Football Continues Homestand Against Utah State
August 27, 2000 | Football
Aug. 27, 2000
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Texas Tech vs. Utah State -- Sat., Sept. 2, 2000 -- 6 p.m. -- Jones SBC Stadium -- Lubbock, TexasThe Game
- Texas Tech plays its second game of the season against Utah State Sat., Sept. 2, at Jones SBC Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. (CT).
- Saturday's game is the season opener for Utah State.
- The Aggies finished the 1999 season with a 4-7 record, 3-3 and a tie for third in the Big West Conference. Head coach Mick Dennehy is in his first season at Utah State, but has an overall head coaching record of 50-26 in seven seasons.
- The Red Raiders played their first game under head coach Mike Leach last week, a 24-3 win over New Mexico in the inaugural Transamerica Hispanic College Fund Football Classic at Jones SBC Stadium.
- Saturday's game is the second of four-straight games the Red Raiders play at home to open the season. Eight games on the 12-game slate will be played at home.
The Records
- Texas Tech is 1-0 in 2000 after opening the season with a 24-3 win over New Mexico last weekend in the inaugural Transamerica Hispanic College Fund Football Classic.
- Utah State opens its season Saturday against the Red Raiders. The Aggies finished the 1999 season with a 4-7 record.
Series Notes
Texas Tech leads the series 1-0. The two teams met in 1996 in Lubbock with the Red Raiders taking a 58-20 win.
Streaks
Including last season's 38-28 win over Oklahoma to close the season, the Red Raiders have won two straight. Texas Tech has now won five-straight home games dating back to last season.
Utah State closed the 1999 season with a 4-7 overall record, but won its last two games. The Aggies capped the season with wins over Nevada (37-35) and North Texas (34-7). Both games were on the road.
The Last Time Tech and Utah State met...
- Texas Tech won 58-20 on Sept. 28, 1996, at Jones SBC Stadium.
- Byron Hanspard tapped the Aggie defense for 224 rushing yards and three TDs on 22 carries.
- Texas Tech scored two touchdowns in each quarter and added a field goal in the third.
- Zebbie Lethridge's 10 first-half completions were to 10 different receivers. He ended the game hitting 11 receivers and throwing three touchdown passes.
- The Red Raiders recorded five interceptions in the game, the second-best single-game total in school history.
- Texas Tech tacked on 530 yards of total offense, including 352 yards on the ground.
- The Red Raiders scored on nine different occasions in the game, averaging a score every 3.2 minutes. Tech's total possession time was 28:49.
The Last Game
- Texas Tech opened the Mike Leach era with a 24-3 win over New Mexico in the inaugural Transamerica Hispanic College Fund Football Classic.
- Senior running back Ricky Williams began his comeback from a knee injury last season with 78 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown reception.
- Senior receiver Derek Dorris caught four balls for 53 yards and a touchdown.
- Sophomore quarterback Kliff Kingsbury connected on 21-of-47 passes for 186 yards.
- Senior cornerback Antwan Alexander was named MVP of the game after recording three tackles, returning a fumble 70 yards and intercepting a pass.
- Sophomore defensive end Aaron Hunt scored on a 63-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
- The Tech defense forced UNM to punt on its first seven possessions.
- Chris Birkholz nailed a 33-yard field goal, his only attempt of the game, late in the third quarter.
- Tech limited New Mexico to 167 yards of total offense. The last time a Red Raider team held an opponent to minus-200 yards was against UL Lafayette (148 yards) last season.
Never Met
In his first year at Texas Tech, head coach Mike Leach has never faced the Aggies. Utah State head coach Mick Dennehy is in his first season at Utah State. He has a 50-26 record in seven seasons as a head coach.
Up Next
Texas Tech continues its four-game homestand against North Texas at Jones SBC Stadium. Utah State returns home to entertain Southern Utah.
Texas Tech vs. the Big West
The Red Raiders have played 17 games against members of the Big West Conference. Tech holds winning records over New Mexico State (4-0), Pacific (4-2) and Utah State (1-0). North Texas is the only school with a winning record over the Red Raiders at 4-2.
Early Start
Texas Tech's opener against New Mexico marked the third time in school history that the Red Raiders have opened the season in the month of August. The other two times came in 1996 (at Kansas State) and in 1997 (at Tennessee). The win over New Mexico was the first win for Tech in the month of August.
Bulk of Big 12 Begins this Week
Texas Tech and Kansas State were the only Big 12 teams in action last weekend. The Red Raiders defeated New Mexico 24-3, while Kansas State knocked off Iowa 29-3 in the Eddie Robinson Classic. Oklahoma State and Texas begin their season's next week. This week's Big 12 slate:
Baylor at North Texas (Thur., Aug. 31)
UTEP at Oklahoma
Colorado vs. Colorado State (Denver)
Ohio at Iowa State
Kansas at SMU
Western Illinois at Missouri
San Jose State at Nebraska
Texas A&M at Notre Dame
Utah State at Texas Tech
Louisiana Tech at Kansas State
Alexander Named MVP
Senior cornerback Antwan Alexander was named MVP of the inaugural Transamerica HCF Football Classic. Alexander recorded three tackles, broke up three passes, returned a fumble 70 yards and had one interception.
