No. 7/7 Football preview: Texas Tech - University of Texas Athletics (2024)

Texas (10-1, 7-1) vs. Texas Tech (6-5, 5-3)
November 24, 2023
Where:Austin, Texas
Stadium:Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
Time:6:30 p.m. CT
TV:ABC (Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek, Tom Luginbill)
Radio:Longhorn Radio Network (Craig Way, Roger Wallace, Will Matthews)
Spanish Radio:Longhorn Radio Network (Dr. Rubén Pizarro-Silva, Jesus Mendoza)

THE OPENING KICKOFF
• The University of Texas continues its 131st season of football on Friday when the Longhorns host Texas Tech for the 73rd all-time meeting and 40th time in Austin.
• Texas was ranked No. 7 in last week's College Football Playoff rankings for the third consecutive week, matching the highest ranking and the third-ever Top-10 appearance in program history.
• Texas (No. 7/7) is ranked in the AP Top-10 for the 11th consecutive week and the Coaches poll Top-10 for the sixth-straight week, the longest streak for UT in both polls since the 2009-10 seasons.
• Last time out, Texas (10-1, 7-1) defeated Iowa State on the road, 26-16, improving to 5-0 on the road this season and snapping a two-game losing streak to the Cyclones in Ames.
• Texas Tech (6-5, 5-3) defeated UCF 24-23 in the Red Raiders home finale last Saturday. The victory was keyed by a blocked extra point attempt after the Golden Knights scored on a 71-yard touchdown pass with 5:30 remaining to play.
• The Longhorns' 10-1 start is the best for the program since 2009.
• Texas is 7-1 in Big 12 Conference play, matching the best start for the team since 2013.
• UT has won six consecutive home games, the longest stretch for the Longhorns since 2007-10 (16 games).
• The Longhorns will be hosting and playing in the final regular-season game as a member of the Big 12 Conference.
• Texas enters Saturday's game with an all-time Big 12 record of 156-79.
• Texas currently boasts 946 all-time wins, tied for the fourth-most in college football history. UT holds an all-time record of 946-391-33 (.702).

SERIES HISTORY VS. TEXAS TECH
• Texas holds a 54-18 advantage over Texas Tech in the all-time series between the schools and has won 11 of the last 14 matchups.
• UT has won 10 of the last 12 games in Austin, including each of the last two.
• Texas and Texas Tech have played each other every year since 1960.
• The Longhorns scored 10 touchdowns in a 70-35 win over the Red Raiders the last time the teams played in Austin in 2021.
• Texas holds the longest winning streak by either side (8 games) and the largest margin of victory (51 points) in series history.
• Last season, the Longhorns fell on the road to the Red Raiders in overtime, 37-34.
• Texas and Texas Tech will square off in the regular season finale for the first time since 2019, a 49-24 home victory for the Longhorns. It will be the third all-time meeting in the regular season finale with all three taking place in Austin. TTU won the first on in 2017, 27-23.

Texas Tech Red Raiders Scouting Report
• Joey McGuire is in his second season leading the Texas Tech Red Raiders
• McGuire is an inductee of the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA) Hall of Honor and the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame.
• Joey McGuire is the second head coach in program history to lead the Red Raiders to bowl games in each of his first two seasons, joining the late Mike Leach, who guided Texas Tech to a bowl game in each of his 10 seasons.
• The Red Raiders rank ninth in the Big 12 in scoring offense (28.6 ppg) and 10th in total offense (404.1 ypg), while defensively they are sixth in both scoring defense (24.3) and total defense (382.0).
• RB Tahj Brooks ranks second in the conference and third nationally with 1,348 rushing yards and 122.5 rushing yards per game.
• LB Ben Roberts ranks fourth in the Big 12 with 87 total tackles (47 solo) and 7.9 tackles per game.
• DB Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is tied for third in the conference with four interceptions, while DB Malik Dunlap has three interceptions.
• KR/WR Drae McCray has the second-best kickoff return average in the conference 28.2 ypr, including a 100-yard touchdown return.
• Texas Tech enters play on Friday with a three-game winning streak.
• TTU is Bowl eligible for the third-straight season.
• The Red Raiders have won six consecutive games in the month of November.

