The Basics

Teams: Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1, 4-1) vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (5-3, 2-3)
Date & Time: Saturday, November 7th, 2026 @ 8:30 p.m.
Location: Galaxy Stadium | Lubbock, TX
TV & Streaming: ESPN
Line: Texas Tech -16.5 Open at -17.5

RichRod is back baby! That’s right, Rich Rodriguez is in year #2 for the Mountaineers and after a huge offseason overhaul, including 45% of the roster being transfers, he’s got the Mountaineers pointed in the right direction (this is my opinion, but I think Rodriguez is great for WVU).

Rodriguez is the play-caller and this is not a pass-happy offense as 73% of the plays are runs, leaving 27% of it passing, running a play every 23.5 seconds and this is your typical spread led by former Oklahoma quarterback, Michael Hawkins.

The defense is led by defensive coordinator Zac Alley and has struggled a bit. Not great at stopping the run or pass, but I think that’s sort of the deal when you rebuild. The Mountaineers run a 3-3-5 and blitz heavily, 58.5%, which is I think 5th in the nation.

I don’t know that I have a ton to say this Tuesday. I was in Longview all day on Saturday, we left our house in Kaufman at 11:30 in the morning for the area band competition and didn’t get home until midnight. The Kaufman HS Band made it to state for the 2nd straight year and we could not be happier for Fitsum and the entire band. If you were wondering why the “10 Things” was published so late, this was why as I had to get up early, watch the game, and then write the 10 Things so it was a lot to get done.

So proud of Fitsum and the Kaufman High School Band! Second straight year headed to state! https://t.co/HqhYIsstup

— Seth Jungman (@SethJungman) November 1, 2026

The News:

Texas Tech Football: No. 13 Texas Tech hosts West Virginia under the lights & Game Notes

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams: Texas Tech football Q&A | J’Koby Williams’ usage under the microscope

Red Raider Sports’ Lane Selph: What Texas Tech HC Joey McGuire had to say about West Virginia, Thomas Castellanos and the future of the Big 12

Red Raider Sports’ L. Jordan: Mack Leftwich on Thomas Castellanos’ first start, the fourth-down call and why Texas Tech made the switch

Red Raider Sports’ Mason Turnbow: Shiel Wood breaks down the challenges of West Virginia’s explosive offense

Oregon State Watch: The Beavers lost a game and I am shattered. Oregon State were hit pretty hard by Fresno State, 38-22, so the offense struggled as did the defense.

The Non-Transcript

Head Coach Joey McGuire:

• Scout Team Players of the Week: Kaegan Ash, Adam Hill, Stephen Cannon.
• Cannot wait to get back around our fans on Saturday. Saturday was elite. Will be a night game in Lubbock. Since it is an 8:30 kick, pace ourselves. The team is excited about the 8:30 kick and will have some great plans.
• Logan Bradley, went to Ole Miss, was a student assistant with Hugh Freeze, then went to Auburn. Coach Rodriguez hired him. Stay in constant contact, has a great family.
• Any time you can stop the run or run the football, you have an opportunity to win. When have 150+ yards rushing per game, usually win more than lose. In the 2nd half, some good checks by Mack and Clay and Josh. REally able to get going. Important to run the football and will see Cam Dickey and he will be part of the stretch. The o-line played well.
• We are fortunate to be at home with the late kick. Will do breakfast later and will bus over. Will have a group of guys who will stay and get treatment with Mike. Probably move when we arrive to the stadium 15 minutes earlier, they asked to get to the stadium earlier since the Cincinnati game as they felt rushed.
• Just continuing to never be satisfied. Can get better at things. Look at the film, how can we continue to get better? Our guys have a belief system, believe in the strength staff. Training staff has done a good job of keeping guys healthy.
• I thought the offensive line played well, Howard Sampson, NFL scouts ask about him. His growth has been outstanding. Cash has been inserted in the lineup, Sheridan is consistent. Jordan and Ponton have continued to get better each week.
• They stress you on the perimeter, do a lot of different formations and will have to make 1-on-1 tackles. Am watching the TCU game, and there was not a lot of yards, but yards after contact. They make that 1st guy miss and play well off of each other. We are going to have to do a great job tackling. Our guys have tackled well, but need to take it to another level.
• I think where we are at a running quarterback does bring a different dimension. He will also knock the rust off and get better. West Virginia up until the TCU game they were high pressure, but they played their best game against TCU and were in an odd-stack. They have gone back to that 3-3-5. I expect them to be better defensively. I was messing with Cochran and mentioned that 11-on-11 football is easier with a running quarterback.
• Cleveland was an ankle, feel good about him practicing tomorrow.
• Everywhere he has been, he probably never should have left. Sometimes forget what you have and he is a great offensive mind and he’s always been able to score points. They are #1 or #2 in running the football. He is one of the guys I love to listen to his press conferences, he is very honest about the state of college football.
• It means a lot to us playing at home, we have a pyramid in the locker room and winning the home games. Fans make a huge difference. I think it is showing up on these pre-snap penalties. One of our goals is to be undefeated at home. Will try to get 14.
• Two of the biggest ones, we are in some form of Tampa 2 and we have the middle runner drives the OTD route and loses his leverage. Payton Morgan on that plan ran the fastest to run him down and they had to kick a field goal. He’s the guy who makes the tackle, after not playing the route correctly. The second one was a touchdown and John Curry should sink more, and Brice Pollock ends up too far over the middle of the field, but he should be better. Those were 2 of the biggest plays, probably 140 yards of passing there. When you are playing zone defense you need to be where you are supposed to be and do your job.
• Brett Yormark, talked to him this morning. He definitely came into a conference on it’s heels and made it better than where he found it. Without a doubt. I am sure we don’t want to see glass floors and went through the tortillas. He’s been good to me and he’s been with my family, with my daughter and son-in-law, connecting them with people. I don’t know if there is another expansion coming, need to make sure the Big 12 is able to add good teams, and Texas Tech needs to lead the Big 12.
• Chase Campbell, a lot of the Malcolm Simmons packages he was in. He was special. It will be close to 1:00 pm tomorrow, he was still pretty sore. I don’t know starting wise, but the uptick of him playing needs for him to keep playing and guys who can score from anywhere on the field.
• Always want to make sure and take care of the ball, but the receivers need to block and need to make sure you stay connected. The scramble drill with him is real and Castellanos will be able to extend the play. Teh more they throw the deep balls the more they will connect.
• I think it is really important, can we limit them rushing-wise. Taking the ball away and populate the football and there’s not as many 1-on-1 plays. Need a great week of run fits. It’s almost like facing a triple-option team with the running back, quarterback, and RPO’s. How many negative plays can we create to keep them behind the sticks.
• The right decisions are huge, but the other thing is 3 types of quarterbacks, a statue for a quarterback, a guy who has the ability to run, and then a guy like Tommy and you’re playing 11-on-11 and Tommy is athletic enough to get around the corner.
• Payton Morgan’s 21.98, Davin Martin, J’Koby is 21.35, a couple of different receivers like Malcolm. Wesley Smith is one of the fastest on kickoffs and Brock Golwas, he was a 10.7 in high school. Dray was fast.
• If AJ Holmes is not a consensus all-American we have missed the boat, he has 8 sacks on the year, he’s been dominant. He can play nose, shade, 3 or 4 technique or outside on the 5 technique. I am sure there are guys that you could put along him. If you are an NFL team, the first pick is a defensive lineman, I’d pick him.
• I’ll be tuned in and probably be where we are right now. It is going to be interesting, this weekend is huge for a lot of football teams. We are trying to stay as a 1-loss team and BYU and Utah matching up. Two weeks ago and this week is as big of a Saturday we’ve seen in a long time.

