular-season finale against Texas. Sloan pushed the Red Raiders to a 4-3 mark in the Southwest Conference in 1975 followed by a 7-1 record and conference title a year later.
Texas Tech would finish its home slate with a 4-2 record inside Jones AT&T Stadium this season, improving the Red Raiders to 10-3 overall under Joey McGuire. The Red Raiders are 6-2 at home against Big 12 foes during McGuire's tenure.
Texas Tech would have won eight of its last 11 conference games dating back to the end of the 2022 season when the Red Raiders closed the regular season with wins over Kansas, Iowa State and Oklahoma.

SENIOR SALUTE ON TAP SATURDAY

Texas Tech will honor 24 members of its senior class with a pregame ceremony prior to kickoff Saturday. To view the full list of Senior Day participants, as of Sunday night, view page 3 of this week's game notes.
As a reminder, due to the extra season of eligibility allowed for the 2020 COVID-shortened season, Texas Tech will have several Red Raiders go through Senior Day ceremonies who could potentially still return for the 2024 season.

INSIDE THE UCF SERIES

This will be the first-ever meeting between Texas Tech and UCF as the Knights become the second first-time opponent for the Red Raiders this season, joining Tarleton State.
This will be the first time Texas Tech has ever faced a conference opponent for the first time in its history since the Red Raiders joined the Big 12 in 1996.
The Red Raiders are 4-9 all-time against schools from the state of Florida as this will be the first matchup versus a school from the Sunshine State since Texas Tech downed Florida International, 54-21, in 2021.

TEXAS TECH-UCF CONNECTIONS

UCF co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach David Gibbs was previously Texas Tech's defensive coordinator during the final four seasons of Kliff Kingsbury's tenure as head coach (2015-18). The Red Raiders were among the most-opportunistic defenses in the country under Gibbs, creating 85 takeaways during his tenure, including 29 during the 2017 season alone, which led the Big 12 and ranked sixth nationally. Gibbs brought stability to a Red Raider defense that had suffered significant turnover with six different defensive coordinators in as many years prior to his arrival. Gibbs was Texas Tech's longest-serving defensive coordinator since John Goodner led the defense through the final five years (1995-99) of Spike Dykes' tenure as head coach.
Texas Tech offensive line coach Stephen Hamby and UCF defensive tackles coach Kenny Martin were previously on the same Western Kentucky staff together for two seasons (2019-20). Martin was in his final two seasons on the Western Kentucky staff as the defensive tackles coach, while Hamby was an offensive quality control coach with the offensive line. He was promoted to offensive line coach in 2021 following Martin's departure to UCF.
Texas Tech boasts three Florida natives on its roster this season in long snapper Jackson Knotts, wide receiver Drae McCray and linebacker Jesiah Pierre. Knotts is a Plant City native (near Tampa), while Pierre grew up less than an hour from the UCF campus in Mount Dora. McCray, meanwhile, is from the Florida state capital of Tallahassee.

THIS-N-THAT

The Red Raiders enter their final two games of the regular season at 5-5 overall for the 11th time in program history and second time in as many years. In the previous 10 occurrences, the Red Raiders have found a way to pull off at least one victory in seven of those seasons (1991, 1993, 1999, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2022).
Texas Tech is 17-10 during the Big 12 era in home finales after recording wins in two of the last three years against Kansas (2020) and Oklahoma (2022). The Red Raiders are 12-3 overall during that span in home finales against unranked opponents.
The victory at Kansas marked only the 11th time in program history the Red Raiders have played a game north of the state of Oklahoma during the month of November. Traditionally, Texas Tech has played games against in-state rivals with additional trips to the state of Oklahoma and Arkansas (Southwest Conference era) during the final month of the regular season. Texas Tech is now 4-6 all-time in those games with wins in back-to-back seasons after the Red Raiders topped Iowa State in Ames a year ago.
The Kansas game marked Texas Tech's first and only 11 a.m. kick of the season. It was the eighth time the two schools have met in an 11 a.m. start during the Big 12 era and the fifth time to do so in Lawrence. The Red Raiders are now a perfect 8-0 in those games.
The victory over Kansas improved the Red Raiders to 23-2 all-time against the Jayhawks (92 percent), which is the most lob-sided series for the Jayhawks in their history among opponents with at least 10 meetings.
The Red Raiders improved to 10-3 under Joey McGuire and 5-2 this season when allowing 29 or fewer points in a game following its win over Kansas. Texas Tech has limited six of its seven Big 12 opponents this year to 29 points or fewer, which is already the most in a season since 2009.
Texas Tech has won consecutive one-possession games in back-to-back weeks after a 35-28 victory over TCU and the 16-13 win at Kansas. The Red Raiders are now 6-2 in one-possession games under Joey McGuire, which includes a 2-2 record this season.

-TECH-