Rosiles Improves
Junior punter Eric Rosiles averaged 43.1 yards on seven punts against New Mexico, four yards better per kick than last season. He had a long kick of 59 yards and placed two balls inside the 20-yard line.
Steady Hands
Senior receiver Derek Dorris caught four balls against UNM for a team-leading 53 yards and a touchdown. The scoring reception was his first since the UL Lafayette game last season and fifth of his career.
Williams' Comeback Begins
Senior running back Ricky Williams saw his first action since suffering a season-ending knee injury in the season opener at Arizona State last season. Williams led all rushers with 78 yards on 15 carries. He also caught two passes for 10 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown reception.
Williams Does it Again
Williams' touchdown against New Mexico was the first score for Texas Tech this season. Williams also scored the first touchdown of the 1999 campaign at Arizona State before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
Kingsbury Takes Over Reins
Sophomore quarterback Kliff Kingsbury made a successful debut as the starting quarterback of the 2000 Red Raiders against New Mexico. Kingsbury completed 21-of-47 for 186 yards and two touchdown passes. His game long pass of 23 yards went to Shaud Williams.
Kingsbury Moves to 2-0
Kliff Kingsbury improved his record to 2-0 as starting quarterback for Texas Tech. Including Saturday night's win, Kingsbury filled in for an injured Rob Peters against Oklahoma last season for his only other start and led the Red Raiders to a 38-28 win in that game.
Curtis Picks Up Where He Left Off
Junior free safety Kevin Curtis hasn't skipped a beat since last season. The preseason All-American led the Big 12 with 153 tackles a year ago and paced the Red Raiders with nine tackles in the opener against UNM. His 153 stops last season is third on the Texas Tech all-time single-season tackles list.
Pitts, Flugence Bolster Tech Defense
Senior linebacker Dorian Pitts and sophomore linebacker Lawrence Flugence combined for 16 tackles against UNM. Both were responsible for eight unassisted stops each, while Flugence also recorded a sack for a 5-yard loss.
Hunt's Repeat Performance
Sophomore defensive end Aaron Hunt returned a fumble 53 yards for a score in his first collegiate game last season at Arizona State and duplicated the performance Saturday against New Mexico with a 63-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Kevin Curtis was the last player to return a fumble for score, when he scooped up a ball and scampered 86 yards for a touchdown at Missouri last season.
Forcing the Issue
The Texas Tech defense forced New Mexico to punt on its first seven possessions of the game. Overall, New Mexico punted 10 times. Here's a breakdown of UNM's 16 possessions: 10 punts, one field goal, two loss of possession on downs, two fumbles and one interception.
Back in Black
Texas Tech unveiled its new look against the Lobos with an all-black ensemble. The Red Raiders sported black shoes, socks, pants, jerseys and helmets for the opener. Tech's look on the road will be quite the opposite as the colors reverse to all white, with the exception of the helmet.
Seeing Double
Four returning Tech defenders posted double-figure tackle games in 1999. Following is a list of returning double-digit tacklers from last season. Safety Kevin Curtis leads that list with seven double-digit games in 1999.
| Player | No | Opponent | |
| Kevin Curtis | 20 | Missouri | |
| Kevin Curtis | 20 | Colorado | |
| Kevin Curtis | 19 | Iowa State | |
| Kevin Curtis | 17 | Arizona State | |
| Kevin Curtis | 15 | Texas | |
| Kevin Curtis | 13 | Baylor | |
| Kevin Curtis | 13 | UL-Lafayette | |
| Kris Kocurek | 12 | North Texas | |
| Jonathan Hawkins | 11 | Texas | |
| Kris Kocurek | 10 | Iowa State | |
| John Norman | 10 | Missouri |
10 On Turf
Saturday's game against Utah State will be the second of 10 games played on artificial turf by Texas Tech this season. Tech opened the season on the artificial turf at Jones SBC Stadium against New Mexico. The Red Raiders will only feel the grass between their cleats at Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Touchdown Jones
Texas Tech receiver Darrell Jones has just 17 career receptions coming into the 2000 season, but he has made the most of his chances. Of those 17 catches, six have been for touchdowns. In other words, Jones has found the endzone 35-percent of the time he has gotten his hands on the football.
Protection Degrees
Offensive tackles Paul Erickson and John DePasquale will both spend a lot of time protecting quarterback Kliff Kingsbury this season. Prior to that, both had spent a lot of time in the books. Both Erickson and DePasquale earned their undergraduate degrees following summer term and will play the 2000 season as graduate students.