WHO: Texas Longhorns 4-4 (2-3) vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders 4-4 (2-3)
WHEN: Saturday, November 5th 2016 at 11AM CST
WHERE: Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock TX (FS1)
ODDS: Texas -3.5
The Good:
The offense in Lubbock is still operating “business as usual†for the standards of the Red Raiders. Though he’s been banged up through the last few games, Patrick Mahomes is still playing at a high level. The junior passer is averaging 440 yards per game with a 28/7 touchdown to interception ratio. Mahomes is a dual threat passer, and although his rushing stats aren’t gaudy he’s accounted for 10 touchdowns with his legs. Tech’s offense seems to have no trouble replacing productive receivers, and this season is no different. Mahomes utilizes a number of different targets, but Jonathan Giles is the biggest threat on the field. Giles is 73 yards short of 1,000 through just 8 games, and he’s accounted for 11 of Mahomes’ 28 touchdowns. Former Texas commit Keke Coutee provides another deep threat for Texas to worry about. Tech’s receiving corps goes even deeper when you consider the contributions of players like Ian Sadler, Reginald Davis, Cameron Batson, and Justin Stockton.
The Bad:
The defense in Lubbock is still operating “business as usual†as well. Never known as a stalwart defensive team, the Red Raiders are giving up an average of 518 yards per game, including 213 rushing yards per game. Outside of a strong performance against TCU last week, they’ve been pretty poor at stopping teams from scoring. The Red Raiders will face an offense led by D’Onta Foreman who already has over 1,000 yards rushing.
The Uncertain:
Both teams seem pretty even on paper, but Tech will be dealing with injury and disciplinary issues. Mahomes’ shoulder injury is reportedly hampering his full potential, though it didn’t stop him from totaling 800 yards of offense against Oklahoma. Mahomes was forced to exit the TCU game after possibly re-injuring his shoulder, and is questionable to play against Texas. Other starters marked questionable for Saturday’s game include D’Vonta Hinton and Derek Willies along with Dylan Cantrell, Devin Lauderdale, and Gary Moore who are dealing with disciplinary punishments.
What’s at Stake:
Both teams are fighting for bowl eligibility, and even though Kliff Kingsbury’s seat isn’t as hot as Charlie Strong’s, he still needs to string together some wins. The Longhorns are still seeking their first road victory of the season, and looking to keep hope alive after a big win over Baylor. If Texas can go into Lubbock and overturn their road woes they have a chance to run off a strong end to the season in an effort to save Charlie Strong’s job.
