No. 13 Texas Tech returns home Saturday night looking to steady itself after its first loss of the season, and the Red Raiders will do it against a West Virginia team that has already shown it can make things uncomfortable on the road.
Texas Tech dropped its unbeaten start at Cincinnati two weeks ago, then answered with a 34-26 win over Arizona last week. West Virginia, meanwhile, has flipped its season after a rough stretch from Sept. 26 to Oct.
- The Mountaineers snapped a three-game skid with a home win over Cincinnati and followed that with an upset road victory at TCU before heading into their bye week.
There’s also recent history here, and it was ugly for West Virginia. Texas Tech blanked the Mountaineers 49-0 in Morgantown last November.
One of the biggest reasons the Red Raiders have stayed dangerous is J’Koby Williams. The junior running back delivered his best performance of the season against Arizona, rushing 14 times for 175 yards and a touchdown while also catching his lone target for 11 yards.
On the year, Williams ranks fifth nationally in yards per carry at 7.9 and sits 18th with 794 rushing yards. He also had 15 carries for 60 yards and a score in last year’s shutout at West Virginia.
Even with that firepower, the number feels hefty. Texas Tech has had some trouble covering, and laying 17.5 points in a conference game is a different kind of ask.
West Virginia has already won twice on the road as an underdog this season, and its other road trip ended in a 45-42 loss to Iowa State. That doesn’t point to an outright upset here, but it does suggest the Mountaineers have enough to keep this from turning into a runaway.
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Texas Tech Just Got A CFP Reality Check Fans Wont Like
Texas Techs first College Football Playoff ranking of the season delivered a blunt message, and it was not a flattering one. Despite a 7-1 record and two wins over top-25 opponents, the Red Raiders landed at No. 15, a placement that underscored just how little margin for error they may have with the committee.
The ranking also fed the familiar frustration around the Big 12, with several teams sitting above Texas Tech despite weaker rsums or fewer quality wins. For the Red Raiders, the path is now obvious but unforgiving: keep stacking wins and, most likely, win the Big 12 to have any real shot at staying in the playoff conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech Should Watch This TCU Problem Before November Arrives
TCUs November is going to demand a lot, and Texas Tech has reason to keep an eye on it. The Horned Frogs are staring at a finish that includes three of their last four games against ranked opponents, with Arizona, Utah and the Red Raiders all on the schedule as they try to lock up bowl eligibility and keep their season moving in the right direction.
Sonny Dykes has pushed the message of staying in the moment and not getting caught looking ahead, which makes sense with that kind of closing stretch. TCU believes its defense can keep it in games, but the offense still needs to clean things up, and the players sound confident they can handle the challenge. For Texas Tech, the bigger question is whether the Frogs will be sharper by the time that matchup arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Tech May Have Found The Identity Big 12 Teams Wont Like
Texas Techs win over Arizona offered another reminder that this offense can hurt defenses in more than one way. Thomas Castellanos did damage through the air and on the ground, while JKoby Williams added a big day of his own, punctuated by a 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away in a 34-26 victory.
What stood out afterward was the way the Red Raiders talked about the performance. Offensive lineman Jacob Ponton pointed to the groups chemistry up front and the coaching staffs role in getting them to this point, which matters for a team trying to build a more defined identity in Big 12 play. If Texas Tech keeps pairing that kind of balance with physical line play, opponents are going to have to prepare for a much tougher version of this offense. [Read more 🡒]