A Texas Win Would ...
• Be Texas' 947th all-time victory, the fourth-winningest program in college football history.
• Clinch a spot in the Big 12 Conference Championship Game for the first time since 2018 and seventh time in program history.
• Give Steve Sarkisian his 70th victory as a head coach and 24th at Texas in his 118th career game as a head coach.
• Mark the first 11-1 start for a Steve Sarkisian led team and the best for the Longhorns since 2009 (12-0).
• Be the Longhorns' first 11-win season and first 11-win regular season since 2009.
• Finish the season unbeaten at home for the first time since 2009.
• Extend Texas' winning streak to six-straight games, the longest since 2018.
• Move the Longhorns' home winning streak to seven in a row, the Longest since 2007-10 (16 games).
• Improve Texas' all-time Big 12 Conference record as 157-79.

Third Season of Sarkisian Era
• Texas Football Head Coach Steve Sarkisian is in his third season at the helm of the Longhorns and his 10th season as a head coach overall.
• Last season, the Texas offense ranked 24th in the nation and third in the Big 12 Conference with 34.5 points per game, the fourth-straight top-25 scoring output for a Sarkisian-led offense.
• The offensive showing also marked the eighth top-25 scoring offense in Sarkisian's career.
• Marked the seventh time a Sarkisian offense averaged at least 34 points per game.
• Jonathon Brooks surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the victory over Kansas State, marking the 12th consecutive year a Sarkisian offense (as head coach or offensive coordinator) has had a 1,000-yard rusher.

Victory Count
• Texas has 10 regular-season wins for the first time since 2009.
• The Longhorns have at least eight regular-season wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2012-13.
• Texas has tallied eight or more regular season victories three times in the last 10 seasons (2018, 2022, 2023).

100th season of Texas Football at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium
• 2023 marks the 100th season in which Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium at Campbell-Williams will serve as the home for Texas Football.
• The first game at Texas Memorial Stadium took place on Nov. 8, 1924, as the Longhorns welcomed 13,500 fans for a Southwest Conference matchup against Baylor.
• The stadium was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1924, after the UT student body decided to name the stadium in honor of the 198,520 Texans who fought in World War I and the 5,280 who lost their lives doing so.
• In 1977, the stadium was rededicated to veterans of all wars.
• The stadium was renamed in honor of College Football Hall of Fame Darrell K Royal in 1996.
• In 2020, the field, previously named for Joe Jamail, was renamed in honor of Heisman Trophy winners Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams.
• The Longhorns have an all-time record at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium of 398-122-10 (.760).

Home Sweet Home
• Texas welcomed 102,846 fans to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the victory against Kansas State.
• The Longhorns played in a packed house at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in the victory over BYU, drawing the then-10th-largest crowd in stadium history with 101,670 in attendance.
• In UT's previous home game against Kansas, the Longhorns had 102,986 fans witness the victory over the Jayhawks, the fourth-largest crowd in stadium history.
• Two weeks prior, Texas drew 101,777 fans for the game against Wyoming.
• UT has drawn over 100,000 fans to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in nine of the 11 last home games.
• In the 12 home games since the start of the 2022 season, the Longhorns have hosted seven of the 11 largest home crowds in program history.
• The Horns have had 38 home games of 100,000-plus fans.

Bob Schneider closes out Longhorn City Limits
• On Friday, Austin hometown legend Bob Schneider will wrap up Season Five of Longhorn City Limits presented by Still Austin Whiskey Co. on the LBJ Lawn. The 59-time Austin Music Award winner will be joined in the lineup by singer-songwriter Scott Ballew. Both Scott and his father David were members of Texas Football national championship teams. Scott will get the live music kicked off at 3 p.m. followed by Bob Schneider at 4:30 p.m.

