PREVIEW: TEXAS TECH vs New Mexico

Whatever it is that you do you should do, you should do with your head held high. – PINK (yep I’m hitting the bottom of the barrel for lyrics)

Where:  Jones AT&T Stadium

When:  6:00pm Central

TV:  Fox Sports Channel

Weather:  low 70s, partly rainy chance of rain

Line:  Tech -33.5

The mighty Lobos of New Mexico make their bi-annual trip to the slaughterhouse in Lubbock this week as the Red Raiders look to get everything setup for Big 12 play.

But before we get into this week’s game, let’s look back to last week…

You really can’t bitch about anything the Red Raiders did against Texas State last week. The beat them on offense, defense and special teams. It was the kind of game Tech needed and wanted to have. Great job all around. 58 -10 has a nice ring to it.

So in limps New Mexico after getting their butts handed to them by the Longhorns in Austin last weekend.

This has been a bad team for years. Bob Davie for some reason decided to leave the warm confines of ESPN’s college broadcast and come back to coaching after a bad tenure at Notre Dame to try and resurrect this moribund program. I don’t know why, I mean I really don’t know why.  This team was 1-11 last year and 3-33 that past three years overall. They are awful.

Here’s what you need to know. They are installing a new offense under Davie, the triple option but they have no threat to throw as their QB is beat up and has been pretty inefficient to say the least all year.

This is gut check game for the entire defense. New Mexico is going to try and control the clock as much as they can and just run and run.

BEST GUESS

TECH      52

NM        17

FUN WITH NUMBERS

22 – Straight road loses by the lobos

76 – Total points given up by New Mexico in two games.

4 – Tech’s rank in total defense (according to SI.com) take it while you got it

GUNS UP!

Preview TEXAS TECH VS OU

She came from Oklahoma and the end of the world is on its way. In a Chevy nova. 

Oklahoma by Bob Schneider 

Where Norman

When Sat 7pm

TV ABC

Line OU  -28.5

Weather 60s w scattered showers

Well lets see if this team can flip the usual road woes that have bit the red raiders in the rear repeatedly can somehow pull a HUGE upset in Norman and beat the Sooners. Vegas did not think too much of this as the line opened at OU by -25 and the public seems to think that was not enough and the line has continued to move against the red raiders.

But before we get into this week, let’s look back at the last two weeks as I missed updating this

AGGGIES - for all that happened it was a pretty good showing by tech. You take away a horrendous special teams gaff resulting in a blocked and returned field goal and a dead ball play that blew up Stephens knee ending his season, this could have been a win. But the Aggies held on to finish this series with a win.

WILDCATS - speaking of special teams there is a huge turd in the punch bowl for tech and it’s the special teams. If memory serves Tech had the same issues last year and they haven’t been fixed. TWO blocked field goals and a kickoff return will tend to force you into a loss. And then, wait for it, the Tech offense disappeared in a key game in the second half gaining only 6 pts.

At least it can’t get worse, oh wait it can. Tech gets to go on the road and head to Norman where the Sooners have a 39 game win streak. OU is a monster on both sides of the ball.

Offensively they have unreal talent at QB w Landry Jones and his key receiver broyles just set the ncaa career reception mark last week in their whuppin of kansas. Defensively they are just as good. 

The good news for the Red Raiders is that offensively(minus that 2nd half) are still the number 9 offense in the country and Doege is making defenses look silly. And Crawford and Washington have stepped up on the ground to make up for Stephens absence.

I believe that this will be a shootout but that OU comes out with 14 pt win.

BEST GUESS

Tech 34

OU  48

FUN WITH NUMBERS

26 of 29. Number of losses for tech on the road against ranked teams

13 points special teams cost Tech against KSU

8 number of field goals Donnie corona has this year through 6 games 

GUNS UP!

PREVIEW: TEXAS TECH VS NEW MEXICO

Who's feeling sorry now? Just when I thought I knew how the man with the master plan I let it all slip through my hands. – LOS LOBOS (couldn’t just cut and paste La Bamba)

Where: Albuquerque, NM

When: 2:30 Central

TV: Versus (or NBC Sports or whatever they are calling it)

Weather:  78 sunny

Line: -21

There aren’t too many songs from hair bands that I can pull lyrics from that you all will enjoy so I’ll default to Los Lobos as recognition of New Mexico’s mascot. And if you look at the Head Coach’s record, well that master plan is damn sure slipping through their hands.

Before we get to that, let’s look back two weeks….

Tech opened the season at home playing a Texas State Bobcat team that is transitioning to D1 and with a new head coach in Coach Fran. The first half was just god awful, no matter how you look at it for Tech. The defense was getting shredded, not in big plays, but in consistent 5 and 7 yard plays and could not get off the field. The offense looked anemic (yes I spell checked that) and could not muster any rhythm let alone points. At half, it was TSU 10, the mighty Red Raiders 9.

Second half the Raiders showed up and just whooped the Bobcats. Final score was a 50-10 drubbing, so I really don’t know what to take out of this. Tech did what they were supposed to do against a very inferior team. Nuff said.

So this week, Tuberville takes the team on the road for their first “test” against a D1 team. This should be the same outcome, hopefully a better first half, but Tech’s depth and talent should prevail.

In case you don’t bet for entertainment’s sake only, New Mexico has been a team you can pretty much ride all year. Since Mike Locksley took over this program, they are 2-24. That’s right, two wins and he still has a job. They are usually dogs by more than 20 points and lose in amazing fashion. They’ve played two games so far, held their own against a bad Colorado State team and got killed by Arkansas. Their offensive leaders are QB Tauren Austin who has an amazing 350 yards passing in two games. He also is ranked as their 2^nd best rusher with 88 yards. Their defense is so bad, their communications department celebrated their first interception of the year in their weekly release.

Tech is playing at ton of young kids, 8 true freshmen played against Texas State, so big plays for the Lobos is always a possibility, but this should be over by half.

BEST GUESS

TECH      49

Unm      17

FUN WITH NUMBERS

9 – number of players the Lobos have in the NFL

52-17 – score of the game last year at New Mexico

43 – number of times these two non-conference teams have met.

GUNS UP!