No. 13 Texas Tech’s return home brings a dangerous problem: a hot Arizona team rolling into Lubbock with momentum and a quarterback in peak form.
The Red Raiders are coming off their first loss of the season, a 37-24 setback at Cincinnati that exposed some real cracks. Texas Tech allowed 255 rushing yards in that game, and after opening the year 6-0, the Red Raiders now have to answer a much bigger question: are they built to stay in the Big 12 title race?
Arizona has spent the last month making people pay attention. Since dropping a Week 2 game to BYU, the Wildcats have ripped off five straight wins, with three of those coming in Big 12 play by an average of 28.0 points per game. They were especially sharp last week, smothering Iowa State in a 39-3 rout while Noah Fifita threw for 300 yards.
This matchup also carries some history, even if most of it is old. Texas Tech owns a 27-5-2 edge in the all-time series, but only two of those meetings have come since 1989. The schools met once before as Big 12 opponents, and the Red Raiders came out on top 28-22 despite Fifita’s 300-yard day and two interceptions.
What makes Arizona so dangerous right now is the way Fifita has elevated his game. He’s putting up career-best numbers across the board for the Wildcats, leading the Big 12 with a 74% completion rate and a 174 passer rating while ranking inside the national top 10 in passing at just under 295 yards per game. Since the loss to BYU, he’s thrown for 275 yards and two touchdowns in every game during Arizona’s five-game winning streak.
Texas Tech, meanwhile, is still searching for a cleaner version of itself. Even at 6-1, the Red Raiders haven’t looked steady on either side of the ball, ranking in the bottom half of the Big 12 in both total offense and defense. That’s a sharp drop from a year ago, when Texas Tech finished top two in the conference in both categories.
The quarterback situation is another issue. Will Hammond only stepped into the starting role after Brendan Sorsby was lost to a gambling scandal, and the early returns have been rough.
Hammond has thrown six touchdowns and six interceptions, and against Cincinnati he completed just one pass longer than 15 yards through three quarters. If he can’t get the offense moving, Texas Tech may lean more heavily on backup Tommy Castellanos against Arizona.
Saturday’s game is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock, Texas.
Arizona looks like the more complete team here, and Fifita is playing like a quarterback who can tilt the field by himself. Cincinnati already showed where Texas Tech can be attacked, and the Wildcats have the firepower to press on those same seams. Pick: Arizona +3.5
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