Texas Tech readies for Top 25 showdown at Utah to open Big 12 play

#17 TEXAS TECH at #16 UTAH
Salt Lake City, Utah | Rice-Eccles Stadium (51,444)
Sept. 20, 2025
FOX | 11 a.m. CT

GAME LINKS

LUBBOCK, Texas – After beginning the season with three consecutive home victories of 30 or more points, No. 17 Texas Tech will go on the road for the first time, traveling to No. 16 Utah for the first time Saturday in the Big 12 opener for both teams. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT with television coverage provided nationally on FOX as part of its Big Noon Kickoff window. It will be the third time the FOX Big Noon Kickoff show has originated from a game involving the Red Raiders, who will be looking to open Big 12 play with a ranked road victory for only the third time in history.

In addition to the Big Noon pregame show cast on-hand that includes Rob Stone, Brady Quinn, Mark Ingram II, Urban Meyer, Matt Leinart, Dave Portnoy and Chris Fallica, the game's broadcast will feature Gus Johnson providing play-by-play, and Joel Klatt serving as the broadcast analyst, while Jenny Taft will cover the action from the sidelines. The pregame show begins at 9 a.m., followed by the game at 11 a.m. In addition to linear television coverage, fans can also access the game from their mobile or streaming device by using the FOX Sports app.

Texas Tech Sports Network will also broadcast the game over 46 affiliates throughout the state of Texas and New Mexico, as Brian Jensen will have the call alongside analyst John Harris and sideline reporter Chris Level. The radio broadcast can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 83, as well as on the Varsity app.

FIRST THREE HOME GAMES SELLOUT; RED RAIDERS RETURN NEXT FOR HOMECOMING VERSUS KANSAS ON OCT. 11

Texas Tech sold out its first three home games to open the 2025 season and rewarded its loyal fan base with a 3-0 start to the season to close its homestand.
Texas Tech has four home games remaining this season with its next upcoming date versus Kansas on Oct. 11 following two road games and an open date. Texas Tech has already announced it has sold the primary ticket inventory for the Oct. 25 contest versus Oklahoma State, leaving three games remaining with single-game ticket options.
Select single-game tickets remain available for Kansas (Oct. 11), BYU (Nov. 8), and UCF (Nov. 15).
Tickets can be purchased online at TexasTech.com or by speaking to a ticket sales representative at 806-742-TECH.
Fans are encouraged to visit SeatGeek for tickets for games that the Texas Tech Athletics Department has previously announced as a sellout.
Texas Tech sold out of season tickets for the third consecutive season in early May as Red Raider fans purchased more than 33,000 season passes for the 2025 campaign.

TEXAS TECH OFF TO QUICK 3-0 START

Texas Tech breezed through non-conference play, outscoring its opponents 174-35 en route to blowout wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State and Oregon State.
The Red Raiders have the largest point differential (139) in the country through the first three weeks of the season, topping both Indiana (133) and Oregon (132).
Texas Tech's 35 points allowed have all come late in the three victories as the Red Raiders have outscored their opponents by a combined 123-0 in the first half and then 154-0 over the first three quarters.

MORTON AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS

Behren Morton continues to showcase why he's one of the country's underrated quarterbacks this season as the senior has combined for 923 passing yards and 11 touchdowns (and one interception) on 57-of-81 passing (70.4 percent) in only six-and-a-half quarters of game play.
Morton, who is coming off a career-high 464 passing yards against Oregon State, shares the FBS lead with 11 touchdowns this season despite departing midway through the second quarter against UAPB, at halftime versus Kent State and following the third quarter this past weekend.

