Texas Tech 31, 
Texas A&M 27
Red Raiders, Aggies meet in pivotal Big 12 opener
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| Scouts Preview |
| Texas Tech's pass-happy offense will take advantage of A&M's porous defense |
Complete Scouts Inc. Preview |
| Matchup | |||||||
| W-L | PF | PA | HOME | ROAD | DIV | CONF | |
| TTU | 4-1 | 169 | 77 | 2-0 | 2-1 | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| TA&M | 4-1 | 186 | 79 | 4-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 |
| · Complete Standings | |||||||
| In Close Games (7 points or less. Since 2001) | |
| RECORD | |
| TTU | 12 - 10 |
| TA&M | 15 - 9 |
| Record When Scoring... (Since 2001) | ||||
| 20 OR MORE | 30 OR MORE | 40 OR MORE | 50 OR MORE | |
| TTU | 43-12-0 | 38-6-0 | 29-3-0 | 17-0-0 |
| TA&M | 31-16-0 | 21-5-0 | 10-1-0 | 4-0-0 |
| LESS THAN 20 | LESS THAN 30 | LESS THAN 40 | LESS THAN 50 | |
| TTU | 1-11-0 | 6-17-0 | 15-20-0 | 27-23-0 |
| TA&M | 3-13-0 | 13-24-0 | 24-28-0 | 30-29-0 |
| TEAM AVERAGES & NCAA RANKS | ||
| OFFENSE | TM | PER GAME AVERAGE / NCAA RANK |
| Total Yards | TTU | |
| TA&M | ||
| Passing Yards | TTU | |
| TA&M | ||
| Rushing Yards | TTU | |
| TA&M | ||
| Points Scored | TTU | |
| TA&M | ||
| Full Team Stats: Texas Tech | Texas A&M | ||
| THIS WEEK'S LINE | |||
| FAVORITE | SPREAD | UNDERDOG | OVER/UNDER |
| TEXASAM | 0 | TEXASTECH | 0 |
| Full Daily Lines | |||
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) -- One of Texas A&M coach Dennis Franchione's former assistants has provided a blueprint for beating Texas Tech.
Two weeks ago, TCU limited the Red Raiders to 242 total yards in a 12-3 victory, the first time since 2000 that Tech was held without a touchdown.
The Aggies (4-0) get their chance to try to shut down the Red Raiders (3-1) on Saturday at Kyle Field in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
How did the Horned Frogs do it?
Franchione called TCU coach Gary Patterson to find out. Patterson was Franchione's defensive coordinator at TCU until Franchione left for Alabama in 2000.
Franchione said the Horned Frogs held down Tech by pressuring quarterback Graham Harrell and hitting Tech's receivers hard after they made catches.
"They gave up some big plays, but they got up and played with poise and broke up a lot of balls," Franchione said. "Gary did a great job with his scheme."
Statistically, the Aggies' pass defense is one of the best in the nation, a reversal from 2005, when they had the nation's worst. A&M now ranks sixth nationally in the category, allowing only 127.5 yards per game.
But the Aggies admit they haven't faced an offense nearly this good.
"We're going to have to step up our game just a little bit more," said junior defensive end Chris Harrington.
The Red Raiders bounced back from the TCU loss by ripping Southeast Louisiana 62-0. Harrell, a sophomore, threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns as the Red Raiders got back to looking like the team that's led the nation in passing offense the last four seasons.
"We would like to be 4-0, but I think the loss was a good thing for us," said Harrell, the Big 12 leader in passing yards (291.8 per game). "Offensively, I think we feel fine. I don't think we have ever not had confidence."
And now, Harrell has another reliable target he didn't have against TCU, receiver Jarrett Hicks. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound senior rejoined the Red Raiders last week after the NCAA granted him an academic eligibility waiver. Hicks' 29 career TD catches rank fourth in Big 12 history.
Defensive coordinator Gary Darnell said Hicks alters A&M's game plan because the coaches haven't seen him much on film.
"It can conceivably change things a lot," Darnell said.
While offense has become Tech's trademark, the Raiders' defense has steadily improved the past two years. It didn't look that way three weeks ago against UTEP, when Tech squeaked out a 38-35 overtime win in El Paso. But that's the only game in which the Raiders allowed a touchdown.
"I think we feel good about where we are at," nose tackle Chris Hudler said. "We had a bad game against UTEP, but I think we have come together as a unit and had some really good practices. We have had a lot more emotion and been flying around a lot more on the defensive side of the ball."
Like the Aggies, the Raiders' defense will face a potentially explosive offense. A&M is averaging 39.8 points and 433 yards per game, and sophomore quarterback Stephen McGee has yet to throw an interception in 90 passes.
The Aggies have exemplified offensive balance, averaging more than 200 yards rushing and passing.
"Our players, they feel like they can move the ball and are disappointed when they don't," Franchione said.
While not on the national level of Texas-Oklahoma, the Tech-A&M series has blossomed into a fierce, wild rivalry. A&M tight end Martellus Bennett said Tech's 59-28 victory last year was punctuated by the unruly fans in Lubbock.
"They throw batteries at you. From the fans' standpoint, they treat other schools so bad," Bennett said. "I drop the (TV) remote battery on my foot, that hurts and I'm 6-7. Imagine it coming from the top of the stadium, with gravity times velocity times speed, by the time it hits you, it hurts pretty bad."
Not that Kyle Field is tame. The Red Raiders practiced this week with loud noise blaring through speakers to simulate the notoriously intimidating crowd.
"You have 80,000 fans screaming and booing at you and I like playing in places like that because it gives me more incentive," Hudler said.
The Red Raiders have won eight of the last 11 meetings, but the last two in College Station have gone to overtime. Harrell watched A&M's 32-25 win there two years ago from the sideline and called it his favorite road trip of the season.
"We got beat, but it was still a fun place to play," Harrell said. "It was a lot of energy. I've looked forward to going back there ever since and wanted to be the guy that plays in that atmosphere."
College Football Scores
Other Scores:
Saturday, September 30th
| Colorado | 13 | Final |
| Missouri | 28 |
| Texas Tech | 31 | Final |
| Texas A&M | 27 |
| Northern Iowa | 27 | Final |
| Iowa State | 28 |
| Kansas | 32 | Final |
| Nebraska | 39 | OT |
| Kansas State | 3 | Final |
| Baylor | 17 |
| Sam Houston State | 3 | Final |
| Texas | 56 |