On the Gridiron
Good Guys: Texas Tech Red Raiders (9-1, 6-1)
Bad Guys: UCF Knights (4-5, 1-5)
Where: Jones AT&T Stadium | Lubbock, Texas
When: Saturday, November 15th @ 2:30 pm
TV & Streaming: FOX
Radio: The Varsity Network
The Line: Texas Tech -23.5
Game Notes: Texas Tech | UCF
Weather Report: Partly Cloudy, High 90, Low 48
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Texas Tech football hosts UCF: Scouting report, prediction for final regular season home game
Texas Tech 36, UCF 13: Even with a banged-up Morton, this is one of those games the Red Raiders should be able to simply out-talent the opposition. The goal for Texas Tech is to not let the Knights feel like they have a chance and getting out of dodge with an undefeated home record.
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13. David Bailey, OLB, Texas Tech
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 250 | Prev. rank: 13
2025 stats over 10 games: 50 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 54 pressures, 5 run stops, 2 forced fumbles, 2 pass breakups
A transfer from Stanford, Bailey gets after the quarterback. He had 14.5 sacks over three seasons for the Cardinal, and he has notably become more of a finisher this season. His 20.4% pressure rate is best in the nation, and he is up to 11.5 sacks in 10 games with the Red Raiders, unlocking another level of his game.
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Kavian Bryant, Texas Tech
Ranking: No. 25 overall, No. 2 QB-DT
Texas Tech has soared to No. 6 in the latest College Football Playoff rankings and offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich’s variation of the Air Raid scheme is a big reason why. The Red Raiders have done so while lacking a dynamic element at quarterback. Behren Morton is a true pocket passer. His backup, Will Hammond, flashed as a running threat prior to injury, but that was more out of necessity than design.
Bryant will bring an unorthodox skill set to Lubbock. The Texas native is a dynamic dual threat who has legitimate Division I interest as a basketball player as well. Bryant plays with sandlot creativity, relying on his improvisational skills and running instincts to extend plays. Expect Texas Tech to pressure opposing defenses by utilizing Bryant’s legs in both the run game and outside the pocket.
On the Pitch
Texas Tech Soccer: Zdrojewski’s late winner pushes No. 6 Tech past UTSA, 2-1
“First we need to give credit to UTSA for the season they had, the championship they won and the matter in which they came in here. They came in here to win. They didn’t sit back and be a sacrificial team. They came in with a good gameplan to win and when they equalized they probably thought they could win. And rightfully so. That coaching staff has done a great job and we love Kam Kloza their center back and captain. They deserve a lot of credit for the year they had and for winning their conference, beating Memphis and coming here and playing so well was amazing. We were fortunate that we also played really well and at times our possession was as smooth and quick and sharp as it has been all year. And that got us out of some pressing jams. And then we were able to get Peyton and Z the ball. When you feed your best players the ball in the final third good things usually happen, and I would say that’s how most of our best chances came, from good possession.”
At the Net
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On the Hardwood
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan GieseSix years in, Krista Gerlich may have her best team yet
It’s not necessarily getting another blowout win at home that was impressive. The Lady Raiders have plenty of those in nonconference play under Gerlich. It was how the team operated, looking like a cohesive unit that fed off each other rather than relying on one or two players to do everything themselves.
Bailey Maupin is the longest-tenured Lady Raider, the West Texas kid Gerlich hoped would help reignite local interest and on-court success. Maupin got her senior season off to a slow start, shooting just 36.4% overall and 25% from three in Texas Tech’s 3-0 start.
Lady Raider Basketball: Lady Raiders host Arkansas on Sunday afternoon