RED RAIDERS IN THE POLLS

Texas Tech moved to No. 16 in the AFCA coaches poll this week and No. 17 in the Associated Press rankings following its 45-14 victory over Oregon State. The Red Raiders have been ranked inside the top 25 of both major polls every week thus far this season.
The Red Raiders entered the 2025 season ranked inside the top 25 of both major polls for the first time since 2008 as the Red Raiders were No. 23 in the Associated Press poll and No. 24 in the AFCA coaches poll. Texas Tech was previously ranked No. 24 in the 2023 AFCA preseason poll before falling out after a season-opening loss at Wyoming.
It was the first time the Red Raiders had appeared in the Associated Press poll since Sept. 23, 2018, when Texas Tech was No. 24 nationally after starting its season 3-1 overall with wins over Lamar, Houston, and at No. 15 Oklahoma State and the lone loss coming in the opener to Ole Miss.

RED RAIDERS IN TOP-25 MATCHUPS

Texas Tech is a combined 5-11 in top-25 matchups during Big 12 play over its tenure in the league. That record includes a 2-9 mark in road games as Texas Tech's lone wins came at No. 21 TCU midway through the 2012 season and at No. 19 Kansas during its memorable 2008 campaign. A victory over Utah would mark Texas Tech's highest-ranked win in a top-25 battle between Big 12 teams in its history.
This will be the first time Texas Tech has ever opened Big 12 play in a battle of teams ranked in the Associated Press top-25 poll. The Red Raiders have begun league play as unranked, facing a top-25 team a total of 13 times in their history.
Texas Tech will be involved in a top-25 matchup for the first time since Nov. 2, 2013, when the Red Raiders, ranked as high as No. 10 in the Associated Press poll, fell to No. 12 Oklahoma State, 52-34, at home.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

0: Texas Tech has not allowed a single point this season through the first three quarters, primarily when its starters have been on the field.
3: Texas Tech is the only team in the country with at least three receivers who have caught three or more touchdowns this season in Coy Eakin, Reggie Virgil and Terrance Carter Jr.
7: Behren Morton has thrown for multiple touchdown passes in each of his last seven games, which is tied for the longest active streak in the FBS.
74: Pro Football Focus has credited Texas Tech with 74 total pressures created through the first two games with 30 of those coming from David Bailey and Romello Height combined
174: Texas Tech leads the FBS in scoring offense with 174 points this season (58.0 per game), which marks its third-highest total through three games in school history.

INSIDE THE SERIES

This will only be the third meeting all-time between the Red Raiders and Utes and their first as Big 12 Conference members. Utah was previously Texas Tech's season-opening opponent to start the 1972-73 campaigns as the Red Raiders delivered a 45-2 rout in 1972, followed by a 29-22 victory a year later with both matchups taking place in Lubbock.
Texas Tech will make its first-ever visit to Rice-Eccels Stadium in Salt Lake City and only its second ot the state of Utah for a football game. The Red Raiders previously visited the Beehive State in 2023 to face BYU. Utah will make a return trip to Jones AT&T Stadium during the 2027 season as part of the Big 12 Conference's four-year scheduling matrix.

TEXAS TECH-OREGON STATE CONNECTIONS

Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck will be looking to beat a Red Raider defense this weekend that is led by linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. Beck has plenty of experience in watching Rodriguez on the field, albeit in a different position as Rodriguez was previously a quarterback for Beck at Virginia in 2021. Beck was the quarterbacks coach for Virginia during Rodriguez' true freshman season where he played in 12 games at an assortment of positions, including quarterback. Rodriguez was recruited to Virginia as a quarterback prior to transferring to Texas Tech in 2022 and moving to the defensive side of the ball in the process.
Texas Tech offensive line coach Clay McGuire will also recognize one person on the opposite sideline this weekend in Utah running backs coach Mark Atuaia. The two were previously on staff together at Washington State in 2022 with Atuaia as the associate head coach and running backs coach and McGuire in his role overseeing the offensive line.

- TECH -

Texas Tech readies for Top 25 showdown at Utah to open Big 12 play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Terrance Carter Jr.

Coy Eakin

Romello Height

Behren Morton

Jacob Rodriguez

Reggie Virgil

Texas Tech readies for Top 25 showdown at Utah to open Big 12 play

Next Event

Players Mentioned

David Bailey

Terrance Carter Jr.

Coy Eakin

Romello Height

Behren Morton

Jacob Rodriguez

Reggie Virgil

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