West Virginia’s final game of the season will be its toughest test yet when the Texas Tech Red Raiders come to Morgantown on Saturday afternoon. The Red Raiders have their sights set on more than just Big 12 Title aspirations, as they aim to make some noise in the College Football playoff. Before they can reach the Big 12 Championship game, they will have to face a 4-7 West Virginia team in Morgantown in what is likely to be a rather impressive crowd for a team with a losing record. Let’s get familiar with the impressive Texas Tech squad that is among the nation’s best this season.
Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-1, 7-1)
The No. 5 Red Raiders have put together an impressive campaign after reportedly investing a significant amount of money in the football program for the purposes of NIL and recruiting via the transfer portal. At least in the case of Texas Tech, the major investment had paid off thus far.
How They Got Here
The Red Raiders rolled through a non-conference slate that posed no threat whatsoever to the school in Lubbock. Texas Tech rolled through Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State, and Oregon State before a September 20th matchup with Utah was our first indication of how good this team could be. The Red Raiders rolled into Salt Lake City and beat the 17th-ranked Utes, 34-10.
From there, Texas Tech continued to roll, picking up blowout wins over Houston and Kansas. The lone blemish on the season for the Red Raiders came on the road at Arizona State in a 26-22 loss for the then 7th-ranked Red Raiders. Quarterback Sam Leavitt engineered a 2-minute drill that resulted in a go ahead touchdown in the game’s final minute. Regarding the play of Leavitt, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said, “That quarterback changes everything. He’s a difference maker.”
Since the road loss to the Sun Devils, Texas Tech has played elite football, reeling off four straight wins, including a 29-7 win over BYU in a top 10 showdown earlier this month.
Numbers to Know
12.3
Texas Tech’s defense has been sensational this season. They are allowing just 12.3 points per game, trailing only Ohio State and Indiana in that department nationally. Again, while their non-conference slate wasn’t all that impressive, in wins over quality opponents like Utah and BYU, the Red Raiders allowed just 17 points combined.
71.8
Another staggering defensive statistic for Texas Tech is just how consistently stellar they have been against the run this season. Their 71.8 yards per game allowed on the ground leads the nation. The defense has been headlined by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (leading tackler) and defensive end David Bailey, who leads the nation with 12.5 sacks.
The Red Raiders' defense has been so stout against the run that the leading rusher on the season against them is Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson, who ran for 88 yards. In fact, the Wildcats and the Utah Utes are the only two teams to eclipse the 100-yard mark on the ground against Texas Tech. Utah did so while averaging just over 3 yards per carry, gaining 101 yards on 31 carries. For perspective, this season, Utah ranks 2nd nationally in yards per game on the ground with over 275 yards. Every team the Red Raiders have faced thus far has experienced immense challenges in the running game. They held BYU standout running back LJ Martin to 35 yards on 10 carries.
13, 27, 26, 17
Texas Tech star running back Cameron Dickey has been sensational this season, totaling 944 yards through 11 games. He leads the Big 12 with 13 rushing touchdowns, and as a team, Texas Tech has 27 touchdowns on the ground. The Red Raiders have found the end zone through the air 26 times this season, led by Behren Morton’s 17 passing touchdowns.