Texas Tech at Texas Preview

By Darrell Laurant | Friday, October 21, 2005 | ( 0 )

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This is unquestionably the game of the day -- and if you don't believe it, check out the Texas-sized prices on ticketcity.com, where a pair of 35-yard-line seats at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday are going for $650 and upper deck tickets for $440.

The Gameday crowd from ESPN will be on hand in Austin and there will probably be fresh batteries in the scoreboard. The Texas Tech Red Raiders lead the nation in scoring with 53.67 points per game, while the Texas Longhorns are fourth at 45.67. The Red Raiders are second in total yards, Texas ninth.

A number of Texas Longhorns' players remember 2002, when Texas Tech amassed more than 600 yards of total offense with QB Kliff Kingsbury at the helm of Mike Leach's run and shoot offense, upsetting the fourth-ranked Longhorns 42-38 and costing them a berth in the Sugar Bowl. Current Texas secondary starters Michael Huff and Cedric Griffin were redshirt freshmen that day, forced into the mixing bowl because of a rash of injuries.

This time around, Amarillo product Cody Hodges is Leach's starting pitcher, and he burned Kansas State for a mind (and coverage) blowing 643 yards during a 59-20 victory last week.

Not highly regarded before the season, Tech has been rising through the national rankings like bubbles through a beer, coming into Austin as a 10. Meanwhile, as the No. 2 team not only in both national polls but the BCS, Texas knows it has to win convincingly to hold off a group of similarly undefeated teams lurking just behind.

And the Red Raiders aren't quite as one-dimensional as they might appear. RB Taurean Henderson is not only the all-time NCAA leader in receptions by a running back, but he's averaging 6.6 yards a carry. DE Keynta Dawson has led a Texas Tech defense that has been as strong as it's needed to be.

That defense will be sorely tested by Texas Longhorns QB Vince Young. His passing numbers (1,357 yards, 12 TDs) seem almost puny next to those of Hodges (2,467, 22), but Young has also run for 413 yards, Hodges for 14. With star freshman Jamaal Charles still hobbled with an ankle injury, veteran Selvin Young will probably start behind Vince to give Texas a Young, if not young, backfield.

On the other side of the ball, Griffin and Huff -- both mentioned as possible first-round NFL draft picks -- will anchor the sternest secondary challenge Hodges has had to face this season. His offensive line will also have to counter a potent Longhorn pass rush led by Rodrigue Wright and Larry Dibbles, while Texas LB Aaron Harris is an All-America candidate.

Game time is 3:30, EDT, and there won't be an empty seat.

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