No. 13 Tech, No. 22 Arizona collide Saturday for Top 25 thriller

No. 13 Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) will look to rebound from its first loss of...

No. 13 Tech, No. 22 Arizona collide Saturday for Top 25 thriller

No. 13 Texas Tech (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) will look to rebound from its first loss of the season Saturday at 11 a.m. when returning to Galaxy Stadium to host No. 22 Arizona (6-1, 3-1 Big 12). The Red Raiders bounced back from their lone regular-season loss a year ago by dominantly winning their next six games en route to the program’s first Big 12 title. The loss to Cincinnati snapped a school-record nine-game conference winning streak during which Texas Tech averaged a 28.2-point margin of victory, with just one game decided by one possession.

ESPN will televise Saturday’s game, with Dave Pasch handling play-by-play, Dusty Dvoracek serving as the analyst and Taylor McGregor reporting from the sideline. The broadcast will also be available through the ESPN App on computers, mobile devices and supported television streaming services.

Texas Tech Sports Network will broadcast the game across more than 20 affiliates throughout Texas and New Mexico, with Brian Jensen providing the call alongside analyst John Harris and sideline reporter Chris Level. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 84 and the Varsity app.

LIMITED TICKET INVENTORY REMAINS FOR HALLOWEEN MATINEE

Limited ticket inventory remains for each of the Red Raiders’ three remaining home games in 2026 (Oct. 31 vs. Arizona/Nov. 7 vs. West Virginia/Nov. 26 vs. TCU).
Texas Tech’s previous four home games have each been advance sellouts.
Single-game tickets can be purchased online at TexasTech.com or by contacting a ticket sales representative at 806-742-TECH.
On May 11, Texas Tech Athletics announced it had sold out its season ticket allotment for the 2026 football season, marking the fourth consecutive year Red Raider football season tickets have sold out. Due to significant demand following the program’s continued rise, Texas Tech increased its season ticket allotment for 2026. Red Raider fans purchased more than 33,400 season tickets en route to another sellout, while the season-ticket renewal rate reached 95 percent, creating only limited availability for the wait list.
Fans are encouraged to download their digital tickets to their smartphone’s mobile wallet before arriving at the stadium. For assistance, visit texastech.com/feature/digital-ticketing.

RED RAIDERS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AT HOME

Texas Tech suffered its first loss of the season last weekend at Cincinnati, ending an undefeated 6-0 start in the process. This is the first time in program history the Red Raiders have started consecutive seasons with 6-0 records, as Texas Tech also dropped its seventh game of the 2025 season with a loss at Arizona State.
The Red Raiders are one of three teams to start 6-0 in each of the past two seasons, joining only BYU and Indiana. BYU won its first eight games a year ago before falling to the Red Raiders in Lubbock with ESPN’s College Gameday in town. Indiana, meanwhile, finished a perfect 16-0 en route to its first College Football Playoff National Championship.
Following its loss at Arizona State a year ago, Texas Tech returned to dominating Big 12 opponents, winning its next five regular-season games by an average of 35.0 points. Texas Tech followed with a 34-7 victory over No. 11 BYU in the Edward Jones Big 12 Championship for its 12th win by 20 or more points during its historic run.
Texas Tech’s win against Arizona State made Joey McGuire only the second head coach in school history to record multiple 6-0 starts in a tenure, joining Mike Leach (2005, 2008). Texas Tech has won nine or more games in five of the seven previous seasons that started with at least a 6-0 record, including four years with 10 or more wins.

THIS WEEK IN THE POLLS

Texas Tech dropped a few spots in the national rankings Sunday, falling to No. 13 in the Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the U.S. LBM coaches poll after the Red Raiders’ first loss of the season at Cincinnati.
This is the 26th consecutive week the Red Raiders have appeared in the Associated Press poll, the longest run in program history. The Red Raiders previously appeared in the Associated Press poll over 20 straight weeks during the course of the 2004-06 seasons. Texas Tech rose to as high as No. 10 during that stretch.
Utah (7-0, 4-0) is now the highest-ranked Big 12 program this week after handing Houston its second loss of the season Saturday night. Utah, which came in at No. 6 in the Associated Press poll and No. 5 in the coaches’ version, is joined inside the top 10 by BYU (No. 9/8).

