Recreation Preview: Crimson Raiders journey to No. 16 NC State

Anish Shroff will name the sport on ESPN2 on-site alongside analyst Brock Osweiler and sideline reporter Taylor McGregor. The printed will be accessed from any desktop or laptop computer pc, a private mobile gadget and tv streaming companies utilizing the ESPN app. Registration for the subscription service will be discovered at ESPNPlus.com.

Texas Tech Sports activities Community can even broadcast the sport over 46 associates all through the state of Texas and New Mexico as Brian Jensen can have the decision alongside analyst John Harris and sideline reporter Chris Stage. The radio broadcast will also be heard on SiriusXM channel 108 or 199, in addition to on the Varsity app.

ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER TOP-25 FOE

• Texas Tech’s reward for its first top-25 win below head coach Joey McGuire is one other ranked foe this Saturday when the Crimson Raiders journey to face No. 12 North Carolina State at Carter-Finley Stadium. Tech is coming off a 33-30 double-overtime win over No. 25 Houston this previous weekend.
• The Crimson Raiders want to safe back-to-back wins over ranked opponents in consecutive weeks for the primary time since Texas Tech downed No. 1 Texas and No. 8 Oklahoma State late within the 2008 season. Because the Related Press ballot debuted in 1936, Tech has not defeated a number of ranked non-conference foes within the common season in program historical past. 

GREAT START TO JOEY MCGUIRE ERA

• Texas Tech followers possible could not draw up a greater begin to the Joey McGuire period because the Crimson Raiders blew out Murray State earlier than delivering the primary key victory below their new head coach in a 33-30 win over No. 25 Houston. For McGuire, he turned solely the second head coach in program historical past to high a top-25 group in his first-ever recreation towards a ranked foe.
• With a win at N.C. State this weekend, McGuire would grow to be solely the fourth head coach in program historical past to start out his profession with a 3-0 document, becoming a member of the likes of Dell Morgan (1941), Mike Leach (2000) and Kliff Kingsbury (2013).

RED RAIDERS, N.C. STATE SET FOR SIXTH ALL-TIME MEETING

• The journey to Raleigh will mark the sixth all-time assembly between Texas Tech and North Carolina State and the primary for the reason that two faculties accomplished a home-and-home sequence in 2003. The Crimson Raiders are 1-4 all-time towards the Wolfpack with the lone win coming in a 54-7 blowout of N.C. State in Lubbock to shut the 1952 season. 
• This would be the third time within the sequence the place the Crimson Raiders have confronted a ranked N.C. State because the Wolfpack have been No. 25 within the polls in 1992 and No. 17 in 2002. Texas Tech got here near topping the Wolfpack in time beyond regulation throughout that 2002 assembly earlier than T.A. McLendon rushed for 5 speeding touchdowns to go together with 301 passing yards from future NFL nice Philip Rivers. 
• Two of the final three conferences between the 2 faculties have gone all the way down to the wire as N.C. State scored a game-winning landing as time expired to safe a 36-34 win in Lubbock in 1993 earlier than an time beyond regulation win almost a decade later in 2002. The loss in 1993 spoiled a robust offensive efficiency by the Crimson Raiders the place Bam Morris totaled 141 speeding yards and two touchdowns, whereas Robert Corridor accomplished 29-of-40 passes for 348 yards and a landing. 
• Texas Tech should wait a couple of years for N.C. State to make its return journey to Jones AT&T Stadium as a part of the home-and-home contract the 2 faculties signed in 2016. The ultimate recreation of the sequence can have the Wolfpack journey to Lubbock on Sept. 18, 2027.

