Texas Tech Football: Red Raiders aim for redemption against Iowa State
Texas Tech Football heads to Ames to take on a rising Iowa State side, in search of redemption from last season’s deflating home loss.
Texas Tech has been one of the biggest surprises in the Big 12 this season as they sit at 5-2 overall and in a tie for second place in the conference at 3-1. The Red Raiders are hoping to make a push toward a berth in the Big 12 Championship game with Oklahoma and Texas coming to Lubbock in successive weeks.
First, Texas Tech will need to navigate through a tricky road game in Ames, Iowa against a team that derailed their season a year ago. Texas Tech was ambushed at home against Iowa State last year, the second loss in a four-game losing streak that forced a late resurgence to garner bowl eligibility.
Kliff Kingsbury entered the season on the hot seat, but has moved off of it for now with Texas Tech’s strong play. A poor finish to the season could put Kingsbury back onto the hot-seat, which only furthers the importance of this game to build momentum for a tough stretch run.
The emergence of freshman QB Brock Purdy over the last two weeks has coincided with Iowa State’s rise after a 1-3 start to the season put their bowl eligibility in doubt. In leading his Cyclones to big wins over Oklahoma State and West Virginia, Purdy threw for 572 yards and 7 touchdowns to 2 interceptions, completing 75 percent of his passes in the process.
A win over Texas Tech would position Iowa State for a potential run up the Big 12 standings; in the very least, Matt Campbell’s crew could be a big spoiler for teams down the stretch.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday afternoon’s game between Texas Tech and Iowa State:
Date: Saturday, October 27
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Jack Trice Stadium
TV: ESPN2
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Freshman quarterback Alan Bowman has been the igniter for the Texas Tech offense; the Red Raiders have been one of the best offensive teams in the nation when he has taken the snaps. Despite missing one-and-a-half games, Bowman is the Big 12’s leader in passing yards, and has the third highest efficiency rating in the conference behind only Kyler Murray and Will Grier. The key for the Red Raiders will be to keep Bowman upright against an Iowa State defensive front that averages more than three sacks per game.
The Cyclones will hope to put pressure on the young quarterback and force him into some questionable decisions. If they can force turnovers, it will go a long way in seeing them come out on top on Saturday afternoon. On offense, look for Iowa State to try and keep the high-powered Red Raiders offense on the sideline with designed quarterback runs for Purdy and a boatload of touches for star running David Montgomery. Shortening the game and making it ugly gives the Cyclones their best chance at victory; it’s unlikely they would be able to keep up in a track meet with Texas Tech.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Iowa State -3.5
Over/Under: 55.5
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Prediction
Iowa State’s defense should be able to get some pressure on Bowman and make him uncomfortable in the pocket, more than likely forcing him into mistakes. The Cyclones defense has had Kingsbury’s number the last two years, holding Texas Tech to just 23 points in the last two meetings with an average margin-of-victory of 32 points-per-game. I expect for Texas Tech’s offense to score more this time and for the game to be much closer, but I doubt they’ll have much of answer for Purdy, Montgomery, and the rest of the Iowa State offense. It will be close, but the Cyclones win their third straight.
Final Score: Iowa State 30, Texas Tech 27