Hey there Red Raiders! We have a busy rest of the week ahead of us but we hope your week is going good! In this edition of the Bell Ringer, we'll get into what all we have going on this week and Russ Morris is back with his game breakdowns!
We are finally back to playing Big 12 Football! This is week is Texas. While trying to avoid COVID like the plague that it is, we have been planning on how to take the best precautions and still preform all of your favorite traditions. We have moved all of our meetings online to limit face to face interactions, we got some really great masks from Spirit Stitch and if we have to be in-person for an event, we are socially distanced, wearing masks and being completely safe.
On Thursday, we will be wrapping Will Rogers! We have taken the precautions necessary to make sure this loved tradition happens! Thursday night at Midnight we will be doing our Midnight Raiders where we just get hyped for game day.
Friday night into Saturday morning we'll be out protecting the statues and monuments around campus. Texas is a big rival and with the bubbles recently being put in the fountain behind the seal, we feel that protecting the statues is a great idea! Plus, it's been a while since we've had to stay up late so we're looking forward to it.
Then Saturday, it's game time! We'll still be at the game with our new shotguns, Bangin' Bertha, and of course our personal bells! We can't wait for this game!
And that takes us to Russ Morris's Breakdown.
Texas Tech begins conference play on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns in the Battle for the Chancellor’s Spurs. Kickoff for the game will be at 2:30 on FOX. Tech and UT will meet for the 70th time in history and the 61st-consecutively. The Longhorns lead the series 52-17 all-time and are 21-10 in Lubbock. This is only the fourth time in their history that the two schools being conference play with each other and the first time since 2010. The Red Raiders have not beaten the Longhorns at home since 2008. Four of the past five home losses to Texas have come by 10 points or less. Aside from last year’s meeting, the two in-state rivals have gone to the wire over the past five years as four of those meetings have been determined by a touchdown or less. Texas Tech is 14-10 all-time in Big 12 openers and have won five of their previous eight. The Red Raiders will begin conference play with a ranked opponent for the seventh time in the past eight years. During that span Tech is 2-5 with a 20-10 win over TCU in 2013 and a 41-17 rout over OSU in 2018. Texas Tech is looking for its first win over a top-10 team since routing West Virginia in 2012. This is the first time Tech will face a ranked opponent within its first two games of a season since opening the 2002 season at No.12 Ohio State. The Red Raiders have not previously faced a top-10 team this early in a season since the 1997 opener against Peyton Manning and the Tennessee Volunteers. With a win on Saturday, Matt Wells would be only the second Texas Tech head coach to record a top-25 win in each of his first two seasons. He is 4-9 in his career against ranked opponents.
#8 Texas Longhorns: 1-0
The Texas Longhorns hit the road to take on the Red Raiders after ripping apart the UTEP Miners 59-3. The Longhorns had a passing attack that performed as expected. Sam Ehlinger threw for 456 yds and 5 TDs. The surprise of the passing attack was there sophomore receiver Joshua Moore. He had 6 receptions, 127 yds, one touchdown, and averaged 21.2 yds per reception. This is surprising because he only had 7 receptions and 56 yds all last season. The former 5-star is finally showing his worth. Moore is very elusive in the open field, scary break-away speed, and an elite level route runner. He will get his receptions, but he must be contained. Once he reaches the second level, wave goodbye. Texas rushed for a total of 208 yds and had one TD as a team, but what stands out the most is none of their backs rushed for over 50 yds. Keaontay Ingram led the way with 44 yds on the ground for 9 carries, while Roschon and Bijan Robinson each had 38 yds with Rochon having 8 carries and the only rushing touchdown for the Longhorns. It is only week 3, but it is noticeable that UT doesn’t have a true guy at running back. They like to go with the hot hand, but the key for their success will be for one of those three to stand out during the season. On the defensive side of the ball, Texas picked up where they left off last year. Their linebackers looked impressive. Led by Ossai and Overshown they were all over the field. The secondary held their receivers to only 56 receiving yds, while as a collective the defense held UTEP to only 233 total yds. With that being said, this has the making of a really good game.
Texas Tech Red Raiders: 1-0
Texas Tech stays home this week as they begin conference play against the Texas Longhorns. Texas Tech is coming off a scare against Houston Baptist where the Red Raiders won 35-33. The offense looked in rhythm as Allan Bowman threw for 431 yds and 2 TDs, SaRodrick Thompson rushed for 118 yds and 2 TDs on 22 carries. The Red Raiders rushed for 194 total yds and 3 TDs and Bowman was not sacked at all. KeSean Carter led the way with 86 yds receiving and a TD. T.J. Vasher led the team in receptions with 9 along with his 79 yds. The biggest reason for these is the intermediate passing game. The Huskies could not stop the crossing routes, comebacks, screens/swing passes, etc. The Red Raiders are close to breaking away with the deep ball. This was Bowman’s first game back from injury last season. His accuracy on the deep passes will come and I believe the bye week helped along with other things to improve on. Tech has always had an offense that can keep up with the best. The biggest question for this week is the defense. The Red Raiders had 3 sacks, one turnover, gave up 567 yds passing and 602 total yds. Those need to improve for this game. Texas is too good and we know Tech can score fast, but giving up that many yards is never a winning formula no matter how many turnovers you force. The D-Line must get to the QB and force Ehlinger to make mistakes. The linebackers must hit the hole hard on rush defense. Krishon Merriweather and Rico Jeffers are athletic and quick enough to handle the running backs on the outside, the key for them is to contain what is in front of them. The secondary must tighten up their zone and man coverages. There is nothing wrong with being aggressive, but you must be smart and have the where-with-all to know where you are on the field. As was stated earlier, this has the makings of a really good game.
Game Summary
The key for the game on Saturday for both teams will be the line of scrimmage. The game will be won in the trenches. Take the rushing stats for both teams from week 1 and throw them aside. Given the teams both Texas Tech and Texas played, the comparison is a wash. This will be a true test for each team. Both teams utilize multiple running backs and will roll with the hot hand. The other key will be Allan Bowman. This is the first time he has played the Longhorns. Bowman is 7-1 as a starter for the Red Raiders. Look for him to ball out this week. One final thing that could be a thing to watch for…the Red Raiders have depth on the D-Line this week. Tyree Wilson was given immediate eligibility by the NCAA last week. That could bode well for the D-Line this week. With all that said, we are in for a great game on Saturday. Wreck’Em!
That's all we got for ya Red Raiders! Have a great rest of the week! WRECK 'EM TECH!!!
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