On the Gridiron
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (5-0, 2-0)
Bad Guys: Kansas Jayhawks (4-2, 2-1)
Where: Jones AT&T Stadium | Lubbock, Texas
When: Saturday, October 11th @ 6:30 pm
TV & Streaming: FOX
Radio: The Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -14
Game Notes: Texas Tech | Kansas
Weather Report: Sunny, High 88, Low 65
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese with his scouting report and prediction for the Kansas vs. Texas Tech game:
Texas Tech 42, Kansas 21: The Jayhawks are the best offense Texas Tech will have faced to this point, but also might have one of the worst defenses in the Big 12 (gave up just under 1,200 yards combined to Missouri and Cincinnati, the latter game being played in Lawrence).
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams has 5 questions and answers with a Kansas beat-writer:
Q: Against its two best opponents so far, Kansas gave up right around 600 yards each to Missouri and Cincinnati and couldn’t hold leads. What are the main things the Jayhawks need to fix?
Guskey: The main thing that Kansas needed to fix coming out of those matchups was finishing games, and it was able to do that this past weekend against UCF. The Jayhawks didn’t just get one defensive stop late in the fourth quarter, which it couldn’t get in the loss against Cincinnati the week before, but two defensive stops to secure a win in a one-score game.
Now, the question is, can KU sustain that kind of effort moving forward if more one-score games occur? Even with that win against UCF, Kansas is only 2-6 in one-score games dating back to the 2024 season.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams with the financial details on the neutral game against Arkansas in Las Vegas in 2030.
Red Raider Sports’ Braeden Frank on Cole Wisniewski anchoring the Texas Tech secondary:
“I think having an offense that’s operating at their best because of no crowd noise is always a good challenge. So being able to execute without the crowd behind us was awesome.
I think especially it will help us out this week, with all the fans getting after it and being loud, and hopefully disrupting their tempo.”
Red Raider Sports’ Joe Lopez talked with linebacker Bryce Ramirez about facing off against Kansas and Jalon Daniels:
“It is weird how it played out,” Ramirez said. “He was injured like every time we played him, so I’m excited to play him finally. It’ll be huge. He’s a really good player. He poses a great challenge for us. And I love challenges. We as a team love challenges.”
Action Sports’ Alex Hinton: Kansas vs Texas Tech Prediction, Pick, College Football Odds for Saturday, October 11
Kansas City Star’s Shreyas Laddha: Kansas Jayhawks vs. Texas Tech football: Game prediction, betting odds, TV info
Limiting the explosive Texas Tech offense is paramount. KU must do that while also controlling the clock and winning the turnover battle. The less time Tech’s offense is on the field, the better.
Plus, Kansas can’t miss tackles. That’s been an issue this season. If KU doesn’t bring its A+ defense Saturday, this one could become ugly pretty quickly. There’s a lot on the line for Texas Tech — along with it being a sold-out homecoming game, the Red Raiders will be rocking their new uniforms and logo.
I expect a competitive contest, but Texas Tech just has a talent advantage in most areas. Plus, it’s a home game for the Red Raiders.
I think Tech wins but KU covers.
Topeka Capital-Journal’s Jordan Guskey: 3 lingering questions after Kansas football’s win against UCF, as Texas Tech matchup nears
Kansas had to play the first half without linebacker Bangally Kamara, after he was ejected in the second half of the previous game for a targeting call. Without Kamara, the Jayhawks struggled against a UCF offense that scored on each first-half drive it had the opportunity to play out — two touchdowns and two field goals. But Kamara returned in the second half and helped spark a much-improved effort that saw KU stymie UCF the rest of the game and not allow any more points.
Leipold described Kamara as very active and noted that, considering he knew he wouldn’t play in the first half, he might have had his best week of practice.
From Leipold’s perspective, Kamara was focused and determined and played a key role in why Kansas’ defense was so much better after halftime. Leipold was proud of how Kamara, who finished with four tackles, performed.
On the Pitch
Texas Tech and TCU came to a 1-1 draw last night, but Texas Tech was certainly the more aggressive of the two teams, having a 15-5 shot advantage. Texas Tech will start a 3-game road trip starting in Tempe against Arizona State on Thursday night.
At the Net
Texas Tech volleyball fell to Kansas State 3-0 in Manhattan. They’ll host BYU and Colorado next week.
On the Diamond
Double-T 97.3’s Jamie Lent on the updated scrimmages and the pitching picked up.