Postgame Notes
January 03, 2010 | Football
Jan. 3, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | AP Photo Gallery 
TEXAS TECH POSTGAME NOTES
GETTING STARTED
- Today's game was televised nationally by ESPN and marked Tech's 10th game of the season on television and their first appearance on ESPN (and sixth on ESPN family of networks). Tonight's television appearance gives Texas Tech a new school record for the most in a single season.
- Michigan State won the opening coin toss and elected to receive. Texas Tech is now 8-5 on the season in the opening coin toss.
- Texas Tech was the home team and wore red jerseys and black pants.
- Tonight's attendance was 64,757 - the sixth largest crowd in Alamo Bowl history
- Tonight's game captains were Jared Flannel (special teams), Marlon Winn (offense), Alex Torres (offense), Bront Bird (defense) and Jamar Wall (defense).
- Tonight's game marked Tech's third appearance in the Alamo Bowl (1996 and 2001) and its 33rd all-time bowl appearance (tied for 17th nationally).
- Tonight's game marked just the 11th time in school history that the Red Raiders have played in the city of San Antonio.
- Tonight's game marked the first meeting between Texas Tech and Michigan State on the gridiron. The Spartans are the 128th different team to make an appearance in the Texas Tech annals.
Starters - (Offense) - (LT) Chris Olson, (LG) Lonnie Edwards, (C) Shawn Byrnes, (RT) Marlon Winn, (RG) Brandon Carter, (QB) Taylor Potts, (F) Baron Batch (Y) Detron Lewis (Z) Alex Torres, (H) Tramain Swindall (X) Lyle Leong (Defense) - (LE) Brandon Sharpe, (NT) Colby Whitlock, (DT) Ra'Jon Henley, (RE) Daniel Howard, (SAM) Bront Bird, (MIKE) Brian Duncan, (WILL) Marlon Williams, (LC) Jamar Wall, (SS) Franklin Mitchem (FS) Cody Davis, (RC) LaRon Moore.
TECH'S WIN. . .
- Gives Texas Tech a final record of 9-4 and the program's first Alamo Bowl win.
- Gives Texas Tech just its second win against the Big Ten Conference. Tech's only other win against a Big Ten opponent came in the 2006 Insight Bowl when the Red Raiders defeated Minnesota 44-41 in overtime.
- Gives Texas Tech a three-game win streak to end the season for the first time since 1995.
- Gives Texas Tech an all-time bowl record of 11-21 and the fourth bowl win in the last six years.
- Gives Texas Tech an all-time record 1-0 against Michigan State.
- Gives Texas Tech its first win in the Alamodome since 1994 (a 34-0 win over Houston).
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
The third time proved to be the charm for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech will go home with the Valero Alamo Bowl championship trophy for the first time thanks to a 41-31 win over Michigan State. Texas Tech came into tonight's game with an 0-2 record in the game with losses to Iowa in both 1996 and 2001.
INTERIM HEAD COACH Ruffin McNeill
With the termination of head coach Mike Leach earlier this week, defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill assumed the role as interim head coach for tonight's Valero Alamo Bowl game against Michigan State. McNeill has been on the Texas Tech staff for 10 seasons and assumed the role of defensive coordinator on Jan. 22, 2008. He served as the interim defensive coordinator beginning on Sept. 23, 2007, following Tech's 49-45 loss at Oklahoma State. In 24 seasons at the collegiate level, McNeill has never served as a head or interim head coach prior to this evening.
FAST START
The Texas Tech offense came out firing on its first offensive possession of the game that was set up by an interception by Jamar Wall. Baron Batch gave the Red Raiders the early advantage with a three-yard touchdown run and Tech took a 7-0 lead. The TD on Tech's opening drive was the sixth this season and Red Raiders have now scored a touchdown or a field goal on its opening drive in eight games this year.
POTTS JOINS ELITE QUARTERBACK LIST
With two touchdown passes tonight against Michigan State, Taylor Potts took over ninth place on the school's single-season passing touchdowns lists. Potts finished the season with 22 touchdown passes and moved past Robert Hall and Kliff Kingsbury who threw 21 TD passes in 1993 and 2000, respectively.
- Earned offensive MVP honors tonight after going 29-of-43 for 372 yards along with two touchdowns and one interception.
BOWL RECORDS
Texas Tech set two school bowl records and tied two others in the win over Michigan State in the Valero Alamo Bowl. The Red Raiders established new standards in total offensive plays with 85, breaking the previous mark of 82 against Duke in the 1989 All-American Bowl. Tech also recorded 31 first downs, one better than the old mark, set in the 2003 Houston Bowl and 2004 Holiday Bowl. PK Matt Williams tied the single-game bowl mark with two, while the team mark was also tied.
MVP'S
Senior defensive back Jamar Wall was selected as the games most outstanding defensive player while junior quarterback Taylor Potts was named the most outstanding player on offense.
NOTING THE RED RAIDERS
- Senior cornerback Jamar Wall ended Michigan State's first offensive possession of the game when he intercepted MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins on a 3rd and 3 situation. The interception was just his second of the season and the ninth of his career.
- Junior running back Baron Batch gave Texas Tech the early lead (6-0) when he scored on a three-yard touchdown run with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter ... the touchdown rush was his 13th of the season...added his second touchdown of the game and the 14th of the year late in the fourth quarter to help seal the Texas Tech win ... finished the night with 101 yards rushing (his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season), 85 yards receiving and two touchdowns (both on the ground).
- Junior place kicker Matt Williams gave Tech a 10-7 lead with 14:11 remaining in the second quarter when he booted a 21-yard field goal. The field goal made Williams 2-of-2 from 20-29 yards out ... added his second field goal (38 yards) of the game with 20 seconds remaining in the first half to give Tech a 20-14 lead ... the 38-yard FG made him 6-for-7 on the year from 30-38 yards out.
- A 50-yard flee flicker pass to Austin Zouzalik helped set up Tech's second touchdown of the game as Taylor Potts found Lyle Leong on a two-yard TD strike to give the Red Raiders a 17-7 lead with 11:01 remaining in the first half. The touchdown catch by Leong was his ninth of the season and he has now caught each of Tech's last three touchdown passes dating back to the Baylor game. The 50-yard pass from Potts to Zouzalik is the ninth longest pass of the season for the Red Raiders.
- Eric Stephens' 25-yard kickoff return with eight minutes remaining the second half established a new school record for TEAM kickoff return yards in a single season. The unit now has 1,148 kick return yards this season surpassing the previous record of 1,053 set back in 2007.
- Senior defensive end Daniel Howard blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt by Michigan State with 2:48 remaining in the first half in what was the first blocked field goal of the year for the Red Raiders. The last time Tech blocked a field goal was when Taylor Charbonnet did so against Eastern Washington in the 2008 season opener.
- Sophomore wide receiver Jacoby Franks helped regain the lead for the Red Raiders with 6:32 remaining in the third quarter when he hauled in a 14-yard touchdown pass from Taylor Potts. The touchdown gave Tech a 27-21 lead and was just his second touchdown reception of the season (only other TD this year was a 72-yard reception against Kansas State).
- The Texas Tech offense amassed 579 yards of total offense against the Spartans, which was its second highest output of the season. The Red Raiders tallied 339 yards in its last Alamo Bowl appearance in 2001 and just 206 back in 1996. The 579 yards is the most in a bowl game since the Red Raiders rolled up 606 yards against Air Force in the 1995 Copper Bowl.
