The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
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Texas Tech
Football back on the road Saturday, plays at Texas Tech
10.27.2014 | Football
Longhorns-Red Raiders game scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Central and will air nationally on FOX Sports 1
Longhorns Gameweek | Texas-Texas Tech Notes (PDF) | Tickets
The Football team looks to bounce back from its 23-0 loss at Kansas State when it travels to Lubbock, Texas, Saturday for a meeting with Texas Tech. The Red Raiders lost 82-27 at TCU last Saturday, but downed Kansas, 34-21, two weeks ago at home. The Texas-Texas Tech game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Central and be shown nationally on FOX Sports 1 from sold-out Jones AT&T Stadium. Longhorn Network airs a pregame show beginning at 4:30 p.m. The Longhorn IMG Radio Network broadcast, including flagship KVET (1300 AM/98.1 FM) in Austin, begins at 10 a.m. The game can also be heard online at TexasSports.com. Longhorn fans traveling to the game can listen to the radio broadcast on 87.9 FM in Jones AT&T Stadium. Tickets are available for all games through TexasSports.com or by calling (512) 471-3333.
Horns Fall at Kansas State: The Longhorns were handed a 23-0 defeat by No. 11/11 Kansas State Saturday as Wildcats quarterback Jake Waters went 19 of 30 for 224 yards and directed five scoring drives. A week after racking up 512 yards of total offense in a win over Iowa State, Texas was held to 196. Tyrone Swoopes completed 13 of 25 passes for 126 yards and was the team's leading rusher with just 31 yards. The Longhorns possessed the ball for just 20:46 and were unable to turn any of their 10 drives into points. K-State dominated the time of possession by keeping the ball for 19:20 in the first half and 19:54 in the second. After K-State converted a 38-yard field goal that made it 16-0 with 2:49 left in the third quarter, Texas put together its longest drive of the day, going 57 yards in 10 plays to get to the Wildcats' 14-yard line. On a fourth-and-1, however, Johnathan Gray was stopped short of a first down on a rush up the middle. K-State then drove 86 yards for a touchdown and put the game out of reach.
The Texas Tech Series: Texas and Texas Tech are meeting for the 64th time in series history. UT has won 13 of the last 15 matchups, including the last five, and holds a 48-15 lead in the all-time series that began in 1928. The Horns are 18-10 against the Red Raiders in Lubbock, 30-5 in Austin, and 40-14 against them in all-time conference matchups (14-4 Big 12/26-10 SWC).
Series Trends: The Longhorns and Red Raiders have met on a yearly basis since 1960 with the series dating back to 1928. UT holds a 18-7 lead in the last 25 meetings. Prior to that, the Longhorns had won seven of the previous 10 matchups. The winning team has scored at least 33 points in 13 of the last 16 meetings. Texas won the 1928 meeting in Austin by a score of 12-10. UT won the first seven games and 15 of the first 16 overall.
First-and-Goal:
• Texas ranks 35th in the FBS in total defense (348.9 yards per game), No. 8 in passing defense (171.4 ypg), No. 13 in yards allowed per play (4.58), 15th in passing efficiency defense (106.99 rating) and tied for 15th in sacks (3.25 pg). The Horns held Kansas QB Montell Cozart to a rating of just 50.84, Baylor's Bryce Petty to a career-low rating of 104.20 and Oklahoma's Trevor Knight to a season-low 129 passing yards. The Longhorns will be facing a potent Texas Tech offensive attack. The Red Raiders rank 23rd nationally in total yards (483.8 per game) and 10th in passing yards (332.3 pg).
• After averaging 497 total yards of offense over the previous two games and 176.3 rushing in the last three, the Longhorns were held to a season-low 196 total yards, including 90 on the ground, in the loss to Kansas State, which came into the game ranked No. 10 nationally in rushing defense (100.8 yds/game) and No. 39 in total defense (352.0 yds/game). One week after posting 482 total yards (148 rushing/334 passing) vs. Oklahoma, the second-highest total in series history (553 in 1999), Texas rolled up a season-high 512 total yards vs. Iowa State. The offensive output in those two games was the best in conference play since the 2011 season when the Longhorns rolled up 590 yards vs. Kansas (Oct. 29) and then 595 vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 5).
• QB Tyrone Swoopes has emerged as the focal point of the offense in just his second season. Swoopes has directed the offense the last seven games, completing 143 of 238 passes (60.1 percent) for 1,495 yards with eight TDs and five interceptions. His passing yardage total is the fourth-best mark in school history after seven starts, while his 1,736 total yards is third. He posted career highs in completions (27), attempts (44) and passing yards (334) vs, Oklahoma and followed up by recording career highs in total offense (416) and rushing yards (95) vs. Iowa State. His passing yards and total offense (384) outputs were the most ever by a Longhorn in the Oklahoma series.
