Congrats to the Smith Family!

https://twitter.com/TTU_Smith46/status/649769949976621056

Nelson Named Red Raider Club Scholar-Athlete of the Month. Congrats to Justis Nelson who was named the Red Raider Club Scholar-Athlete of the month! Big honor for Nelson:

Symmank is Lights Out. LAJ’s Don Williams writes that punter and kickoff specialist Taylor Symmank is having no problem doing his job thus far:

Through four games, the senior from McKinney Boyd is averaging 49.1 yards on punts and 26 of his 38 kickoffs have gone for touchbacks.

“I think I’m pleased with both,” Symmank said this week, “but there’s always room for improvement. I want to hit every (kickoff) out of the end zone, not have some getting returned — especially the last one (against TCU) almost got ran back. So I need to make sure he doesn’t have a chance to touch it.”

He really has been terrific.

Everyone Stand Up for Toddrick Gotcher. Via the official site, Toddrick Gotcher is one of 10 student-athletes who have been named as the initial Big 12 Champion for Life, which is a new initiative of the Big 12. Gotcher carries a 3.636 GPA and from everything you read, he’s a great kid and this is a well-deserved honor.

Signature Win. ESPN’s Jake Trotter writes about how Texas Tech is still searching for a signature Big 12 win:

Yet for all the progress shown this season, Kingsbury still must secure that elusive signature conference win before he can take Tech to the next level. Under Kingsbury, the Red Raiders are 1-8 against Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma and Texas, with the lone victory coming over the Horned Frogs in their first year in the Big 12 when they finished 4-8.

The Highest Total Point Spread. OddsShark our friendly odds aggregator writes a little bit about why Texas Tech and Baylor have the highest point total in history:

There have been 19 games that have closed with a total of 80.0 or higher since our database begins in 1980, with 13 of those happening within the past five years. Those 19 games have seen the OVER hit on nine occasions with teams combining for 90 or more points seven times.

Adams Enjoyed Visit. Red Raider Sports’ Landon Wright talked with commit OL Zach Adams, who very much enjoyed his visit to Texas Tech.

Miscellaneous. Football Study Hall’s Bill Connelly with his weekly picks . . . Sports On Earth’s Matt Brown picks this weekend’s games including Texas Tech and Baylor . . . LAJ’s Krista Pirtle writes that Baylor has become successful as a result of their receivers . . . DMN’s Michael DuPont has his prediction for the game . . .