Rest in Peace

Texas Tech announced the passing of legendary sports information director Hoe Hornaday at the age of 79. Hornaday was the SID for 30 years, retiring in 2008.

“The Texas Tech family mourns the passing of Joe Hornaday and celebrates the lasting impact he made on this community and college athletics as a whole,” Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt said. “Joe’s legacy in promoting our sports programs and his ability to effectively work with the media is still felt today. We join countless others who mourn his passing and send our thoughts and prayers to his wife Sally and his entire family.”

Hornaday retired from Texas Tech Athletics in 2008 after serving as sports information director from 1980-96 and then as an Assistant Athletics Director for Public Relations for the latter part of his career. Hornaday, a Texas Tech graduate, himself, with a degree in journalism, began his career as a sports writer at the likes of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Austin American-Statesman and an Army division newspaper in Germany while stationed in the military before returning to his alma mater in 1978.

Condolences to Hornaday’s family and rest in peace.

On the Field

Texas Tech sophomore Titus Kimaru was the Big 12 Cross Country Runner of the Week as his 5k was 14:59.8, 3 minutes ahead of the next best runner. That’s basically 4:50/mile. Absurd.

On the Pitch

The Big 12 announced that Kylie Bahr won Defensive Player of the Week as she scored a goal and had an assist for Texas Tech in the win over San Diego.

On the Hardwood

Not great news as the Georgia Court of Appears issued a stay of the injunction in the case regarding JaMichael Stillwell. I have no idea what happens next, but I would guess that Stillwell would continue to fight this as he’s essentially in the same situation as Darrion Williams.

The NCAA has won its attempt to stay the preliminary injunction in Georgia.

That means the following key players are currently ineligible:

RJ Godfrey (Arizona)
Chauncey Wiggins (Gonzaga)
JaMichael Stillwell (Texas Tech)
Dillon Hunter (Clemson)
Dan Skillings (Grand Canyon) https://t.co/1lxFcsZY2a

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 9, 2026

Texas Tech basketball did a Q&A with former and current Red Raider basketballer Darrion Williams:

What do you want to develop the most in your game?
“I want to take that next step defensively and get back to rebounding at the level I know I can.”

What do you want your teammates and coaches to say about you?
“I’m consistent, competitive and a winner. I hate losing and I impact the game in the right way to help us win.”

ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has his top 25 and has Texas Tech at No.9, but wonders if Darrion Williams, Donovan Atwell and Jamichael Stillwell will be eligible (valid concern considering yesterday’s news).

On the Gridiron

This is fascinating. Extra Points’ Matt Brown found a report from InGame’s Daniel O’Boyle that (I’m not even going to try to re-word it, I’m just going to copy and paste) . . .

A third party helping Louisiana State University hedge against potential bonus payments to football coach Lane Kiffin used bets on the team’s performance on Kalshi to offset exposure. Similar trades were placed last month on South Carolina’s football team, again from a third party rather than the university, though the exact risk being hedged for those trades is less clear.

Two weeks ago, five “block” trades — trades negotiated off exchange — were placed on LSU to have a successful college football season, worth a combined $3 million.

In July, there were also block trades in two markets concerning the University of South Carolina.

The trades were not placed by the schools. In fact, Kalshi’s trading prohibitions for the market would ban employees of teams involved.

So LSU didn’t place any trades. But it did pay another company as a hedge, just in case it needs to pay out millions of dollars in bonuses to Kiffin in the event of a national championship. That company then used the same platform that regular ol’ fans use to make bets about who will win or lose on a typical college football Saturday.

Red Raider Sports’ Lane Selph with recaps of the media sessions with Hunter Zambrano and J’Koby Williams:

Texas Tech offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich pointed to the small details that Texas Tech’s offense needs to clean up following the season opener, specifically noting Monday that several five- and six-yard runs were only a few corrections away from becoming much bigger gains.

After reviewing the film himself, Zambrano saw the same thing. “Just targeting the wrong linebacker at times, or maybe staying on the block a little longer,” Zambrano said. “There’s a lot of times you’re watching the film and it’s just like one step from being a 60-, 70-, 80-yard touchdown run.”

Red Raider Sports’ Mason Turnbow on the Texas Tech defense being ready for the first road test:

Oregon State this past weekend threw for 376 yards against Houston. Brice and the secondary expect them to really push the ball downfield and attack Texas Tech’s secondary a ton, as their running attack was not working on Saturday. It will be a good test to see where the secondary stands after the Oregon State game. The secondary will have to communicate well going on the road for the first time this season.

“Yeah, I’ve seen some receivers that can really push you vertical. They’re really good at that. Pretty good quarterback. He knows how to stand in there and make good throws,” said Pollock. “And yeah, we’re just gonna have to be disciplined. A lot of unbalance, a lot of tricky formations. So things like that. We just gotta trust our keys and, you know, trust our technique.”