Texas Tech is 3-1 to open a season for the second time under head coach Joey McGuire, and unlike last time, the Red Raiders will have a home game with the chance to improve to 4-1 to open the year.
Tech welcomes Cincinnati to Lubbock this weekend, a team who is also 3-1 and 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play after a 34-0 drubbing of Houston to open Big 12 play last weekend.
"Saturday, it's going to be a lot of fun. We're both 3-1 and 1-0 in Big 12 play," head coach Joey McGuire said Monday. "The way the Big 12 is right now, and what we thought it was going to be, it's going to be wide open. And this is a huge game. And so really excited about Cincinnati coming into Lubbock. I'm glad we're playing them here."
The Red Raiders will be facing a massive challenge again, with one of the best offensive lines that Tech has faced this season, a dynamic pair of running backs in Corey Kiner and Evan Pryor.
"Number 21 (Kiner), he's a few yards ahead of Tahj (Brooks), he was 1000 yard rusher last year," McGuire said. "Got a fast wide receiver in (Xzavier) Henderson, I think he's in the top four in the conference, and then their quarterback hasn't turned the ball over, and he does a great job. He's very efficient, you know, and really runs their offense well."
The quarterback, Brendan Sorsby has completed nearly 65-percent of his passes this season, throwing for eight touchdowns without an interception thus far.
While the Tech defense has come up with some turnovers of late, it will be key for the Red Raiders to create havoc and make plays against the Bearcats' offense while being led by a very young group through four-games this season.
"We are we playing a lot of young guys on defense, and, you know, the more they play, the better they're going to get," McGuire said. "I think one thing that the defensive staff has done is, I don't want to say simplify, but really, we're taking reps in things that we've got a lot of reps banked."
Offensively, the Red Raiders have been better, currently sitting at 15th in the country and second in the Big 12 in total offense, something that McGuire is proud of as Tech's season nears the mid-point.
"Offensively, we're trending in a good direction, where this is the most points that we've averaged, I think since we've been here," McGuire said. "I think we're in the top 25 in almost every offensive category. Behren's (Morton) playing really well. Tahj is playing well. And, you know, our offensive skill, especially Josh Kelly and Caleb Douglas, really got us going early in the game. I think we're doing a good job. We've got to continue to be better."
The Red Raiders will look to get out to the best start to a season under McGuire this Saturday at Jones AT&T Stadium at 7 p.m.
