Red Raiders Set To Host Baylor
October 02, 2000 | Football
Oct. 2, 2000
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Baylor (2-2, 0-1 Big 12)
at
Texas Tech (4-1, 0-1 Big 12)
Saturday, October 7, 2000
Jones SBC Stadium (50,000)
6 p.m. (CT)
The Game
Texas Tech returns home for its fifth game of the season at Jones SBC Stadium. The Red Raiders opened the season with four-consecutive home games, before opening Big 12 Conference play at Texas A&M Sat., Sept. 30.
Baylor is playing in its fifth game of the season and first on the road since opening the 2000 campaign at North Texas Aug. 31. The Bears are coming off of three-straight home games.
Baylor leads the all-time series 32-25-1, but the Red Raiders have won four-straight in the series, which began in 1929. The Red Raiders' longest win streak in the series is five games (1969-73). Tech leads 18-13-1 in Lubbock and trails Baylor 19-7 in Waco.
The Records
The Red Raiders suffered their first loss of the season with a 33-15 setback at Texas A&M. Texas Tech is 4-1 overall and 0-1 in Big 12 play. The Red Raiders opened the season with four-consecutive wins at Jones SBC Stadium.
Baylor is 2-2 on the season, surpassing last season's win total of one game. The Bears have recorded wins over North Texas (20-7) on the road and South Florida (28-13) at home. Baylor losses have come at the hands of Minnesota (34-9) and Iowa State (31-17). Both losses were in Waco.
Last Time vs. Baylor:
Texas Tech 35, Baylor 7 - Oct. 23, 1999 (Floyd Casey Stadium)
A headline on the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal sports page on the Saturday morning before the Baylor game revealed that the Red Raiders viewed their battle in Waco as the most important game of the season.
Tech's intensity showed as the Raiders, except for the Bear's kickoff return for a touchdown to start the second half, exercised complete domination.
The Raider offense moved in for scores on two of it fist three possessions. The Baylor defense became stingy in the red zone, but Texas Tech managed a pair of first quarter field goals.
Kevin Curtis made the play-of-the-game early in the second quarter. The sophomore free safety picked off a Jermaine Alfred pass at the Baylor 48 and returned the ball 47 yards before diving in for an apparent touchdown. The officials ruled that Curtis went out one yard shy of paydirt, but Rob Peters bulled in for the score on the next play.
Baylor kick returner Randy Davis took a handoff on a reverse play and the bit of trickery resulted in a 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to begin the third quarter. The score cut Tech's lead in half and shifted momentum to the Bears.
John Norman answered with a special teams score later in the third period to put the Raiders back in command. Norman took a punt at the Tech 20, then found a seam down the left sideline. Tech's long-striding kick-return man left Bears in his wake on an 80-yard run for a touchdown.
Another Texas Tech special teams unit made a play to set up another score for the Raiders. Dorian Pitts blocked Baylor kicker Kyle Atteberry's punt and Paul Howard took the ball to the Baylor 8. Sammy Morris ran twice for the eight yards needed, including a two-yard leap for the score.
A Texas Tech win in 1999 almost wouldn't be complete without a Darrell Jones touchdown. That's what the Raiders got for their final tally of the game when Peters threw to Jones to cap a 13-play, 62-yard scoring march.
The Last Game...Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M - Game Notes
Texas A&M's touchdown run at 12:54 in the first quarter is the first first-half touchdown allowed by Texas Tech this season.
Tim Baker's 15-yard touchdown reception to start the second quarter was his third touchdown of the season. He has scored a touchdown in each of the last three games. Baker's fourth-quarter touchdown gave him four on the season which surpassed his career total of three.
Texas Tech dressed in all-white for their first away game of the season. Tech has traditionally worn a white jersey with black pants.
Quarterback Kliff Kingsbury has thrown an interception in all five games Texas Tech has played this season.
Tech's fourth quarter two-point conversion was the first of the season. Tech failed in a two-point conversion attempt against Louisiana-Lafayette.
Junior Anthony Terrell got his first career fumble recovery in the fourth quarter.
Texas Tech suffered its second straight loss at Kyle Field. Tech lost to the Aggies on Oct. 24, 1998, 17-10.
Texas A&M's 18 point spread was the most since Tech fell 31-6 to the No. 14 Aggies on Oct. 2, 1993.
Texas Tech's 321 passing yards was the most in the last five years against Texas A&M.
Tim Baker the Touchdown Maker
Senior receiver Tim Baker has been the go-to man in the last three games. Tech's tallest receiver at 6-foot-5 has caught a touchdown pass in each of the last three games. His four touchdown receptions this season surpasses his career total of three he had entering the 2000 season.
Balancing Act
The arrival of first-year head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Leach has placed its mark on the 2000 season statistics, as the passing game has become a bigger part of the Red Raider offense.
| 2000 | 1999 | |
| Passing Offense/gm | 299.4 | 175.4 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 9 | 13 |
| Total Offense/gm | 368.2 | 324.8 |
| Rushing First Downs/gm | 6.2 | 8.2 |
| Passing First Downs/gm | 10.4 | 6.6 |
| First Downs/gm | 18.2 | 16.9 |
| Percentage of First Downs Passing | 57.1 | 39.2 |
Facing the Masses
The Red Raiders played in front of 83,644 fans at Kyle Field in College Station against Texas A&M. The crowd is the largest Texas Tech has played front of since opening the 1997 season at Tennessee in front of 106,285.
