On the Pitch
Texas Tech soccer fell to Kansas 1-2 in the semifinals of the Big 12 Championship and will now await their NCAA Tournament fate.
On the Court (Volleyball)
Texas Tech volleyball dropped all 3 sets to No. 17 Baylor and will take on Houston in H-Town on Saturday.
On the Court (Basketball
Lady Raider basketball will host Houston Christian tonight at 7:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese has some takeaways from Texas Tech’s first win against Bethune-Cookman:
In his first year in a Red Raider uniform, it took Darrion Williams a couple months of games before he felt comfortable enough to assert himself on offense. Williams decided not to wait that long this season, compiling 17 points, six assists and three rebounds to lead all scorers.
Much of Williams’ success came from one-on-one spots in the post in which he backed down his man and either got to the cup, used a turnaround jumper or dished it off. The Wildcats had no answers for him.
On the Gridiron
The Athletic’s Sam Kahn, Jr. & Justin Williams ask if Colorado is ready for Lubbock:
Tech fans do throw tortillas at kickoff, and with Sanders publicly acknowledging it, don’t be shocked to see a few extra go airborne this weekend. The energy level at Jones AT&T Stadium — which was sold out for this game back on Sept. 5 — should be high. Tech fans know how to show up for a big game, just ask 2008 Texas or Baker Mayfield.
On the field, the Red Raiders’ upset of Iowa State kept them in the chase for a conference title game berth and was a signature win for the program in the Joey McGuire era. Tech needs this one to stay in the hunt. Expect Tahj Brooks, the Big 12’s second-leading rusher who scored the game winner last week, to have a big say in the result.
The stakes are even higher for well-rested Colorado, which has become a bubble team in the Playoff race. Coming into the season, who would have thought the Buffaloes would be here? Their only conference loss was by three points to Kansas State. If they beat Texas Tech, the rest of the schedule is favorable: versus Utah, at Kansas and versus Oklahoma State. Do you believe?!?
Chaos potential: 5/5 🤯🤯🤯🤯
Line: Colorado -3.5
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Don Williams writes about Tahj Brooks bowl game stats counting for the rushing record:
Had bowl stats counted toward records all the way back, Hanspard would have 4,579 rushing yards and Gray 4,371. Brooks would have a shot at the Tech record, but he’d need to stay healthy and productive all season.
“I think it’s great, though, regardless,” said Gray, who complimented Brooks at length. “I think he’s a real good back. I enjoy watching him run. If he’s running for over 100 yards in a game, that gives you a chance to win. I’m 150 percent in on Texas Tech winning, so hopefully he can go for 200-something this week.”
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal’s Nathan Giese writes about Travis Hunter and Sheduer Sanders’ Heisman runs:
Kelly faced off with Hunter, Deion Sanders and Colorado last season while a member of the Washington State Cougars. The 6-foot-1 sixth-year senior recalls that the Buffs didn’t have Hunter lined up against him too much in that late November game, though they probably should have.
Wazzu walked away with a 56-14 rout of Colorado and Kelly had six catches for 130 yards in the victory. Another matchup with Colorado on the horizon, the competitive nature of Kelly wants to see Hunter lined up across from him more this time around.
“Why would you not?” Kelly said. “You want the best people on you. Best on best. But whatever their game plan is, that’s on them. We focus on what we got going on, not anything else.”