Texas Tech readies for No. 21 Kansas in Lawrence

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech returns to the road on Saturday, set to face No. 21 Kansas at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence at 11 a.m. The Red Raiders, now 4-1 in the month of November under Joey McGuire after defeating TCU last time out, will look to continue their dominance in the series against the Jayhawks as Texas Tech is 22-2 all-time versus Kansas.

Television coverage will be provided by FS1 with Eric Collins behind the mic. He will be joined by former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner serving as the broadcast analyst. The duo last called a Red Raiders game in their dramatic overtime win over Oklahoma to close the 2022 home schedule. Fans can access the game from their mobile or streaming device by using the FOX Sports app.

Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico as Brian Jensen will have the call alongside analyst John Harris and sideline reporter Chris Level. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 381, as well as on the Varsity app.

AMONG THE NATION’S TOP RUSHERS

• After entering the career top 10 for rushing yards this past week, Tahj Brooks will look to place his name on the Texas Tech all-time single-season chart, as well, against Kansas.
• The senior needs 80 yards to match DeAndre Washington for 10th all-time in program history. Brooks joined Washington as the second Red Raider to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since 2000, eclipsing that mark after totaling 146 yards on the ground and a touchdown versus TCU.
• He enters this week ranked sixth in the FBS with 1,033 yards and seventh for average at 114.8/game.

TURNOVERS KEY IN WIN OVER TCU

• Since his arrival at Texas Tech, Joey McGuire has preached the importance of creating takeaways defensively.
• That couldn’t have proven more true in the Red Raiders’ win over TCU as Dadrion Taylor-Demerson caused two turnovers in the second half with an interception late in the third quarter and another to seal the victory during the Horned Frogs’ final drive.
• Under McGuire, the Red Raiders are now 7-2 when tied or leading the turnover battle as Texas Tech did not turn the ball over offensively en route to taking back the Saddle Trophy.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• 6: Jaylon Hutchings will face Kansas for the sixth time in his career on Saturday as he has 13 career tackles, including 2.0 for a loss, in the series. It will be the 61st career game for Hutchings and his 56th-consecutive start.
• 35: The Red Raiders hit the 35-point mark for the 10th time already in 22 games now under Joey McGuire against TCU. Texas Tech is a perfect 10-0 during McGuire’s tenure when scoring 35 or more points in a game.
• 68: According to PFF, Tahj Brooks has forced 68 missed tackles, which easily leads all power-five players. In fact, he is one of only three power-five rushers with at least 50 forced missed tackles this season.

TEXAS TECH-KANSAS CONNECTIONS

• Texas Tech associate head coach and special teams coordinator Kenny Perry spent four seasons in Lawrence as he was the co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach for Kansas from 2015-16 before moving to be the special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator from 2017-18.
• Texas Tech head strength and conditioning coach Lance Barilow also spent a year at Kansas as an associate director of strength and conditioning. Barilow departed Kansas following the 2020 season to take a similar role with Baylor.
• Texas Tech offensive graduate assistant Trent Vasey previously served in a similar role with the Jayhawks during the 2001 season, which was the first season for Kansas under head coach Lance Leipold.
• Texas Tech sophomore wide receiver Jordan Brown was previously on the Kansas roster prior to transferring to Texas Tech in January 2022. Brown saw action in two games during his time as a Jayhawk, which came during his 2020 true freshman season against Oklahoma State and Iowa State. He caught one pass for four yards against the Cyclones.
• Texas Tech does not have any Kansas natives on its roster but does have four players who played in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference in junior offensive lineman Matt Keeler (Coffeyville C.C.) and senior wide receiver Xavier White (Dodge City C.C.).

