Game Info
Saturday, September 7; 9:00 p.m. (CT); Martin Stadium; Pullman, WA
TV: FOX
Records: Washington State, 1-0; Texas Tech, 1-0.
Last Week: Washington State def. Portland State, 70-30; Texas Tech def. Abilene Christian, 52-51.
Series History: Texas Tech leads, 2-0.
Last Meeting: Texas Tech 28, Washington State 10 (1964).
Fun Fact: Legendary coach Mike Leach was the head coach at both of these schools. He was at Texas Tech from 2000-2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history. After that, he went to Washington State from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history. This Saturday, they will honor Mike Leach.
Washington State vs Texas Tech Betting Lines and Odds
Opening Line: Washington State (-1.5)
Over/Under: 65.5
Key Players
Washington State Cougars
QB John Mateer
The sophomore from Little Elm, Texas, has officially taken over the reins at the starting job after sitting for the last two seasons. Last week against Portland State, John threw for 352 yards and five touchdowns on just 11 completions. Mateer is the engine of this offense because the Cougars still love to sling the ball all over the yard.
LB Kyle Thornton
The Cougars bring back arguably their best defensive player, senior Kyle Thornton, which is a huge boost to the team. Thornton posted a team-high 87 tackles last year (4.5 for loss) and came into the season with 142 career stops. He is, without a doubt, one of the leaders of this Washington State defense.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
QB Behren Morton
With star running back Tahj Brooks status being uncertain, it puts even more pressure on starting quarterback Behren Morton. When healthy Morton is one of the better quarterbacks in the Big 12 and last week against Abilene Christian he threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns.
The Secondary
This week I am focusing on the entire Texas Tech secondary. Last weekend against Abilene Christian they were out of position and got absolutely worked all game long. It was so bad that it reminded me of those defenses during the Kliff Kingsbury era where they didn’t play defense at all. This group needs to rebound and rebound quickly.
Key Storylines
Washington State Cougars
How Good are the Cougars? Last season the Cougars went 5-7 in the Pac-12. Now in the Pac-2, Washington State is basically playing a Mountain West schedule. The Red Raiders are just one of two power four opponents on the Cougars schedule and a win here could go a long way down the road.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Can they Bounce Back? One could argue that Texas Tech had one of the most disappointing weekends in the Big 12 last Saturday. While they managed to escape against Abilene Christian in overtime, they still have up over 500 passing yards to an FCS team. Now, they will face an even better opponent in Washington State on the road. And with some guys out due to injury, it will make their job even tougher.
Prediction: Texas Tech 45, Washington State: 42
If you are a fan of an old-school Big 12 shootout, then this is the game for you. Both defenses are going to have a tough time getting stops, as the offenses will light up the scoreboard like the Fourth of July. This would be the perfect way to honor Mike Leach, and I expect the Red Raiders to score late and win the game. Even if the over/under were set at 80, I would likely still take the over.
