TCU will be trying to beat Texas Tech for the fifth time in a row when the cross-state rivals square off this evening at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock. A win in the Big 12 Conference clash would be a boost for either team in a season gone awry for both. TCU is 4-4 after losing three of its last four games, the last a 41-3 thrashing by Kansas State in a rematch of last year’s Big 12 title game. The 3-5 Red Raiders have lost their last two games, against K-State and BYU.
THE GAME
TCU (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) at Texas Tech (3-5, 2-3), 6 p.m. Central time Thursday (Nov. 2).
TV: FS1
Line: Texas Tech by 3, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: Texas Tech leads 32-30-3.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
In addition to pride, the prize is the Saddle Trophy, which was brought back in 2017 after going away in the early 1970s. TCU has won the last four games in the series.
KEY MATCHUP
Two of the Big 12’s top running backs, Texas Tech’s Tahj Brooks and TCU’s Emani Bailey. Both have five 100-yard rushing games. Brooks is third in the league with 110.9 yards per game, and Bailey is fourth with 106.4 yards per game. Texas Tech allows 147.3 yards rushing per game, while the Horned Frogs give up 148.8 on the ground.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
TCU: Redshirt freshman QB Josh Hoover in his third start. He was 37 of 58 passing for 439 yards and four touchdowns in his first start against BYU, and followed that by going 23 of 43 for 187 yards without a score against Kansas State.
Texas Tech: Freshman linebacker Ben Roberts has a team-leading 66 tackles, including 10 or more in five of the past seven games since moving into a starting role.
FACTS & FIGURES
TCU coach Sonny Dykes is the son of the late Spike Dykes, who took over as Tech’s head coach in the 1986 Independence Bowl and stayed through the 1999 season. The younger Dykes was a Red Raiders assistant coach from 2000-06 and hasn’t coached a game in Lubbock since then. … TCU has the fastest-tempo offense among Power Five programs, running 2.81 plays per minute. Texas Tech is third at 2.68. … The Red Raiders are 3-0 against teams from Texas (Tarleton, Houston and Baylor), with all five of their losses against out-of-state teams. … TCU leads the Big 12 with 20 sacks.