• Jaxon Shipley (48) and John Harris (43) are leading the team in receptions. They rank tied for sixth (6.0 pg) and 10th (5.4), respectively, in the Big 12. Harris (81.1) and Shipley (78.6) also ranks 1-2 on the team in all-purpose yards. Malcolm Brown (417) and Johnathan Gray (369) are the top rushers. Texas rushed for a season-high 191 yards, including a career-high 95 by Swoopes, and a season-best average of 4.9 yards per carry against Iowa State. The Longhorns are averaging 154.8 rushing yards over the last four games after producing just 120.5 during the first four. UT rushed for 190 yards vs. a Baylor defense that ranked No. 6 in the nation in rushing defense (80.0 ypg). The Longhorns followed up with 148 yards (40 attempts), including a season-high 78 by Brown and 50 by Swoopes, vs. Oklahoma. The Sooners entered the game ranked No. 22 nationally in rushing defense, allowing 109.6 yards per contest. After 90 yards on the ground vs. K-State, the Longhorns look to bounce back vs. a Texas Tech defense surrendering 246.1 rushing per game, which ranks No. 118 in the nation.
• Nick Rose was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance vs. Iowa State. The junior connected on a 21-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to lift Texas to a 48-45 win. It was just the 10th field goal in school history to win a game in the final 10 seconds. He also hit a career-long 45-yarder and tallied a career-best 12 points.
Streaks, Trends and Milestones:
• One week after taking part in one of the highest scoring games in school history, the Longhorns were shut out. Texas (48) and Iowa State (45) combined for 93 points on Oct. 18, ranking it tied for the ninth-highest scoring contest in school history. The Longhorns lost 23-0 at K-State to go scoreless for the first time since 2004 when they fell to Oklahoma, 12-0, a stretch of 132 games.
• Jaxon Shipley posted four receptions for 25 receiving yards against Kansas State, moving from seventh to sixth on the UT career receiving yards list (2,410), passing B.J. Johnson (2,389/2000-03). He is also fourth all-time in receptions (207).
• The Longhorns have been forced to utilize five different starting lineups along the offensive line. The lineup - LT Marcus Hutchins, LG Sedrick Flowers, C Taylor Doyle, RG Kent Perkins and RT Camrhon Hughes - has been the same the last two weeks, though Perkins played sparingly vs. K-State due to injury. Darius James subbed for him.
• Texas has 11 interceptions this season after posting 10 all of 2013. That is the most for UT in the first eight games since recording 16 in 2009. That year they finished with a nation's-best 25 interceptions. The Horns rank tied for 11th nationally in interceptions and tied for 40th in turnovers gained (14). Kansas State entered its game with Texas having tossed three interceptions and with six total turnovers, and did not turn the ball over. Texas Tech comes into Saturday's game ranked No. 123 nationally in turnovers lost (20) and 122nd in turnover margin (-1.50). The Longhorns are 58th in the FBS in turnover margin (even).
• Sophomore Dylan Haines, a walk-on turned starting safety, posted the Longhorns' second interception return for a touchdown this season in the Iowa State game. Haines picked off Sam Richardson in the second quarter and weaved his way 74 yards for the TD. That was the 13th-longest pick for a score in school history and longest since 2009 when Curtis Brown went 77 yards for a TD vs. Oklahoma State (Oct. 31). LB Demarco Cobbs has the other return for a score this season (28-yarder vs. North Texas).
• Senior LB Jordan Hicks, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his 15-tackle, one-interception performance vs. Kansas (Sept. 27), has a team-high 105 stops for an average of 13.1 per game. The senior has six double-digit tackle games, including a career-best 18 stops vs. both UCLA and Iowa State. Steve Edmond is second with 80 stops, including a career-best 19 vs. Baylor. He has four double-digit tackle games.
• Safety Jason Hall made his first career start in the Kansas game and went on to start in three more games. He became the first true freshman to start a game since Blake Gideon in 2008. Gideon started all 13 games at safety that season.
Last Time vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 28, 2013): Malcolm Brown and Joe Bergeron each topped 100 rushing yards, Texas' defense had a season-high nine sacks, and the Longhorns ran past Texas Tech 41-16 on Thanksgiving night. Brown ran for 128 yards on 27 carries and Bergeron had 102 yards on 17 on Senior Day. After falling behind early when Texas Tech turned a fake punt into a 51-yard touchdown, UT controlled much of the game. Aside from the scamper on the fake punt, TTU had just 8 yards rushing on 17 attempts in the first half. The defensive line provided constant pressure. Jackson Jeffcoat tallied a career-high three sacks, vaulting himself into the school's career top 10 in that category. Cedric Reed had two, while Caleb Bluiett, Bryce Cottrell, Duke Thomas and Reggie Wilson had one each, giving Texas its most sacks since recording 10 in the 2012 Alamo Bowl. Quarterback Case McCoy went 10 of 19 for 139 yards and accounted for three touchdowns – two passing to Mike Davis and a 1-yard run. Davis, who had four catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns at Texas Tech last season, again burned the Red Raiders by finishing with 112 yards on four receptions, including the two TDs.
Family Affair: Saturday will be a reunion of sorts for the Gray family. Johnathan Gray's father, James, was an All-America running back for Texas Tech in the late 1980s. He led the Southwest Conference and was fifth in the nation in rushing as a senior in 1989. His 280-yard rushing performance in the 1989 All-American Bowl win over Duke was the single-game school record at the time, and was the highest rushing output in bowl history to that point. He ranks second in school history with 4,066 rushing yards.
