North Texas (2-0) vs. Texas Tech (1-1)
When: Saturday, September 14th @ 11:00 am
Where: Jones AT&T Stadium | Lubbock, TX
TV & Streaming: FS1
Radio: TuneIn Radio
The Line: Texas Tech -10.5
Weather: Sunny, 96-68
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams: Texas Tech football Ring of Honor adds Wes Welker, Andre Tillman, Thomas Howard
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese: Texas Tech football hosts North Texas: Scouting report, predictions for Week 3 game
Score prediction: North Texas 40, Texas Tech 30
Bottom line: Until the Red Raiders show some consistency, especially on defense, it’s hard to see them coming out on top in many games. UNT has the offensive attack to make it another long day in the Jones for Tech fans.
Midland Reporter-Telegram’s Oscar LeRoy: LEROY: Defense leads list of concerns for Texas Tech football
Denton Record-Chronicle’s Brett Vito: North Texas Gameday: Mean Green aiming for another big win over Texas Tech in Lubbock
Maintain the offensive pace
UNT has been terrific offensively in the first two weeks of the season. The Mean Green are averaging 43.5 points per game and will need to maintain that pace in what figures to be a shootout.
Control Tech’s playmakers
UNT has shown improvement defensively but hasn’t faced nearly the level of offensive skill position talent it will in its game against Texas Tech. Running back Tahj Brooks, who is questionable to play, has more than 3,200 career rushing yards.
Win the big-play battle
UNT is looking to pull off a significant upset at Texas Tech. Teams that reach that goal typically come up with a few big plays to swing momentum. A turnover or special teams touchdown would help UNT significantly.
Handle an electric environment
Jones AT&T Stadium will feature one of the more electric environments UNT will experience this season. Eric Morris said the Mean Green will have to maintain focus and not be distracted.
The Athletic’s Sam Khan, Jr.: Texas Tech needs to level up. But why another bad start? Texpert mailbag
Look, McGuire is not on the hot seat and probably will be nowhere near it this season. There’s a lot of institutional belief in him and he did what no new Texas Tech coach has since Mike Leach in 2000 to ‘01: took his first two teams to bowl games. He also finished with back-to-back winning records in conference play, another first since the Leach era. That may seem like a low bar, but let’s get real about Texas Tech’s recent history. The Red Raiders haven’t won more than eight games in a season since Leach was fired in 2009 and made only eight bowls in the last 14 years.
But it is critical for Tech to level up in the new Big 12. Oklahoma and Texas are gone and eight new teams have joined in the last two years. Tech boosters have invested heavily in name, image and likeness for their roster and infrastructure, recently opening a $242 million football facility. There’s not much holding the Red Raiders back.
That starts with simple things like not being your own worst enemy with penalties and turnovers. Playing more disciplined football is not an unrealistic ask from Tech fans. McGuire and the staff need to clean that up.
This weekend’s game against North Texas is a must-win. As for how he and Blanchard — Tech’s ballyhooed general manager — are evaluated, that’ll become more clear once the dust settles on this season and how the Red Raiders fare in Big 12 play. They’ve spent three years building this roster the way they wanted and there’s no excuse for Tech to not have its best team yet of the McGuire era. If the Red Raiders continue to play this way and regress in the win column, the responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of those two.