Red Raiders Host Oklahoma State In Home Finale
November 24, 2004 | Football
Nov. 24, 2004
TEXAS TECH vs. OKLAHOMA STATE
Saturday, November 24; 2:30 p.m.
Jones SBC Stadium
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THIS WEEK'S GAME
The Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-4, 4-3 Big 12) face No. 24 Oklahoma State (7-3, 4-3 Big 12) in Lubbock on Sat., Nov. 27. Kickoff is set for 2:40 p.m. CT on FSN. The game is the regular-season finale for both teams.
The Red Raiders are coming off of a bye week following a heartbreaking 32-25 overtime loss at Texas A&M on Nov. 13. Tech scored 18 fourth-quarter points and tied the game at 25-25 with 10 seconds remaining to send the game into an extra frame. Tech won the toss and the Aggies followed with a 25-yard touchdown run on its first play. The Red Raiders took four snaps on their possession, but failed to reach the end zone. The game marked the second-straight overtime game for the two teams at Kyle Field. Tech won a 48-47 decision over the Aggies in College Station in 2002.
Tech boasts the nation's 12th-ranked scoring offense at 35.8 points per game and leads the nation in passing (399.5). Tech also has the nation's sixth-rated total offense unit (488.2 ypg) and is 51st in total defense (358.1). Defensively, the Red Raiders have the second-best pass defense in the Big 12 Conference and 23rd-best nationally at 186.4 ypg.
Red Raider QB Sonny Cumbie leads the offensive show with a national-leading 394.1 passing yards per game and 379.3 yards of total offense per game. Cumbie has thrown 26 touchdown passes this season and has completed 65.5 percent of his passes.
Two of Cumbie's primary targets are WR Jarrett Hicks and IR Trey Haverty. Hicks became the sixth player in school history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark for the season when he caught five passes for 29 yards against Texas A&M. He currently has 1,012 yards on the season on 62 receptions. Hicks also leads with nine receiving touchdowns. Haverty has emerged as one of the most reliable receivers with 62 receptions for 820 yards and five touchdowns.
Out of the backfield, RB Taurean Henderson leads the team with 134 rushes for 720 yards. He is currently averaging 5.4 yards per carry and leads the team with 13 rushing scores. Overall, he leads the team in scoring with 15 touchdowns. Henderson also has 48 receptions.
Defensively, LB Mike Smith is having a solid season and leads the team with 75 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and has four pass breakups. He is part of a linebacker unit that comprises three of the team's top five tacklers. CB Khalid Naziruddin is second with 63 tackles, while DE Adell Duckett and FS Dwayne Slay lead with two interceptions each.
THE OPPONENT - After opening the season with a 5-0 mark, the Oklahoma State Cowboys have dropped three of their last five, including a disappointing 56-35 loss at Texas, a game in which OSU led 35-7 at one point in the first half.
The Cowboys lead the Big 12 Conference with 36.5 points per game and rank ninth nationally. OSU averages 151.9 passing yards per game, but boasts the nation's eighth-best rushing attack at 251.9 yards per game.
RB Vernand Morency leads the ground game with 227 carries for 1,346 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Donovan Woods is a multi-threat quarterback who has 10 rushing scores on the season as the team's third-leading rusher. Woods also leads the team with 13 touchdown passes and 143.1 passing yards per game.
WR D'Juan Woods is the primary receiving target with 28 receptions for 634 yards and six touchdowns. He also averages 22.6 yards per catch.
THE SEASON
The 2004 season marks the 80th year of Texas Tech Football on the South Plains. Over that span, the program has 463 wins, 375 losses and 32 ties.
RADIO
The All Sports Radio Network, with its flagship station KKAM 1340-AM, carries the live broadcast of every football game throughout the state of Texas on its 30-station network. Play-by-play man Brian Jensen calls the action with longtime Lubbock broadcasting fixture John Harris as the color analyst. Mark Finkner provides the sideline coverage, while Tim Chambers serves as statistician. Engineer Steve Pitts is in his 15th season. Additionally, Texas Tech Football can be heard over the Sirius Satellite Radio Network. For updated satellite channel information, log-on to www.texastech.com.