Best Game Day Atmosphere in the Nation
• Come out early and tailgate with the Longhorn faithful on Bevo Blvd presented by H-E-B, Hook 'Em Hangout, and Smokey's Midway as the action starts at 2 p.m. The final Bevo Parade of the season will get rolling at 3:30 p.m. followed by Coach Sark and the team at the Stadium Stampede at 4:15 p.m. We'll also have some holiday festive activities planned including Hook 'Em Santa ops at 4:30 p.m. as well as a mechanical reindeer and inflatable snow globe to enjoy.

Longhorns Collect Senior Bowl Invites
• Six Longhorns earned invitations to the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. where elite draft prospects from around the country are selected to showcase their talent and connect with coaches and decision-makers from all 32 NFL teams.
• Texas' invitees were DB Jahdae Barron, DL Alfred Collins, LB Jaylan Ford, OL Christian Jones, DL Byron Murphy II and DL T'Vondre Sweat.

Spreading the Ball Around
• Xavier Worthy hauled in 10 passes against TCU, the third time this season Texas had a receiver with at least 10 receptions in a game.
• It marked the first time since 2019 the Longhorns had three games with a player catching 10 or more passes.
• The three games are tied with 1999 and 2019 for third-most in a season in program history. The program record is five in 2008, followed by four in 2009.
• Three players have had 10-reception games this season: Xavier Worthy (10 at TCU), Jordan Whittington (10 vs. Oklahoma) and Adonai Mitchell (10 against Kansas).
• Three different players with 10 receptions in a season is the most in program history. The only other season to feature multiple players with 10-plus receptions games was 2008 (Jordan Shipley, three times; Quan Cosby, once).

The Running Back Room: Brooks + Baxter
• For the third consecutive season and eighth time in program history, the Longhorn backfield has featured a 1,000-yard rusher and 500-yard rusher.
• Jonathon Brooks rushed for a career-high 1,139 yards during the first 10 games of the season, while CJ Baxter brought his season total to 507 yards after rushing for a career-high 117 yards in the win at Iowa State last Saturday.
• The duo have combined for seven 100-yard games through the first 11 games of the season.
• As a team, Texas has rushed for at least 100 yards in every game this season, and on its current five-game winning streak has rushed for 843 yards (169 ypg) on 184 carries (4.6 ypc).
• During the 2021 and 2022 seasons, Bijan Robinson rushed for over 1,100 yards each season, while Roschon Johnson topped 550 rushing yards in both - the first Texas duo to accomplish the feat since 2001 (Cedric Benson, Ivan Williams).

Protecting the Rock
• Since the beginning of the Steve Sarkisian Era in 2021, Texas' featured running backs have done a phenomenal job of holding onto the football.
• During the stretch, Bijan Robinson (498 touches), Jonathon Brooks (266 touches), Roschon Johnson (214 touches) and CJ Baxter (134 touches) combined for 1,112 touches (987 carries, 115 receptions) and had only five lost fumbles.

Defense Takes Center Stage
• Texas allowed only 176 yards of offense in the victory against Rice, the fewest yards allowed by a Longhorn defense since 2017 (171, San Jose State).
• Rice had just 114 yards during their first 10 drives, adding 62 yards on their final drive of the game.
• At Baylor, the Longhorns registered eight tackles for loss and five sacks, including a pair of sacks by Byron Murphy II.
• The UT defense did not yield a touchdown to the Bears; the first time Texas kept an opponent out of the end zone since shutting out Oklahoma last season 49-0.
• Against BYU, the Texas defense held the Cougars to six points, the fewest they have scored in a game since 2019 (3, at San Diego State).
• It also marked the first time in 47 games that the Cougars were held out without a touchdown.