RANDOM TIDBITS HEADING INTO FIRST ROAD TRIP OF THE YEAR

• Texas Tech improved to 8-7 all-time in time beyond regulation video games with its victory final weekend over No. 25 Houston. The win snapped a three-game shedding streak in time beyond regulation contests because the Crimson Raiders’ final time beyond regulation win got here in 2016 with a 27-24 victory at TCU. Like Donovan Smith this previous weekend, Texas Tech additionally capitalized on the quarterback scramble in that win as Patrick Mahomes II discovered the top zone from 15 yards out within the first time beyond regulation, which was adopted by a Clayton Hatfield 37-yard area aim to win it a interval later. 
• Texas Tech was beforehand 2-3 all-time in time beyond regulation video games towards ranked foes after edging No. 23 Texas A&M, 48-47, in a memorable victory in 2002 after which No. 21 TCU, 56-53, in 2012. The Crimson Raiders had gone to time beyond regulation in two of the final three seasons beforehand, falling at No. 22 Baylor and towards No. 8 Texas in 2020. 
• The victory over Houston marked its fifth-straight within the sequence and its tenth within the final 11 conferences between the 2 future Large 12 Convention members. That five-game successful streak matches the longest all-time within the sequence. 
• Texas Tech is 10-17 all-time towards present members of the Atlantic Coast Convention. Texas Tech’s 5 earlier conferences with N.C. State match its most all-time towards ACC opponents because the Crimson Raiders are additionally 1-4 traditionally towards Florida State and Miami. Over their historical past, the Crimson Raiders have additionally confronted Boston Faculty (2-1), Clemson (1-0), Georgia Tech (0-2), North Carolina (1-2), Virginia (1-0) and Wake Forest (2-0). 
• Texas Tech’s 96 factors by means of the primary two weeks of the season are its most since totaling 104 on the similar level of its 2018 marketing campaign, which featured a 47-27 loss versus Ole Miss and a 77-0 rout of Lamar.

CHALLENGING SCHEDULE CONTINUES

• The begin to the Joey McGuire period has not been a straightforward one for the Crimson Raiders, who’re within the midst of presumably three-straight ranked opponents. Texas Tech began that stretch with a victory over No. 25 Houston and follows with contests at No. 16/12 N.C. State and No. 21/20 Texas (AP/AFCA polls).
• Texas Tech is one in all solely 4 power-five convention faculties that have been slated to face at the least two non-conference opponents ranked within the preseason Related Press high 25. That record additionally contains Pac-12 applications Oregon and Stanford together with the SEC’s Arkansas.
• There is only one power-five program, Mississippi State, that had extra preseason AP high 25 groups on its season schedule than Texas Tech with six. The Crimson Raiders’ preseason schedule pit them towards 5 AP top-25 ranked opponents, and are one in all 10 Energy 5 groups confronted with that kind of 2022 schedule (Georgia Tech, Louisville, North Carolina, Syracuse, Stanford, Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina and Vanderbilt).
• Since each Houston and N.C. State remained within the top-25 polls previous to dealing with the Crimson Raiders, this marks the primary time since 2002 that Texas Tech has confronted a number of ranked non-conference opponents in a season. The Crimson Raiders beforehand began the 2002 marketing campaign at No. 12 Ohio State earlier than touring later to face No. 16 N.C. State within the fourth week of the season. This shall be solely the sixth time in program historical past the place the Crimson Raiders have confronted a number of ranked non-conference opponents in an everyday season since becoming a member of the Southwest Convention in 1960. Texas Tech additionally confronted a number of ranked non-conference groups in 1994 (No. 1 Nebraska, No. 21 Oklahoma), 1992 (No. 15 Oklahoma, No. 25 N.C. State), 1990 (No. 18 Ohio State, No. 8 Miami) and 1975 (No. 15 Oklahoma State, No. 13 Arizona). 
• Along with each Houston and N.C. State, the Crimson Raiders will open Large 12 play towards Texas, which is ranked No. 20 within the AFCA coaches ballot and is at No. 21 n the AP ballot. Texas Tech will comply with with contests at Kansas State, which can also be receiving votes in each polls, after which at No. 8/7 Oklahoma State. 
• In its historical past, Texas Tech has began off just one different season with three of its first 4 video games towards ranked opponents because the Crimson Raiders final did so in 1978 towards the likes of No. 9 Southern Cal, No. 6 Texas and No. 7 Texas A&M. Tech dropped all three of these video games, falling 17-9 at Southern Cal after which 24-7 at house to Texas and 38-9 in Faculty Station to the Aggies. The Crimson Raiders recovered, although, to win their subsequent six video games as a part of a 7-4 season below Rex Dockery.