Producing Explosive Plays: Though the offense was limited in explosive plays (12-plus yard rushes/16-plus yard catches) last week at Kansas State, finishing with six (four rushing, two passing), the Horns had their best production of the season in the two games prior. Against Oklahoma, Texas had a season-best 12 explosive plays and followed with nine vs. Iowa State (four on the ground and five in the air). Two of the explosive plays came during the final drive of the game (3 plays, 68 yards, 19 seconds) to set up the game-winning 21-yard field goal by Nick Rose. UT has eight pass plays of 30 or more yards this season and five occurred over the last three weeks. WRs Jaxon Shipley (32), Marcus Johnson (41) and John Harris (38) each had a reception of more than 30 yards vs. Oklahoma. Harris had catches of 32 and 45 yards in the Iowa State game. Texas' season best prior to OU was seven explosive plays (vs. North Texas and Baylor).
Sack Attack: The Longhorns have combined for 26 sacks over the first eight games and rank tied for 15th in the FBS (3.25 per game). Twelve players have been involved in a sack this season, including five with 2.0 or more. DT Hassan Ridgeway leads the way with 5.0. He is tied for ninth in the Big 12 and tied for 49th nationally (0.63 per game). DT Malcom Brown is second with 4.5. He ranks 12th in the Big 12 and tied for 77th in the FBS (0.56 pg). Texas has at least three sacks in six games this season. Baylor entered the Oct. 4 game as one of only two teams in the nation not to allow a sack (also New Mexico State) and the Longhorns took down QB Bryce Petty three times. The Bears had no sacks in their first 163 pass attempts of the season.
By The Numbers…
1: Number of offensive touchdowns allowed by the Texas defense in the opening quarter this season (vs. Iowa State).
1: Cedric Reed leads the current roster in career tackles for loss (31), sacks (14.0) and forced fumbles (5).
2: The Longhorns have two alums on the coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Vance Bedford was a cornerback (1977-'79, '81) and Les Koenning coaches the position he played (1978-80) - wide receiver.
2: Charlie Strong was twice named Big East Coach of the Year (2010, '12).
2: Charlie Strong served as the defensive coordinator on two national championship teams at Florida (2006, '08).
2: The Longhorns have two running backs on the roster with more than 1,800 career rushing yards. Malcolm Brown ranks 13th on the school's career list (2,387) and Johnathan Gray is 18th (1,850).
2: Quandre Diggs is the team's active career leader with 34 pass breakups. He needs two more to reach the UT career top 10.
3: Charlie Strong had three of his Louisville players selected in the 2014 NFL Draft, tied for the most in the nation.
3: The Longhorns, who rank tied for 15th in the FBS in sacks (3.25 pg/24), have produced at least three sacks in six of the eight games this season.
3: The Longhorns have three BCS Bowl victories in four appearances, including winning the 2005 National Championship.
4: Charlie Strong had four of his Louisville players selected in the top 75 of the 2014 NFL Draft, tied for the most in the nation.
4: Jaxon Shipley ranks No. 4 in school history in career receptions (207).
5: Number of career starts the offensive line had registered entering the BYU game (Kent Perkins - 2; Sedrick Flowers - 2; Marcus Hutchins - 1).
5: Cedric Reed ranked tied for fifth in the FBS last season with five forced fumbles (0.38 per game).
6: Jaxon Shipley ranks No. 6 in school history in career receiving yards (2,410).
9: Jaxon Shipley ranks ninth on the school's all-time punt return average chart (10.3).
11: Jordan Hicks has 11 career double-digit tackle games.
23: During 2012-13, Charlie Strong led Louisville to a 23-3 record. The win total was tied for fourth in the FBS over that span.
23.2: The Longhorns have surrendered just one sack per 23.2 pass attempts over the last four games (six sacks/139 pass attempts).
24: Malcom Brown has 24 career tackles for loss, which ranks second on the team among active players (Cedric Reed - 31).
27: Cedric Reed has started 27 straight games which leads the team.
40: Number of career starts by members of the offensive line (Kent Perkins - 9; Sedrick Flowers - 9; Marcus Hutchins - 8; Jake Raulerson - 4; Taylor Doyle - 6; Darius James - 2; Camrhon Hughes - 2).
47: As of Oct. 26, the Longhorns' strength of schedule is 47th in the FBS, according to NCAA.org. The past and future opposition has a winning percentage of .548 (40-33).
50: William Russ has at least one 50-yard punt in each game this season.
56.2: Jaxon Shipley (48) and John Harris (43) lead the team in receptions and are the clear top targets of Tyrone Swoopes. That duo has accounted for 56.2 percent (91 of 162) of the team's receptions.
77: Tyrone Swoopes had his streak of 77 passes without an interception snapped vs. Baylor. That is the 10th-longest streak in school history.
102: Texas' 102 appearances in the BCS standings were the most of any team in the country.
272: Steve Edmond is the team's active leader in career tackles (272).