Running Into a Wall
• The Longhorns held Iowa State to nine yards rushing on 21 carries — the fewest allowed by Texas in Big 12 game since 2011.
• Texas has held seven opponents, including each of the last five, to fewer than 100 yards rushing.
• The five consecutive games of under 100 rushing yards allowed is the longest Texas since 2009 and tied for the third-longest streak in the Big 12 Conference over the last 15 seasons.
• All totaled in those five games, opponents have rushed for 241 yards (48 ypg) on 118 carries (2 ypc).

X-Factor
• Junior WR/PR Xavier Worthy is one of the premier wide receivers in the Big 12 and the nation.
• On the year, he has totaled a career-high 63 receptions for 834 yards and four touchdowns. He is second in the conference in receiving yards, third in receptions, ranks third in receiving yards, and is tied for 13th in touchdowns, while also second in receiving yards per game (75.8) and third in receptions per game (5.7).
• Eleven of his 63 receptions are for at least 20 yards, including a pair of 44-yard touchdown catches, a 42-yard touchdown reception, a 44-yard reception and two 39-yard receptions.
• Worthy now has three seasons of 60-plus receptions, the second Longhorn to accomplish the feat (Roy Williams).
• He has become one of the top return specialists in the nation and currently leads the Big 12 and is second in the FBS averaging 18.2 yards per return and is currently the second-best average in program history (Bobby Dillon, 22.3 ypr - 1950).
• He has had five receptions or more in seven of 11 games this season.
• He has eight career touchdowns of 40-plus yards (three in 2023) and 12 career receptions of 40-or-more yards.
• For his career, Worthy has hauled in 185 receptions for 2,575 yards and 25 touchdowns.
• The Fresno, Calif. native has caught a pass in all 36 games he has played, the third-longest streak in program history, and his 185 career receptions are the seventh-most for a Longhorn, three behind Collin Johnson (2016-19).
• His 2,575 receiving yards rank seventh all-time in program history, trailing Quan Cosby (2005-08) by 23 yards.
• He ranks third in UT history in touchdown receptions and is just one of four Longhorns to haul in at least 20 touchdown catches.

Quinn in Command
• Sophom*ore Quinn Ewers has led Texas to 14 wins in 19 starts during his first two seasons on the Forty Acres.
• Ewers currently leads the Big 12 in completion percentage (70.3%) and is second in passing efficiency (162.0) and passing yards per game (279.2), while ranking third in passing yards (2,513) despite missing two games due to injury. Nationally, he is ninth in completion percentage, 13th in passing efficiency, 17th in passing yards per game and yards per attempt (9.01).
• At Iowa State, he connected on 22-of-33 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.
• He has thrown at least one touchdown pass in all nine games he has played this season.

Baxter Breaks Through
• True freshman RB CJ Baxter has made an immediate impact on the Longhorn offense.
• In the season-opener against Rice, he became the first true freshman to start for Texas since Ricky Williams in 1995.
• The Orlando native put his stamp on the victory at Iowa State, eclipsing the century mark for the first time with a career-high 117 yards on 20 carries, while also catching a team-high five passes.
• He became just the third Texas running back and first since Cedric Benson in 2003, to rush for over 100 yards in Ames.
• Baxter rushed 15 times for 67 yards in the win over Kansas.
• He collected his first career touchdown in the win at Baylor, rushing six times for 21 yards and the score, while also catching a pair of passes for 16 yards.
• In his debut in the victory over Rice, Baxter carried the ball five times for 38 yards, including a 32-yard burst.

Mitchell Makes an Impact
• Junior wide receiver Adonai Mitchell has come up huge in his first 11 games in the Burnt Orange, tallying 43 receptions for 669 yards and a Big 12 Conference leading nine touchdown receptions.
• His nine touchdown receptions are tied for eighth-most in a season in program history.
• Five of his nine touchdown receptions occurred during a four game stretch at Houston, against BYU (2) and Kansas State, and at TCU.
• The four-game streak tied for the sixth-longest in program history.
• The Missouri City, Texas native has 11 touchdown receptions over his last 13 games.