AI summary the two coordinators:

• Defensive Coordinator — Shiel Wood
  Explosive Play Prevention & Execution: Wood addresses some of the long pass plays and yardage surrendered in the secondary against Arizona. He attributes these primarily to assignment execution, eye discipline, leverage, and occasional coverage busts (such as losing leverage in Tampa 2 zones). He notes that a standout hustle play by defensive back Payton Morgan (tracking down a play at nearly 22 mph) saved a potential touchdown.
• Interior Dominance: High praise is given to defensive lineman AJ Holmes, whom Wood describes as a dominant force and a consensus All-American candidate with 8 sacks, noting his versatility to line up anywhere from a 0-nose to a 5-technique. He also highlights 17-year-old freshman Leandro Gran for his steady progression and impact up front.
• Preparing for West Virginia’s Option/RPO Attack: Looking ahead, Wood compares West Virginia’s offense to facing a “service academy triple option” or an option-style attack out of the shotgun. He stresses that discipline, run fits, relentless pursuit, and numbers allocation are critical because of their quarterback run threats and RPO integration.
• Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach — Mack Leftwich
  Evaluating the Ground Game & Quarterback Transition: Leftwich discusses the explosive 292-yard rushing performance, noting that implementing a dynamic rushing threat at quarterback (Jacoby Thomas) added an important 11-on-11 dimension and opened up space. He emphasizes that while the passing game had a few missed connections as they iron out timing, Thomas protected the football well and made crucial decisions when needed.
• Offensive Line and Playmakers: Leftwich praises the offensive line for a physical performance that only allowed one sack, as well as true freshman tight end “Moose” and wide receiver Chase Campbell for stepping up and executing in high-stakes moments.
• Outlook on West Virginia’s Defense: Leftwich points out that Coach Rich Rodriguez’s defenses are a hallmark of great effort, high energy, and physicality. Coming off a strong performance against TCU, West Virginia will present a tough, disciplined challenge that requires Texas Tech to match their intensity.

The Ride:

This Week in the Big 12 & National Games of the Week

Big 12 Game of the Week: The BYU @ Utah game is obviously huge and I’ll be watching that. It’s the best game of the morning and afternoon window. Am interested to see what Kansas State rolls out without Avery at quarterback and will Oklahoma State get going on the road.

11/6
TCU @ Arizona @ 9:15 pm on ESPN

11/7
BYU @ Utah @ 11:00 am on ABC
Iowa State @ Baylor @ 11:00 am on ?
Oklahoma State @ Kansas State @ 12:00 pm on TNT
UCF @ Kansas @ 2:45 pm on ESPN2
Colorado @ Arizona State @ 6:30 pm on ESPN2
West Virginia @ Texas Tech @ 8:30 pm on ESPN

National Games of the Week: Why am I putting New Mexico on this list? Because I can. Go Lobos. I am not watching a ton of SEC, but I think I would watch Kentucky @ Tennessee and the game of the night is Miami vs. Notre Dame. I will watch that if I am at home.

11/6
New Mexico @ Nevada @ 9:15 pm on ESPN

11/7
Texas @ Missouri @ 11:00 am on ESPN
Alabama @ LSU @ 2:30 pm on ABC
Kentucky @ Tennessee @ 5:15 pm on ESPN
Miami @ Notre Dame @ 6:30 pm on NBC
Georgia @ Ole Miss @ 6:30 pm on ABC

Education

Why Kyle Shanahan Wins No Matter Who Is Playing