Texas (8-0, 4-0 Big 12) at Texas Tech (8-0, 4-0)
Saturday night’s game in Lubbock is easily the biggest in Texas Tech history as the No. 6 Red Raiders host the top-ranked Longhorns, with Texas a 4-point favorite on WagerWeb.com.
It’s the end of a murderous schedule for Texas, which has beaten top-10 teams Oklahoma, Missouri and Oklahoma State in consecutive weeks.
Texas coach Mack Brown admits that his team is feeling the effects of facing elite competition over its last several games.
“We’re telling our guys to get in bed, get off your feet … we’re trying our best to make sure they can handle this stretch physically and emotionally,” he said. “These kids are enjoying playing and what they’ve accomplished and they’re having fun. That really helps.”
Colt McCoy, who committed his first turnovers in four games against Oklahoma State, has a bruised non-throwing hand and cornerbacks Ryan Palmer (elbow) and Chykie Brown (ankle) are both slowed by injuries.
TTU, meanwhile, is coming off its most impressive win of the season, a 63-21 rout of then-No. 18 Kansas in Lawrence. The 8-0 start is Tech’s first since 1976 and just the third time in school history the Red Raiders have been undefeated this late in the season. This is their highest-ever ranking as they begin a grueling schedule: Saturday’s game is TTU’s
second of four consecutive against top-25 opponents.
The Red Raiders have lost five in a row to Texas, with the Longhorns averaging 48.0 points per game in those five.
While a loss could knock either team from the BCS national title race, the Heisman winner could emerge from the winning team. UT’s McCoy, the current Heisman leader, is completing a national-best 81.8 percent of his passes for 2,285 yards and 21 touchdowns. Tech’s Graham Harrell has thrown for 3,147 yards (No. 1 in Division I) on 256 completions (also leading the nation) with 28 touchdowns (fifth in the nation).
McCoy is -150 to win the Heisman on WagerWeb.com, while Harrell is +1000.
TTU is second in the country with 556.9 yards per game and third with 48.0 points per contest; Texas is ninth with 486.5 yards of offense per game and fifth with 45.6 points.
One concern for Texas may be that it allows an average 265.5 passing yards per game, ninth-most in Division I, but the Horns make up for that in sacks – they are second in the country in averaging 3.63 sacks per game. However, the Red Raider offensive line has given up only three sacks in eight games, two of which came within three plays against Kansas, and has allowed just 15 tackles for loss.
The Red Raiders are 98th nationally against the pass, giving up 245.5 yards per game, but their defense forces a lot of turnovers: 20 on the season, including 14 interceptions, ranking 10th in turnover margin.
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