Holding on to the Ball
Despite having fumbled five times in five games this season, the Red Raiders have yet to yield one of those turnovers to the opposition.
Red Zone Report
Entering the Texas A&M game, Red Raider opponents had made only two trips inside the Texas Tech red zone. The Aggies ventured in five times last Saturday and were successful on each trip. The Red Raiders are 13-of-18 in the red zone this season, while the opposition is 6-of-7.
| Texas Tech | Opponents | |
| Red Zone Chances | 18 | 7 |
| Successful Attempts | 13 | 6 |
| Touchdowns | 10 | 5 |
| Field Goals | 3 | 1 |
| Missed Field Goals | 1 | 0 |
| Loss on Downs | 2 | 0 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
Big 12 Openers
Entering the Texas A&M game, the Red Raiders had won three-straight Big 12 openers, since dropping the inaugural game 21-14 at Kansas State Aug. 31, 1996. Texas Tech had posted league-opening wins over Baylor (35-14) in 1997, over Iowa State (31-24) in 1998 and over Texas A&M (21-19) last season. Of the five games, only one has been played at home (Texas A&M). Tech is now 3-2 in Big 12 openers following Saturday's loss in College Station.
Catching On
Senior receiver Tim Baker leads the team in several receiving categories. He leads the team in receptions (30), receiving yards (372) and receiving touchdowns (4). He also is second on the team in scoring after catching four touchdown passes in the last three games, including two at Texas A&M.
Scoring Leaders
Placekicker Chris Birkholz leads the team in scoring with 30 points on six field goals and 12 extra points. Tim Baker follows with four touchdown receptions for 24 points, while Ricky Williams is third with 18 points on two touchdown catches and a rush.
Ahead of the Competition
The Red Raiders have piled up the numbers on the competition this season, including out-gaining their opponents by 138.8 yards per game.
| Tech | Opponents | |
| First Downs | 91 | 67 |
| Passing Yards/gm | 299.4 | 116.6 |
| Total Offense/gm | 368.2 | 229.4 |
| Punt Return yds/return | 13.6 | 4.9 |
| Time of Possession/gm | 31:24 | 28:18 |
| Third Down Conversions | 33/91 | 15/67 |
| Percentage | 36.3% | 22.4% |
| Fourth Down Conversions | 7/16 | 0/3 |
| Percentage | 43.8% | 0.0% |
Even Steven
The Red Raiders and the Aggies finished the game all square with 345 total yards each. A bulk of Texas Tech's yardage came in the air (322), while 23 yards were tallied on the ground. Texas A&M ran a balanced attack, gaining 159 yards on the ground and 186 in the air.
Forcing the Issue
Texas Tech has recovered seven fumbles this season and snagged five interceptions. Five different players have an interception, while Aaron Hunt leads the team with two fumble recoveries, including one for a score.
Home Sweet Home
The Red Raiders return home to Jones SBC Stadium after venturing out on the road for the first time this season at Texas A&M. Tech has won eight-straight games at home since losing to North Texas in Lubbock last season. Included are wins over Texas A&M, Colorado and Oklahoma among others. The Red Raiders are 13-2 in its last 15 games at home. Texas Tech is 269-138-13 all-time at home.
Birkholz Streak Continues
Placekicker Chris Birkholz's consecutive string of extra points remains in tact. Birkholz entered the season having nailed 53-of-53 career point after attempts. He is 12-of-12 this season. Birkholz also leads the team in scoring with 6.0 points per game.
Leach Second to Win First Four
Mike Leach is only the second head coach in Texas Tech history to win his first four games as head coach. Dell Morgan won his first five games during his first season in 1941.
About Face
Texas Tech scored 17 times on the ground and 13 times in the air last season. The Red Raiders have found the endzone via the air nine times and twice on the ground this season. Tech also has scored twice defensively and once on a punt return.
Bowl Eligible Streak
Texas Tech has been bowl eligible for each of the last seven seasons. During that span, the Red Raiders have played in the John Hancock Bowl (1993), Cotton Bowl (1995), Copper Bowl (1995), Alamo Bowl (1996) and Independence Bowl (1998). Due to the 12-game regular-season schedule this year, the Red Raiders will have to win seven games to become eligible.
Players of the Week
Lennard Christensen was named PNB Financial Scout Team Players of the Week last week for his hard work and dedication in helping the Red Raiders prepare for Texas A&M. Paul McClendon earned PNB Financial Special Teams Player of the Week honors after recording two crucial tackles. AXA Advisor Offensive and Defensive honors went to Kliff Kingsbury and Kris Kocurek. Kingsbury threw for 291 yards and two touchdowns, while Kris Kocurek recorded 11 tackles.