Here are the top five storylines as Texas Tech (5-5) hosts Kansas State (3-5) for Senior Day this Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
1. Another must-win
I’m not trying to go boy-who-cried-wolf here, because there have obviously been a couple games labeled as “must-win” that didn’t result in a Texas Tech win, which undermines the validity of the term “must-win.”
However, with each loss the pressure around this program continues to build as fans become increasingly disgruntled and the Red Raider brand becomes a little less attractive to prospective recruits, especially the high-caliber athletes – you know, the ones that would expedite a turnaround of the Red Raiders program, that judge prospective teams by rankings and wins and losses.
That being said, this is a must-win game for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech is only guaranteed two more football games this season, with a chance - that seems to keep getting slimmer each week – to earn one more.
A win doesn’t just mean the Red Raiders are bowl eligible for the 23rd time in 25 years, it also means they get an extra month of practice – which even undefeated teams need to fine-tune their product. Teams looking to get their head above water and have a breakthrough need it even more.
When you look at the Red Raiders depth chart and see ‘Sr.’ listed first so many times – especially on both the offensive and defensive lines – that potential extra month of practice becomes much more valuable to further develop the younger guys for the future.
2. Most favorable remaining opponent
Another reason this game is so important is because Texas Tech has two more games left and if you have to put all of your eggs in one basket to get a win, this is the week to do that.
Here are Texas Tech’s final two regular season games:
At home against a 3-5 Kansas State team that is 0-5 in conference play.
On the road against the Texas Longhorns, in a stadium the Red Raiders haven’t won in since 1997. The fact that Texas is 4-5 doesn’t matter when these two teams meet, just like it didn’t matter when Texas dominated Oklahoma three weeks before being shut out by Iowa State.
Of those two games, playing a struggling Kansas State team inside The Jones on Senior Day looks much, much more winnable and looks to be a better scenario for becoming bowl eligible than beating the Longhorns in Austin for the first time in 18 years.
3. Senior Day
Saturday is Senior Day for the 2015 Red Raiders as 23 players will play their final game in Jones AT&T Stadium. Although unfortunately their careers did not come during a stellar time in Texas Tech football history in terms of wins and losses, several of these seniors will be very tough to replace and some will likely be taken in the NFL Draft in a few months.
The headliners of this group include Le’Raven Clark, DeAndre Washington, Jakeem Grant, Pete Robertson, Jared Kaster, Micah Awe, J.J. Gaines, Alfredo Morales, Taylor Symmank and anyone reading this is well aware of their successes and what they have meant to the Red Raiders program.
4. Snyder’s last year?
There is a fair share of speculation in the media that Bill Snyder could retire after this season, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t. If he does, this would be the last time his team plays against the Red Raiders and the last time Tech fans would get to see him if he decides to wrap up his legendary career at age 76.
Also of interest to Red Raider Nation, Snyder is pretty much the only coach to ever have success at Kansas State, a trend that – if it continues when he is gone – should bode well for the Red Raiders in the Big 12 pecking order.
5. How will they be remembered?
Special players like Le’Raven Clark, DeAndre Washington and Jakeem Grant will be remembered by Red Raider fans for years, but how will the 2015 Red Raiders be remembered?
Which group of these stats and facts will they close out their careers with?
Group 1:
- Hasn’t beaten a Big 12 team besides Kansas or Iowa State since 2013
- First team to miss a bowl game in consecutive seasons since the early 1990s
… You get the idea.
Group 2:
- Bowl eligible for the 23rd time in 25 years
- Helped the program turn the corner under head coach Kliff Kingsbury
- 6-7, 7-6 or 8-5 record – a sure improvement from 2014’s 4-8 record
In this case, one win goes a long ways. How bad do they want it?
1. Another must-win
I’m not trying to go boy-who-cried-wolf here, because there have obviously been a couple games labeled as “must-win” that didn’t result in a Texas Tech win, which undermines the validity of the term “must-win.”
However, with each loss the pressure around this program continues to build as fans become increasingly disgruntled and the Red Raider brand becomes a little less attractive to prospective recruits, especially the high-caliber athletes – you know, the ones that would expedite a turnaround of the Red Raiders program, that judge prospective teams by rankings and wins and losses.
That being said, this is a must-win game for the Red Raiders.
Texas Tech is only guaranteed two more football games this season, with a chance - that seems to keep getting slimmer each week – to earn one more.
A win doesn’t just mean the Red Raiders are bowl eligible for the 23rd time in 25 years, it also means they get an extra month of practice – which even undefeated teams need to fine-tune their product. Teams looking to get their head above water and have a breakthrough need it even more.
When you look at the Red Raiders depth chart and see ‘Sr.’ listed first so many times – especially on both the offensive and defensive lines – that potential extra month of practice becomes much more valuable to further develop the younger guys for the future.
2. Most favorable remaining opponent
Another reason this game is so important is because Texas Tech has two more games left and if you have to put all of your eggs in one basket to get a win, this is the week to do that.
Here are Texas Tech’s final two regular season games:
At home against a 3-5 Kansas State team that is 0-5 in conference play.
On the road against the Texas Longhorns, in a stadium the Red Raiders haven’t won in since 1997. The fact that Texas is 4-5 doesn’t matter when these two teams meet, just like it didn’t matter when Texas dominated Oklahoma three weeks before being shut out by Iowa State.
Of those two games, playing a struggling Kansas State team inside The Jones on Senior Day looks much, much more winnable and looks to be a better scenario for becoming bowl eligible than beating the Longhorns in Austin for the first time in 18 years.
3. Senior Day
Saturday is Senior Day for the 2015 Red Raiders as 23 players will play their final game in Jones AT&T Stadium. Although unfortunately their careers did not come during a stellar time in Texas Tech football history in terms of wins and losses, several of these seniors will be very tough to replace and some will likely be taken in the NFL Draft in a few months.
The headliners of this group include Le’Raven Clark, DeAndre Washington, Jakeem Grant, Pete Robertson, Jared Kaster, Micah Awe, J.J. Gaines, Alfredo Morales, Taylor Symmank and anyone reading this is well aware of their successes and what they have meant to the Red Raiders program.
4. Snyder’s last year?
There is a fair share of speculation in the media that Bill Snyder could retire after this season, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t. If he does, this would be the last time his team plays against the Red Raiders and the last time Tech fans would get to see him if he decides to wrap up his legendary career at age 76.
Also of interest to Red Raider Nation, Snyder is pretty much the only coach to ever have success at Kansas State, a trend that – if it continues when he is gone – should bode well for the Red Raiders in the Big 12 pecking order.
5. How will they be remembered?
Special players like Le’Raven Clark, DeAndre Washington and Jakeem Grant will be remembered by Red Raider fans for years, but how will the 2015 Red Raiders be remembered?
Which group of these stats and facts will they close out their careers with?
Group 1:
- Hasn’t beaten a Big 12 team besides Kansas or Iowa State since 2013
- First team to miss a bowl game in consecutive seasons since the early 1990s
… You get the idea.
Group 2:
- Bowl eligible for the 23rd time in 25 years
- Helped the program turn the corner under head coach Kliff Kingsbury
- 6-7, 7-6 or 8-5 record – a sure improvement from 2014’s 4-8 record
In this case, one win goes a long ways. How bad do they want it?