THE CHAIN GANG

• On offense, the Crimson Raiders have stored the chain gang busy, however whereas on protection, they have loads of relaxation. The Crimson Raider offense has manufactured the eighth-most first downs (64) within the FBS to date this season, whereas the protection is limiting opponents to the Thirteenth-least first downs (26) within the FBS.
• The Crimson Raiders are averaging 32.0 first downs per recreation in two video games below first-year offensive coordinator Zach Kittley, rating T-2nd greatest within the FBS. Below first-year defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, opponents are averaging 13.0 first downs per recreation, rating Thirteenth nationally within the FBS. 
• Texas Tech didn’t enable a single first down within the second half versus Murray State and buckled down once more within the second half versus Houston permitting simply 5 first downs, together with just one first down allowed to the Cougars within the fourth quarter. Texas Tech restricted Houston to 13 first downs in regulation earlier than giving up three extra between the 2 time beyond regulation durations for its 16 within the recreation.
• The Crimson Raiders have solely surrendered six first downs by way of the opponent run recreation, rating T-4th least within the FBS.

MAN FOR THE THEATRICS

• Donovan Smith is 3-2 as a beginning quarterback and 2-1 in video games performed at Jones AT&T Stadium. In each wins, every got here in a dramatic vogue that despatched fellow classmates right into a frenzy, speeding the sector in celebration. The primary win got here by way of a 62-yard area aim as time expired versus Iowa State in 2021 and the most recent was final weekend as Smith, himself, escaped strain and scored a landing from nine-yards-out within the second time beyond regulation that received the sport after the Cougars transformed a area aim with their second time beyond regulation possession.
• Smith set profession highs throughout the board in Texas Tech’s win over Houston, snapping his earlier profession highs for completions (36), makes an attempt (58) and passing yards (351) in addition to a career-long run (27) within the win. It was the second 300-yard recreation of Smith’s profession as Texas Tech is now 2-0 in these video games after defeating Iowa State a yr in the past. 
• The ball was in Smith’s arms usually towards the Cougars as he made 79 whole offensive makes an attempt with 58 passes and 21 rushes. It marked the second-most whole offensive performs by a Crimson Raider relationship again to 2000, trailing solely the 100 makes an attempt Patrick Mahomes II made on a record-setting night time towards Oklahoma in 2016. 
• Whereas Texas Tech quarterbacks have constructed fairly the repute for passing yards, it was Smith’s legs that made an affect towards Houston as he escaped for a 27-yard run late in regulation after which adopted with the game-winning landing in double time beyond regulation. His 21 speeding makes an attempt have been essentially the most by a Crimson Raider quarterback since Zebbie Lethridge had the identical whole within the 1996 season opener versus Kansas State, which was Tech’s first as Large 12 members.

THE RIGHT FIT

• Identified for his versatility all through his Texas Tech profession, sixth-year senior Kosi Eldridge has discovered his place on the Crimson Raiders’ protection as its beginning “Will” Linebacker (weak-side linebacker). Eldridge, in his third season as a Crimson Raider, was utilized in a number of linebacker spots and a hybrid defensive again function in 2020, and as a defensive again in 2021, however was shifted to weak-side linebacker in fall camp, and earned the beginning job. 
• Eldridge has recorded 1.0 TFL in every of the primary two video games at his new place to start out the 2022 season. He entered this yr with 1.5 TFLs in his Tech profession with 1.0 in 2020 and 0.5 in 2021.
• Eldridge shined versus Houston posting a career-high seven tackles, besting his earlier excessive of 4. 
• No sort out might have been extra essential than his first sack since 2020 on a third and 4 from the TTU15 that set Houston again 15 yards and compelled an tried 47-yard area aim that was missed on 4th and 19 late within the third quarter.

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