THE COACHES
Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach - Red Raiders head coach Mike Leach is 37-25 at Texas Tech and is in his fifth season at the helm of the Red Raider program.
Oklahoma State Head Coach Les Miles - Cowboys head coach Les Miles is in his fourth season at Oklahoma State and has a 28-19 overall mark at the school.
TEXAS TECH LEADS SERIES 18-10-3 AND HAS WON SEVEN OF THE LAST NINE
Texas Tech enters the game with an 18-10-3 advatange in the series with Oklahoma State, including winning seven of the last nine. OSU's last two wins came during the 1999 and 2003 seasons.
The series between the two teams began in 1935 with Tech claiming a 14-0 win in Lubbock. Oklahoma State picked up its first win in 1942 with a 9-6 victory in Lubbock. Tech holds the longest win streak in the series at five games (1935-1941, 1946-1956), while OSU's longest streak of wins is four (1942-1945).
During the Mike Leach era, the Red Raiders dominated the series for the first three games, before OSU fought off a Tech comeback attempt last season to win 51-49 in Stillwater. Prior to that game, Tech averaged 52.0 points against OSU from 2000-02, while the Cowboys managed 18.0 points during the three-year run.
SERIES INFORMATION
Overall: Texas Tech leads 18-10-3
Current Streak: OSU (one game)
In Lubbock: Tech leads 9-2-2
In Stillwater: Tech leads 8-7-1
At Neutral Sites: Series is tied 1-1-0
Last Meeting: OSU 51, Tech 49 (2003)
RED RAIDERS AGAINST THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE
Texas Tech holds a series lead over five Big 12 members, including Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State. Baylor, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M all hold series advantages over the Red Raiders. The schedule changed for Tech this season, as two-year series with Colorado, Iowa State and Missouri came to an end last season. In addition to its five opponents from the Big 12 South, Tech faced Kansas, Kansas State and Nebraska from the Big 12 North this season. Since 1996 the Red Raiders are 28-15 against teams from the North Division.
TELEVISION
FSN will televise Saturday's game between the Red Raiders and Cowboys with Joel Meyers (play-by-play), Dave Lapham (color analyst) and Jim Knox (sideline) calling the action. The game will mark the fifth FSN broadcast for Texas Tech this season and the eighth telecast overall. Tech appeared on television in six-straight contests heading into the Baylor game. Saturday's game from Jones SBC Stadium will kick off at 2:40 p.m. CT.
A RED RAIDER WIN OVER THE COWBOYS WOULD...
Give Texas Tech a 7-4 overall record and 5-3 mark in Big 12 play. Five league wins would tie the school mark for most league wins since Tech joined the Big 12 Conference in 1996. The win also would tie the Red Raiders with Oklahoma State in the league standings.
AND THEN THERE WERE TWO
We've mentioned over and over again that Texas Tech, Kansas State and Nebraska are the only programs in the Big 12 Conference that have achieved bowl eligibility each year since the league's inception in 1996. The list dropped to two after the Kansas State fell to Colorado two weekends ago, preventing the Wildcats from posting a record better than 5-6 this season. What you may not know, however, is that Texas Tech is the only program of the 12 member institutions to boast an overall winning record each season since 1996. Others have finished at .500, but none have posted winning marks each of the last nine seasons.
TECH DOMINANT WITH HALFTIME LEAD
Texas Tech has had a tremendous amount of success when entering the locker room with a halftime lead. The Red Raiders entered the season with a perfect 23-0 mark when leading at the half since the start of the 2000 season. Tech stands at 4-1 right now and suffered its only loss two weeks ago at Texas A&M after leading 7-6 at the break.
PROTECTING THE BALL
A year after falling three turnovers short of a school record, Texas Tech has tightened its grip on the ball and is far from setting the dubious mark. Tech's 10-game total this season is 21 giveaways (17 picks and four fumbles). Following 10 games last season, the Red Raiders had thrown 17 interceptions and lost 12 fumbles, en route to a 35-turnover season. Additionally, the Red Raiders are 28-11 when committing two or fewer turnovers in a game since the start of the 2000 season. Tech is 9-14 when turning the ball over three or more times during that span.
