Texas Tech Postgame Notes: Red Raiders 35, Houston Baptist 33

POSTGAME NOTES

GETTING STARTED

• Weather at Kickoff: 81 degrees, partly cloudy, wind ESE at 4 mph, humidity of 38%
• Today’s game was televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. It was Texas Tech’s first ever appearance on the streaming channel.
• Today’s game marked the first all-time between Texas Tech and Houston Baptist.
• Texas Tech won the coin toss and chose to recieve to open the game.
• Texas Tech was outfitted in its all black uniform combo, moving the Red Raiders to 13-11 in the last 10 years when wearing that combo.
• Today’s game captain was Eli Howard. As part of Texas Tech’s entrance pregame, Seth Collins carried the U.S. flag, while Eric Monroe ran out with the state of Texas flag.
• Today’s attendance: 11,157

Starters – (Offense) – (LT) Ethan Carde, (LG) Weston Wright, (C) Dawson Deaton, (RG) Jack Anderson (RT) Josh Burger, (QB) Alan Bowman, (RB) SaRodrick Thompson, (WR) T.J. Vasher, (TE) Travis Koontz, (WR) Eric Ezukanma, (WR) Dalton Rigdon; (Defense) – (DE) Eli Howard, (T) Tony Bradford, Jr., (N) Jaylon Hutchings, (Raider) Riko Jeffers, (LB) Krishon Merriweather, (LB) Brandon Bouyer-Randle, (Spur) Kosi Eldridge, (CB) Zech McPhearson, (CB) Alex Hogan, (S) Eric Monroe, (S) Thomas Leggett.

TEXAS TECH’S WIN…

• Gives Texas Tech a 1-0 overall record.
• Gives Texas Tech a 1-0 overall record all-time versus Houston Baptist.
• Gives Texas Tech a 24-1 all-time record against FCS opponents. It marked Texas Tech’s 17th-consecutive win over an FCS foe dating back to the 1988 season.
• Gives Texas Tech a 66-27-3 all-time record in season openers.
• Gives Texas Tech a 77-17-2 all-time record in home openers.
• Gives Texas Tech a 37-1 record versus non-conference opponents at home since 2002.
• Gives Matt Wells a career record of 5-8 at Texas Tech.
• Gives Matt Wells a 49-42 career record all-time as a head coach.
• Gives Matt Wells a 4-4 career record in season openers, including a 2-0 mark at Texas Tech.

TEXAS TECH TEAM NOTES

• Texas Tech has now scored in 283-straight games dating back to the 1997 season, a streak that now ranks ninth nationally and second in the Big 12 Conference.
• The Red Raiders got off to a hot start, capping off their five-play, 75-yard scoring drive in 1:38 with an Alan Bowman seven-yard touchdown pass to Erik Ezukanma. Texas Tech moved to 5-4 under Matt Wells when scoring first. The reception marked Ezukanma’s sixth career touchdown catch.
• Texas Tech led, 21-10, heading into halftime. The Red Raiders pushed their record to 5-2 under Matt Wells when leading at the half.
• With Saturday’s win, the Red Raiders stretched their streak of wins in home openers to 21.
• The Red Raider offensive line held steady in the passing game on Saturday allowing no sacks on the night. That performance continues a trend from last season, as Tech ranked 25th in the country last season in fewest sacks allowed.
• The Red Raiders finished with 624 offensive yards on Saturday night, marking the second-straight season opener that Tech has accumulated 600 yards of total offense.

NOTING THE RED RAIDERS

• Senior defensive back Zech McPhearson recorded his first career interception on Saturday night, picking off HBU’s Jarreth Sterns in the endzone early in the second quarter.
• Freshman Tahj Brooks recorded his first career rushing touchdown in the second quarter of Saturday’s game, punching it in from the HBU one-yard line. Brooks finished his first Texas Tech appearance with 25 yards on eight carries.
• Sophomore defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings recorded a new career high in sacks with 1.5 on Saturday night to lead the team.
• In his Texas Tech debut, junior Krishon Merriwether finished with 12 tackles. It marked the first time a Red Raider newcomer has had 10+ tackles in a debut dating back to the beginning of the 2000 season.
• For the second-straight season, SaRodrick Thompson scored multiple touchdowns in the first game of the year. It marked his sixth-career multiple-touchdown game.
• Along with his two touchdowns, Thompson finished with 118 rushing yards in his 2020 season debut, which marks his second-career 100-yard rushing game and first since Oct. 12, 2019, when he ran for 153 at Baylor.
• Quarterback Alan Bowman posted his fourth-career 400-yard passing game on Saturday, finishing with 430 yards on 38-of-52 and a pair of touchdowns.
• Bowman recorded his seventh-career game of 300-plus passing yards. He has passed for 300 or more yards in two-straight starts, dating back to the Arizona game of last season, when he threw for 307 before leaving the game due to injury.
• Ja’Lynn Polk became the first true freshman to have five or more receptions in a season opener since Michael Crabtree in 2007. Polk finished his debut with five catches for 56 yards.

Matt Dowdy