INSIDE THE KANSAS SERIES

• Texas Tech and Kansas will meet for the 25th time in school history Saturday in a series that has historically been dominated by the Red Raiders. Tech is 22-2 all-time against the Jayhawks with wins in 15 of the past 16 meetings.
• Kansas snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Red Raiders in Texas Tech’s visit to Lawrence in 2019 as the Jayhawks rallied from 13 points down to kick a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. The win was Kansas’ first all-time at home over the Red Raiders as Texas Tech was previously 10-0 in Lawrence. The Red Raiders routed Kansas, 41-14, in their last visit to Lawrence in 2021.
• Kansas’ only other win in the series spoiled Homecoming for the Red Raiders in 2001 as the Jayhawks used overtime to shock the Jones AT&T Stadium crowd behind a 34-31 victory. It is one of two overtime games all-time in the series as the Red Raiders scored a 41-34 victory in double overtime in 2012.
• Prior to its last loss in the series in 2019, Texas Tech had won 12-consecutive games in the series over the Jayhawks. Over that span, Texas Tech won 10 of those games by a double-digit margin. In fact, the Red Raiders averaged 22.5 points per victory during the winning streak over the Jayhawks, which ran from 2004-18.
• In total, the winner of the Texas Tech-Kansas series has been determined by one possession in only six of the 24 meetings, two of which are the Jayhawks’ lone wins in the series. Texas Tech secured close wins over the Jayhawks previously in 2000 (45-39), 2004 (31-30), 2012 (41-34) and 2020 (16-13).
• The Red Raiders have scored at least 30 points in all but two of the 20 previous meetings during the Big 12 era. The lone exceptions came in a 17-7 victory at home in 1997 and then a 16-13 victory to conclude the 2020 campaign. During that same time period, Kansas has scored 30 or more points only six times with five of those coming in losses.
• This will be the second time in as many years and only the fourth time in the history of the series that Texas Tech and Kansas have met in the month of November or later. The two schools have faced each other twice in November, which came in a 41-34 double-overtime victory for the Red Raiders at home in 2012 and then a 43-28 win a year ago. The two schools also met in Lubbock on Dec. 5, 2020, which ended in a 16-13 victory by the Red Raiders to end the COVID-shortened season.
• The two schools have met four times outside the Big 12, which came in home-and-home series in 1965-66 and 1969-70. The 1965 game served as the first contest in college football history to utilize instant replay technology.

THIS-N-THAT

• Texas Tech improved to 18-14 all-time in regular-season games played on a Thursday with its victory over TCU. That record includes a 3-0 mark now against the Horned Frogs as well as a 3-0 clip in Thursday night home games. It was the first Thursday night matchup for the Red Raiders since traveling to TCU in 2018 and the first at home since the Red Raiders routed Kansas in 2016.
• The win over the Horned Frogs also improved the Red Raiders to 20-13 during the Big 12 era in the week following an open date. It marked the third-consecutive season Texas Tech has come away with a victory following an open date and the ninth time to do so in its last 12 contests dating back to the 2015 season.
• Additionally, Texas Tech has now won nine-consecutive games following an open date versus unranked foes as the Red Raiders’ last loss came in the 2013 regular-season finale at Texas. The Red Raiders are 17-6 over the course of their time in the Big 12 when coming off an open week against an unranked opponent.
• The TCU game marked Texas Tech’s seventh game that has started at 6 p.m. CT or later this season as the Red Raiders will play at least eight or nine night contests this season. Texas Tech’s regular-season finale at Texas is slated for a 6:30 p.m. CT kick in Austin, while its start time for the Nov. 18 home finale against UCF is still unknown as part of the Big 12 television selection process. Dating back to the start of the 2000 campaign, Texas Tech has only played eight or more night games in a season three times previously with eight in both 2009 and 2013 and then nine night kicks in 2000.
• Texas Tech was 6-1 in home games under Joey McGuire a year ago but has started 3-2 inside Jones AT&T Stadium this season after its win over TCU. The Red Raiders still have one home date remaining with UCF on Nov. 18. With a victory over the Knights, the Red Raiders would finish 4-2 at home, which would mark the first time Texas Tech compiled an above-.500 record at home in consecutive seasons since the 2012-13 campaigns. Prior to McGuire’s debut in 2022, Texas Tech had finished with a winning record (above .500) at home only once (2020) over its previous six seasons.
• Each of the Red Raiders’ four wins this season have come with Texas Tech leading at the half. The Red Raiders are 10-2 under Joey McGuire when heading to the locker room with the lead at the half versus a 2-8 mark when trailing.
• All four of Texas Tech’s victories this season have come against schools in the state of Texas in Tarleton State, Houston, Baylor and TCU. The Red Raiders have one remaining game against an opponent from the Lone Star State in longtime rival Texas on Nov. 24.
• The Red Raiders won the turnover margin against TCU for the first time since playing at West Virginia to open Big 12 play as Texas Tech did not give the ball away and created two takeaways via Dadrion Taylor-Demerson interceptions. It was the third time the Red Raiders had not turned the ball over this season offensively and the first time since defeating Houston on Sept. 30.
• Turnovers had previously plagued the Red Raiders the past two games, especially, on the scoreboard as Kansas State and BYU combined for 27 points following takeaways. Prior to that, the Red Raiders had only allowed 17 points off turnovers in the previous six games combined.
• The Red Raiders improved to 9-3 under Joey McGuire and 4-2 this season when allowing 29 or fewer points in a game following its win over TCU.
• Texas Tech committed only one penalty against Houston, matching the school record for only the sixth time in history and the first time since facing Kansas in 2021. The Red Raiders’ five penalty yards also matched that school record that had been set four times previously, including most recently in that same Kansas victory. It was only the third time in the Big 12 era where Texas Tech had only one penalty and only five penalty yards with the others being in 2016 at TCU and 2021 at Kansas. The Red Raiders currently rank 36th in the FBS for fewest penalties per game (5.38) after being flagged 43 times so far this season.

-TECH-

Release & Photos provided by Matt Burkholder Texas Tech Athletics