FOURTH QUARTER HEROICS
Texas Tech has a flare for the dramatic when it comes to fourth quarter play at Kyle Field in College Station. The Red Raiders entered the final frame two weeks ago trailing the Aggies 12-7. Tech proceeded to score 18 points in the final quarter to force overtime, before eventually losing the decision, 32-25, in overtime. Two years ago, the Red Raiders out-scored A&M 24-6 in the fourth quarter at Kyle Field, before winning the game in overtime.
RED RAIDERS STRONG AT HOME IN CONFERENCE PLAY
Texas Tech holds a 23-10 advantage over its Big 12 opponents at Jones SBC Stadium. The Red Raiders also have an 8-1 advantage over its foes in Big 12 Conference home openers, including the 70-10 win over Nebraska.
PUNT RETURNS SCARCE FOR OPPONENTS
Texas Tech has punted the ball 33 times this season and only 13 of those have been returned. Tech's opposition is finding it difficult to gain any significant yardage against the punt team as the unit has allowed only 7.9 yards per return on the season. The Red Raiders ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 18th nationally in punting. Sophomore P Alex Reyes has been solid in his play this season as nine of 33 punts have been downed inside the opponent's 20, two fair caught and five touched back.
TEXAS TECH SCORING UNDER LEACH
Texas Tech has scored 30 or more points in 35 games during the Leach era and has won 29 of those games. Additionally, the Red Raiders are 11-3 under Leach when scoring 40+ and 10-0 when scoring over 50. On the flip side, Tech is 8-18 when scoring 29 points or less.
DEFENSE IMPROVES ONE SPOT DURING OFF WEEK
Although the Red Raiders did not play last Saturday, the defense improved one spot in the national rankings to 50th. The Red Raiders rank seventh in the Big 12 in total defense as they are allowing 358.1 yards-per-game.
DEFENSIVE BRIEFS
- Senior linebacker Mike Smith ranks eighth in the Big 12 this week with 75 total tackles on the season. Smith now has 301 tackles in his career at Texas Tech which ranks just outside of the Top 10 all-time.
- Khalid Naziruddin ranks 22nd in the Big 12 with 63 total tackles. He has been one of Tech's top three tacklers in six of Tech's 10 games this season.
Defensive Backs Come Up Strong At Texas A&M
The defensive backs had another big game for the Red Raiders two weeks ago in College Station as they accounted for the top three spots on the tackles list. Khalid Naziruddin, Josh Rangel and Antonio Huffman led the way with 19 ½ combined tackles and two pass breakups. Naziruddin led the way with seven solo tackles.
FULLER IS SUPERMAN FOR THE RED RAIDERS
He may not be faster than a speeding bullet, but junior WR Cody Fuller has had a knack this season of shaky speedy defenders and getting open for QB Sonny Cumbie. In his first season as a starter, Fuller has 39 receptions for 448 yards and 11.5 yards per reception. He turned in his best game of the season with a seven receptions for 124 yards in the loss at Texas A&M two weeks ago. Known as "Superman" among his teammates, Fuller also is the starting centerfielder on the Red Raider baseball team.
HENDERSON AMONG NATIONAL TOUCHDOWN LEADERS
Junior RB Taurean Henderson currently ranks fifth in the NCAA among all active players with 44 career touchdowns. He leads Wisconsin's Anthony Davis and New Mexico's DonTrell Moore by two scores. Additionally, Henderson and IR Nehemiah Glover rank fifth and sixth on the active receptions list, while Henderson ranked 15th in rushing touchdowns.
Top Five NCAA Active Touchdown Leaders
Cedric Benson, Texas: 66
Darren Sproles, Kansas State: 48
Walter Reyes, Syracuse: 46
Carnell Williams, Auburn: 45
Taurean Henderson, Texas Tech: 44
CUMBIE CATCHING UP TO PREDECESSORS
It's that time of the season when Tech's quarterback starts making his way up the charts in the record books. Cumbie has 3,941 yards on the season and ranks third on the Tech single-season passing yardage list. For more on Cumbie's ascent, go to page 8.