Jahdae All Day
• Senior DB Jahdae Barron is a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist whose impact in the defensive backfield can be felt throughout the team.
• He tallied five tackles (four solo) in the victory at TCU, then collected a trio of tackles at Iowa State.
• Barron made plays all over the field against BYU, collecting six tackles (two solo) with two tackles for loss, one pass breakup and a pass deflection that led resulted in a Terrance Brooks interception to set up Texas' second touchdown of the game.
• He was a difference-maker for the Longhorns against Houston, providing a spark with three timely tackles (two solo) and a pass breakup on the Cougars' final offensive play of the game that halted the drive at the Texas 10-yard line.

Ford Foundation
• A 2023 Butkus Award semifinalist, senior LB Jaylan Ford emerged as one of the top defenders in the nation in 2022, earning All-American honors from the Associated Press and first-team All-Big 12 accolades from the league's coaches and the AP.
• Ford had a team-high nine tackles (seven solo) in the win at TCU, then notched a co-team best six tackles (three solo) at Iowa State the following week.
• The senior was phenomenal against Kansas State, posting a co-team-leading eight tackles (four solo) with 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery that led to a Texas touchdown.
• It marked his sixth-straight game with at least six tackles and seventh consecutive game with one or more tackles for loss.
• Ford had a game-high 11 tackles (four solo) with a tackle for loss and two quarterback hurries in the win against BYU.
• In the victory over Houston, Ford tallied six tackles (four solo), a career-high 2.5 tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble that led to a Texas field goal.

T'Vondre's Time
• Super senior DL T'Vondre Sweat has become a force in the middle of the Texas line and the way to being named a semifinalist for both the Outland Trophy and Bednarik Award.
• For his career, he has totaled 119 tackles (45 solo) with 17 tackles for loss and five sacks in 59 career games played.
• In 11 games this season, he has established career highs with 36 total tackles, 16 solo tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one blocked kick.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:

"Sweat can really move at 6-4, 362 pounds. He can run, he's got great hands and strength. He will certainly be one of the top 15 picks next spring (NFL Draft)." — Joel Klatt, FOX

• At Iowa State, he led a Longhorn defense that limited the Cyclones to just nine rushing yards and also blocked a point after try that led to the first defensive two-point conversion since 2019.
• In the win at TCU, he collected four tackles (two solo) and had a sack for a loss of nine yards.
• The super senior was a force against Kansas State, collecting four tackles, one tackle for loss, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup.
• He had a career day in the victory over BYU, establishing a career best with seven tackles (three solo), including 1.5 tackles for loss.

Burnt Orange Auburn
• Junior K Bert Auburn is currently the fourth-most accurate kicker in Longhorn history, connecting on 81.5% (44-of-54) of his career attempts.
• Auburn currently leads all active players averaging 9.2 points per game for his career and second with an average of 1.76 field goals made per game.
• The Flower Mound, Texas native has made 23-of-28 field goal attempts this season (82.1%) and all 39 of his point after tries.
• His 23 successful field goals are tied for second-most in a season in program history with Justin Tucker (2010) and one behind Hunter Lawrence (2009) for the program record, while he is also one of two Longhorns to have two seasons of 20-plus field goals made.
• He has made each of his last 14 field goals, the third-longest streak in program history.
• Auburn has been successful on 97 consecutive extra point tries, the second-longest streak in program history (Dusty Mangum - 121, 2001-03).
• He was clutch at Iowa State, connecting on all three of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 50 yard field goal as time expired in the first half.
• At TCU, he was 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, tying his career long in the game with a 49-yard effort.
• The junior was phenomenal against Kansas State, going 4-for-4 on field goal opportunities, including a pair for over 40 yards, and connecting on all three of his point after tries, scoring a career high 15 points in the 33-30 overtime victory.