Post Game Notes
October 08, 2005 | Football
Oct. 8, 2005
2005 Texas Tech Football
Red Raiders vs. Nebraska (Memorial Stadium)
October 8, 2005
Postgame Notes
GETTING STARTED
• Texas Tech lost the opening coin toss and fell to 2-of-5 on the opening toss this season. Nebraska elected to defer until the second half.
• Today's attendance at Memorial Stadium was 77,580.
• Today's game at Nebraska marked the Red Raiders first road game of the season after starting the year with four straight home games at Jones SBC Stadium in Lubbock.
Starters - (Offense) - (LT) Glenn January, (LG) E.J. Whitley, (C) Brandon Jones, (RT) Gabe Hall, (RG) Manny Ramirez, (QB) Cody Hodges, (F) Taurean Henderson, (H) Shannon Woods, (X) Jarrett Hicks, (Y) Robert Johnson, (Z) Joel Filani (Defense) - (LE) Randall Cherry, (NT) Chris Hudler, (DT) Ken Scott, (RE) Keyunta Dawson, (SAM) John Saldi, (MIKE) Fletcher Session, (WILL) Sylvester Brinkley, (LC) Antonio Huffman, (SS) Vincent Meeks, (FS) Dwayne Slay, (RC) Khalid Naziruddin
TECH'S WIN . . .
• Gives Tech a 5-0 record and its best start to a season since 2000 when Tech also jumped out at 4-0.
• Gives Head Coach Mike Leach a career record of 43-25 and a 2-2 record against Nebraska.
• Moves Tech's record to 34-1 (in Mike Leach era) when leading at halftime.
• Give Tech its first-ever win over Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.
HENDERSON ENDS NEBRASKA DEFENSIVE STREAK
Senior running back Taurean Henderson broke a key Nebraska defensive streak when he scored on the game's opening possession. The Nebraska defense had not allowed a touchdown in the first quarter of any game this season. The touchdown drive was Tech's third of the season on its opening possession (Sam Houston State and Kansas previously) and marked the fourth longest of the year (85 yards).
HENDERSON SETS TEXAS TECH CAREER RECEPTION MARK
Taurean Henderson set the Texas Tech school record for career receptions when he caught his fourth pass of the game with 1:46 remaining in the first quarter that gave the Red Raiders a first down. Henderson now has 262 career receptions.
DEFENSE COMES OUT STRONG TO START SECOND HALF
The Texas Tech defense came out strong in the second half as Tech ended Nebraska's first two drives with forced turnovers. Chris Hudler recovered a fumble on the first drive while Brinkley intercepted a pass on the Huskers' second. The multiple turnover game by the Tech defense was the unit's fourth this season and third straight (only non-multi turnover game was Sam Houston State). • The Tech defense recorded its third turnover with 12:09 remaining in the fourth quarter when Dwayne Slay forced a fumble and Fletcher Session recovered. The three-turnover game marks Tech's second of the season (last vs. Indiana State).
MISCELLANEOUS RECORD WATCH
• Sophomore placekicker Alex Trlica moved past Chris Birkholz (1998-00) into fifth place on the school extra points list.
NOTING THE RED RAIDERS
• Senior cornerback Khalid Naziruddin picked up his first career interception on Nebraska's first drive of the first quarter.
• The Nebraska defense blocked a 49-yard field goal attempt by Alex Trlica in the first quarter and that was the first blocked field goal by an opponent since SMU in 2002.
• Redshirt freshman defensive back Darcel McBath saw his first game action of the season late in the first quarter on a third and long situation.
• Joel Filani hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass with 14:36 remaining in the second quarter to give the Red Raiders a 13-0 lead. The 94-yard touchdown drive also marked Tech's second longest of the season.
• Filani picked up his second touchdown of the game with 9:25 remaining in the second quarter to give Tech a 20-0 lead. Today's game marked just the second time in his career that he has had a multiple touchdown game (last vs. Sam Houston State).
• Filani hauled in this third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds remaining in the game. Filani's has five touchdowns on the season and seven in his career.
• Senior linebacker John Saldi picked up his first sack of the season and his first since 2003 when he took down Nebraska quarterback Zac Taylor late in the first half. Saldi now has 3 ½ sacks in his career at Texas Tech.
• Junior nose tackle Chris Hudler recovered his second fumble of the season on Nebraska's opening drive of the second half. Hudler came into the season with just one career fumble recovery (against Texas in 2003) and picked up his second earlier this year against Florida International.
• The Texas Tech offense improved to 31-of-31 in the redzone as Alex Trlica hit two field goals of 37 and 26 yards in the third quarter to give Tech a 27-14 lead. Tech is now 32-of-32 in the redzone this season as Cody Hodges hit Joel Filani on a 10-yard pass with 12 seconds remaining in the game to clinch the victory for the Red Raiders.
• Senior linebacker Sylvester Brinkley hauled in his second interception in as many games midway through the third quarter. Brinkley picked up his first career INT last week against Kansas.
• Tech's winning touchdown with 12 seconds to go in the game marked the first time Tech has scored a touchdown in the last minute of the game to win since beating Texas in 1998.
