Texas Tech @ Kansas State football preview

Red Raiders open Big XII play @ Kansas State

Seventh ranked Texas Tech skated through an easy non-conference schedule untested, but their final exam is a killer. It will be a grueling eight game challenge over nine weeks.

The Red Raiders start out this week in the Little Apple against Kansas State University. Other than this contest, and senior night to end the season at home against Baylor, there aren’t anymore cupcakes on the buffet. And even those schools might taste stale compared to the University of Massachusetts and Nevada University.

Following the Wildcats, the schedule looks like this until senior day for Tech: host Nebraska, @Kyle Field against Texas A & M, @ 16 th ranked Kansas which hasn’t lost a home game since the 2006 season, host 5th Texas, host 21 st ranked Oklahoma State, followed by a trip to currently top ranked Oklahoma.

That’s not exactly a cake walk, which is why it’s critical for the Red Raiders to get off to a good start in the Big 12 this Saturday. Not only would it prove they’re worth their top ten ranking, but it could get them really rolling to beat someone other than UMass, especially in a road conference game.

Kansas St. isn’t exactly a patsy either, although the program is nowhere near the consistently national rank achieving school that it once was. The Wildcats only loss is at Louisville, who is decent as well, giving K-State a 3-1 record through non-conference play.

Neither Texas Tech nor K-State has had trouble moving the ball this season. Both are ranked in the top 25 as far as total offense goes, with the Red Raiders only trailing Tulsa and Mizzou. Both teams rank near the bottom of the barrel when it comes to total defense, which has often been the criticism directed at head coach Mike Leach’s Texas Tech teams. Yes, he may be able to score 49 points in a game, but he’s just as capable of allowing 50.

This would bring us to expect a shootout in Manhattan. The starting quarterbacks senior Graham Harrell and junior Josh Freeman for Tech and State respectively have thrown for over 2600 yards, 23 touchdowns, and just 5 picks combined through the first four games. Saying these guys can air it out would be quite the understatement.

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The running games for both schools are no slouches either. The Red Raiders’ top two rushers senior Shannon Woods and sophomore Baron Batch are both going for well over six yards per carry. They have also combined for nine TDs on the ground between them, an average of over two per game here as well for the Raiders to count on.

The Wildcats rushing game isn’t quite as potent, but it’s still been getting the job done this season. The backs are sharing carries evenly, with junior Keithen Valentine having only one more carry than teammate sophomore Lamark Brown, though Brown does have a better YPC average at 4.2 compared to 3.8.

"He really picked up on things quickly," Kansas State coach Ron Prince told ESPN of Brown. "He's a very serious-minded kid, and he wants to do very well."

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Brown began his collegiate career as a wide receiver, but now has gone back to running.

“(Running back's) like my home,” he told ESPN. “I've played it since I was 8. To go back to it was like back to normal."

With the duel threats in the backfield getting equal carries, the field has been opened for Freeman, who went 21-for-28 for 272 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions.

The Red Raiders have the all-time series lead 6-3 over the Wildcats, and won 35-25 in 2004 the last time they visited K-State. ESPN also simulated this weekend’s game in the EA Sports game NCAA football 2009, which resulted in the Red Raiders escaping Manhattan with an unsurprising offensive outburst of a 52-37 victory.

By Ryan Turner
Big 12 Fans Guest Writer

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