Tony Thomas
Writer
The Texas Tech Red Raiders are having their best season (10-1) since the 2008 season under the late Mike Leach, when the Red Raiders posted an 11-2 record and finished 12th nationally after being ranked as high as No. 2 earlier that season.
The 2025 version of Texas Tech has taken over the college football world with a calculated and focused fury. The Red Raiders are one win away from the Big 12 Conference Championship and then a berth in the College Football Playoff.
But first, Texas Tech must travel to a region of the country where the late crooner John Denver serenades the home crowd at every home game with the tune “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” at West Virginia and their beloved sons of the Mountaineers football team.
The Red Raiders are bringing a high-scoring offense (42 points/game) and a brutal, disruptive defense that hits you with immense force, like you stole something from them. Coach Joey McGuire’s squad leads the nation in scoring offense and is No. 2 in the Big 12 in total offense. They have scored 60 points twice this season, and have tallied 40+ points five times.
Running back Cameron Dickey leads the conference with 13 rushing touchdowns and leads the team with 944 yards on the ground.
Quarterback Behren Morton has not thrown an INT in his last two outings, and has only one giveaway through the air in his last five games.
Four receivers have over 400 yards receiving and have combined for 20 touchdowns, led by Caleb Douglas (48 catches, 696 yards, 5 TD’s).
The gem of this team is the defense. This band of brutes leads the Big 12 in several defensive categories:
The undisputed leader of this unit is linebacker Jacob Rodriguez. J-Rod has posted 100 tackles, four INTs, returned one INT for a score, 9.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups, seven forced fumbles and one rushing touchdown.
He, along with LB David Bailey, has earned recognition on several national award watch lists. Bailey’s name can be found on the Lombardi Award and the Lott IMPACT Trophy watch lists.
Rodriguez has had a heavy push for Heisman Trophy recognition, even as a pure defensive player. In addition, you can find his name on watchlists for the Nagurski Trophy, Lombardi Award, Butkus Award, Lott IMPACT Trophy and the Bednarik Award.
2025 has not been kind to the Mountaineers, with a 4-7 record and at one point, a five-game losing streak. They are coming off a three-point loss to Arizona State. The Mountaineers are quarterbacked by Scotty Fox Jr., who has thrown for just seven TD’s and five INTs. Fox has completed just 59.9 percent of his passes in nine games.
None of the WVU running backs have posted over 400 yards rushing and none have more than four rushing scores. But as a team, the Mountaineers have rushed for 22 touchdowns, which is fourth best in the Big 12.
The defense of West Virginia is led by Fred Perry with 77 tackles and 10 tackles for loss. He has posted three games of double-digit tackles. As a unit, the Mountaineers have not allowed a rushing TD in the last two games and have allowed opponents just 2.24 yards per carry over that stretch.
The Red Raiders are the hottest team in college football and it does not look like they are ready to flame out any time soon. Coach McGuire has his boys playing at an elite level. Texas Tech is primed to go all the way, with a championship-caliber defense. But first, they must dispatch the Mountaineers. And dispatch they will.
Final Score: Texas Tech 42 – West Virginia 10
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Tony Thomas
Writer
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In theory, the race for the Big 12 Championship title game should be straightforward. However, in the beautifully chaotic sport of college football, things are rarely so easy.