HOME SWEET HOME

Texas Tech will look to match the longest home winning streak in school history Saturday against Arizona. The school record of 13 consecutive wins was set during the World War II era over the course of the 1939 through 1942 seasons.
Texas Tech extended its home winning streak to 12 straight games inside Galaxy Stadium with its win over Arizona State. The victory improved the Red Raiders to 26-5 at home under Joey McGuire since his hiring prior to the 2022 campaign, which includes a 16-4 mark against Big 12 opponents.
Texas Tech matched its second-longest home winning streak in school history against Arizona State as the Red Raiders previously rolled off 12 victories in a row beginning with a Nov. 17, 2007, win over Oklahoma in the regular-season finale and running until a loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 24, 2009.
The Red Raiders boast the highest home winning percentage among Big 12 schools since the start of the 2022 season, ranking 12th among power conference teams. BYU is second in the league with a 23-5 record at home during that same stretch, while Utah is third at 24-6 and Kansas State is fourth at 24-7 overall.

CAN THE PICK-SIX RUN CONTINUE?

Texas Tech’s run of pick-six interceptions continued at Cincinnati with Peyton Morgan becoming the latest Red Raider defender to find the end zone.
The 53-yard return marked Texas Tech’s FBS-leading fifth defensive touchdown this season, all over the last four games, snapping the single-season school record for pick-six scores in the process.
Texas Tech is the first Big 12 program in history to record a pick-six interception over four consecutive games in the same season and the first FBS program to do so since Ohio State in 2021.

INSIDE THE ARIZONA SERIES

This will be the 35th all-time meeting between the two former Border Conference members and the second as Big 12 Conference foes. Texas Tech has historically dominated the series with the Wildcats with a 27-5-2 all-time advantage, which includes a 13-1 mark in Lubbock.
Texas Tech has been a league member with Arizona previously, as the two schools faced each other regularly as part of the Border Conference from 1931-59 until the Red Raiders were invited to the Southwest Conference beginning with the 1960 season. The Red Raiders were 18-2-1 during that span against the Wildcats, winning 15 consecutive matchups from 1937-58 at one point.
The Red Raiders went on the road to top Arizona, 28-22, in the first Big 12 meeting between the two schools midway through the 2024 season. Tahj Brooks rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while Jacob Rodriguez led the Red Raiders with 13 tackles defensively, including a sack and a key fourth-quarter forced fumble.
Each of the last two meetings between the two schools has taken place in Tucson as Arizona topped the Red Raiders, 28-14, in a non-conference matchup early in the 2019 season. Arizona’s scheduled return trip to Lubbock in 2020 was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be Arizona’s first trip to Lubbock since the Red Raiders upset the 20th-ranked Wildcats, 24-14, to kick off the 1989 season.
Arizona’s lone road win in the series dates back to the 1935 season when the Wildcats edged the Red Raiders, 7-6, in Lubbock. The Wildcats finished 7-2 that season following a five-game winning streak to end the season, which included the road win at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders, meanwhile, were 5-3-2 overall under then head coach Pete Cawthon.

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE LAST MATCHUP IN 2024

Texas Tech defeated Arizona, 28-22, on the road on Oct. 5, 2024, despite surrendering a 15-point lead, to improve to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2013.
Entering the break leading 18-3, Arizona scored 16 straight points to take a 19-18 lead early in the fourth quarter, outscoring Texas Tech 13-0 in the third quarter before adding a field goal to cap the rally.
Texas Tech built its 18-3 halftime lead behind a strong defensive effort, intercepting two Noah Fifita passes and stopping Arizona on fourth-and-1 deep in Red Raider territory.
Tahj Brooks rushed for 128 yards and three touchdowns, scoring twice in the first half before delivering the decisive blow with a 32-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.
Jacob Rodriguez forced a late fumble by Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan, allowing Texas Tech to recover with 2:21 remaining and set up Brooks’ game-sealing touchdown.

Release provided by MATT BURKHOLDER Texas Tech Athletics